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-23625

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Lord Advocate and the Minister for Justice agreed the content of each other’s ministerial statement on 22 February 2006 on the Scottish Fingerprint Service.

Question reference: S2W-23597

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Cabinet meetings have taken place since May 1999; how many of these the current Lord Advocate has attended (a) for the duration of the meeting or (b) for part of the meeting either in his capacity as Solicitor General or Lord Advocate, and how many times he has spoken at Cabinet on (i) specifically legal matters and (ii) political matters.

The dates when the Scottish Cabinethas met since 1999 are available under the Cabinet-related information providedon the Scottish Executive website.

The Lord Advocate is not a memberof the Scottish Cabinet but usually attends Cabinet each week to provide legal advicewhere it is sought.

Information relating to the proceedingsof the Scottish Cabinet is considered exempt from disclosure under sections 29 (a)and (b) and 30(a) and (b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Question reference: S2W-23620

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22402 by Nicol Stephen on 10 February 2006, to what "this does not involve consultants" refers.

Question S2W-22402 on 10 Februaryasked, among other things, “whether consultants were involved” in a review of LocalEconomic Forums. As indicated in the answers to questions S2W-22402 and S2W-23619on 13 March 2006, the Executive is not reviewing the existence of Local EconomicForums.

The term “this does not involveconsultants” was intended to make clear that consultants are not being used by the Executive in any capacity relating to Local Economic Forums.

Question reference: S2W-23619

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22402 by Nicol Stephen on 10 February 2006, whether this answer indicates that it, Scottish Enterprise or any other Executive agency or non-departmental public body is not presently undertaking a review of local economic forums nor has plans to do so in the future.

Question reference: S2W-23720

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what forms of subsidised travel on public transport are (a) currently in place and (b) planned in future.

There are a number of schemescurrently in place by which the Scottish Executive provides subsidised travelon public transport.

There is an existingconcessionary fares scheme which offers free local bus travel for pensionersand disabled people for journeys outwith the morning peak.

We provide subsidies for airroutes under Public Service Obligations (PSOs) from Glasgow International Airport to Campbeltown, Tiree and Barra.

There is also a variety oflocal authority funded concessionary travel schemes for rail passengers, andFirst ScotRail is required by the terms of the rail passenger franchise toparticipate in these schemes.

There are threeconcessionary travel schemes in place for ferry passengers on foot in the Clydeand Western Isles, arranged with Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority(SPTA), Highland Council and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.

There are three schemes inplace for ferry passengers in the Northern Isles, arranged with Orkney Council,Shetland Islands Council and Northlink.

A new national concessionarytravel scheme administered by Transport Scotland will begin on 1 April2006, and will provide Scotland-wide free bus travel for older and disabledpeople, as well as two free return journeys for all eligible Scottish islandresidents. Where existing local concessionary travel schemes also includeadditional modes, such as rail or ferry, these will continue to be managedlocally.

The Scottish Executive isalso committed to introducing a scheme of national bus, rail and ferryconcessionary travel for young people, initially for those in full-timeeducation and training.

I announced recently theintroduction of a new scheme, which will provide lower air fares for thoseliving in the Highlands and Islands. Residents of Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles, Islay andJura and the Caithness area will be eligible for an estimated 40% discounton trips to Inverness, Glasgow International, Edinburghand Aberdeen Airports and one other airport within the eligible geographicarea.

Question reference: S2W-23596

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the current Solicitor General’s (a) membership of any political party, (b) financial contributions to any political party and (c) attendance at meetings of any political party since May 1997.

Question reference: S2W-23606

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulances would be required for the NHS Lanarkshire area if NHS Lanarkshire’s preferred option of closing the Accident and Emergency Department at Monklands Hospital and centralising all planned care to that site goes ahead.

Proposals under A Pictureof Health are the subject of public consultation which is due to end on 28 April 2006. WhenNHS Lanarkshire comes to a view on these matters, their proposals will come tome for a final decision. I will want to be assured that the proposals areconsistent with Delivering for Health and to be satisfied as to theadequacy of public engagement and consultation.

The Scottish AmbulanceService has been attending meetings with NHS Lanarkshire and will make thenecessary arrangements to support whichever service configuration is put inplace.

Question reference: S2W-23584

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made since 2001 in ensuring that all higher education science courses provide opportunities to acquire business skills and work experience.

The Scottish Executive and the Scottish Funding Council are committed to promoting entrepreneurial education andencouraging higher education institutions to provide opportunities for studentsto obtain work experience and business skills However, institutions are autonomousbodies and are individually responsible for the content and nature of the coursesthey offer.

The Scottish Institute for Enterprise(SIE), core funded by the Scottish Funding Council, has led on developing enterprisecourses in Scotland’s universities since 1999. In recent years its has greatlyexpanded the range of courses and increased the number of students who can benefitfrom them, to cover all Scotland’s universities. These courses help students and researchersto develop management and business skills such as team-building, problem-solving,presentation skills and teamwork. The institute is currently working with the UKScience Enterprise Centres and the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurshipto develop an Enterprise Educators training and Masterclass programme. The SIE hasassisted in the drive for all higher education institutions to establish their owncommercialisation offices, with links to the national SIE network of support. Furtherdetails can be found in A Science Strategy for Scotland 2001:ProgressReport, published 20 February 2006 at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/science/16607/5910.

Question reference: S2W-23598

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Cabinet meetings the current Solicitor General has attended (a) for the duration of the meeting or (b) for part of the meeting; and how many times she has spoken at Cabinet on (i) specifically legal matters and (ii) political matters.

Question reference: S2W-23624

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet has discussed the Shirley McKie case and, if so, whether the Lord Advocate, Solicitor General and Minister for Justice were present.