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-05935

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2000
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 5 April 2000

To ask the Presiding Officer what work contracts had been let in respect of the new Parliament building by the date of appointment of John Spencely; what was the date of signing and the date of commencement of each contract, and whether any contracts have been signed in respect of construction works since Mr Spencely's appointment.

The information is as follows:

Works Package	Date of Authorisation	Site Start
1. Demolitions	07.08.99	12.10.98
2. Tower Cranes	10.09.99	06.11.99
3. QH scaffolding	28.02.00	20.03.00
4. Well probing	21.07.99	22.07.99
5. Well drilling	25.10.99	13.12.99
6. Retention	16.04.99	19.04.99
7. Asbestos/Pigeon Dropping (from Canongate Buildings)	18.11.99	29.11.99
8. Piling	27.04.99	31.05.99
9. Substructure Concrete (West)	28.09.99	12.10.99
10. Excavation	17.06.99	19.07.99
11. MSP Frame	14.02.00	10.04.00

No contracts have been let since Mr Spencely's appointment.

Question reference: S1W-05939

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2000
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 5 April 2000

To ask the Presiding Officer, further to the answer to question S1W-232 by him on 8 July 1999, whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will list the numbers and categories of staff to be accommodated in the new Parliament building for each of the cost reports contained in paragraph 4.2 of the Spencely Report.

I have updated in the table below the information given in my answer to question S1W-232 to reflect the staff and wider occupancy levels covered in the latest design scheme. It is not possible for me to provide figures that can be readily applied to fit in with the table referred to in Mr Spencely's report.

Note: The additional numbers recorded for March 2000 do not all translate into additional space requirements. For example, an adjustment to the scheme design for the MSP Block now enables two research staff to occupy the office space adjustment to each MSP room.

Staff/Worker Category¹	Original Brief (£50 million)²	Revised Brief (£62 million)²	Position at March 2000 (£108)²
MSPs + MSPs' researcher/secretary³	258	258	332⁶
Clerks, Administrative staff, Executive staff assigned to Ministers⁴	153	260	355
Facilities and Security⁵Management and contracted service providers	302	290	303

Notes:

1. Staffing estimates for facilities management and security based on anticipated requirements (November 1998) at Holyrood. Clerks and other administrative staff as estimated at March 1999.

2. Excludes VAT, fees, contingencies, etc.

3. Original and Revised Briefs: allows one space per MSP for researcher/secretary (see note 6 below for March 2000).

4. Includes parliamentary clerks and administrative staff (excluding facilities and security management) and Executive staff assigned to Ministers who will use the building as necessary.

5. Includes parliamentary facilities and security management and possible contracted service providers e.g. mailroom, catering and day cleaners. Includes part-time staff.

6. Covers MSPs, their researchers and secretaries, party resource centre staff and support staff to Business Managers.

Question reference: S1W-05933

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2000
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 5 April 2000

To ask the Presiding Officer what the si'e is in square meters of the Holyrood site and what the si'e is in square meters of the building footprint for the latest designs produced by the design team.

Question reference: S1W-05266

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 24 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been made to Her Majesty's Government regarding possible exemption from the climate charge levy for Scottish consumers, especially industrial consumers, who use a greater amount of electricity generated from hydro-power than consumers in the rest of the UK and so contribute less to greenhouse gas emissions.

Following representations, the Chancellor announced in his pre-Budget statement that he had decided to exempt 'new' renewables from the Climate Change Levy (CCL). Only non-domestic energy consumers will pay CCL, and they will be able to obtain exemption by purchasing electricity from all renewable sources excluding large hydro schemes. A certification system will be put in place to ensure that electricity for which exemption has been sought has in fact been sourced from qualifying renewable generation capacity. Exemption will be available to any company which purchases qualifying renewable energy, no matter where in the UK the company is located or the whereabouts of the renewable generation.

Question reference: S1W-04862

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 15 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any Scottish representations were made to the United Kingdom delegation to the World Trade Organisation meetings in Geneva.

Question reference: S1W-04808

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether South Lanarkshire Council has been consulted regarding suitable alternative uses for Dungavel House and its grounds and what advice has been received.

Question reference: S1W-04809

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to consult the local community regarding future use of Dungavel House and its grounds.

Question reference: S1W-04810

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre the marketing brief issued to the sales agents appointed to market Dungavel House and its grounds.

Question reference: S1W-04807

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has ruled out the use of Dungavel House as a component of the Scottish penal system, whether operated by the Scottish Prison Service or by a private operator.

Question reference: S1W-02578

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 November 1999
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many requests for assistance were made to the Scottish Crime Squad by each police force in each of the last three years for which data is available and how many of these requests were for crimes falling within the definition "a serious crime where more than one police area is involved, or likely to be involved".

The information requested follows:

REQUESTS FOR SCOTTISH CRIME SQUAD ASSISTANCE
FORCE	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99
Central Scotland	1	1	2
Dumfries and Galloway	4	4	2
Fife	4	9	7
Grampian	5	8	9
Lothian and Borders	14	9	10
Northern	1	5	6
Strathclyde	11	2	-
Tayside	7	6	1
Other	7	16	7
Total	54	60	44

"Other" refers to tasking by the National Crime Squad and the National Criminal Intelligence Service.Investigations conducted by the Squad invariably involve or impact upon more than one police force area.