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: S1W-22765

Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21028 by Mr Jim Wallace on 22 January 2002, whether any of its representatives led on topics of major interest to Scotland at meetings of the EU Council before 8 June 2000.

Question reference: S1W-22766

Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21028 by Mr Jim Wallace on 22 January 2002, which topics each of the ministers spoke to when they led the UK delegation at the EU Council of Ministers on 8 June 2000, 12 February 2001 and 4 June 2001.

Question reference: S1W-21515

Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 21 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21002 by Lewis MacDonald on 3 January 2002, whether it has had discussions with Her Majesty's Government concerning the restriction of rail freight through the Channel Tunnel that began on 7 November 2001 and its impact on Scotland and, if so, on what date these discussions took place, who took part and what the outcome was.

Rail freight generally is a reserved matter, as are European railway services. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including freight services through the Channel Tunnel. Contact on this issue has continued throughout the period in question, including most recently a letter earlier this month to George Foulkes, Minister of State at the Scotland Office, in which I reiterated our concern to see this matter resolved.It is not usual to provide details of discussions between officials and third parties, as the disclosure of this information would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion. This policy is supported by the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information, which provides that information should be released except where disclosure would not be in the public interest, as specified in Part II of the Code.

Question reference: S1W-22768

Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what the uniformed police (a) Establishmentlishment and (b) strength was and how many police probationers there were in each police force in each year from 1991 to 2001.

The available information is shown in the following table. Information on probationers is not held centrally.Establishmentlishment and Strength by Force

As at:	Central		Dumfries & Galloway		Fife
	Establishment	Strength	Establishment	Strength	Establishment	Strength
31-3-91	638	638	361	360	780	756
31-3-92	643	645	384	385	780	790
31-3-93	650	653	384	385	780	790
31-3-94	650	658	384	386	780	791
31-3-95	652	656	384	391	780	789
31-3-96	652	657	384	390	780	790
	Strength*
31-3-97	686		412		831
31-3-98	703		439		855
31-3-99	719		437		846
31-3-00	721		451		837
31-3-01	733		478		852

As at:	Grampian		Lothian & Borders		Northern
	Establishment	Strength	Establishment	Strength	Establishment	Strength
31-3-91	1,158	1,137	2,487	2,452	631	629
31-3-92	1,178	1,161	2,489	2,534	654	653
31-3-93	1,178	1,190	2,526	2,563	654	649
31-3-94	1,178	1,193	2,522	2,558	654	658
31-3-95	1,178	1,194	2,522	2,539	654	649
31-3-96	1,178	1,172	2,522	2,534	655	640
	Strength*
31-3-97	1,173		2,691		649
31-3-98	1,193		2,691		657
31-3-99	1,249		2,615		660
31-3-00	1,215		2,584		653
31-3-01	1,273		2,670		668

As at:	Strathclyde		Tayside		Total
	Establishment	Strength	Establishment	Strength	Establishment	Strength
31-3-91	6,954	6,792	1,034	1,047	14,043	13,811
31-3-92	6,954	6,763	1,057	1,053	14,139	13,984
31-3-93	6,954	6,768	1,079	1,097	14,205	14,095
31-3-94	6,954	6,860	1,079	1,070	14,201	14,174
31-3-95	6,954	7,014	1,085	1,091	14,209	14,323
31-3-96	7,212	7,216	1,094	1,113	14,477	14,512
	Strength*
31-3-97	7,231		1,116		14,789
31-3-98	7,299		1,143		14,980
31-3-99	7,135		1,149		14,810
31-3-00	7,101		1,137		14,699
31-3-01	7,318		1,157		15,149

Note:* Establishmentlishment levels for Scottish police forces were abolished on 1 April 1996. Decisions on staffing levels are now a matter for chief constables in consultation with police authorities within the resources available to them.

Question reference: S1W-22767

Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2002
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21846 by Malcolm Chisholm on 29 January 2002, which elected representatives briefed the UK delegation to the EU Health Council meeting in Brussels on 15 November 2001 in relation to matters of interest to Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-22769

Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21838 by Lewis Macdonald on 28 January 2002, whether it will list the special roads on which Amey Highways Ltd and BEAR Scotland Ltd carry out litter clearing as part of their trunk road maintenance contracts.

Question reference: S1W-22709

Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 February 2002
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 18 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it will make to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and the Postal Services Commission in order to ensure the continued availability of postal services in rural areas in light of the commission's proposals for opening the market for postal services.

Question reference: S1W-19931

Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage citi'ens to undertake to donate their organs after their death.

The Executive is working with the Scottish Transplant Group, UK Transplant and patient's interest groups to develop a national publicity campaign aimed at raising awareness of organ donation and transplantation. We have supported various promotional activities in the past and are always open to new and innovative proposals. We are also, as a matter of course, involved in the on-going provision of supplies of organ donor leaflets, as well as providing information in support of individual independent initiatives.

Question reference: S1W-20553

Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 1 February 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities are currently subject to investigation by the Accounts Commission.

The last local authority subject to an investigation was Scottish Borders Council due to their Education Department overspend.Auditors appointed on behalf of the Accounts Commission make preliminary enquiries into local authority accounts on matters brought to their attention either as a result of the audit or by concerned parties. If warranted these will be reported to the Controller of Audit to consider the need for a more formal investigation.

Question reference: S1W-21504

Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 31 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the investigation into possible rail links to Glasgow and Edinburgh airports will include examination of light rail transport as an option, either running on light track or sharing main line track.