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-23856

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 20 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21275 by Tavish Scott on 15 December 2005, whether the estimated cost of its planned on-line upgrade of the A80 to full motorway status does not include the cost of the Auchenkilns interchange project and work on the millennium bridge over the Forth and Clyde Canal.

Question reference: S2W-23882

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 20 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive why the cost of the new A8000 to M9 link road has risen from an estimated £15.15 million, excluding VAT, identified in the 1999 strategic roads review, to £35.6 million in 2005.

The cost of A8000 upgrade wasestimated in the Strategic Roads Review by the then Scottish Office at £15.15 millionexcluding VAT, at 1998 prices. Responsibility for taking the project forward sincethat time, and for later estimates of costs, lies with the City of Edinburgh Council. The council’s recent price estimates take account of more detailed designwork, ground consolidation requirements and the upgrading of the original designto motorway standards, as well as price inflation since 1998.

Question reference: S2W-23858

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 20 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to it was of the millennium bridge project over the Forth and Clyde Canal on the route of the A80.

Question reference: S2W-23896

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prison officers have been employed in each year since 1990.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

Reliable information is readilyavailable only from 2000 and is as follows:

Year	Prison Officers in Post
2000	3,100
2001	2,880
2002	2,855
2003	2,867
2004	2,770
2005	2,589

Question reference: S2W-23898

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the staff to prisoner ratio has been in each prison in each year since 1990.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

The information requested isonly readily available since 2002-03. The ratios shown in the following table areof average prisoner numbers in the year in question compared with the total staffcomplement for that year.

Establishment	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05
Aberdeen	1.3:1	1.3:1	1.3:1
Barlinnie	2.0:1	1.9:1	2.1:1
Castle Huntly	2.2:1	2.3:1	2.4:1
Cornton Vale	1.0:1	0.9:1	1.0:1
Dumfries	1.1:1	1.2:1	1.3:1
Edinburgh	1.6:1	1.6:1	1.6:1
Glenochil	1.2:1	1.3:1	1.3:1
Greenock	1.8:1	1.5:1	1.7:1
Inverness	1.3:1	1.4:1	1.3:1
Low Moss	1.7:1	1.7:1	1.8:1
Noranside	2.0:1	2.1:1	2.1:1
Perth	1.4:1	1.5:1	1.5:1
Peterhead	1.3:1	1.4:1	1.3:1
Polmont	1.4:1	1.4:1	1.5:1
Shotts	1.1:1	1.1:1	1.3:1

Question reference: S2W-23897

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions illegal drugs have been seized from prisoners by prison officers in each year since 1999, broken down by prison.

Ihave asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond.His response is as follows:

The information is not availablein the format requested. The following table relates also to drugs found on visitorsor from concealment in prison. Figures are available only from 2001-02 onwards.

Establishment	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05
Aberdeen	24	79	36	27
Barlinnie	144	142	202	176
Castle Huntly	4	3	11	11
Cornton Vale	43	47	43	42
Dumfries	6	19	32	17
Edinburgh	143	226	256	184
Glenochil Prison	89	91	67	93
Glenochil YOI	16	19	1	0
Greenock	33	51	63	75
Inverness	2	0	0	0
Kilmarnock	102	86	139	111
Low Moss	80	76	62	80
Noranside	3	2	5	5
Perth	50	99	118	164
Peterhead	4	2	3	1
Polmont	50	64	82	137
Shotts	70	36	47	60

The Executive have supplied the following corrected answer:

Cathy Jamieson: I have askedTony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. Hisresponse is as follows:

The information is notavailable in the format requested. The following table relates also to drugsfound on visitors or from concealment in prison. Figures are available onlyfrom 2001-02 onwards.

Establishment	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05
Aberdeen	24	79	36	27
Barlinnie	144	142	202	176
Castle Huntly	4	3	11	11
Cornton Vale	43	47	43	42
Dumfries	6	19	32	17
Edinburgh	143	226	256	184
Glenochil Prison	89	91	67	93
Glenochil YOI	16	19	1	0
Greenock	33	51	63	75
Inverness	22	42	60	61
Kilmarnock	102	86	139	111
Low Moss	80	76	62	80
Noranside	3	2	5	5
Perth	50	99	118	164
Peterhead	4	2	3	1
Polmont	50	64	82	137
Shotts	70	36	47	60

Question reference: S2W-23670

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any investigation has taken place to establish whether any serving officers within Strathclyde Police deliberately tried to falsely incriminate Shirley McKie in respect of her fingerprint being allegedly found at the scene of the Marion Ross murder in Kilmarnock in 1997.

Question reference: S2W-23663

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the full details of its financial settlement with Shirley McKie.

Question reference: S2W-23993

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have had to foreclose on their mortgage in each year since 1980, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S2W-23986

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of all houses bought privately in each year since 1995 have been purchased by first-time buyers, broken down by local authority area.

Information on the proportionof houses purchased by first time buyers is not available by local authority area.Estimates, for Scotland as a whole, from the Regulated Mortgage Survey of theproportion of loans to first time purchasers are given in table 5 of HousingTrends in Scotland: quarter ending 30 September 2005. Thiscan be accessed through the data library in the publications and data section of the Scottish Executive housing statistics branch website at www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/housing/hsbref.