- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister will make a statement on the matters discussed at his meeting with representatives of the Trump Organisation at the Marcliffe Hotel on 3 December 2007.
Answer
As Mr Salmond attended themeeting in his capacity as a constituency MSP, it would be inappropriate forhim to make a statement as First Minister. Mr Salmond has, however, answered questions aboutthis meeting at First Minister’s Question Time on 13 December 2007. The officialreport is available on the Parliament’s website at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/index.htm.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister informed Executive officials of a request to meet representatives of the Trump Organisation on or around 3 December 2007 and, if so, what advice he received.
Answer
Mr Salmond sought advicefrom the Chief Planner and the Head of Planning Decisions Division, in hiscapacity as MSP for Gordon on 29 and 30 November 2007. This confirmed Mr Salmond as constituency MSP was entitled torepresent properly the interests of constituents.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the occasions on which the First Minister (a) met and (b) spoke to Mr Jim Mackinnon, Chief Planner, between 20 November and 10 December 2007, also showing the matters discussed on each occasion.
Answer
The First Ministermet Mr Mackinnon to discuss the National Planning Framework on 20 November 2007and the Forth Replacement Crossing on 5 December. On 7 December they discussedby telephone the current position with a development proposal for Aviemorewhich had been the subject of enquiries to him from a number of MSPs. Mr Salmondhas only spoken to Mr Mackinnon on the question of the Menie Estate proposal inhis capacity as MSP for Gordon.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister received a request to meet representatives of the Trump Organisation on or around 3 December 2007.
Answer
The request wasmade in Mr Salmond’s capacity as constituency MSP.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the meeting between the First Minister and representatives of the Trump Organisation on 3 December 2007, whether the First Minister’s office contacted the (a) Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and (b) Chief Planner following the meeting.
Answer
Mr Salmond didnot contact me. On 3 December 2007, the Chief Planner took a call from Mr Salmondin his capacity as constituency MSP. Mr Salmond sought advice from the ChiefPlanner whether it would still be permissible for officials from the ScottishGovernment Planning Directorate to meet representatives from the TrumpOrganization. The Chief Planner confirmed that officials can meet with partiesinvolved in a planning application but only to discuss options and theprocedural implications, not to consider the merits of the case.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth will publish the advice that he received on the legal basis for calling in planning applications after they have been rejected by the relevant local planning authorities and where no appeal has been lodged.
Answer
It is Scottish Government practiceneither to confirm or deny whether legal advice has been received.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive who was present at the meeting between the First Minister and representatives of the Trump Organisation on 3 December 2007.
Answer
Mr Salmond took part in thismeeting in his capacity as the MSP for Gordon. It is therefore not appropriatefor the Government to answer. I refer the member to the
Official Report,column number 4433, on 13 December 2007. The official report is available on the Parliament’s website at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/index.htm.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the occasions on which the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth has discussed the Trump Organisation’s planning application for a golf development at the Menie Estate with the First Minister.
Answer
Some weeks prior to the meetingof the Infrastructure Services Committee of Aberdeenshire Council I advised theFirst Minister that I intended to determine the Menie Estate planning applicationif it required ministerial input as Mr Stevenson represented an Aberdeenshire constituency.On 4 December 2007, I advised the First Minister that the application hadbeen called in.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive who was present at the meeting between the Chief Planner and representatives of the Trump Organisation on 4 December 2007.
Answer
The meeting was attended byJim Mackinnon, Chief Planner and David Ferguson, Head of Planning Decisions, ScottishGovernment along with George Sorial and Neil Hobday, from the TrumpOrganization.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the occasions on which the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth (a) met and (b) spoke to Mr Jim Mackinnon, Chief Planner, between 20 November and 10 December 2007, also showing the matters discussed on each occasion.
Answer
The Chief Plannerand I discuss planning issues on a regular basis. We met on 20 November 2007 to discuss the National Planning Framework. On 26November, we met at a meeting of local authority planning directors. On 5 December,we met to discuss the Forth Replacement Crossing and we both attended a dinnerwith SNH that evening. We met on 6 December todiscuss the Asset Management Review.
On 3 December, Icontacted the Chief Planner to receive a general update on the eventssurrounding the proposed golf resort at Menie Estate. And during a telephoneconversation on 4 December the call in of the Menie Estate planning applicationwas discussed and approved.
We discussplanning matters regularly by telephone but a formal record of every telephonecall is not kept.
