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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S5W-20041

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether the terms of the contract for completion of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) state that it is not required to remunerate or borrow further funds to cover remuneration if acceptance of completion is delayed.

As is standard in Non Profit Distributing (NPD) contracts, the contractor will only receive payment for sections of the road when opened to traffic. Consequently, the contractor is receiving payments for the sections of road which have been opened to traffic at Balmedie to Tipperty, Parkhill to Goval and Craibstone Roundabout/Dyce Drive.

The costs of any remedial works and the ongoing costs of maintaining a construction workforce rests with Aberdeen Roads Limited and will not impact on the public purse.

An NPD contract by its nature means that the construction is privately funded. As such, a capital value of £530 million was borrowed by Aberdeen Roads Limited.

Question reference: S5W-20042

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils must pay their contributions to the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) under the terms of the contract.

The funding arrangements for the AWPR element were agreed in 2003 following the decision by the then Scottish Executive to promote the AWPR/B-T project as a trunk road in partnership with Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils. Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils are funding 9.5% each of the Northern Leg and Southern Leg sections of the project. Under the terms of the contract both Local Authorities are currently paying the relevant contributions.

Question reference: S5W-20040

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 29 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what organisations it engaged with in preparing the design of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) for tender; whether the original design and specifications required amendment, and, if so, at what cost.

Transport Scotland’s technical advisors, Jacobs Engineering Group, produced the specimen design for the AWPR/B-T project, prior to the main contract tender. Due to the Design Build Finance and Operate procurement model for the AWPR/B-T project, it is the responsibility of the contractor to produce the final design. Any costs associated with the development of this design are met at the contractor’s own risk.

The contract was awarded to Aberdeen Roads Limited (ARL) in December 2014. As such, ARL is responsible for the funding, final design, construction and subsequent maintenance of the completed scheme for a period of 30 years on behalf of the Scottish Ministers.

Question reference: S5W-19963

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 27 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on who revealed the location, name of the farm and name of the farmer affected by the recent BSE case, and whether it has undertaken a review on how this happened.

Question reference: S5W-19965

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 27 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what compensation will be given to the farmer affected by the recent BSE case, given the impact on the individual of their details being made public.

Question reference: S5O-02585

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 November 2018
Submitting member has a registered interest.
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 21 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it will have awarded all of the contracts for the R100 superfast broadband programme.

Question reference: S5W-19767

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 November 2018
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 13 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-19475 by Jeanne Freeman on 1 November 2018, whether the national planning framework for the provision of thrombectomy treatment has been completed by the advisory group, and, if so, whether it will publish this.

Question reference: S5W-19417

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 13 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what initiatives are in place to allow larger, national-based charities to take on the responsibility of obtaining funding for smaller, community-based ones.

Question reference: S5W-19561

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether there have been any additional costs above the tendered price for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and, if so, what they are; whether the contractor in charge of construction has been paid in full, and how much capital must be borrowed to pay for the construction.

As confirmed in my statement to Parliament on 1 November 2018, no additional costs have been incurred by the public purse to date.

As the contracting entity is formed by a joint venture of privately run companies, we do not have access to the contractors costs and consequently cannot comment on them.

As is standard in Non Profit Distributing (NPD) contracts, the contractor receives payment when sections of road become available for use. Consequently, the contractor is receiving the full payments due for the sections of road which have been opened to traffic at Balmedie to Tipperty, Parkhill to Goval and Craibstone Roundabout/Dyce Drive.

An NPD contract by its nature means that the construction is privately funded. As such, a capital value of £530 million was borrowed by Aberdeen Roads Limited.

Question reference: S5W-19562

Asked by: Alexander Burnett, MSP for Aberdeenshire West, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2018
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 November 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to announce the precise opening date of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Sections of this project are already opened to traffic between Craibstone and Dyce junctions , the 7km section of dual carriageway between Blackdog and Parkhill and the 12km section between Balmedie and Tipperty. Drivers are already enjoying significant benefits as a result of these improvements.

I provided a full update in my statement to Parliament on 1 November 2018 ( http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/report.aspx?r=11746&i=106344 ) . Further updates will be provided in due course as the information becomes available. We will continue to work closely with the contractor and I also committed to providing further updates to parliament in due course.