- Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 15 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans exist to replace existing large Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency vessels in the near future and when a decision will be made on this issue.
Answer
A contract has already been awarded by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency to replace its oldest Offshore Patrol Vessel Westra in June 2003. Thereafter, the agency will consider the replacement programme for its other vessels.
- Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-23479 and S1W-22767 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 March 2002, how it intends to encourage contributions from the Parliament's European Committee and the Parliament in advance of Her Majesty's Government contributing to meetings of the EU Council of Ministers.
Answer
We have undertaken to work with the European Committee to develop improved arrangements for the provision of information regarding the Executive's contacts with the UK Government on EU issues, while respecting the need for confidentiality where this applies. I am confident these arrangements will increase the committee's ability to contribute to discussions on current EU issues.
- Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-23479 and S1W-22767 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 March 2002 regarding the confidentiality of discussions between it and Her Majesty's Government, how it plans to advance transparency in relation to such matters.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24247.
- Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 26 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the transfer of post-graduate research student awards from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland to the Arts and Humanities Research Board, whether funding for post-graduate students in Scotland was ring-fenced at no less than the level it was before the transfer of responsibility.
Answer
The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) has agreed with the Arts and Humanities Research Board that it should aim to spend no less than £1.6 million on Scottish domiciled students. While this funding will not be formally ring fenced, we are confident that Scottish students will compete strongly for awards and are assured that SHEFC will monitor performance carefully.
- Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 26 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive which body took the decision to transfer responsibility for awarding post-graduate research grants from the Students Awards Agency for Scotland to the Arts and Humanities Research Board and when that decision was taken.
Answer
The decision to transfer responsibility for the administration of the Scottish Studentship Scheme from the Students Awards Agency for Scotland to the Arts and Humanities Research Board was a matter for the Scottish Executive and was announced on 16 November 2001. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-19977 on 16 November 2001.
- Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 26 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons were for transferring responsibility for research grants from the Students Awards Agency for Scotland to the Arts and Humanities Research Board.
Answer
The Scottish Executive agreed to this transfer following an indication from Universities Scotland that, having consulted with its membership on this issue, it had received a positive response. In all other fields of study, comparable postgraduate awards for Scottish postgraduate students are administered through the UK Research Councils. It was expected that the move would benefit Scottish-domiciled arts and humanities students, by giving them access to a UK-wide fund, for which they were expected to compete strongly, and by ending an arrangement by which these students were uniquely excluded from UK-wide arrangements in matters such as research training programmes.
- Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities currently have an anti-social tenant policy in place and which have a dedicated officer who liaises with all necessary agencies regarding such tenants.
Answer
This information is not held centrally but the Sociable Neighbourhood National Co-ordinator appointed by COSLA, with funding from the Scottish Executive, is currently undertaking an audit of anti-social policy and practice in Scottish local authorities.
- Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities currently have a support programme for the victims of anti-social behaviour and which have members of staff dedicated to that programme.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23524.
- Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22767 by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 February 2002, why naming the elected representatives who briefed the UK delegation to the EU Health Council meeting in Brussels on 15 November 2001 is confidential.
Answer
All details of discussions between the UK Government and the Scottish Executive are confidential, in terms of exemption 2 to the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information. This exemption covers information whose disclosure would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion and includes internal opinion, advice, recommendation, consultation and deliberation and confidential communications between departments.
- Asked by: Colin Campbell, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 11 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring is conducted of the spending of funds allocated for the support of pupils with behavioural difficulties and whether it will list any local authorities who have either wrongly allocated all or part of these funds to capital expenditure projects which were planned before the funds were made available or have been prevented from allocating funds to such projects.
Answer
Funds allocated by the Scottish Executive under specific grants to local authorities, which would include amounts allocated for the provision of support directed towards pupils with behavioural difficulties, carry certain conditions which are specified at the initial stages of allocation. These conditions must be complied with, otherwise the Executive may require repayment of the full allocation or part thereof. Local authorities are required to inform the Executive how the funds have been spent and must complete a certificate of expenditure for auditing purposes.
