- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 26 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3544 by Sarah Boyack on 26 January 2000, when the studies being conducted by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to determine likely sources of tritium within the landfill leachate will be available.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-10185 on 25 October.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 25 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce whether the Freight Transport Group's bids to the Public Transport Fund have been successful for the Stirling to Dunfermline rail link.
Answer
There are two separate funding aspects to the reopening of the Stirling to Dunfermline rail link. Clackmannanshire Council submitted a bid to the Public Transport Fund for a passenger rail service from Stirling to Alloa building on proposals to reinstate the line from Stirling - Alloa - Dunfermline for freight traffic. The freight proposals are the subject of a separate funding application by Railtrack for Freight Facilities Grant.
Both applications are currently being considered and I expect to announce awards from the Public Transport Fund shortly.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 25 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what expenditure it has committed on transport in 1999-2000 and how much it plans to spend in (i) 2000-01, (ii) 2001-02 and (iii) 2002-03, showing the capital charges to be incurred during each financial year; what the purpose is of the capital charges in these expenditure plans, and whether they count as part of the public expenditure allocation to Scotland through the Barnett formula.
Answer
In 1999-2000 the Scottish Executive spent £320.6 million on transport. Capital charges were not computed for this year.
Expenditure plans for the next three years, which in each case include capital charges, are as follows:
2000-01 | £ 877.5 million (including capital charges of £491.6 million) |
2001-02 | £ 954.5 million (including capital charges of £528.4 million) |
2002-03 | £1,008.4 million (including capital charges of £544.4 million) |
These figures include grants to local authorities.
Capital charges represent depreciation and the cost of capital (currently 6%). A feature of the newly introduced Resource Accounting and Budgeting, which aims to ensure that the full economic cost of government activity is measured properly, capital charges are intended to show that there is a cost to the taxpayer in tying up money for many years. The motorway and trunk road network is a very valuable asset.
Capital charges are not at present allocated to Scotland through the Barnett formula. They are treated as an item of Annually Managed Expenditure, to which the Barnett Formula does not apply.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 25 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3032 by Sarah Boyack on 21 December 1999, what the sources are of the tritium in leachate identified as existing at the landfill sites listed in the answer to question S1W-3544 by Sarah Boyack on 26 January 2000.
Answer
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) authorises the disposal of low level radioactive waste to approved landfill sites in Scotland under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993. This type of waste is generated in the main by hospitals and universities and may contain low levels of tritium.
Earlier this year SEPA commissioned a study to investigate the potential sources of tritium in the leachate collected from landfill sites within Scotland. The study found that the authorised disposal of radioactive waste could not wholly account for the levels of tritium found in leachate samples. Gaseous tritium light devices (GTLDs) have in the past been used in emergency exit signs in buildings such as cinemas. GTLDs within certain activity limits are permitted to be disposed to landfill sites with ordinary refuse. The study suggested that the concentrations of tritium observed may have arisen from such disposals. The findings of the study are contained in a report available on the SEPA website at www.sepa.org.uk.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 12 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what has been the increase in real terms in the capital spend budget for the Fife Acute Hospitals NHS Trust from financial year 1996-97 to 1999-2000 inclusive.
Answer
The capital resources available to Fife Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and the two predecessor Trusts for 1996-97 to 1999-2000 is shown in the following table calculated at constant 1999-2000 prices:
| | 1996-97 £'000 | 1997-98 £'000 | 1998-99 £'000 | 1999-2000 £'000 |
Capital Pool | 4,043 | 750 | Nil | Nil |
Formula Capital | 3,516 | 1,497 | 1,579 | 1,569 |
Total | 7,559* | 2,247* | 1,579 | 1,569 |
*Capital resources were specifically made available from the capital pool in 1996-97 and 1997-98 to enable improvements to be made to the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 26 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the full costs, including fuel, drivers' salaries, insurance, road fund tax and servicing in (i) the last financial year and (ii) the current financial year to the end of August of providing the Government car service for ministerial use.
Answer
The Government Car Service (Scotland) (GCS) provides or arranges car transport for the Scottish Ministers, Ministers of UK Government Departments when in Scotland, office-bearers of the Scottish Parliament, senior members of the judiciary, officials and visiting dignitaries. GCS vehicles may be used by more than one individual on any given day.
Estimated expenditure broken down into the categories of fuel, drivers' salaries, insurance, road fund tax and servicing for the GCS are shown in the table below:
| | 1999-2000 | 1 April 2000 - 31 August 2000 |
Fuel | £34,832 | £13,097 |
Drivers Salaries (incl. ERNIC and overtime) | £235,000 | £105,000 |
Servicing | £11,900 | £1,882 |
Insurance/Vehicle repairs) | £875 | £775 |
Road Fund Tax* | nil | nil |
*Crown exemption
When demand exceeds available GCS capacity, private hire cars are engaged from companies with which the GCS has contractual arrangements. The expenditure on these for Scottish Ministers is shown in the table below:
| | 1999-2000 | 1 April 2000 - 31 August 2000 |
Private Contract Hire | £106,000 | £85,000 |
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has held any discussions with Forth Valley Health Board and Tayside Health Board about the future of maternity and paediatric services for people living in the Callander and Dunblane areas.
Answer
The planning and delivery of health services is a matter primarily for health boards and Trusts. I can confirm, however, that the Scottish Executive meets regularly with health boards - including Forth Valley and Tayside - to learn of their proposals for improving services for patients throughout their areas.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 18 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has held with Her Majesty's Government on the development of a national (UK) intermediate radioactive waste depository.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is responsible for policy on radioactive waste management in Scotland. It is in regular contact with UK Government Departments and would be involved in any decision to develop a national (UK) radioactive waste policy.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of intermediate radioactive waste are currently being stored broken down by location.
Answer
The latest information on the amount and location of radioactive waste in the UK is contained on the CD-ROM 1998 United Kingdom Radioactive Waste Inventory, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), reference code 8385.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 15 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many miles were travelled by each Minister using the Government car service in the last financial year.
Answer
Details of mileage travelled by individual Scottish Executive Ministers in GCS vehicles are not recorded separately. The GCS also provides for the transportation of UK Ministers when in Scotland, office bearers of the Scottish Parliament, officials, visiting dignitaries and the judiciary.
