Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-11188

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 30 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how construction of the M77 between Malletsheugh and Fenwick will be financed and what financial resources will be committed to the project in which financial years.

Question reference: S1W-10799

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 30 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what road safety improvements are being or will be made on the A84/A85 and whether it will attend any public meeting held to address this issue.

Details of safety improvement schemes programmed for the current financial year on the A84 Stirling to Lochearnhead and A85 Perth to Oban trunk roads are as follows:

A84 Callander - new 30mph speed limit, Village Gateway signing, "Toucan" crossing, new road markings and traffic signals at the A84/A81 junction;

A84 Kilmahog - new 40mph speed limit;

A84 Strathyre - upgrading of traffic calming measures;

A85 - Route Accident Reduction Plan works on the Perth to Lochearnhead section of the route which includes signing, lining, installation of junction bollards and verge marker posts and the provision of anti-skid surfacing;

A85 - renewing road markings on the Tyndrum to Oban section of the route to bring them up to current standards;

A85 - progressing the design work of a footway and street lighting scheme at Lochearnhead.

A84/A85 Lochearnhead junction - progressing the design of minor junction improvement;

A84 and A85 Verge Safety Fencing - Preparing a safety fence installation programme.

In addition, speed limits for West Huntingtower and Lochty (40mph) and St Fillans (30mph) are planned for the future on the A85 Perth to Oban Trunk Road.

The Scottish Executive has made arrangements for its Management Agent to attend the November meeting of the Stirling Council Highland Forum where representatives from the local community can voice their road safety concerns regarding the A84/A85 trunk road.

Question reference: S1W-10406

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 29 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many publicly funded projects aimed at encouraging cycling have been completed since 1997 and what the location was of each such project.

Responsibility for cycling infrastructure rests with local authorities. Information on the number and location of projects carried out by local authorities is not held centrally.

In 1998-99, however, the Scottish Office funded 35 projects through the Cycle Challenge Fund. The locations of these projects are listed in Table 1 below. The total project costs were just under £2 million and the grant awarded was £0.58 million. An evaluation of the outcome of the fund is currently underway.

In addition, the Scottish Office, and now the Scottish Executive, has, through the Trunk Roads Cycling Initiative, funded those stretches of the National Cycle Network which interface with or cross the trunk road network. Completed works are valued at over £6 million. Details are given in Table 2 below.

Finally, the Scottish Executive can use the Public Transport Fund to enable authorities to carry out projects which assist cyclists. Dumfries and Galloway Council were awarded £0.9 million over three years (1999-2002) for an integrated package of measures for Dumfries which included a large element to improve cycling and walking infrastructure in the town. Midlothian Council were awarded £0.802 million from this fund for a pedestrian and cyclists' overbridge at Sheriffhall.

Most recently, I announced on 9 November that six further projects to improve facilities for walking and cycling will receive a total of £4.3 million from the Public Transport Fund. Those projects which include a cycling element are located in East Renfrewshire, Stranraer, Kilmarnock, the Helensburgh and Lomond area, Perth and Kinross, and Renfrewshire.

Table 1: Location of Cycle Challenge Initiative Projects

1. Aberdeen (3 projects)

2. Aberdeenshire ( 2 projects)

3. Forfar, Carnoustie and Montrose

4. Clackmannanshire.

5. Cycle Touring Club National Cycle Database Website.

8. Dundee (3 projects)

9. East Dunbartonshire (2 projects)

11. Glenrothes

12. Peebles

13. Edinburgh (3projects)

14. Glasgow (4 projects)

15. Nairn

16. Inverness ( 2 projects)

17. Inverclyde

18. Loch Leven

19. Lothian

20. Moray

21. Orkney

22 Dunfermline

23 Scotrail - projects benefited large area

24. Shetland

25. East Kilbride

Dumfries and Galloway and Aberdeenshire

Table 2: Location of trunk road interface sections and crossings for the national cycle network and other trunk road cycling facilities.

A1	2 locations
A701	3 locations
A737	1 location
A75	1 location
A76	5 locations
A77	5 locations
A8/M8	1 location
A82	2 locations
A82/A9	1 location
A828	1 location
A86	2 locations
A876	1 location
A889	1 location
A9	10 locations
A90	3 locations
A95	1 location
A96	8 locations
M77	2 locations
M8/M9	1 location
M90	1 location
M74 Corridor	Various Locations

Question reference: S1W-10405

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 29 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many publicly funded projects aimed at encouraging walking have been completed since 1997 and what the location was of each such project.

Responsibility for walking infrastructure rests with local authorities. Information on the number and location of projects carried out by local authorities is not held centrally.

The Scottish Executive can, however, use the Public Transport Fund to enable authorities to carry out projects which assist pedestrians. Dumfries and Galloway Council were awarded £0.9 million over three years (1999-2002) for an integrated package of measures for Dumfries which included a large element to improve cycling and walking infrastructure in the town. Midlothian Council were awarded £0.802 million from this fund for a pedestrian and cyclists' overbridge at Sheriffhall.

Most recently, I announced on 9 November that six further projects to improve facilities for walking and cycling will receive a total of £4.3 million from the Public Transport Fund. Those projects which include a walking element are located in East Renfrewshire, Stranraer, Kilmarnock, the Helensburgh and Lomond area and Renfrewshire.

Scottish Natural Heritage and the Forestry Commission have also funded or carried out projects to improve access facilities for walkers and other users. Information on these projects is not held centrally.

Question reference: S1W-11199

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 28 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote a Scottish airport as an international hub airport.

Question reference: S1W-11200

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 28 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has held with the Scotland Office about the availability of funding to support the Euro ferry proposed for Rosyth and what the outcome was of any such discussions.

Question reference: S1W-10495

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 27 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the additional #3.2 million per year being made available to the Scottish budget in 2001-02 from the climate change levy will be allocated to the assigned budget via the Barnett formula.

Question reference: S1W-10501

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 27 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to ring-fence the #3.2 million being made available to the Scottish budget from the climate change levy for the purposes of helping projects or policies which support a sustainable environment.

Question reference: S1W-10704

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 27 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has a reliable and comprehensive database of information on waste management issues.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) holds information on waste management issues obtained from a number of sources. Examples are data on licensed activities, exemptions, waste carriers and waste brokers which are held on public registers. Data on the amount of different wastes produced are obtained from specific surveys such as the joint Scottish Executive/SEPA survey carried out in 1999, to establish waste management data for 1997 and 1998.

During this year, as part of the implementation of the National Waste Strategy: Scotland, baseline assessments of waste management activities in each of 11 Waste Strategy Areas have been prepared. These will form part of the final Area Waste Plans.

SEPA is currently developing a system to ensure that all data on waste management issues are integrated within a co-ordinated waste management database. This forms part of SEPA's Information Systems Strategy.

Question reference: S1W-11022

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 22 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government or Scottish Power on the possibility of increasing the nuclear electric power generation capacity in Scotland.