- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 26 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15005 by Fergus Ewing on 3 September 2008, whether it will detail the procedures that were followed in the award to the Scottish-Islamic Foundation of £190,000 in relation to Empowering Youth: Future Leaders, including (a) when notification was issued inviting applications for the published award scheme, (b) what the closing date for applications was and when the relevant application was received, (c) what the published criteria were against which proposals were to be scrutinised and whether all the criteria were met in this case, (d) whether a panel met to scrutinise and score applications and, if so, what recommendations it made in this case and (e) whether the grant letter included a clear specification of the purposes for which awarded monies should be used and, if so, whether it will publish this specification.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15820 on 3 September 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Scottish Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/apps2/business/pqa/default.aspx.
Information on the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Funding Stream for 2008‘2011 is available on-line and can be found at:
http://www.scotlandagainstracism.com/onescotland/366.10.223.html.
The grant offer letter detailing conditions of grant for Empowering Youth: Future Leaders funding is already in the public domain and can be found at:
http://www.scotlandagainstracism.com/onescotland/files/scottish%20islamic%20foundation.pdf.
Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Funding Stream 2008-11: Background Papers can be found in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 50160).
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 26 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether due diligence was undertaken regarding the governance arrangements of the Scottish-Islamic Foundation before paying a grant to that organisation; whether that due diligence included ascertaining the names of members of the board of the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, and whether membership and articles of association were in place setting out the relationship between the board and the chief executive officer of that organisation that would satisfy the requirements of the Companies Act 1985 and charity law legislation.
Answer
Audit Scotland conducted an enquiry into Scottish Government funding awarded to the Scottish Islamic Foundation in response to a request from George Foulkes MSP. Audit Scotland examined all matters connected with SIF funding applications and clearly and definitively concluded that the appropriate procedures and processes were followed.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 26 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15005 by Fergus Ewing on 3 September 2008, how many future leaders have been empowered as a result of the £190,000 grant to the Scottish-Islamic Foundation; how these leaders were selected; what activities they took part in; what evaluation has been undertaken of the programme’s effectiveness; who paid for any such evaluation, and where any such evaluation information can be accessed by members of the public.
Answer
The Empowering Youth: Future Leaders project is being funded through the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration (RRRI) Funding Stream 2008-11. The project aims to work with young Muslims aged between 18 and 25 years old and a core group of 40 young people are directly benefiting from the programme. As with all of the RRRI Funding Stream projects, independent monitoring and evaluation is carried out by the Voluntary Action Fund. Grant conditions, including financial monitoring, are attached to all funding provided by the Scottish Government. In line with standard practice for other Scottish Government funding streams, there are no plans to publish the monitoring and evaluation information collected in relation to the individual projects being funded through the RRRI Funding Stream.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 26 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-28953 by Alex Neil on 3 December 2010, on what basis ministers did not demand the return of the full amount of £200,000 awarded to the Scottish-Islamic Foundation and whether at any point the reporting officer indicated that they were not satisfied that the money allocated was properly accounted for or expressed concern that it might not represent value for money
Answer
The IslamFest grant was provided for the development of activity to help strengthen community cohesion in Scotland. A programme of IslamFest events was published by the Scottish Islamic Foundation on 17 February 2010.
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31185 on 26 February 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Scottish Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 26 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to a report in The Sunday Herald on 24 January 2010 about money awarded to the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, whether the Minister for Community Safety and Minister for Housing and Communities instructed officials at a meeting on 21 May 2010 to arrange a ministerial meeting with Mr Osama Saeed or whether that instruction was given once Mr Saeed had provided a cheque for £128,000 on 1 June 2009.
Answer
The Minister for Community Safety and I asked officials to arrange a meeting with Mr Saeed prior to Mr Saeed providing a cheque for £128,000 on 1 June 2009. The meeting took place on 3 June 2009.
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31187 on 26 February 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Scottish Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 26 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, in view of its commitment to publishing details of engagements carried out by all ministers on a monthly basis six months in arrears, for what reason information on its website lists only engagements up until 13 March 2009 and when it expects to update these records and make them public.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to the proactive release of information. However, the collation and co-ordination of the engagement information is taking longer than anticipated and it is hoped that this information will be released in the near future.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been made to (a) ministers and (b) Scottish Water requesting the removal of fences around Milngavie reservoir erected following a direction by the Home Secretary in 2003 under the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002 (Direction in the Interests of National Security) Order 2002.
Answer
We are not aware of any such requests that have been made to Scottish ministers. We understand that you made representations to Scottish Water about the removal of the fences in October 2006, September 2008 and December 2009. East Dunbartonshire Council raised the issue in 2008 and 2009 at its twice yearly Katrine Water project liaison meetings with Scottish Water and the council''s chief executive wrote to Scottish Water in January 2010 on the subject.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the commissioning of the new Milngavie water treatment works has rendered unnecessary a number of security measures put in place following a direction by the Home Secretary in 2003 under the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002 (Direction in the Interests of National Security) Order 2002.
Answer
Scottish Water has agreed with the government security adviser what changes can take place to the security measures following the commissioning of the new works.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review in conjunction with Home Office ministers the continuing need for security fences at Milngavie reservoir on national security grounds.
Answer
A review of the existing security measures has already taken place and Scottish Water has agreed in principal with the Government security adviser on what changes can be made. My officials have asked Scottish Water to estimate the cost of these changes and to consider the funding options available to them. Once we know the cost and the funding has been agreed, we will consult the Home Office about Directing Scottish Water to carry out the work.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 26 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002 (Direction in the Interests of National Security) Order 2002 provides ministers with express powers to revoke a direction made using that legislation and, if not, what other legal powers could be used to remove unnecessary security measures.
Answer
There is no express provision to the contrary, so the power under this Order to make a direction to revoke an existing direction is implicit. However, the power to give a direction under this 2002 Order is exercisable by Scottish ministers concurrently with the Secretary of State and only after consultation with the Secretary of State.
