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: S2O-04319

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 2 December 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is providing for small businesses to enable them to compete more effectively with large businesses for contracts, for example local authority contracts.

Small businesses are a crucial component of the Scottish Economy. The Scottish Executive and its economic development agencies - Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise – provide support services to small businesses in a variety of ways which can enhance the competitiveness of the business.

The Scottish Executive has been proactive in identifying measures to ensure that small- to medium-sized enterprises are not unfairly excluded from participating in public sector contracting opportunities.

Question reference: S2W-12229

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 12 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 26 November 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce specific measures to discourage single commuters travelling by car.

There are a number of initiatives supported by the Executive which encourage sensible car use, including car sharing. These include the Choose Another Way campaign and the development of workplace and school travel plans, as well as investment in public transport improvements. The Executive is also considering the issue of single occupancy vehicles as part of phase one of its tolled bridges review.

Question reference: S2W-12630

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 26 November 2004
Current Status: Awaiting answer

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had, or will have, any discussions with East Ayrshire Council regarding the preservation and restoration of the damaged Burns monument in Kay Park, Kilmarnock.

Question reference: S2W-11384

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 08 October 2004
Current Status: Answered by Euan Robson on 25 November 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will allocate sufficient funding to local authorities that is not ring-fenced for specific programmes to enable them to sustain frontline childcare services and fill any gaps that might develop.

The Scottish Childcare Strategy aims to provide affordable, accessible, good quality child care in all neighbourhoods.

To enable local authorities to address the aims of the strategy at a local level, the Executive has allocated Childcare Strategy funding totalling over £29 million in the current financial year and over £40 million in 2005-06. This money is not ring-fenced.

Local authorities are responsible for allocating this funding at a local level to address local need including any identified gaps in provision.

Question reference: S2W-12331

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Duncan McNeil on 25 November 2004

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many members of staff are employed at grade (a) 5, (b) 6, (c) 7 and (d) 8, giving job titles and remits.

Question reference: S2O-04275

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Euan Robson on 25 November 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive why it has not allocated funding for the Scottish Centre for Learning Disabilities in the budget for 2006-07.

Question reference: S2W-12330

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Duncan McNeil on 24 November 2004

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the duties and remit are of the post of Head of Public Affairs.

The remit of the Head of Public Affairs is to lead the Public Affairs Group in the areas of visitor services, external communications, corporate publications, education and outreach services, and to ensure that a strategic approach is taken to developing these areas.

The main duties of the post include:

Develop an annual group plan setting out targets and performance measures for the group;

Contribute to the development and implementation of a corporate Scottish Parliament external communications plan;

Drive the continued development of a visitor services strategy at Holyrood, including tours, retail and public information;

Be responsible for the proper administration of the budget in line with the Scottish Parliament’s Standing Financial Instructions and other relevant public expenditure guidelines;

Develop and implement procedures for managing the Parliament’s two main print and design contracts, including budgetary forecasting, monitoring and review;

Develop and implement future strategies for education, outreach and events, and

Oversee the management of the media, broadcasting, visitor services and outreach services, publications and public information teams, acting as direct line manager to the relevant heads.

Question reference: S2W-12148

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 23 November 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people it estimates have cirrhosis of the liver.

Question reference: S2W-12103

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 November 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what costs will be involved in (a) digitising and (b) microfilming the 1901 Scottish census and what monthly revenue will be accrued from the sale of these products.

The enumerators’ books from the 1901 census for Scotland were microfilmed, digitally imaged and indexed between March 2000 and September 2001. The cost of (a) creating digital images of these records and indexing them was £210,980 and of (b) microfilming them was approximately £91,000.

Considerable income is generated through making digital images available through the General Register Office for Scotland’s search rooms at New Register House and the www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk website.It is not, however, possible (or in the latter case would involve disproportionateeffort) to separate the income generated by the sale of access to the images of the 1901 census from the income generated by the sale of access to digital imagesof other records (e.g. birth, death and marriage records) through the same outlets. Average monthly revenue from sales of microfilms of the 1901 census returns in the year October 2003 to October 2004 was £185.

Question reference: S2W-12102

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 November 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints the Registrar General for Scotland received from people over the age of 64 who did not wish their personal details to be published when the Scottish 1891 census was released in 1955.