Scottish Parliament e-Brief 

Issue 164, 28^th July 2003

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

THE CHAMBER
Parliament is in recess.

IN COMMITTEE
Parliament is in recess.

SECTION 2 - NEWS

Tender issued for passenger rail franchise
Tender documents for the next Scottish passenger rail franchise were today issued to the four companies shortlisted to bid for the contract by the Strategic Rail Authority. This is the next stage of the refranchising process, which aims to deliver real improvements to Scotland’s rail network.

Bidding companies will be expected to show how they will:

• Improve punctuality, frequency and reliability of services;
• Reduce current overcrowding on services;
• Provide safe and accessible passenger services; and
• Improve standards of facilities for rail users at stations and on trains.

Bidders will also be expected to provide for enhancements to the franchise such as:

• Improvements to service frequency on a number of important routes;
• Improving passenger safety and information by extending use of the CCTV and Customer Information System to stations not currently served; and
• Participation in integrated ticketing schemes.

The four companies shortlisted in March 2003 to bid for the franchise are Arriva Trains Ltd, First Group plc, National Express Group plc and Serco Rail/Netherlands Railways.

The SRA acts as the procurement agent for the new rail franchise on the Scottish Executive’s behalf. Once the bids have been received it is expected a Preferred Bidder will be identified early next year. The current franchise ends on 31^st March 2004 but under the current terms of the contract, a six month extension is permitted to allow for mobilisation of the new contract holder if needed. The new franchise will run for seven years with a possible extension of an extra three years.

Full story

Witness Service expands to High Courts
From today victims, witnesses and their families who give evidence in Scotland’s High Courts will benefit from the support provided by the Witness Service.  The Witness Service currently provides practical information and emotional support to witnesses when they are called to the Sheriff Court, helping them to cope with unfamiliar surroundings and is crucial in helping them to give evidence.

Last year, 32 staff and 300 volunteers supported 46,000 witnesses in Sheriff Courts. 11 paid staff and 58 new volunteers will deliver the High Court service where the most serious and violent crimes are heard.

The Witness Service was first piloted in 1996 in 3 sheriff courts - Ayr, Hamilton and Kirkcaldy. It was subsequently rolled out to all 49 sheriff courts in Scotland. This programme was completed in August 2002.

In the year to April 2002, service users made over 31,000 contacts with the Witness Service. In the year to March 31, 2003, this increased by 80% to almost 56,000.

The evaluation of the Sheriff Court Witness Service was conducted by Lancaster University. It evaluated six sample courts – Alloa, Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Kirkcaldy, Linlithgow and Oban between November 2002 and February 2003.

Other recent initiates include the launch of the White Paper on High Court reform and the introduction of the Vulnerable Witnesses Bill.

Full Story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

Parliament is in recess.

[ HOME ] [ News ] [ Report to the People ] [ Interact ] [ Links ] [ E-Mail ]

[ Copyright ] [ UK Online ] [ Scottish Parliament ]

Previous Page