- Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 13 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what deficiencies in the business plan of Scottish Water identified by the Water Industry Commission for Scotland contributed to the resignation of the Chair of Scottish Water.
Answer
Professor Alan Alexanderresigned as Chair of Scottish Water because he disagreed with the views thatthe Scottish Executive and Scottish Water’s regulators had formed of Scottish Water’s2006-10 delivery plan. The Water Industry Commission for Scotlandconsidered in particular that the plan failed to provide for delivery in fullof all of the outputs and performance funded by the Commission’s determinationof water charges for 2006-10.
Copiesof all of the correspondence between the Executive and the regulators on thismatter can be viewed on the Scottish Executive website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Water/17583/resignation.
- Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 13 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has approved a contract or an operating basis for Scottish Water Solutions.
Answer
The Scottish Executiveapproved the arrangements underpinning the creation and operation of Scottish WaterSolutions Ltd for the delivery of Quality and Standards 2 in July 2003. the Executive is currently considering Scottish Water’s capital deliveryproposals for the delivery of Quality and Standard 3 but to date no decisionhas been taken.
- Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 13 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps were taken to rectify any deficiencies in the business plan of Scottish Water identified by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency prior to the resignation of the Chair of Scottish Water.
Answer
Professor Alan Alexanderresigned as Chair of Scottish Water because he did not agree with the ScottishExecutive, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the other regulators thatScottish Water‘s 2006-10 delivery plan fell short of their requirements for itin a number of material respects.
- Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 9 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what total public expenditure on school meals was in each year since 1999.
Answer
School meals are provided byindividual local authorities. The total gross expenditure by local authorities onthe provision of school meals in the years since 1999 is shown in the table below.This information is reported in the annual Local Government Finance Returns.
| Year | Gross Expenditure (£ Million) |
| 1999-2000 | 96.7 |
| 2000-01 | 91.4 |
| 2001-02 | 94 |
| 2002-03 | 93.6 |
| 2003-04 | 98.9m |
| 2004-05 | 102.9 |
Source: Local Financial Returns(LFR1).
These figures include expenditureassociated with implementing Hungry for Success recommendations.
- Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 3 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S2W-22538, S2W-22539, S2W-22540, S2W-22541 and S2W-22542 by Rhona Brankin on 26 January 2006, when the detailed information requested will be supplied by Scottish Water.
Answer
As the previous answers made clear, these were operational matters for Scottish Water, and I understand that they have now supplied you with the information requested in your earlier questions.
- Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was paid directly to farmers through subsidies in each year since 1999, not including administrative costs.
Answer
The total subsidy to farmers in Scotland, net of administrative costs, between 1999 and 2004 is shown in table 1.
Table 1
| Year | Total Value of Subsidies (£ Million) |
| 1999 | 454.8 |
| 2000 | 456.8 |
| 2001 | 458 |
| 2002 | 503.6 |
| 2003 | 518.5 |
| 2004 | 531.8 |
- Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 2 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the European Commission regarding the Rule of 85 in the Local Government Pension Scheme during the period since the Commission made it clear that the actions proposed by the Executive on the rule were not as a result of decisions of the European Union.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has beenin touch with the Commission through UK authorities to make clear its view, basedon legal advice, that the Rule of 85 is not compatible with the age provisions of the Equal Treatment directive. The Scottish Executive is not aware that the reportedcomments of the Commission have addressed that precise point.
- Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 30 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to implementing sections 25 to 29 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990 since 1999.
Answer
The Executive decided to review this matter in 2003 and referred it to the Research Working Group on the Legal Services Market in Scotland which was established in March 2004. It would not be appropriate to comment on the reasons for non-implementation by previous administrations.
- Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 30 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans now are for implementing sections 25 to 29 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990.
Answer
We shall consider the case for commencement of sections 25 to 29 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990 on receipt of the report of the Research Working Group on the Legal Services Market in Scotland.
- Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 30 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in improving support to, and services for, young carers since the current Deputy Minister for Education and Young People and Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care were appointed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22371 on 30 January 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
