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-19056

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 December 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many conferences, seminars or away days for staff training or other internal matters it has held in each year since May 1999; what the annual cost was of these events; how many were held in private venues as opposed to on its property and how many were held outwith Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-20220

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 6 December 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria have to be met by anyone appointed to the board of Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd.

The criteria used when selecting members to the Board of Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) are:Skills Analytical and strategic skills;Effective presentational, communication and negotiating skills;Ability to provide inspiration and motivation for the HIAL Board, and*Ability to speak Gaelic.KnowledgeBroad knowledge of Highlands and Islands issues;Knowledge of aviation/transport issues, and*Knowledge of NDPBs/Nationalised Industries and the Public Policy Framework.ExperienceProven experience at a senior level in the areas of business, finance, local government (aviation/transport).QualificationsQualifications and/or experience in relevant subjects and issues such as business, finance, local government (aviation or transport).* Desirable criteria (the remainder are necessary criteria).

Question reference: S1W-20231

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 6 December 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made in respect of the collapse of Atlantic Telecom and the discontinuance of telephone lines and numbers for subscribers and to whom and when any such representations were made.

The Scottish Executive was in discussion with the Department of Trade and Industry and Oftel from 8 November 2001 regarding the potential switch-off of the Atlantic Telecom fixed wireless network on 25 November 2001. As soon as it became apparent that there was no possibility of a buyer being found for the fixed wireless network, we began looking at potential options for minimising disruption to Atlantic customers.On 24 November 2001, the Scottish Executive and Department of Trade and Industry agreed to pay for the Atlantic fixed wireless network to remain open until 2 January 2002. The network will continue to provide the same limited service of incoming calls, outgoing emergency and toll free calls as has been provided since 10 November 2001. This should give alternative operators, including BT, time to provide customers with a new telephone service and new number. We are also paying for a messaging service, which will give former Atlantic customers the opportunity to leave a voicemail message on their old line publicising their new number.

Question reference: S1W-20109

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 3 December 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many job losses there have been in each parliamentary constituency since May 1999, broken down by employing organisation.

Question reference: S1W-19943

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

To ask the Scottish Executive what strategies are in place to develop ferry and shipping services from the port of Rosyth.

The Scottish Executive has fully supported the plans to introduce a ferry link between Rosyth and Zeebrugge and the recent successful application for Freight Facilities Grant to fund the project. The Scottish Executive and the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions are also pressing urgently for clearance from the European Commission for an extension of the Freight Facilities Grant scheme to short sea shipping. The Rosyth 2000 proposals envisaged the former naval dockyard at Rosyth being developed as a port with particular emphasis being placed on shipping services to continental Europe. The main focus at present is on establishing the Rosyth to Zeebrugge service. The UK-wide ports policy paper, Modern Ports: A UK Policy (a copy is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre - Bib. number 9874), provides a clear strategy for ports to provide safe, sustainable and successful operations for the transport network and as contributors to the local and national economy. The Executive also liases closely with the key local and national agencies with an interest in the transport and economic infrastructure of the port of Rosyth.

Question reference: S1W-19945

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

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to support and enhance the transport and economic infrastructure of the port of Rosyth.

Question reference: S1W-19347

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 26 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, as part of its broadband strategy, it has information on how many telephone operators, other than British Telecom (BT), are installing Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line facilities within or adjacent to BT exchanges and what the location of each facility is.

Following requests from operators, BT has now completed build at six co-location sites across the UK. Work is on-going at a further 10 co-location sites. Work has been completed at 41 distant location sites and is on-going at a further six distant location sites across the UK. Once these sites have been handed over to the operators, they can install and operate their DSL equipment in accordance with their commercial roll out strategy.The Scottish Executive does not have details of which operators are involved in the process.

Question reference: S1W-17909

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 26 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what grants have been made under the Challenge Competition Fund to each local authority for closed circuit television in each year since 1997.

Since 1997 Scottish local authority areas have received funding for CCTV from the Executive. The breakdown is as follows:

£000	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	2000-01	2001-02	Total
Aberdeen		72,000		50,000		122,000
Angus		224,000				224,000
Argyll & Bute	111,531	71,000	71,350			253,881
Borders	95,963	49,500	42,000		70,000	257,463
Clackmannshire	53,250			182,770		236,020
Dundee	193,000			33,000	60,000	286,000
Dumfries & Galloway	65,000					65,000
East Ayrshire		107,085		93,510	41,000	241,595
East Dunbartonshire		26,000			67,000	93,000
East Kilbride		59,000		48,410		107,410
East Lothian	80,000	80,000	135,450		20,000	315,450
East Renfrewshire		153,000	56,500		180,000	389,500
Edinburgh	142,500			258,270	246,000	646,770
Falkirk	73,860	73,900	79,800	74,400	50,000	351,960
Fife	194,535	9,000	35,000		250,000	488,535
Glasgow	188,207	422,500	399,800	288,600	350,000	1,649,108
Highland	112,872		26,600	27,500	101,000	267,972
Inverclyde			25,000			25,000
Midlothian	5,000			75,000	110,000	235,000
Moray		180,000				180,000
North Ayrshire		47,000		29,500		76,500
North Lanarkshire	221,000	135,500	97,500		17,000	471,000
Perth & Kinross			26,500	30,000		56,500
Renfrewshire	51,694	54,000	70,000			175,694
South Ayrshire	45,000		88,500	105,500		239,000
South Lanarkshire	64,000		45,000			109,000
Stirling		15,000	52,500	49,100	50,000	166,600
West Dunbartonshire	108,490	90,000		269,440		467,930
Western Isles	66,000					66,000
West Lothian			58,500			58,500

Question reference: S1W-19401

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 26 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the PFI project for the new passenger terminal at Inverness airport, (a) when the PFI project was entered into, (b) what advice was taken and from whom regarding (i) the terms of the contract, (ii) the length of the contract and (iii) the ability to vary the contract; (c) what ability Highlands and Airports Limited (HIAL) has to obtain payments from franchise operators in the terminal; (d) what method of revenue raising is available to HIAL other than landing charges, and (e) whether it will make a copy of the contract available in SPICe, subject to the deletion of any commercially confidential details, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

The information is as follows:The contracts for the Inverness Airport Terminal PFI project were signed on 4 February 1998.Advice was taken from: Dundas and Wilson - legalErnst and Young - financialScottish Airports Ltd - estatesThomas and Adamson - value for money of building costs and content of Service Level AgreementScottish Office - value for money, finance issues and confirmation of PFI contract HM Treasury and its PFI Unit - policy mattersRevenues and concessionaires in the terminal building pass to Inverness Air Terminal Ltd, the owner and operator of the building.HIAL's revenue flows from:Landing charges based on weight of aircraftPassenger charges based on arriving passenger numbersAircraft parkingOn call chargesLease rentalsConcessionsRecovery of security costsCopies of the contract documentation to which Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) was a signatory are being made available in the Parliament's Reference Centre. The contract documents which did not involve, and were not signed by, HIAL are regarded as commercially confidential under the terms of the contract.

Question reference: S1W-19927

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 26 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many visitors there were from Canada to Scotland in each year since 1999 to date.

Year	Number of Trips
1999	119,000
2000	145,500