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: S1W-20908

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents there have been which involved an uninsured driver in each year since 1997 (a) nationally and (b) broken down by either (i) local authority area or (ii) Sheriff Court, as appropriate.

Question reference: S1W-20907

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fatal road accidents there have been involving an uninsured driver in each year from 1997 to date (a) nationally and (b) broken down by either (i) local authority area or (ii) Sheriff Court, as appropriate.

Question reference: S1W-20892

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many convictions there have been for driving without insurance annually since 1997 (a) nationally and (b) broken down by each Sheriff Court district.

The available information is given in the following table. Offences of driving without insurance proved in court, 1997-2000

Sheriff Court	1997	1998	1999	2000
Aberdeen	963	994	970	778
Airdrie	452	346	472	422
Alloa	109	89	91	110
Arbroath	175	229	158	195
Ayr	497	448	373	472
Banff	89	90	157	89
Campbeltown	40	21	24	22
Cupar	151	155	144	152
Dingwall	52	74	68	42
Dornoch	30	19	23	10
Dumbarton	460	356	332	383
Dumfries	345	330	410	387
Dundee	712	687	640	666
Dunfermline	388	384	359	416
Dunoon	62	68	56	49
Duns	21	31	25	31
Edinburgh	1,917	1,917	1,647	1,779
Elgin	236	263	239	172
Falkirk	415	373	409	430
Forfar	153	135	121	128
Fort William	87	43	47	13
Glasgow	1,708	1,911	1,440	1,153
Greenock	318	248	242	254
Haddington	181	161	147	142
Hamilton	1,241	1,069	1,063	1,188
Inverness	216	195	209	116
Jedburgh	81	58	70	90
Kilmarnock	591	555	538	508
Kirkcaldy	515	555	495	559
Kirkcudbright	46	57	70	51
Kirkwall	25	27	42	9
Lanark	157	118	168	171
Lerwick	27	25	29	26
Linlithgow	528	439	464	520
Lochmaddy	15	13	10	6
Oban	51	39	58	43
Paisley	700	605	544	545
Peebles	26	26	14	10
Perth	373	357	309	327
Peterhead	216	186	117	126
Portree	35	15	12	3
Rothesay	8	2	5	22
Selkirk	63	72	71	41
Stirling	247	210	245	237
Stonehaven	205	155	159	93
Stornoway	37	40	44	19
Stranraer	141	130	107	103
Tain	63	84	60	18
Wick	56	46	38	33
Not Known¹	-	-	-	694
Sheriff Court Total	15,224	14,450	13,535	13,853
Glasgow Stipendiary Magistrates Court	2,035	909	817	727
Other Courts	102	53	109	65
Total	17,361	15,412	14,461	14,645

Note:1. Sheriff courts in Grampian and Northern police force area not separately identified.

Question reference: S1W-20931

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were convicted of assault on a police officer in Edinburgh in each year since 1997.

Question reference: S1W-20928

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 7 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what policies it has to ensure that affordable accommodation is provided and built within Edinburgh.

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 enhances the strategic planning role of local authorities by giving them new powers and duties to determine housing need in their areas and to develop strategies to meet that need. Development funding to assist with the provision of affordable housing will continue to be available in Edinburgh, as elsewhere, and the Act provides that responsibility for this funding may pass to local authorities to underpin their strategic planning role.From a land use planning perspective, National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 3: Land for Housing notes that planning authorities may properly take account of the need for affordable housing when formulating their development plan policies. The Executive has no planning policy specific to Edinburgh. NPPG 3 is currently being reviewed.

Question reference: S1W-19051

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to prepare for the possible introduction of the euro and what assistance or advice is being made available to businesses to help them prepare for a possible introduction.

The euro currency was introduced as a formal retailing currency in 12 countries on 1 January 2002. The legacy currencies of each country will be withdrawn from circulation by no later than the end of February 2002.Scotland Europa, in conjunction with HM Treasury, is implementing a detailed programme, including workshops, conferences, publications and a telephone hotline to provide advice to Scottish businesses and raise awareness of the need to make appropriate preparations for the introduction of the currency.UK membership of the single currency is a reserved issue. The Chancellor of the Exchequer set out the government's policy on membership to the House of Commons in October 1997, which was restated by the Prime Minister in a statement to the House in February 1999.

Question reference: S1W-19845

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimates are of the increase in traffic flow on the A90 between the Forth Road Bridge and Barnton in each year until 2010.

Question reference: S1W-21111

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 December 2001
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 28 December 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current estimated cost is of providing a rail link to Edinburgh Airport and what assessment has been made of the usage of such a link and of its effect on the national and local economies.

The Scottish Executive in association with British Airports Authority, Scottish Enterprise, the Strategic Rail Authority and the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions has recently commissioned Sinclair Knight Merz to undertake a study into route options to Edinburgh and Glasgow airports. The study will provide estimates of costs and passenger projections, as well as a detailed economic assessment. It is expected to take eight months to complete. It is therefore too early to say what the outcome will be.

Question reference: S1W-21093

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 December 2001
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 27 December 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive who attended the aviation summit on 3 December 2001 on its behalf and what action it intends to take in light of this summit.

Question reference: S1W-21094

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 December 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 27 December 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what reports it has commissioned, received or is aware of having been carried out on the economic benefits of Glasgow Prestwick Airport to the local and national economies and whether it will publish any of these reports.

Year	Number
1997	258
1998	335
1999	265
2000	259