- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive which assets were subject to non-trading capital consumption in 2000-01 in Scotland and what comparative information it has on the treatment of such assets in England and Wales.
Answer
The depreciation of allpublic assets was recorded. The same treatment applies to England and Wales.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 15 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider its decision with regard to the dualling of the A96.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2O-678 on 6 November 2003which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 15 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to the points raised by Jim and Margaret Cuthbert in their letter in The Scotsman on 25 November 2003; how much borrowing the water and sewerage industry could have undertaken under the system of financial control in 2001; whether the industry could have borrowed up to around #260 million in 2003-04 without breaching its resource accounting limit, and whether there were mistakes in the commissioning letter.
Answer
I have already responded tothe points made by Jim and Margaret Cuthbert in the
The Scotsman priorto the 25 November. I do not believe their letter of 25 November raises anysignificant new points.
In 2001-02, in accordancewith the rules governing public expenditure, limits were applied to the capitaland resource budgets, not borrowing. For 2003-04, following a change in therules, public expenditure for public corporations now scores net new borrowingand grants. £250.7 million is, therefore, available.
No mistakes were made in thecommissioning letter for the strategic review of charges 2002-06.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 12 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is regarding the level of charges that voluntary organisations are required to pay in order to register with the Care Commission and what action it will take on the matter.
Answer
The maximum registration feelevels set annually by Scottish ministers for all care services apply equallyto the public and independent sector. Ministers publicly consult on fee levels.Changes in response to consultation have included a new definition ofwhole-time equivalent employees and the exclusion of volunteers whencalculating the size of the service for the purpose of determining fee levels.This was in response to concerns raised by some smaller organisations and thoseheavily dependent on volunteers.
Ministers will shortly beconsulting on maximum fee levels for 2004-05.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 11 December 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether EMBT/RMJM have completed the services to be provided under their contract with the Scottish Parliament and, if not, what work remains to be completed, with particular reference to any design work.
Answer
The convener of the HolyroodProgress Group has informed me that EMBT/RMJM has not yet completed thecontract for architectural services and continues to provide those services stillrequired on a day to day basis. The architect is required to verify all work onsite; to certify it complete, comment and approve trade contractor detaildesign drawings and resolution of complex interfaces, as well as carry out siteinspections to determine that all the work undertaken meets the requiredspecification. This will continue until practical completion of the building.Any outstanding design work relates to finalising detailed design issues withinthe remaining work packages in discussion with Bovis Lend Lease and the relevantcontractors.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 11 December 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the allegations reported in the Scottish Daily Mail on 1 December 2003 that a company that won a multi-million pound contract for the Holyrood Project has admitted funding a party for staff of the construction managers who are stated to have recommended the company for the contract should be investigated by the Auditor General.
Answer
It is for the AuditorGeneral for Scotland to decide which aspects of the Parliament buildingproject should be audited. I can assure you that for the forthcoming audit,announced as part of the Fraser Inquiry, the auditors will have access to allrelevant Parliament papers and personnel.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3668 by Mr Jim Wallace on 14 November 2003, which public limited companies have had their registered offices in Scotland as a result of commencing trading in each year since 1997.
Answer
I have asked Claire Clancy,the Chief Executive of Companies House, to respond. Her response is as follows:
Companies House is aRegistry, and as such information held on record on public limited companiescan be accessed either from our website www.companieshouse.gov.ukor from our contact centre on 0870 33 33 636. There is a charge for someinformation, although some is free.
The information requested onthe names of the 128 public limited companies incorporated in Scotland inthe financial years 1996-97 to 2001-02 is given in a table New Scottish PLCs,a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib.number 30159).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide assistance to the shopmobility Highland bus service for local disabled people in Inverness and Dingwall under the Rural Community Transport Initiative and, if so, whether funding will be provided prior to the end of the current financial year.
Answer
Shopmobility Highland didnot submit a funding application to the latest round of the Rural CommunityTransport Initiative (RCTI). No funding can be made available in the currentfinancial year, but Shopmobility may apply to the next round of the RCTI inspring 2004.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-715 by Allan Wilson on 13 November 2003, what appropriate measures it is taking to bring stability to the European salmon market and reduce the risk of a recurrence of dumping.
Answer
The Executive and the Departmentof Trade and Industry are presently considering the case for “safeguardmeasures” under the terms of EC Regulation 3285/ 94 and 519/84 (the SafeguardsRegulation).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been made available to promote walking and cycling and to reduce traffic accidents in the Highland Council area and which projects have received funds under this allocation.
Answer
The Executive has allocated£1,493,000 to Highland Council over the period 2000-06 for safer routes to schooland cycling, walking and safer streets projects. The council has used itsallocations for the period 2000-04 to develop safer routes to school at 72schools. A further sum of £1.214 million was allocated to the council over theperiod 2003-06 to implement 20 mph zones round schools and related safetyprojects. The Executive is currently identifying a number of sites in the areawhere 20 mph zones around schools can be implemented. It is expected that theimplementation of such zones will be commence before April 2004.
In2001-02 some £310,000 was made available from the accident investigation budgetto contribute towards improvements at Dochfour Bends and Tullochroam on the A82as well as upgrading the layout at the A9 Ballinluig Junction. As part of the annual programme of accident investigation studies and improvements afurther £438,000 was made available from the 2002-03 budget for sites withinthe Highland Region. The largest proportion approximately £325,000 wenttowards junction improvements along the A9 corridor between Perth and Inverness. Other significant expenditure went towards upgradingthe bends in the vicinity of Glengarry Guest House on the A82 as well asinstigating a study of the route between Tyndrum and Inverness ata cost of £25,000.
The current financial yearhas seen a further £238,000 made available so far for accident investigation work.This is in addition to £132,000 towards the provision of upgraded signing andgateway treatments at townships on the A9 north of Inverness.
