Chamber and committees

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.

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Question reference: S1W-12407

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 25 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the Scottish Qualifications Authority staff who worked through the recent problems at that organisation will not lose any time off in lieu leave that they have built up during that period.

Question reference: S1W-10426

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 25 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8570 by Donald Dewar on 28 September 2000, what the cost of answering the question as asked would have been.

To answer the question in its original form, that is, to identify the international organisations each Minister has been in touch with since 1 July 1999, would have required a very extensive trawl of Scottish Executive Departments. It is not possible to say precisely what the cost might have been, but we estimate it would have been well in excess of £550. Given this, the earlier answer invited a more specific question.

Question reference: S1W-10590

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 8 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9958 by Sarah Boyack on 9 October 2000, why it considers a further consultation necessary, given the existence of reports of the Transport and the Environment Committee and the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones.

Question reference: S1W-12078

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 4 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10881 by Mr Jack McConnell on 30 November 2000, when the Chairman of the Scottish Qualifications Authority will reply to me.

Question reference: S1W-11388

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 18 December 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of students at Scottish universities come from (a) outwith Scotland; (b) other EU countries, and (c) outwith the EU.

The answer given is based upon percentages of undergraduate and postgraduate students at Scottish higher education institutions (HEIs) and includes both full-time and part-time students.Higher Education students in Scottish HEIs - 1998-99

Total students (=100%)	184,853
Scotland	71.2%
Outside Scotland	28.8%
of which: Other UK	15.2%
Other EU	4.4%
Outside EU	9.2%

Source: HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency).

Question reference: S1W-11495

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 7 December 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of pensioner households had incomes (a) before housing costs and (b) after housing costs of less than (i) 70%, (ii) 80%, (iii) 90% and (iv) 100% of the relevant year's Great Britain mean income in (i) 1979-81, (ii) 1988-89, (iii) 1992-93, (iv) 1996-97, (v) 1997-98 and (vi) 1998-99.

The information which is readily available is shown in the following table:

Scotland: Percentage of pensioners in households with income below various income thresholds, both before (BHC) and after housing costs (AHC):

	70% mean		80% mean		90% mean		100% mean
	BHC	AHC	BHC	AHC	BHC	AHC	BHC	AHC
1996-97	60	55	68	65	75	70	82	76
1997-98	54	50	65	59	72	66	79	74
1998-99	58	54	69	64	76	72	84	78

Source: DSS, Households Below Average Income.

Notes:

1. Income is net equivalised household income; equivalisation takes account of the number of individuals living in the household.

2. The income thresholds all relate to the GB mean equivalised household income of the year referred to, i.e. the contemporary mean.

3. The estimates are based on sample counts and are subject to sampling variability.

4. Caution should be used in drawing conclusions about changes over time due to the small sample sizes in Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-10487

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 1 December 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8570 by Donald Dewar on 28 September 2000, whether it will detail any international organisations which it has met with since 1 July 1999 specifically to discuss the World Trade Organisation's activities and their effect on the responsibilities of the Scottish Executive; which Minister was present; when the meeting took place, and what the outcome was of the meeting.

Question reference: S1W-10881

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 30 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10427 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 30 October 2000, whether in the light of the evidence submitted by the interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee which related only to national qualifications candidates and not to candidates for the other awards which require verification, accreditation, validation or other procedures to be carried out by the SQA before awards can be made, it will clarify that answer.

The qualifications covered in the evidence given by the Chief Executive of the SQA to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee were Standard Grade, SCE Higher, Certificate of Sixth Year Studies and the new National Qualifications at Intermediate 1, Intermediate 2, and Higher. Verification, accreditation and validation of these and other qualifications are operational matters for the SQA. I have asked the Chairman to reply to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

Question reference: S1W-10698

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 27 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been spent in Scotland on research into multiple sclerosis since 1 July 1999 by (a) it and (b) other bodies.

At present, the Scottish Executive is largely a response mode funder of research and this role is well advertised throughout the medical and academic community. The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) has received no research proposals of a sufficiently high standard on multiple sclerosis (MS) recently and therefore has not directly funded research into this neurological disease in the period mentioned. However, CSO would be pleased to receive research applications on MS which would be subject to the usual peer and committee review.

The Scottish Executive, through CSO, also supports research indirectly through its allocation of some £29 million annually to the NHS in Scotland. Some of this funding may support research with a relevance to MS.

We are aware of 303 research projects on MS which are currently taking place or have recently been completed in the UK, 19 of which relate to Scotland. The results of the projects undertaken throughout the UK will inform the future direction of research and treatment of this disease.

Details of past and current research undertaken on MS in the UK are available on the National Research Register (NRR), a copy of which is in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

Question reference: S2O-00795

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Sunday, 12 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 20 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what role it plays as Scotland's representative in the European Union.

The Scottish Executive’s role as Scotland’s representative is to advocate,represent and promote Scottish devolved policy interests in the EU. the Executive engages actively with the European Commission, the EuropeanParliament, the other EU institutions and other EU member states and regions atboth ministerial and official level. On a day-to-day basis, the Scottish Executive EU Office carries out these functions on the ground in Brussels. The Executive also makes asignificant contribution to the development of UK policy on EU issues indiscussion with UK departments.