- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 14 August 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 4 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when Mouchel (Scotland) Ltd were first instructed to produce a feasibility report on the A95 to identify options or recommendations and provide estimated costs for the improvement of the junction of the A95 and B9153; whether the feasibility report has yet been completed; if not, when it is expected; whether the feasibility report will be made publicly available, in particular to the local communities and their representatives, and, if the report makes recommendations, by what date it is expected that they will be implemented.
Answer
Mouchel Scotland Ltd were instructed to produce a feasibility report for the A95/B9153 Kinveachy junction on 31 March 2000. The initial feasibility report was submitted to the Scottish Executive for consideration on 18 May 2000. A supplementary report was then provided on 7 July 2000. These reports were not commissioned for external publication. All the recommendations made have been considered and the scheme design is underway. The Highland Council and the local community will be consulted during the scheme design process.
It is anticipated that implementation of the works, at an estimated cost of £345,000, will commence in October and should be completed by January 2001.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 14 August 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 4 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people attended education institutions for the purposes of obtaining a qualification as teachers of Gaelic or through the medium of Gaelic at primary and secondary level in each of the last five years and whether there is currently a shortage of fully qualified Gaelic teachers.
Answer
The numbers graduating from the Teacher Education Institutions who have received some training for Gaelic-medium education in primary schools and the numbers trained to be specialist Gaelic teachers in secondary schools are estimated as follows:
| | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 |
Primary | 8 | 18 | 11 | 15 | 14 |
Secondary | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
The Executive is funding courses to equip teachers to deliver their specialist subject through the medium of Gaelic. Nine teachers attended the course in 1999.
Education authorities have indicated that they would wish to employ more teachers for Gaelic-medium education.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 14 August 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 4 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has specific proposals with regard to provision of additional lay-bys on the A95, what consultation there will be in respect of the location and si'e of any such lay-bys and over what timescale any such additional lay-bys will be completed.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no specific proposals to construct additional lay-bys on the A95 trunk road within the current financial year.
However, subject to competing priorities, the Scottish Executive will commission Mouchel Scotland Ltd to carry out a study prior to the end of this financial year. The Highland and Moray Councils, together with the local Community Councils, will be consulted prior to finalisation of any work being implemented. This consultation exercise will determine the appropriate size and location of the lay-bys.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 14 August 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 4 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost is of the works to the A95 trunk road through Cromdale to improve drainage footways, kerbing, road lighting and the road alignment at the bridge, together with traffic calming and village gateways scheduled for the next three years, what consultation has been or will be carried out in connection with the detail of this work and within what timescale each part of the work will be completed.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has invested approximately £149,000 as part of Phase 1 of the improvement works on the A95 trunk road within Cromdale. These works were completed in 1999. Phase 2 of the improvement works will provide additional footways and new street lighting at an estimated cost of £150,000. These works will be progressed within financial year 2001-02. In addition, a refurbishment or replacement scheme for the footbridge in this area is currently under consideration. The estimated costs involved are £23,000 and £32,000 respectively. The total estimated investment for all these works is £331,000.
The Cromdale Community Council was consulted regarding Phase 1 of the improvement works within Cromdale. They will also be consulted at the appropriate time regarding Phase 2 of these works.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 11 August 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 1 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8647 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 24 July 2000, whether it will detail the criteria employed in awarding the amounts of additional financial resources for schools in each local authority and how those criteria were applied.
Answer
Details of the basis on which these resources were allocated are set out in Scottish Executive Education Department Circular 1/2000, copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 December 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 31 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the effect has been upon the oil and gas fabrication industry of the review conducted by Her Majesty's Government between 1997 and 1998 of the tax regime on oil and gas in terms of (a) employment impact within the industry (b) economic impact and (c) deferral of investment by oil companies.
Answer
Both the tax regime and the regulation of the oil and gas industry are reserved matters.
The Scottish Executive is fully aware of the problems facing the fabrication industry, not only in Scotland but throughout the rest of the UK and indeed Europe, and of the impact of this on employment and the economy. The Oil and Gas Industry Task Force, on which the Executive is represented, has set up a group to look urgently at these problems, which are largely structural. They arise from changes, such as the much smaller field sizes currently being exploited as the UK Continental Shelf moves towards being a mature province, and from developments in production technology, including sub-sea technology.This question was originally answered on 24 May 2000.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3922 by Susan Deacon on 14 April 2000, when it expects the report on the safety of fluoridation by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at York University to be completed and whether it will place a copy of the findings in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre once received.
Answer
It is expected the report will be published in September. I shall arrange for a copy to be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 16 June 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of government funding to be made available to Northern Constabulary in each of the next four financial years.
Answer
Spending Review 2000 is presently examining overall funding requirements for 2002-03 and 2003-04. No decisions have yet been taken on the level of funding to individual police authorities for future years.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 16 June 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what efficiency savings Northern Constabulary has to make as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.
Answer
The 1998 Comprehensive Spending Review concluded that the police service in Scotland should make efficiency savings of 1% in 1999-2000, 1.7% in 2000-01 and 2.5% in 2001-02.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 16 June 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the #233,000 extra funding for Northern Constabulary is for the current year only, or is an ongoing spending commitment year on year.
Answer
£433,000 was allocated to Northern Constabulary as part of the Scottish Executive's recent additional investment of £8.9 million in Scotland's police forces. It was provided primarily to allow recruitment of more police officers. The increase will be taken into account in arriving at allocations for future years.
