§ Mr. RandallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what conditions he has placed on the Highland and Island Enterprise's expenditure on the proposed funicular railway on Cairngorm. [33608]
§ Mr. WilsonThe approval of my right hon. Friend to the financial contribution of Highlands and Islands Enterprise to the Cairngorm funicular railway project was made subject to the following conditions:
- 1. that the project succeeded in securing the remaining capital funding needed to carry it out;
- 2. that there should be no further financial contribution to the project from Highlands and Islands Enterprise or from any other source funded by the Secretary of State; and
292 - 3. that Moray, Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise, the local enterprise company for the area, should exercise its right to appoint a director to the Board of the Cairngorm Chairlift Company.
§ Mr. RandallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if his economic evaluation prior to his decision to agree to Highland and Islands Enterprise's expenditure on the proposed funicular railway on Cairngorm included estimates of the likely impact on the(a) summer and (b) winter business of other Scottish ski centres; [33676]
(2) what estimate he has made of the number of summer visitors to the proposed funicular railway on Cairngorm; and if he will make a statement on the basis for this prediction; [33609]
(3) if he will publish the economic evaluation he conducted prior to his decision to agree to Highlands and Island Enterprise's expenditure on the proposed funicular railway on Cairngorm. [33602]
§ Mr. WilsonMy right hon. Friend has not undertaken any separate economic evaluation of the proposed Cairngorm funicular railway. The economics appraisal of the project was an operational matter for the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network. I have asked the Chairman of that organisation to write to the hon. Member.
§ Mr. RandallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is the estimated increase in turnover of the Cairngorm ski area following the introduction of the proposed funicular railway; how many new full-time equivalent jobs are predicted to be created; and what the average rate of pay is likely to be for those jobs; [33607]
(2) what aspects of the original scheme for a funicular railway on Cairngorm have been dropped under recent proposals to reduce the projected cost; and what estimate has been made of the impact of these changes on the projected number of summer visitors. [33671]
§ Mr. WilsonThese aspects of the appraisal of the Cairngorm funicular railway project are an operational matter for the Highlands and Islands Enterprise network which conducted that appraisal. I will ask the Chairman of that organisation to write to the hon. Member.