- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 5 July 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-9052 by Allan Wilson on 28 June 2004, whether the cost of the Scottish Natural Heritage headquarters is an operational matter for Scottish Natural Heritage and, if not, what the cost of the building is estimated to be and whether the costs will be met from public funds.
Answer
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is responsible for planning and implementing the relocation of its Edinburgh headquarters to Inverness. SNH submitted a project plan covering all aspects of the relocation which ministers accepted as a basis for SNH to develop their tender specification for the new HQ building. SNH issued invitations to tender on 11 June and the budget for procurement of the accommodation will be set after the tenders have been received and evaluated. The costs of the relocation will be funded by additional grant-in-aid from the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 5 July 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered using existing reports and studies obtained by the owners of Castle Tioram in relation to the building's structure, history and culture.
Answer
I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to reply. His response is as follows:
Existing reports and studies obtained by the owners of Castle Tioram into the monument’s structure, history and culture were considered by the Inquiry Reporter at the Public Local Inquiry held in 2001 into the owners' application for scheduled monument consent (SMC) to restore the Castle. In his report to scottish ministers recommending that SMC be refused, the reporter identified gaps in understanding in the Statement of Cultural Significance obtained by the owners. Historic Scotland is commissioning the preparation of a full Statement of the Cultural Significance of Castle which will address those gaps. This will inform consideration of any future applications for SMC.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 2 July 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the tariff rebate subsidy scheme has been suspended and, if so, (a) on what date the decision to suspend the scheme was taken and by whom, (b) what consultation was undertaken prior to any such decision, (c) when it will decide whether to re-instate the scheme and (d) what economic impact assessment was made prior to the decision being taken and whether it will be published.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has carried out investigations into the administration of the Tariff Rebate Subsidy (TRS) scheme for bulk freight, following concerns that one or more of the operators in receipt of support under the scheme may not have been complying with its terms and conditions. This investigation started in December 2003 and the processing of claims was suspended pending completion of the investigation, since it would clearly have been inappropriate to continue to make payments in such circumstances.
The investigation concluded that the scheme was in some cases not being operated as intended. There was however no evidence to suggest that any claims were being made fraudulently.
Following the investigation we have reviewed the scheme and have concluded that it has not been demonstrably achieving its central objective of maintaining and improving sea transport services serving the Highlands and Islands. We have noted that the great majority of bulk freight transported by sea in the Highlands and Islands does not benefit from bulk freight TRS. Currently only three companies are eligible to claim TRS. Independent consultants commissionedby the Executive some time ago to evaluate the scheme reported that:
the overall contribution of TRS to economic development in the relevant areas has been very limited;
it has made only a limited contribution to sustaining bulk shipping capacity in the Highlands and Islands;
the absolute level of TRS is insignificant compared with the companies’ costs and turnover, and
any reduction in consumer prices (for bulk freight products) will have been slight and it is not clear that TRS support has fed through to reduced prices for the end consumers.
For all these reasons, we have decided that the bulk freight TRS scheme should remain in suspension. We have paid all outstanding claims to 31 March 2004 but have no plans, at present, to make further funding available under the scheme. The three companies that have been entitled to claim have been advised accordingly.
We remain very keen to encourage greater use of shipping for freight. In this regard we will be introducing later this year the new Waterborne Freight Grant Scheme to grant aid the operating costs of new shipping routes which remove lorries from roads. Details of the scheme are still being finalised.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 29 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement it has had with the proposed closure of the Bailey bridge at Nairn harbour; whether any factual evidence as to the condition of the bridge has been made public and, if not, whether it will be, and what consultation there will be with the people of Nairn with regard to this proposal.
Answer
The closure of the Bailey bridge at Nairn harbour is a matter for Highland Council as both the statutory harbour authority and the local roads authority. The Scottish Executive has no locus to intervene directly and it is the responsibility of the council to ensure that it complies with the appropriate legal procedures necessary to close the bridge.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 29 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in respect of the commitment in A Partnership for a Better Scotland to evaluate HITRANS' proposals for a Highlands and Islands air network; whether consultants have been appointed for this purpose and, if so, which consultants, what their remit is and when they have been asked to report.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has evaluated the initial report and is continuing its constructive dialogue with the Highlands and Islands Strategic Transport Partnership (HITRANS) on the additional work, commissioned by HITRANS, which includes an economic appraisal. In addition, the Executive has commissioned AviaSolutions to assess and validate the operational and technical feasibility of the proposals on an on-going basis.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 29 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any information has been sought from carriers in respect of HITRANS' proposals for a Highlands and Islands air network and, if so, what information has been sought from carriers and, if not, when it intends to seek such information.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has sought information from airlines. This information is aimed at assessing and validating the operational and technical feasibility of the proposals by the Highlands and Islands Strategic Transport Partnership (HITRANS) for an air network in the Highlands and Islands using Public Service Obligations.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what system it has for assessing whether each commitment in A Partnership for A Better Scotland will provide value for money; who is involved in the operation of such a system, and whether any non-civil servants are involved in the operation of the system and, if so, who.
Answer
I have responsibility for monitoring delivery of
A Partnership for a Better Scotland on Cabinet’s behalf and regularly meet individual portfolio ministers to discuss delivery issues. I am committed to ensuring that the Scottish Executive’s expenditure delivers the best possible value to the people of Scotland.
In order to support this objective, the Executive has introduced a new system under which significant new spending proposals are reviewed through “Pre-Expenditure Assessments”. Pre-Expenditure Assessments provide an assessment of expected impacts and value for money, and cover:
the aims and objectives of the proposal;
the options for addressing these objectives;
the evidence base on the likely impacts and value for money of the proposal, including cost-benefit analyses where appropriate;
the financial impact of the proposal, management and procurement arrangements, and
the plans for monitoring and evaluation.
This procedure is currently being extended to cover day-to-day spending decisions, and complements existing good practice in project appraisal.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 29 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the impact of regulations in respect of the development for housing of brown field sites is justified; whether the system in respect of such regulations should be simplified, and whether it has carried out any research into additional costs for housing development resulting from compliance with such regulations.
Answer
There are no regulations relating to the development of new housing on brownfield land. However, it is well established policy to promote the re-use of previously developed land in preference to development on greenfield sites, where appropriate, to encourage a sustainable approach to new development and to meet social and environmental justice objectives.
Scottish Planning Policy 3: Planning for Housing restates this policy in relation to the development of new housing, provided that a satisfactory residential environment can be created. Policy does not rule out the development of greenfield sites in specified circumstances.
No specific research has been carried out in relation to the costs involved for housing on brownfield land, although we appreciate that there can be particular costs depending on the circumstances. Funding mechanisms are in place to encourage the rehabilitation of vacant and derelict land.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 29 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive which consultants are advising it in relation to the Skye Bridge PFI buy-out; whether it has set any date by which the consultants must report to it; whether negotiations with the Skye Bridge Company have commenced and when they expect them to be concluded; whether it will then complete the purchase of the owners' rights under the PFI, and whether it will hold a public inquiry into the issues raised and, if so, whether all documents will be made public giving the reasons for its position on this issue.
Answer
The Executive has engaged Commerzbank AG to identify and analyse options to end the Skye Bridge tolls. In addition, JMP Consultants is providing technical advice and Scott Wilson Scotland is providing traffic analysis. We are taking all of this work forward as a priority, and have received a number of reports to date.
Discussions with Skye Bridge Limited have begun. Our aim is to end the discredited toll regime by the end of the year.
We have no current plans to hold a public inquiry or to make the relevant documents public. Decisions on such matters will be taken at a later date.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 28 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated annual cost is of the Culture Commission; by what date must it report to the Executive, and whether such costs will represent value for money.
Answer
I announced to Parliament on 22 April that the Cultural Commission would report to Ministers by June 2005. I reported the provisional budget of £478,000 in answer to question S2W-8237 on 11 June 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search.Since the Commission’s work will influence how we spend some £120 million of public funds each year, I do not think the cost of engaging in this review is in any way disproportionate. Like all such bodies, the commission will seek to ensure the cost effective use of the resources we have made available for its work, and will be subject to audit.
