- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 26 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take steps to provide broadband access to Drimnin; what factors it considers to be relevant in reaching a decision on this issue; whether cost should be a factor, and what its estimate is for the (a) capital and (b) revenue costs for broadband users in the area.
Answer
The Executive is aware of thebroadband access issue in Drimnin and confirms that it is being considered as partof our wider policy approach on the reach issue. We will consider all relevant factors,including the levels of known unmet demand as well as the cost and value for moneyaspects of providing a solution. We are not currently in a position to estimatethe specific capital and revenue costs for potential broadband users in this area.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 26 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to provide broadband access to locations defined as “non-spots” and what financial provision will be made for this purpose.
Answer
The Executive has already allocated£5 million funding to extend broadband coverage where it is currently unavailable.
We have now agreed with BT thatthey will increase broadband availability in at least 20 exchanges which have capacityconstraints, and this will extend broadband coverage to more businesses and householdsacross Scotland. This is being achieved using some of the £1.5 millionsavings from our existing BT contract.
An additional £3.5 million hasbeen allocated to support solutions for “not-spot” locations, and we are currentlyprioritising areas according to known demand as well as the costs of potential solutions.We are in discussion with the industry and are engaging with potential suppliersand broadband users in the “out of reach” clusters to ensure an appropriately designedfinal approach. Delivery will take place next financial year.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it determined the amount of funding for wheelchairs and wheelchair users announced on 16 March 2007 and whether it considers that £1 million is sufficient.
Answer
The further 1 million interim fundingannounced on 16 March 2007 is to allow the service in the short term to build onthe improvements already made in reducing waiting times as a result of the additional1.9 million interim funding in 2005-06. It is expected that the Spending Review,which will take place later this year, will consider what increased resources mightbe made available to address the recommendations from the independent review ofwheelchair and seating services in relation to the longer term needs of those services.
The Executives response to the reviewemphasises the need for boards also to address the recommendations at local level.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional provision it is making for the care of elderly people in the Highland Council or NHS Highland areas, in light of predictions about the increasing proportion of the population aged over 75.
Answer
In addition tothe money provided through the core settlement for care of the elderly, the ScottishExecutive is making additional provision through the local authority revenue settlementof 16.3 million in 2006-07 and 42 million in 2007-08 for the increased number ofolder people in Scotland. Highland Council’s share of this money is 671,000 in 2006-07and 1,730,000 for 2007-08. The distribution formulafor allocating the core settlement has been developed over several years in conjunctionwith COSLA and the distribution takes account of a number of demographic factors,including the proportion of elderly population.
In addition to this the Finance Ministerannounced in December 2006 an additional 201 million of which Highland Council willreceive 10.493 million. This was not provided for a particular purpose but in generalrecognition of a range of pressures on local authority services.
NHS Highland has been allocated atotal of 487.796 million in 2006-07, an increase of 31.012 million on the currentyear, and 513.03 in 2007-08. This money is distributed to the board on the basisof the Arbuthnott formula which is calculated each year and weighted to take intoaccount various factors specific to the population of each board area, includingthe age of its population. Any changes in the age profile of NHS Highland’s populationwill be reflected in the Arbuthnott formula and therefore impact on the level offunding the board receives.
It is however the responsibility of local authorities and NHSboards to provide appropriate service provision to meet the needs and prioritiesof their area.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether individuals entitled to object to a permanent Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) in respect of the Edinburgh trams scheme are entitled to object to the proposed temporary TRO and, if so, whether a public inquiry would be held to consider such objections, how long the Reporter to the inquiry could take to reach a conclusion, whether an inquiry would delay the construction work for the scheme and what impact any consequent delay would have on the costs of the scheme.
Answer
The making of a Temporary TrafficRegulation Order (TTRO) under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, for whateverreason, is a matter for the local road authority concerned. There is no statutoryright of objection in the TTRO making process.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what investment is planned for major improvements to the A96 in each year to 2012.
Answer
Planned expenditure on the A96during this period may be found on the Transport Scotland website at
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/defaultpage1221cde0.aspx?pageID=20.In addition, we are currentlyundertaking a design study for a dual carriageway improvement of the A96 betweenInverness and Inverness Airport. We have also invested in a major multi-modal transportcorridor study between Aberdeen and Inverness to provide the evidence to guide future investment prioritiesfor this route.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any information that would indicate that costs of strategic transport projects are considered likely to rise above the stated estimates has not been placed in the public domain and, if so, whether any such information will be published prior to May 2007.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-32425 on 23 March 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at .
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements will be made to the (a) A9, (b) A96, (c) A82, (d) A95 and (e) A86 in each of the next four years, listing the name or brief details of each scheme and its estimated cost.
Answer
Planned expenditure on theA9, A96, A82, A95 and A96 in each of the next four years may be found on theTransport Scotland website at:
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/defaultpage1221cde0.aspx?pageID=20.In addition to the schemeslisted in the website a new western bypass of Crianlarich on the A82 is beingplanned for a construction start in 2009-10 at an estimated cost of £5.3million and an improvement to remove a bottleneck at Pulpit Rock on the A82 atLoch Lomond is being planned for a construction start in 2010-11 at anestimated cost of £8.4 million.
Three major maintenanceschemes with road improvements are being planned on the A9 at Slochd, Moy andCarrbridge and will include additional overtaking lanes which will be 3.5km,1.3km, and 1.7km long respectively.
In addition to the schemeswhich are currently being taken forward to construction, we are currentlyundertaking two studies on the A9. The A9 Route Improvement Strategy isconsidering the need to upgrade the A9 north of Perth and at Berriedale Braes thereis an investigation into interim and long term options for improving poorgeometry at this location. Information about studies on the A96 can be found in my reply to question S2W-32421 which is available on the Parliament’s website, thesearch facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.All start and completion datesare subject to the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures.
In addition the StrategicTransport Projects Review will consider these routes as part of the on-goingwork towards the next phase of major transport infrastructure investment.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide financial assistance to the Highland Council to progress work in relation to the proposed Inverness trunk link route and, if so, what the amount will be of such assistance and for what purpose and in which financial years it will be provided.
Answer
Highland Council is currently taking forward the Inverness SouthConnectivity Study which is a Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidelines appraisalof the transport options for transport connectivity in the transport system aroundthe south of Inverness. An official fromTransport Scotland is on the working group to represent trunk road interestsin relation to the connections between the Inverness Southern Distributor Road andthe existing trunk road network.
Once the work on the optionsis completed this will be available to feed into the Strategic Transport ProjectsReview which is on-going and is due for completion in the summer 2008.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Transport Scotland has published all relevant information that it possesses in respect of factors about which it has been made aware that make it likely that costs of strategic transport projects will rise above the stated estimates and, if not, whether it will publish such information, or require Transport Scotland to do so, prior to May 2007.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-32425 on 23 March 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at .
