- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what the agreed tenure is of Sir Angus Grossart as chair of the Scottish Futures Trust.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-16539 on 7 October 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what significant budgetary changes there were in its draft budget for 2009-10 compared to previous plans.
Answer
Any significant changes in the Scottish Government''s spending plans between those laid out in the Draft Budget 2009-10 and those previously published are detailed in the Draft Budget 2009-10.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 17 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the University of Strathclyde’s evaluation report on the pilot programme for nursery places for vulnerable two-year-olds has been delivered to the Scottish Government and when it will be published.
Answer
The Scottish Government has received a draft of the evaluation report which is going through standard quality assurance processes for social research, in partnership with the councils involved in the pilots. It will be published in due course.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 27 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish an analysis of the (a) cost to small businesses without payroll departments of administering a local income tax and (b) number of small businesses it estimates to be without payroll departments, including unincorporated small businesses.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no plans to publish such an analysis. We are determined to minimise the impact of the introduction of local income tax on small businesses through use of existing HM Revenue and Customs systems.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 27 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish estimated set up and running costs to business of its proposed local income tax.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no plans to publish such estimates. In developing our proposals for local income tax we took account of the estimated costs to business highlighted in the report A Fairer Way by Sir Peter Burt (2006).
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 21 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13979 by Kenny MacAskill on 16 June 2008, how many retailers had their licences to sell alcohol (a) suspended or (b) revoked in 2007, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The number of off sales liquor licences suspended in 2007 is given in the following table:
| Local Authority | Licences Suspended |
| Dundee City | 1 |
| East Ayrshire | 1 |
| East Lothian | 2 |
| Edinburgh, City of | 3 |
| Glasgow City | 1 |
| North Lanarkshire | 3 |
| Perth and Kinross | 2 |
| Stirling | 1 |
| West Lothian | 1 |
| Scotland Total | 15 |
There were no licences suspended in the remaining 23 local authorities.
The legislation under which these licences were granted does not make provision for the revocation of a licence. However, legislation has recently been passed which does make such a provision and will come fully into force in 2009.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 10 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether HM Revenue and Customs has agreed to collect the proposed local income tax.
Answer
The consultation paper, A Fairer Local Tax for Scotland, highlighted our view that collection by HM Revenue and Customs is the most efficient way of delivering a local income tax. Discussions with the UK Government are ongoing to this effect.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 19 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-85 by Jim Mather on 31 May 2007, with which small European nations it aims to bring Scotland’s growth rate into line.
Answer
Countries such asDenmark, Sweden, Finland, Ireland and Norway fare better than Scotland in terms equality, health and wealth indicators. We want to learn lessonsfrom nations like these in order to refine strategies required to deliver greaterand more sustainable, long-term economic growth for Scotland.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 19 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive why, when the UK overall efficiency savings targets have risen between September 2004 and September 2007, there has not been a commensurate rise in Scotland.
Answer
Responsibility forsavings targets in 31 of the 36 months referred to in the question lay with thelast government. The new government will treat efficiency in the public sector inScotland in a way that best suits the needs of the people of Scotland.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 19 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive why its targets for efficiency savings are 1.5% per annum when the targets for the rest of the United Kingdom are 3%.
Answer
We will treat efficiencyin the public sector in Scotland in a way that best suits the needs of thepeople of Scotland. The spending review is on-going and as a part of thiswe will establish the detail of our efficiency programme for 2008-11. We will expectpublic services across Scotland to deliver cash-releasing recurrent efficiency gainsof at least 1.5% per annum across that period.
