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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-18727

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive when it estimates that the (a) M74 extension, (b) A68 Dalkeith Bypass, (c) A8000 upgrade and (d) new crossing of the Forth at Kincardine will commence and be completed and what the current estimated total cost is of each project.

I cannot add to the information given on the M74 in my previous reply to parliamentary question S2W-18488 answered on 9 September 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The other information you ask for is given in the following table.

Scheme	Date for Commencement	Date for Completion	Current Estimated Total Cost (£ Million)
A68 Dalkeith Bypass	Summer 2006	Summer 2008	38.7
Upper Forth Crossing at Kincardine	Summer 2006	Summer 2008	110.0

Scheme

Date for Commencement

Date for Completion

Current Estimated Total Cost

(£ Million)

A68 Dalkeith Bypass

Summer 2006

Summer 2008

38.7

Upper Forth Crossing at Kincardine

Summer 2006

Summer 2008

110.0

The A8000 upgrade is a local road and therefore a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council.

Question reference: S2W-18472

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 20 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it updates its trunk road programme on a (a) regular and (b) monthly basis and whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre details of each of the programmes it has prepared since inception.

Question reference: S2W-18605

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 15 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional protection is needed in respect of the marine environment; what impact such protection would have on the fishing industry, and who would be asked to assess that impact.

On 12 September 2005 the Scottish Executive published Seas the Opportunity – A Strategy for the Long Term Sustainability of Scotland’s Coasts and Seas. Copies of the strategy document have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 37466) and it is available on the Scottish Executive’s website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2005/08/26102453/25444.

Our marine and coastal environments remain at potential risk from water borne pollution, sea-bed disturbance, habitat loss, disturbance to sea life and declining stocks of some fish species. While action is already in hand to address these risks, often through sector specific strategies, we need to do more to assess and deal with cumulative and cross-sectoral impacts to provide for improved protection of the environment in a way which means longer term socio-economic need. The new strategy will determine what specific new measure might be needed to achieve that.

The impacts of any new measures that arise from the strategy will be considered initially by the new stakeholder group which will comprise representatives from a range of sectors, including fisheries. In addition, the interests of the fishing sector are being addressed through specific strategies for both inshore and sea fisheries, both of which are set within the wider context of the new marine and coastal strategy.

The fishing sector, among others, is also being consulted fully on the work I have commissioned from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to identify potential candidate sites for Scotland’s first coastal and marine national park. The stakeholder group for the marine and coastal strategy will make an input to SNH’s assessment which I expect to receive by March 2006.

Question reference: S2W-18489

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 13 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns that the behaviour of demonstrators on the M74 project, such as by direct disruption or attempted disruption of construction work commencing, may cause delays and extra costs to the project and, if so, whether it will detail what concerns it has.

Question reference: S2W-18490

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 13 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or the successful tenderers are responsible for the costs of security for the M74 project in providing security cover to cater for the risk of disruption and violence which may be caused by demonstrators against the project.

Question reference: S2W-18471

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 13 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish its programme of proposed trunk road improvement works so far as has been determined, showing details of each project and the band into which the estimated cost of each project will fall

Question reference: S2W-18606

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 13 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that Scottish Natural Heritage is an appropriate body to conduct any assessment of the impact of a marine national park on the fishing industry.

I am satisfied that SNH is the appropriate body to undertake an assessment of the issues relevant to establishment of a coastal and marine national park. I have therefore asked SNH to make recommendations on candidate areas and on the aims, powers and governance of a coastal and marine national park along with estimates of its running costs. Following submission of that advice, it would be my intention to undertake a full public consultation which would allow all interested parties to respond to the proposals.

Question reference: S2W-18604

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 13 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Natural Heritage will seek the views of representatives of fishermen's organisations during its scoping study into possible locations for a marine national park.

I have asked SNH to work closely with relevant stakeholders in developing its advice to me on coastal and marine national parks. SNH has already written to a very wide range of organisations inviting input in writing or via a website message board. In addition, SNH has established a stakeholder group as a sounding board which includes members of fisheries bodies representing fishing interests across Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-18921

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 13 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the rate of progress made by BT in respect of broadband provision in rural areas; what measures are in place to monitor BT's progress towards installing cabling to connect rural households to broadband, and when it expects such cabling to be installed in Carrbridge.

Under the Executive’s contract award with BT, 378 rural exchanges are being enabled for broadband. This roll-out is proceeding to plan and monitoring is in place to ensure we deliver access to every community by the end of 2005.

There is a technical issue for providing broadband to households connected to “shared” DACS (Digital Access Carrier System) lines. However, BT’s UK-wide policy is to solve this, where financially viable, by providing those households that have applied for a broadband service with an exclusive exchange line.

The Carrbridge exchange was enabled commercially by BT and not through the Executive's contract. BT recognise that a very small number of customers on this exchange are currently unable to receive broadband because they are on DACS lines. Therefore, they plan to lay new cable and expect to resolve the issue there within the next two months.

Question reference: S2W-18488

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 9 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set out the programme for the commencement and completion of the M74, providing the estimated start and finish dates in respect of each part of the project put out to tender in three packages, and whether it has any concerns regarding any further delay to the commencement of the project.