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: S2W-18643

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current status is of the project to redevelop Parliament House in Edinburgh.

A comprehensive review of the options for the redevelopment of Parliament House has been underway since December 2004, when the project was halted. The Scottish Court Service has now agreed an interim approach, which involves criminal appeal business moving from Parliament House to the nearby building at Lawnmarket, and other criminal business being accommodated in Lawnmarket and Edinburgh Sheriff Court. This will ensure better security arrangements for criminal business in the short term, and will enable backlog maintenance and upgrade work to continue in Parliament House itself. An announcement on the long-term plan for Parliament House will be made in due course.

Question reference: S2W-18931

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nora Radcliffe on 19 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what support it gives to parliamentary appointees to resist political pressure.

Question reference: S2W-18930

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nora Radcliffe on 16 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what measures are in place to protect parliamentary appointees from political pressure.

Question reference: S2W-18933

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nora Radcliffe on 16 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what avenues are open to parliamentary appointees to refer to the Parliament approaches made to them seeking to influence their decisions for political ends.

Question reference: S2W-18932

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nora Radcliffe on 16 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what avenues are open to parliamentary appointees to refer to the Parliament for assistance.

There are no specific avenues provided for under the legislation for appointees of the Crown nominated by the Parliament to refer to the Parliament for assistance.

Provision does, however, exist in the legislation establishing the various offices for officeholders to lay annual reports before Parliament. It is open to the office holders to determine what is included in the reports, subject to the statutory provisions.

Question reference: S2W-18922

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 15 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what definition of community ownership it uses in respect of community-owned housing.

I would refer the member to the definition which was given to the Social Inclusion, Housing and Voluntary Sector Committee in September 2000 by the then Minister for Communities, Wendy Alexander.

Community ownership is a way of empowering tenants, maximising the total resources available for investment in public sector housing and securing additional benefits for the wider community. Community ownership would normally result from the transfer of existing public sector rented housing to alternative community landlords at a price which reflects the value of the stock and under arrangements which ensure that:

The housing is owned by a non-profit-making body on which there is tenant, local authority and community representation;

There is effective tenant involvement in key decisions;

Housing is available, and continues to be available, to be let at affordable rents to those in housing need, including the homeless and other vulnerable groups, and

There are guarantees for transferring tenants regarding rent increases, tenancy rights and repairs and improvements to the stock.

I believe that definition is still relevant today.

Question reference: S2W-18924

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 15 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to institute a statutory right of secondary transfer for former council house properties which have been transferred under whole stock transfer.

Question reference: S2W-18918

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many sexually-transmitted disease clinics there are in the NHS Lanarkshire area, giving (a) staffing levels, (b) consulting hours per week and (c) average waiting time for an appointment.

Question reference: S2W-18920

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many sexually-transmitted disease clinics there are in each NHS board area, giving (a) staffing levels, (b) consulting hours per week and (c) average waiting time for an appointment and (d) the ratio of consulting hours to head of population.

Question reference: S2W-18919

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been cutbacks in the provision of sexually-transmitted disease clinics within the NHS Lanarkshire area since 1999.