- 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 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, 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 what other organisations or individuals, aside from the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, it has had discussions, communications or contact with regarding a proposal for an Islamic Expo and whether it will list the persons and organisations with whom it has met or communicated on this subject and the relevant dates.
Answer
The proposals for IslamFest were discussed with the Scottish Islamic Foundation and organisers of the IslamExpo events. I refer the member to the answer to questions S3W-15009 on 3 September 2008; S3W-18948 on 19 December 2008, and S3W-31179 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 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 £200,000 in connection with the proposal for an IslamFest, 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
Funding for IslamFest was not a part of an open bidding process when it was given Ministerial approval in March 2007 by the previous administration. The commitment given was rolled forward by the current administration. I refer the member to the answer to questions S3W-15063; S3W-15066, and S3W-15067 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.
The grant offer letter detailing conditions of grant for IslamFest funding is already in the public domain and can be found at:
http://www.scotlandagainstracism.com/onescotland/files/FOI%20-%2000825.pdf.
- 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 it will publish the letters and emails that were sent, and list the telephone calls that were made, by its officials, special advisors and ministers between 7 April and 1 June 2009 to Mr Osama Saeed or the Scottish-Islamic Foundation in relation to repayments due to the Scottish Government and the responses that were received, showing the date, nature and content of each communication.
Answer
All releasable correspondence relating to the period 7 April and 1 June 2009 is already in the public domain and can be found at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Equality/18934/RRRIFOI and
http://www.scotlandagainstracism.com/onescotland/366.10.223.html.
The Scottish Government does not routinely keep a log of telephone conversations.
- 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 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.
