- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 13 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking, in partnership with Transport Scotland and First ScotRail, to improve train services between Perth and Edinburgh.
Answer
Performance for railservices between Perth and Edinburgh is monitored by Transport Scotland aspart of the Express service group. The Public Performance Measure (measuringreliability and punctuality) has shown consistent improvement, rising frombelow 80% 12 months ago to its current level of about 85%. This is a result ofa combined effort by First ScotRail and Network Rail to improve bothpunctuality and reliability across the whole Scottish rail network.
Scottish ministers arecommitted to developing a long-term rail strategy to contribute to asustainable, effective and efficient transport system for Scotland. Thisincludes consideration of options to improve Perth-Edinburgh services. TransportScotland will work with the rail industry and others to continue to develop railservices across Scotland.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 13 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any studies into the cost of dualling the A9 in its entirety between Perth and Inverness and, if so, what the findings were.
Answer
A Route Action Plan for theA9 reported in 1996. The cost of completing the dualling of the A9 estimated inthat report was £276 million in 1995 prices.
The economic benefits ofcompleting the dualling were found to be substantially less than the costs ofconstruction.
No estimate was made of theenvironmental impacts of completing the dualling.
Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for moreinformation if required.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 1 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, further to the answers to questions to S2W-9099 by Mr Jim Wallace on 30 June 2004 and S2W-17703 by Nicol Stephen on 29 July 2005 which indicate that between 1997 and 2004 there were increases of 97,000 private sector jobs and 57,000 public sector jobs in Scotland, it will explain any discrepancy between these figures and those quoted in UK Competitiveness Index 2005, published by Dr Robert Huggins of the University of Sheffield, which state that between 1997 and 2004 there were increases of 35,000 private sector jobs and 121,000 public sector jobs.
Answer
The discrepancies arise fromusing different time periods and, more significantly, using different definitionsof the “public sector”. The preferred approach is based on the internationally agreednational accounts definition that is now used by the Office of National Statisticsand by the Executive for its quarterly
Public Sector Employment in Scotlandseries.
The statistics used in S2W-9099and S2W-17703 were taken from the Labour Force Survey and at the time the writtenparliamentary questions were answered provided the best source of data. They havenow been superseded by the Executive’s data.
Finally, the statistics quotedby Dr Robert Huggins in his UK Competitiveness Indicators are based on employmentin the public admin, education and health sector which includes people working forprivate sector organisations.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 1 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the figures quoted in UK Competitiveness Index 2005, published by Dr Robert Huggins of the University of Sheffield, showing that between 1997 and 2004 there were increases of 35,000 private sector jobs and 121,000 public sector jobs in Scotland are correct.
Answer
The UK Competitiveness Index2005 does not use the standard definition of the public sector employed by the Officefor National Statistics and the Scottish Executive.
For more information I referthe member to the answer question S2W-23610 on 1 June 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facilityfor which can be at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 24 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are applied by the Fisheries (Electricity) Committee when advising ministers of the impact of proposed hydro-electric power schemes on fisheries.
Answer
Whilst the Fisheries (Electricity)Committee do not advise Scottish ministers to approve or reject proposed hydro-electricschemes, they do provide recommendations on how damage to fish and fisheries mightbe prevented or minimised. I have arranged for copies of the guidelines that containthe criteria to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib.number 39648).
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 24 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many proposed hydro-electric power schemes the Fisheries (Electricity) Committee has advised ministers to (a) approve and (b) reject in each of the last five years.
Answer
The Fisheries (Electricity) Committeehave been asked to provide recommendations on proposed hydro-electric developmentsin each of the last five years as follows;
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2002 | 4 |
| 2003 | 5 |
| 2004 | 2 |
| 2005 | 4 |
To date, the Scottish ministershave approved nine and rejected one of these schemes.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 24 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive who the members are of the Fisheries (Electricity) Committee.
Answer
The membership of the Fisheries(Electricity) Committee is as follows:
MrJames Cockburn (Chairman)
DrSusan Walker
DrD Trevor Crisp
MrJohn Webb
MrGordon Jubb
Mr Nick Mardall.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 24 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Fisheries (Electricity) Committee publishes guidelines to the developers of proposed hydro-electric schemes in relation to the criteria which the committee apply when assessing such schemes.
Answer
The Fisheries (Electricity) Committeeissues guidelines, containing the criteria that they apply to applications, annuallyto all developers of proposed hydro-electric schemes.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 17 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the standard of service provided under the central heating programme administered by Eaga Partnership Ltd.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is asfollows:
A tendering process iscurrently underway to appoint a managing agent to administer the central heatingand warm deal programmes on behalf of the Scottish Executive. To ensure animpartial process is maintained it would be inappropriate to comment publiclyon quality performance at this time. However, Communities Scotland continues toaddress customer service issues directly with Eaga.
As a result of experience gainedfrom issues identified during the first phase of the programme, obligations on thenew management agent in the new contract have been tightened to ensure enhancedlevels of customer satisfaction.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 12 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it audits the customer satisfaction of individuals in receipt of installations or renewals under its central heating programme.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is asfollows:
Eaga Partnership, which isthe managing agent contracted to deliver the Central Heating Programme on behalfof the Scottish Executive, is required to provide details of customersatisfaction in monthly reports submitted to Communities Scotland. In addition,Communities Scotland commissions independent inspections of installations.These include monitoring of customer satisfaction.
