- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21768 by Colin Boyd QC on 13 January 2006, what it considers would be a “credible allegation” in respect of the ongoing allegations that US agencies have been using the process of “extraordinary rendition”, unlawfully facilitated through various Scottish airports.
Answer
It is unhelpful to speculate as to information which would constitute a credible allegation. This will vary depending upon the circumstances of the alleged offence. The police will carefully consider any information provided to them and will commence an investigation if there is specific information which justifies a criminal investigation.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the new EU budget 2007-13 will have on regional development funding.
Answer
Under the agreement reached between member states on the EU budget 2007-13 on 16 December 2005 Structural Funds will continue to be available throughout Scotland. It is not yet possible to quantify the economic impact of this agreement on regional development funding.
It has yet to be clarified how this funding will be divided between the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). The Executive is currently proposing four future programmes for Scotland: one ERDF and one ESF programme each for Highlands and Islands and for lowland and upland Scotland.
Final funding figures are subject to agreement between the UK Government and Devolved Administrations and the Scottish Executive is actively involved in arguing Scotland’s case with partners in the UK Government and the devolved administrations.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S2W-21638 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006, whether the Executive plans to undertake an analysis of whether the United Kingdom as a whole is likely to accrue benefits from Glasgow hosting the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no plans to undertake such analysis at this time.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21638 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006 and if, in the event of a successful bid by Glasgow for the 2014 Commonwealth Games it does become apparent “that the UK will accrue similar benefits on a smaller scale” to those that the Executive and Her Majesty’s Government expect the 2012 London Olympics to accrue for the United Kingdom, whether the Executive will seek similar financial support for the Glasgow Commonwealth Games from Her Majesty’s Government to that which Scotland has committed, and will commit, to the London Olympics.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no plans at present to seek additional financial support from Her Majesty’s Government although its help in areas such as security and visas will be most important. The only financial support that Scotland has committed to the London Olympics is £25 million of sports lottery funding all of which is to be spent in Scotland, on Scottish athletes. The Scottish Executive is exploring the possibilities of lottery monies being available to help fund the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by John Scott on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide a breakdown of the salary/employment costs for 2003-04 and 2004-05 referred to in Table 2 on page 10 of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner’s 2004-05 Annual Report.
Answer
A breakdown of the salary costs referred to in table 2 on page 10 of the Scottish Parliamentary Standard Commissioner’s 2004-05 Annual Report are as follows:
| | 2003-04 Acting Commissioner (£) | 2003-04 Commissioner (£) | Total 2003-04 (£) | 2004-05 Commissioner |
| Salary | 4,823 | 36,500 | 41,323 | 43,435* |
| ERNIC | 376 | 3,138 | 3,514 | 3,987 |
| Pension | | 6,752 | 6,752 | 8,035 |
| Total | 5,199 | 46,390 | 51,589 | 55,457 |
Note: *For two months of 2004-05 the commissioner was paid at the full-time rate rather than the usual half-time rate due to an increase in workload.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by John Scott on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide a breakdown and description of the services performed in 2003-04 but charged to the accounts for 2004-05, as referred to in paragraph 63 on page 10 of the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner’s 2004-05 Annual Report.
Answer
As advised by the commissioner, the breakdown and description of the services performed in 2003-04 but charged to the accounts for 2004-05 are as follows:
| Services | Company | Invoice Date | Invoice Received | Period | Amount |
| Legal Advice | Simpson and Marwick | 18/02/2004 | 20/01/2005 | October 2003 to January 2004 | £2,245.43 |
| Legal Advice | Simpson and Marwick | 14/01/2005 | 20/01/2005 | 22/01/2004 to 21/12/2004 | £450 |
| Legal Advice | Anderson Strathern | 05/11/2004 | 17/11/2004 | 01/01/2004 to 30/09/2004 | £437 |
| Legal Advice | Anderson Strathern | 05/11/2004 | 17/11/2004 | 2/10/2003 to 30/09/2004 | £950 |
| Total | | | | | £4,082.43 |
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-15618 and S2W-20862 by Cathy Jamieson on 4 April and 12 December 2005, how the Scottish Prison Service can confirm that it has at all times met its contractual commitment of employing one of more registered mental health nurses whilst stating that the contract does not require the contractor to employ registered mental health nurses but does commit the contractor to having “nursing staff with mental nursing skills and qualifications”.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:
My answer to S2W-15618 confirmed that Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd had met its contractual commitment in relation to the provision of nursing. The answer to S2W-20862 confirmed what the contractual commitment was. This question asks about the contractual commitments of the SPS in relation to the employment of registered mental health nurses. The SPS has no such contract.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has given consideration to the comments of Rosemary Burnett of Amnesty International who was reported in The Herald on 16 December 2005 to have stated “the Scottish Executive should investigate these illegal transfers as a matter of urgency. Not to do so is to aid and abet torture” in respect of the allegations that US agencies have used Scottish airports to refuel for flights in which it is alleged terrorist suspects are being transported against their will and without recourse to legal representation to countries where they may be tortured for the purposes of interrogation.
Answer
Torture is a crime under Scots law. Where specific, credible information exists to support allegations that such crimes have been committed within or facilitated through Scottish jurisdiction the police will be responsible for conducting appropriate investigations and reporting such cases to the Procurator Fiscal.
At present, however, we are not aware that any individual has been unlawfully transported through a Scottish airport for the purpose of torture. To date no specific, credible information supporting such an allegation has been brought to the attention of the police.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government in relation to the European Parliament’s Temporary Committee of Inquiry into allegations of CIA activity in Europe.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has not had any discussions with the UK Government in relation to the European Parliaments Temporary Committee of Inquiry into allegations of CIA activity in Europe.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence there is that the tourism industry will be assisted by virtue of the 2005 G8 summit having been held at Gleneagles.
Answer
The experience of previous G8 summit venues indicates that the long-term effect in tourism terms of playing host to the G8 summit in 2005 will be positive. Through international TV news coverage, it showcased many iconic aspects of what makes this country attractive to visitors. Visits to the visitscotland.com website increased by 17% for the first six days of July 2005 compared to the same period in 2004, equating to an additional 25,000 visits to the website. Hosting G8 further enhanced Scotland’s reputation by demonstrating that we can successfully host the largest of major international events, thus helping to progress our strategic objective for major events of being one of the world’s foremost events destinations by 2015.
