- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22495 by Cathy Jamieson on 2 February 2006, whether it has a definitive figure for the number of communications it has received expressing concern that flights using Scottish airports have been involved in unlawful activity and, in particular, that they may have been involved in the process known as “extraordinary rendition” and, if so, what this figure is.
Answer
The majority of communicationswe have received on the subject of “extraordinary rendition” have been in the formof written parliamentary questions. Since 21 November 2005 there have been 149; of these, 85 were submitted by Alex Neil MSP.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 20 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21872 by Colin Boyd QC on 18 January 2006, whether, when it states that the forcible removal of an individual against their will may constitute the crime of abduction in Scots law, this means that in some cases it does constitute the crime of abduction but in others it does not.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21871 on 18 January 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 20 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Lord Advocate has attended any party political meetings in his official capacity since his appointment to the post.
Answer
I have not attended anyparty political meetings in an official capacity since taking up my currentappointment in February 2000. I have, however, attended the Scottish Conferenceof the Labour Party, but in a personal capacity, as a member of the LabourParty. I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-10299 on 21 September2004. 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/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 20 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23937 by Allan Wilson on 20 March 2006, what benefits it considers arise from exploration and utilisation of sources of oil in the Atlantic Ocean.
Answer
Exploration and developmentactivities in the North Sea are an important contributor to Scotland’seconomy, with the oil and gas sector supporting some 90,000 Scottish jobs andgenerating some £10 billion of associated expenditure across the UK as awhole.
Exploration and utilisationof oil and gas resources in the Atlantic waters West of Shetland could beexpected to require a range of skills and services similar to those offered byfirms currently supporting such activity in the North Sea. Against thatbackground it would appear reasonable to anticipate that in the longer term,considerable economic benefits could flow to Scotland, from exploitation of the hydrocarbon reserves lying beneath these more distant waters.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23744 by Cathy Jamieson on 24 March 2006 and given her confirmation of her statement at the Labour Party’s Scottish conference, whether it considers that coverage in the Sunday Mail was misleading as her statement does not explicitly indicate that she pledged to stop Scottish airports being used to facilitate the process of “extraordinary rendition” by US agencies.
Answer
I have nothing to add to my answerto question S2W-23744 of 24 March 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.The way in which the media reportstatements made by politicians is a matter for them.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any NHS board has made representations to it seeking assistance with filling vacant consultancy posts.
Answer
TheExecutive has been in correspondence with all NHS boards regarding the filling ofvacant consultant posts and is fully committed to increasing the numbers of consultantsin post and reducing vacancy levels.
NHS boards have drawn up detailedbusiness plans setting out the actions they plan to take to fill current vacanciesand these have been agreed with the Executive. Additional funding of £2.5 millionhas been allocated to boards to assist them in taking forward the actions containedin their plans. Other actions being taken by the Executive include placing an advertin the British Medical Journal referring to consultant vacancies in Scotland andintroducing a scheme to match current Specialist Registrars to consultant vacancies.We are also in the process of developing a scheme to allow the advance appointmentof Specialist Registrars into consultant posts.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to remedy any shortages of consultants within NHS board areas.
Answer
In August last year, wepublished the
National Workforce Planning Framework to introduce a newannual workforce planning cycle for NHSScotland, aligned with service andfinancial planning. It sets processes in place at local, regional and nationallevels for strategic planning across the range of staff groups, including consultants,that contribute to our NHS services. National decisions affecting workforcesupply will be made on the basis of NHS board and region projections of demand.
We have already increasedthe number of Specialist Registrar training places by 375 since 2001, toimprove the available supply of specialists for consultant posts. A scheme hasalso been developed with NHS Education for Scotland to help improve theretention of this increased supply of Specialist Registrars after successfulcompletion of training. The scheme involves establishing the career aspirationsof specialist registrars at an early stage and alerting them to current andpotential consultant vacancies across NHSScotland. At the same time, NHS boardswill be alerted to Specialist Registrars about to gain their Certificate ofCompletion of Training.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 19 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-23873 and S2W-23874 by Tavish Scott on 15 March 2006, whether it considers it to be desirable that new train stations at Abronhill and Mossend are developed.
Answer
Transport Scotlandwill consider the case for the provision of new stations at Abronhill and atMossend if a suitable case for either is presented for consideration by theRegional Transport Partnership concerned.
Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for moreinformation if required.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 19 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make available the report of the public local inquiry into proposals to upgrade the A80 prepared by the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit in advance of it making a decision and, if not, whether it will consider making it available to those who gave evidence to the reporter.
Answer
The reporter’s report willnot be made available until such times as a decision has been reached byScottish ministers.
When Scottish ministers havereached their decision, it will be made public by sending copies of the reportand the decision letter to objectors. Additionally, the report and the decisionletter will be placed on the Executive’s website.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 19 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23743 by Colin Boyd QC on 14 March 2006, whether, without stating what the advice was, it has sought advice as to whether the process known as “extraordinary rendition” is illegal in Scots law or international law.
Answer
As I stated in my answer toquestion S2W-23743, answered on 14 March 2006, the Scottish Executive does notgenerally disclose whether the advice of the Scottish Law Officers has beensought or obtained in relation to any particular matter.
All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be foundat http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
