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-21052

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 15 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that any legal action may be taken as a result of the changed status of Strathclyde Passenger Transport and what budgetary provision has been made for the costs arising from such action.

Question reference: S2W-21339

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 15 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have required medical treatment in the last five years following the regular ingestion of aspartame.

Question reference: S2O-08505

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 15 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had in respect of funding the grouping of rural further education colleges.

Question reference: S2W-21337

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what funds are available to provide a complex for young people in Aberdeen similar to the Castlemilk Youth Complex.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Scottish Executive makes provision for a range of funds that are targeted to help close the opportunity gap across Scotland, and lend support to community projects like the Castlemilk Youth Projects. The actual nature and method of the response may of course vary depending on the local circumstances. For Aberdeen City, aside from the local authority’s mainstream programmes, the main funds currently available are:

The Community Regeneration Fund (CRF) - Aberdeen

The funding from the Scottish Executive’s Community Regeneration Fund is specifically targeted at the most deprived areas of the city - supporting services and projects which improve people’s lives and the places they live.

For the period between 2005-06 and 2007-08 the Scottish Executive has allocated £3.726 million through the Community Regeneration Fund to the Aberdeen City. This fund is managed by Aberdeen City’s Community Planning Partnership (The Aberdeen City Alliance), and its key investment priorities are set out in their Regeneration Outcome Agreement which the Minister for Communities approved on 2 September 2005. This fund provides the partnership with the scope to allocate resources to a broad range of community supported projects, including where considered appropriate, projects like the one at Castlemilk, that are tailored to help and support the needs of our young people within their communities.

Wider Role - Aberdeen

A fund managed, supported and allocated by Communities Scotland area teams around the country. The funds are only available to registered social landlords or to voluntary organisations that are specifically supporting registered social landlords’ wider role activity.

The Communities Scotland Aberdeen office currently has an annual allocation of around £0.6 million. Since 1998 Communities Scotland has provided financial support to the value of £1.3 million to the Aberdeen Foyer, - through their sponsoring registered social landlord Grampian Housing Association.

The Aberdeen Foyer is a successful local charitable organisation working with young people to prevent and alleviate youth homelessness and unemployment. In addition, they provide accommodation and access to wide range of educational, training, employment and community health services for young people. This project is now in its tenth year and has a turnover of close on £3.5 million This year Communities Scotland is providing around £0.29 million to help support five of the Aberdeen Foyer projects.

Communities Scotland have also given financial support to help the Torry Youth Café to expand their services for the young people in the Torry area of Aberdeen.

In addition they are providing partnership investment funding alongside Aberdeen City Council and Scottish Enterprise Grampian to support the three Opportunity Gateway Houses in Aberdeen, and they place significant emphasis on the need to support and develop the younger people within our communities.

Question reference: S2W-21338

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 12 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what controls exist in respect of the use of aspartame in diet sodas.

I have been advised by the Food Standards Agency Scotland that the use of aspartame in diet sodas is controlled in the UK by the Sweeteners in Food Regulations 1995 (as amended). These regulations list sweeteners permitted for use, the foodstuff categories in which they are permitted to be used, the maximum usable dose levels allowed and specify the labelling requirements for the sale of tabletop sweeteners.

In relation to diet sodas the above regulations specify that “aspartame is permitted in water-based flavoured drinks, energy-reduced or with no added sugar up to the maximum usable dose of 600mg/l”. However, most soft drinks use aspartame in combination with other sweeteners and so the actual level used is normally considerably lower.

Question reference: S2W-21336

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding streams were accessed by the Castlemilk Youth Complex to fund construction of the complex.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

Castlemilk Youth Complex is an independent organisation, and therefore the Scottish Executive does not hold comprehensive information about its funding streams. However, the Scottish Office Urban Programme provided funding for the cost of the building works when the Complex was established in 1994.

Question reference: S2W-21045

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what areas of local government activity it considers can produce the £325 million efficiency savings referred to in the ministerial statement by the Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform on 23 November 2005 (Official Report c. 20966).

Question reference: S2W-21050

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what costs will accrue from the changed status of Strathclyde Passenger Transport.

Following the coming into force of the Transfer of Rail Functions To The Scottish Ministers Order 2005 on 28 November 2005 a number of staff have transferred from Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive to the Scottish Executive.

There is likely to be some cost to the Scottish Executive arising out of the reconciliation of accrued pension values on transfer between funds to ensure staff are not disadvantaged. This is an on-going process. There are other minor costs associated with provision of equipment and the induction of the transferred staff into the Scottish Executive.

Question reference: S2W-21051

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs will be of rebadging Strathclyde Passenger Transport (a) rolling stock, (b) stations, (c) uniforms, (d) timetables, (e) notices, (f) tickets, (g) signage and (h) premises and which organisation will meet such costs.

Question reference: S2W-21147

Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 December 2005