Seòmar agus comataidhean

A procurement plan is currentlybeing developed to deliver a fleet of new rolling stock for a range of major projects(including Airdrie to Bathgate) and passenger growth initiatives from 2009 onwards.

The procurement process willbe carried out with the cooperation of the current operator, First ScotRail, inconsultation with Transport Scotland, commencing in early 2007.

At this time, no decision hasbeen made on the actual type of rolling stock that will service the route.

Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.

The rolling stock procurementplan, currently being developed by Transport Scotland, is exploring a range ofoptions. I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-26843 on 23 June 2006.

The class 334 train has beenused as the “base case” for the timetable model on the Airdrie to Bathgate line.Whether these trains will be deployed on the route remains to be decided.

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.

Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.

A procurement plan is currentlybeing developed to deliver a fleet of new rolling stock for a range of major projects(including Airdrie to Bathgate) and passenger growth initiatives from 2009 onwards.

The procurement process willbe carried out with the cooperation of the current operator, First ScotRail, inconsultation with Transport Scotland, commencing in early 2007.

Transport Scotland hascarried out extensive consultation with the rolling stock supply industry, and theindustry’s view is that this timescale is perfectly robust. The industry also hasadequate production capacity to meet our needs and that of other potential orders.

Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.

Transport Scotland has undertakena feasibility study into the possibility of the electrification of the Edinburghto Glasgow route. The rolling stock procurement plan currently being developed todeliver a fleet of rolling stock for the Scottish rail network, will work with orwithout electrification of the Edinburgh and Glasgow route as the industry has sufficientcapacity to produce the required number of vehicles to meet our requirements underany plausible scenario.

Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.

The information requested isshown in the following table.

	Argyll and Bute Council (£ Million)	Increase %	West Dunbartonshire Council (£ Million)	Increase %
1997-98	104.687	0.4	112.239	-2.3
1998-99	105.352	0.6	109.574	-2.4
1999-2000	108.878	3.3	115.424	5.3
2000-01	111.694	2.6	118.784	2.9
2001-02	120.464	7.9	131.795	11.0
2002-03	131.200	8.9	141.489	7.4
2003-04	145.735	11.1	154.660	9.3
2004-05	157.810	8.3	164.698	6.5
2005-06	166.670	5.6	174.674	6.1
2006-07	173.486	4.1	176.841	1.2
2007-08	177.935	2.6	181.567	2.7

Notes:

(i) There have been a numberof adjustments to the GAE totals over the period covered, including from 2006-07the transfer of concessionary fares provision from schemes locally administeredby councils to a national scheme administered by Transport Scotland. If concessionaryfares are taken out of the 2005-06 figures for consistency, the increases between2005-06 and 2006-07 would be 4.8% for Argyll and Bute Council and 1.4% for WestDunbartonshire Council.

(ii) Grant aided expenditureprovision is neither a budget nor a spending target. Rather it is part of a methodologyused in the local government financial settlement for calculating the overall levelof support the Scottish Executive provides through the block revenue support grant.

(iii) The methodology used inthe local government financial settlement protects those councils with falling populations(such as West Dunbartonshire Council). It ensured for example that in 2006-07, allcouncils received a revenue support grant increase of at least two per cent over2005-06.

The Executive has increased resourcessubstantially to Argyll and Bute and WestDunbartonshire Councils, as indeed to all councils in Scotland, toenable them to deliver community care policies in their areas. Grant Aided Expenditure for community care across Scotland hasmore than doubled from £810 million in 1997-98 to £1.7 billion in 2006-07. Thatincludes £162 million this year for free personal and nursing care; £48 milliona year specifically to support more older people at home, and £13 million from thisyear for faster access to home care. In September 2004 we introduced the targetof increasing, by 2008, the number of older people receiving intensive home careto 30% of all older people receiving long-term care.

The information is not availablein the format requested. However the following road safety schemes have been implementedon trunk roads in these areas since 1999.

Year	Route	Location	Description of Measures
1999-2000	A82	Garshake Road Junction	Right turn facility
2000-01	A82	Crosslet	Anti-skid treatment
2000-01	A82	Dumbuck Quarry	New signs, anti-skid treatment
2000-01	A82	Milton to Dumbuck	New signs, anti-skid treatment
2000-01	A82	Balloch to Tarbert Route Accident Reduction Plan	Signing, lining, anti-skid treatment, safety fence, chevrons and bollards
2000-01	A82	Stoneymollan Roundabout	Anti-skid treatment, signing, chevrons, transverse yellow bar markings and carriageway markings
2000-01	A828	Connel to Ballachulish Route Accident Reduction Plan	Signing, lining, anti-skid treatment, chevrons and bollards
2002-03	A82	Barloan Roundabout	Anti- -skid treatment, signing, chevrons, refurbishment of yellow bar markings and carriageway markings
2003-04	A82	In the vicinity of Greenhead Road	Closure of central reserve gap, vehicle activated sign, anti-skid surfacing, signing and lining
2003-04	A82	Milton	Carriageway markings
2004-05	A82	West of Dalnottar Interchange to Gavinsburn	Carriageway markings
2004-05	A85	Approaches to Lakefield Railway Bridge	Anti-skid surfacing , vehicle activated signing.
2005-06	A83	Loch Fyne Oyster Bar Junction	Signing, lining with red screed to identify existing right turn ghost island
2005-06	A85	Connel to Lochawe Route Accident Reduction Plan	Anti-skid surfacing, signing and lining
2005-06	A82	Ar Rhuba Mor	Signing
2005-06	A83	Loch Gair	Anti-Skid Surfacing, signing and lining

 

Information about projects undertakenon the local road network in these areas is a matter for the local authority.

Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area and can be contacted for more informationif required.

Grant Aided Expenditure for SureStartScotland in Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire Councils was as follows:

	Argyll and Bute	West Dunbartonshire
1999-2000	£117,000	£232,000
2000-01	£230,000	£334,000
2001-02	£306,000	£450,000
2002-03	£306,000	£450,000
2003-04	£372,000	£548,000
2004-05	£578,000	£797,000
2005-06	£875,000	£1,205,000
2006-07	£980,000	£1,229,000

 

Decisions on the allocation ofSureStart Scotland funding to specific projects are a matter for local authoritiesand has been spent in a range of ways to provide an integrated package of supportfor families with very young children. Arobust mapping exercise, published in December 2005, provided a detailed pictureof SureStart Scotland services and their positive impact on children and familiesacross all local authorities.

The Scottish Executive has activelyencouraged the establishment of community safety partnerships led by the local authorityand the police and involving the public, private and voluntary bodies to tacklecommunity safety issues at a local level.

The specific crime preventionprojects funded by the Scottish Executive in Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire are outlined in the answer to question S2W-26712 on 21 June 2006.

Both council areas have alsobenefited from action taken within disadvantaged areas through regeneration programmessuch as the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund (BNSF), Social Inclusion Partnership(SIP) and Community Regeneration Fund (CRF) which have included crime preventionactivities.

Argylland Bute Community Planning Partnership (CPP) was awarded CRF of £2.415 millionfor the period 2005-06 to 2007-08. From CRF, the CPP has allocated funding to anumber of crime reduction projects, including the employment of two outreach workersby the Domestic Abuse Partnership for work in the Kirkmichael/Craigendoran, Helensburghand Ballochgoy areas. The CPP has also been instrumental in promoting a range ofdiversionary activities for young people including a skateboard park and one-to-oneyouth project in Helensburgh.

WestDunbartonshire CPP was awarded CRF of £13.368 million for 2005-06 to 2007-08, andamongst a number of projects has allocated £155,000 towards consultation with youngpeople through youth action groups established across the area. Over the three-yearfunding period £155,000 has been awarded to Streetlinks - a youth outreach project– while further awards have been made to the Pupil and Family Support network, andto assist the Tullochan Trust to develop the potential of young people. The Careand Repair service provides crime awareness and prevention information, and equipment,to elderly and disabled residents.

Under BNSF Argyll and Bute was awarded£2.7 million and West Dunbartonshire £9 million over the three year period 2001-04. Althoughthe Local Outcome Agreements for neither area are specifically aimed at preventingcrime, Argyll and Bute did include activities aimed at reducing the fear ofcrime among older people and West Dunbartonshire provided a range of information, services and activitiesfor young people to make it less likely that they will become involved in crime.

Since 1997, the Argyll and ButeSIP funded various crime prevention projects totalling £204,000. Although in WestDunbartonshire few project allocations by the SIP have been for direct crime preventionwork they have provided £1 million funding for projects which have an impact oncrime prevention and reduction such as young person’s befriending schemes, actionagainst vandalism, domestic violence, Crimestoppers, youth diversion schemes etc.

The capital consents issuedunder section 94 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 to each council fornon-housing capital borrowing is shown in the following table.

£ million

Years	Argyll and Bute Council	West Dunbartonshire Council
1999-2000	10.060	5.742
2000-01	10.766	5.809
2001-02	12.463	8.713
2002-03	16.184	6.185
2003-04	18.531	7.655

Notes:

1. Figures given excludecapital receipts.

The consent system ceased from1 April 2004, with the introduction of the Prudential regime. 2. Inaddition to the non-housing consents, Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire Councilsreceived allocations of £1.6 million and £5.7 million respectively in each of the years above for housing capital expenditure.