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-23745

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish courts would be required to take action in respect of extradition proceedings under internationally agreed obligations in respect of any CIA officers for whom there is an outstanding arrest warrant from the Italian courts, if any of these individuals are found to be in Scotland.

Extradition arrangementsbetween the UK and Italy are now governed by the EU Council FrameworkDecision of 13 June 2002, which is in force for both the UK and Italy.Requests from Italy for extradition are made under the European ArrestWarrant (EAW) procedure which was introduced in that Decision. This procedurewas implemented for the UK by the Extradition Act 2003. If the Scottishauthorities receive an EAW from Italy, they may certify it, and it is thereafter sent tothe police for execution. The matter would then proceed before the ScottishCourts.

Question reference: S2W-23969

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it and its agencies have paid out in each year since May 1999 in compensation for miscarriages of justice and how much it has incurred in legal costs in relation to these settlements.

I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-21936 on 23 January 2006. It is Executive policy not to disclose the amount ofcompensation paid to individual applicants without the express permission of theapplicant. Accordingly, because the number of cases is small, providing the requestedinformation on an annual basis could lead to the identification of individual claimants.

In determining the amount ofcompensation due to a claimant, the assessor will take into account any expenses,legal or otherwise, incurred by the claimant in reversing his conviction, or pursuingthe claim for compensation to enable these to be included in the final assessment.The Executive has incurred no additional cost for legal expenses in relation tothese settlements beyond payments of appropriate fees of £815.46 to the assessorsfor their work.

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.

Question reference: S2W-23841

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22529 by Patricia Ferguson on 2 February 2006, whether its statement that it is “aware that our major cities have world-class facilities” indicates that it believes that any Scottish cities have “world city” status.

Question reference: S2W-23836

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received the findings of its reporter for the local public inquiry into its proposals to upgrade the A80 to full motorway status through Cumbernauld and when it expects to make an announcement in respect of these findings.

Question reference: S2W-23838

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 13 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22466 by Patricia Ferguson on 31 January 2006 and given that the International Olympic Committee has no published definition of what defines a city as having “world city” status, whether it considers that this should not be used as part of the rationale as to why only London could host the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games if they were to be held in the United Kingdom.

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-23669

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

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in respect of the Shirley McKie case, it believes that any Scottish Criminal Records Office officers who misidentified her fingerprint lied or made a mistake and on what evidence it bases this judgement.

Question reference: S2W-23156

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 10 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20247 by Cathy Jamieson on 9 November 2005, whether the dispute on the identification of certain fingerprints between the Aberdeen Fingerprint Bureau and the Scottish Criminal Records Office has been resolved; if not, who has responsibility for deciding how and when it is resolved; what criteria will be used for resolving it, and what action will be taken to ensure that future fingerprint identifications will be reliable and accurate.

The disagreement concerns identificationof a fingerprint in a criminal case which has been concluded.

The answer to question S2W-23158on 17 February 2006 set out the detailed programme of work that has beenput in place since the HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary Inspection report in September2000 of the SCRO Fingerprint Bureau. I also announced on 22 February 2006 thatI had asked the Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Police Services Authority(SPSA), Deputy Chief Constable David Mulhern, to submit, by the end of March, anaction plan for the migration of the Scottish Fingerprint Service into the new ScottishForensic Science Service from 1 April 2007. Implementing that action plan will ensure we have aworld class fingerprint service, with independentoversight, scientific excellence and transparent adherence to standards.

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.

Question reference: S2W-23607

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 10 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time was for hospital transfers by ambulance in each year since 2000, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) hospital.

Question reference: S2W-23719

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 10 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive in what initiatives it is involved to encourage expatriates to return to Scotland.

The First Ministerlaunched a new Diaspora Strategy and hosted two events for Diaspora in Toronto and Guelph whilst in Canada inOctober 2005. The strategy aims to encouragethe diaspora’s active participation and engagement in promoting Scotland as a greatcountry to visit, live, learn, work, do business and invest, as well as consideringreturning to Scotland themselves.the Scottish Executive is involved with individuals and groups around the world throughnetworks such as Global Friends of Scotland and Global Scots. These groups are providedwith information about contemporary Scotland which enables them to promote Scotland andfurther Scottish interests internationally. We use websites such as www.scotlandistheplace.com, www.friendsofscotland.gov.uk andwww.globalscot.com/public/index.aspxto communicate, in a cost effective manner, key messages about modern, dynamic Scotlandbeing a great place to visit, live, learn, work, do business and invest in.

TheExecutive is currently working on production of an e-magazine which will assistour engagement with our worldwide diaspora, and encourage individuals and groupswithin that body to actively participate in promoting modern Scotland as thebest small country in the world.

Ministerial visits overseas arealso used to promote positive messages about modern Scotland and,where possible, events for a diaspora and expatriate audience are included in theprogramme. Events such as the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne are being used bythe Executive to enable ministers to meet a diaspora audience.