- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 1 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what costs it has incurred in each year since 1999 regarding the provision of information to the electorate on the (a) operation of and (b) voting system for the Scottish Parliament.
Answer
The Scottish Parliament elections are currently the responsibility of the UK Government. Since 2000, the Electoral Commission has been responsible for providing guidance for voters, including information on the operation of and the voting system for the Scottish Parliament. As a result the Scottish Government has not incurred any expenditure on these issues.
The Scottish Parliament itself also provides public information on the workings of the Parliament and the voting system.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 1 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will require a public local inquiry to be held into the proposal for the Viking wind farm on Shetland and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
Given the role of Scottish ministers in determining this application it would be inappropriate to comment on its specifics at this stage. A decision will be made on this application in due course.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 December 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 March 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what action its directorates have taken in liaising with stakeholders on the future of beekeeping since May 2007.
Answer
Scottish Government officials met with stakeholders on 5 March and 17 June 2008, and on 2 April, 20 July, 5 August, 19 August, 11 September and 17 November 2009. Issues discussed at these meetings included a survey of bee colonies to determine the presence of Varroa mites showing resistance to pyrethroid treatments, the Bee Health Strategy for Scotland and the European and American Foulbrood outbreaks.
The Minister for Environment, Roseanna Cunningham MSP, met with stakeholders on 6 January 2010 to discuss developments in bee health. The Minister made it clear that the Scottish Government was not in a position to offer financial support for European Foulbrood control or compensation to businesses. The Minister agreed that we would look at spend under the EU Apiculture programme; stated that we had committed additional resources for bee inspectors, and that we would develop and enhance our existing resources while working with the industry on a disease control plan for 2010 and on the issue of antibiotic residues. The Minister also stated, without making firm commitments, that we would consider how to support working groups for the Bee Health Strategy and consider the issues raised in the paper tabled by the Bee Farmers Association at the meeting. The Scottish Government will also continue to develop the Bee Health Strategy within the resources available.
In addition the Scottish Government funded full time apiculture specialist at the Scottish Agricultural College liaises with stakeholders frequently during the provision of training, education and advice.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether patients in Scotland suitable for transcatheter aortic valve implantation have been referred to centres in England to undergo the procedure.
Answer
Yes. NHS boards in Scotland, through individual patient treatment requests panels, have referred patients with severe aortic stenosis to centres in England for transcatheter aortic valve implantation.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been referred to centres in England to undergo a transcatheter aortic valve implantation, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
This information is not available centrally in the format requested.
The UK Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) Registry shows that, in 2009, 12 people were referred by NHS boards to a centre in England for transcatheter aortic valve implantation TAVI.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 24 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to supporting speed awareness courses in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government has given a commitment in the Road Safety Framework to consider if the introduction of a speed awareness course would be an appropriate contribution to road safety in Scotland. This is a medium term commitment with a timescale of between two and five years from the publication of the framework which was in June 2009.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 24 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scots have been offered places on speed awareness courses in England after being caught speeding in England and unable to attend such a course in Scotland in each of the last five years.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 24 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how many speeding offenders have been detected at speeds that fall within the parameters of eligibility for the Speed Awareness Course in each of the last five years.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 February 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 24 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason Scotland is the only part of the United Kingdom that does not offer drivers speed awareness courses as an alternative to prosecution for low-end speeding offences.
Answer
The Scottish Government has given a commitment in its Road Safety Framework to consider if speed awareness courses would be an appropriate contribution to road safety in Scotland. As part of this process it will consider research which has been conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of such courses. Notwithstanding this, the decision on whether a speed awareness course would be an appropriate means of case disposal would lie with the Lord Advocate.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 22 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements were carried out to the A9 trunk road (a) from May 1979 to May 1997, (b) from May 1997 to May 2007 and (c) since May 2007; what the cost of each was expressed in today's terms, and when each improvement was first announced.
Answer
The following table represents the information currently available in Transport Scotland''s records.
May 1979 to May 1997
| Scheme | Carriageway Type: Dual, Single or WS2+11 | Total Scheme Cost in December 2010 Prices 拢 million2 | Date Scheme First Announced3 |
| Dornoch Firth Bridge | S | 32.904 | n/a |
| Broomhill to Logie Easter | S | 11.41 | n/a |
| Dunblane Bypass | D | 21.1 | n/a |
| Greenloaning to Blackford | D | 16.74 | n/a |
| Dunbeath Bridge | S | 9.71 | n/a |
| Kessock Bridge | D | 107.404 | n/a |
| Cromarty Bridge | S | 41.404 | n/a |
| Longman to Charlestown | D | 5.90 | n/a |
| Charlestown to Tore | D | 14.47 | n/a |
| Tore to Duncanston | S | 9.18 | n/a |
| Alness Bypass | S | 9.12 | n/a |
| Evanton Bypass | S | 11.30 | n/a |
| The Mound Bridge | S | 7.34 | n/a |
| Pitlochry Bypass I | S | 29.94 | n/a |
| Pitlochry Bypass II | S | 12.89 | n/a |
| Blackford Bypass | D | 7.14 | n/a |
| Aviemore to Granish | S | 9.71 | n/a |
| Ardullie to Foulis | S | 3.17 | n/a |
| North Kinguissie to South Aviemore | S & WS2+1 | 17.65 | n/a |
| Regional Boundary to Drumochter Lodge | D | 3.57 | n/a |
| Killicrankie to North of Calvine I | D | 33.90 | n/a |
| North of Guay to Tynreich | D | 11.30 | n/a |
| Auchterarder and Aberuthven Bypass | D | 14.87 | n/a |
| Perth Western Bypass | D | 8.72 | n/a |
| Killicrankie to North of Calvine II | D | 52.74 | n/a |
| Dalreoch to Burnside | D | 19.23 | n/a |
| Tore to Maryburgh | S | 14.47 | n/a |
| Calvine to Regional Boundary | S | 50.36 | n/a |
| Crubenmore to North of Kingussie | S | 11.90 | n/a |
| Avielochan to Slochd | S | 12.49 | n/a |
| Dalmagarry to Bogbain | S | 12.09 | n/a |
| Burnside to Broxden | D | 7.53 | n/a |
| Dornoch Northern Approach Roads | S | 5.55 | n/a |
| Dornoch Southern Approach Roads | S | 10.71 | n/a |
May 1997 to May 2007
| Scheme | Carriageway Type: Dual, Single or WS2+11 | Total Scheme Cost in Dec 2010 Prices 拢 million2 | Date Scheme First Announced |
| Logie Easter to Garrick Bridge | S | 4.30 | May 1994 |
| Helmsdale to Ord of Caithness (Phase 1) | S | 5.98 | April 2002 |
| Inveralmond Roundabaout聽 - improvement | n/a | 0.87 | April 2006 |
Since May 2007
| Scheme | Carriageway Type: Dual, Single or WS2+11 | Total Scheme Cost in Dec 2010 Prices 拢 million2 | Date Scheme First Announced |
| Ballinluig Junction | D | 17.92 | 2002 |
| Helmsdale to Ord of Caithness (Phase 2) | S | 9.66 | 2002 |
| Moy WS2+1 Improvements and Maintenance | WS2+1 | 3.15 | August 2008 |
| Loaninghead | D | 3.10 | November 2007 |
| Carrbridge WS2+1 Improvements and Maintenance | WS2+1 | 2.92 | August 2008 |
| Crubenmore Extension | D | 14.09 | August 2008 |
| Bankfoot Improvements | S | 2.89 | August 2008 |
Notes:
1. WS2+1: Wide Single (2+1) carriageway road with two lanes of travel in one direction and single lane in opposite direction. These provide dedicated overtaking opportunities in two lane direction while overtaking in single lane direction is prohibited.
2. Unless otherwise stated, the December 2010 equivalent prices were obtained by applying RPI to the original scheme cost estimates available - Refer Office National Statistic Table RP02.
3. For schemes opened prior to May 1997, the dates these schemes were first announced are not available.
4. Current bridge replacement cost at December 2010.
