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-05302

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4369 by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2003, whether it has discussed the content and implications of Her Majesty's Government's draft Corruption Bill as part of its regular contact with that government.

Question reference: S2W-05301

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4462 by Cathy Jamieson on 11 December 2003, whether it has discussed the content and implications of Her Majesty's Government's draft Asylum and Immigration Bill as part of its regular contact with that government.

Question reference: S2W-05299

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4323 by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2003, whether it has discussed the content and implications of Her Majesty's Government's draft Gambling Bill as part of its regular contact with that government.

Question reference: S2W-05300

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 14 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4358 by Ms Margaret Curran on 16 December 2003, whether it has discussed the content and implications of Her Majesty's Government's proposal to introduce a bill to set up child trust funds as part of its regular contact with that government.

Question reference: S2W-05269

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of its expenditure has been allocated directly to (a) higher and (b) further education in each year since 1999 and what figure this represents in (i) cash terms and (ii) as a percentage of expenditure on education as a whole.

Question reference: S2W-05076

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been any change to the list of cross-border public authorities as defined in the Scotland Act 1998 since September 2002.

There has been no change tothe list of cross-border public authorities as defined in the Scotland Actsince September 2002. The Scotland Act 1998 (Cross-Border Public Authorities)(Specification) Order 1999 (S.I.1999/1319) sets out the cross-border public authoritiesas specified under section 88 of the Scotland Act 1998. A copy of this ordercan be found in the Parliament’s Reference Centre, Bib. number 23320.

Question reference: S2W-05083

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26727 by Patricia Ferguson on 16 July 2002, how many Sewel motions it has lodged with the Parliament in each year since 2001 and how many bills Sewel motions have covered in each year since 1999.

The information is set outin the following table.

	Number of Sewel Motions	Number of Bills
1999 (from 1 July)	5	5
2000	11	10
2001	13	12
2002	9	7
2003	8	7
Total	46*	41*

*This difference is accounted for by three bills which each required one supplementary Sewel motion and one bill which required two supplementary Sewel motions.

Question reference: S2W-04888

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to objective 1, target 2 of the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning chapter of its Draft Budget 2004-05, which quartile of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries Scotland's level of business investment in research and development falls into; how much businesses have spent on research and development in the current year; what percentage increase this figure represents on previous years, and how much of its budget, including those of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, has been spent on assisting businesses with research and development in each of the last four years.

The Organisation forEconomic Co-operation and Development (OECD) monitors research and development(R&D) spending by 29 member countries. The latest available figures referto 2001.

In terms of expenditure bybusinesses on R&D as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product, Scotlandwould be in the third quartile of OECD countries in 2001.

The level of R&Dexpenditure by businesses is measured by an annual survey conducted by theOffice for National Statistics. According to this survey, R&D expenditure undertakenin enterprises in Scotland was £512 million in 2001, rising to £640 million in2002. At current prices the increase was 28% between 2000 and 2001 and 25%between 2001 and 2002.

Information regarding theamount of spending from the Scottish Executive, its agencies andnon-departmental public bodies on assisting businesses with R&D in each of the last four years is not held centrally.

Question reference: S2W-04778

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations it has made to Her Majesty's Government in respect of the proposal to establish a coterminosity commission, in particular on the principle of establishing the commission, its remit, composition, staffing and timetable for reporting

The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Her Majesty’s Government on a wide range ofissues, including those arising from its welcome decision to legislate in thecurrent session to maintain the size of the Scottish Parliament. In thisconnection, in line with a recommendation made by the Scottish Executive, Her Majesty’s Government announced in December 2002 that it acceptedthe principle of a commission to address associated issues: furtherannouncements on the detailed arrangements will be made in due course. Meantime,the Scottish Affairs Select Committee is undertaking an inquiry into thespecific issue of co-terminosity.

Copies of the Scottish Executive’s submission to the Scotland Office consultation exercise (Bib. number24078) and to the Select Committee Inquiry (Bib. number 30504) have been placedin the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Question reference: S2W-04777

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it has had with Her Majesty's Government on the terms of reference for the proposed commission on the coterminosity of parliamentary boundaries in Scotland, in particular on its membership, budget, staffing and timetable for reporting.