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-18617

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what budget is allocated and what expenditure is so far committed to the publication of Communique: The Scottish Executive's Newsletter on Europe and External Relations; how many editions the newsletter is expected to run for; how many copies of each edition will be printed, and to what readership the newsletter is targeted.

Question reference: S1W-18611

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 11 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18071 by Mr Jim Wallace on 25 September 2001, how many convictions resulted in (a) a custodial sentence, (b) a community service order and (c) a fine (i) in each year since 1999 and (ii) broken down by offence.

The available information is given in the table. Data for the year 2000 are not yet available.

Persons with a charge proved for possession of an offensive weapon, Edinburgh ⁽¹⁾, 1999

Main Crime	Total	Custodial Sentence	Community ⁽²⁾ Service Order	Fine	Other ⁽³⁾ Sentence
Possession of an offensive weapon	67	18	2	28	19
Having in a public place an article with a blade or point	96	28	16	32	20
TOTAL	163	46	18	60	39

Notes:

1. Convictions in Edinburgh Sheriff Court. There were no relevant convictions in City of Edinburgh District Court.

2. Includes community service as a condition of probation.

3. Includes probation (with no condition of community service), absolute discharge and admonition.

In the 4 homicides recorded in City of Edinburgh in 1999 where the main method of killing was a sharp instrument, 2 accused persons have to date been convicted, both receiving a custodial sentence.

Question reference: S1W-18612

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 11 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many accidents have occurred in each month of each year since 1997 on the A90 between the Forth Road Bridge and Cramond Bridge.

Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured: they do not cover damage-only accidents. The following table shows the number of injury road accidents identified as occurring on the A90 between the Forth Road Bridge and Cramond Bridge since the start of January 1997.

Injury road accidents on the A90 from the Forth Road Bridge to Cramond Bridge by month, from January 1997

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001 (provisional)
January	-	2	2	2	2
February	5	3	-	1	2
March	-	1	1	1	n/a
April	-	1	1	1	2
May	-	2	3	3	1
June	2	2	-	4	n/a
July	-	1	2	2	n/a
August	2	2	3	2	n/a
September	2	2	-	-	n/a
October	2	2	1	3	n/a
November	2	1	1	1	n/a
December	-	-	4	2	n/a
Total	15	19	18	22	n/a

In the table "n/a" indicates "not available". Figures are not yet available for some months in 2001, because, to date, the Executive has received the relevant STATS 19 returns only for the months from January to May (excluding March).

It should be noted that these figures are based upon the data which are held in the central statistical database and which were collected by the police at the time of the accident and subsequently reported to the Executive. They may differ from any figures which the local authority would provide now, because they do not take account of any subsequent changes or corrections that the local authority may have made to the statistical information, for use at local level, about the location of each accident, based upon its knowledge of the road and area concerned.

Question reference: S1W-18532

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 9 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made or plans to make to Railtrack on progress in taking forward the proposals set out in Railtrack's 2001 Network Management Statement and in particular those relating to (a) the Larkhall to Milngavie rail scheme, including the re-opening of the Maryhill to Anniesland chord, (b) re-opening of the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine route and (c) electrification of the Edinburgh suburban line; whether it will report on the progress being made on each of those proposals, and what action it has taken, or plans to take, to ensure that Railtrack fulfill the commitments made in the statement.

Question reference: S1W-18531

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 9 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding for marketing will be made available to VisitScotland following the terrorist attack in the United States of America.

Question reference: S1W-18527

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 9 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funds it plans to make available to low cost or other carriers seeking to open up new routes from England to destinations in Scotland following the recent terrorist attacks in the United States of America.

Question reference: S1W-18242

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 8 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding was made available for the grass roots development of football in each year since 1999; what the amount was of each grant awarded for this purpose, and to whom each grant was awarded.

Question reference: S1W-17900

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 8 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current coverage of (a) ultra high frequency digital and (b) analogue television is in terms of (i) land mass and (ii) percentage of population.

Question reference: S1W-17910

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 8 October 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 the Lothian and Borders area has received the following funding for CCTV:

Borders 1996-97 (£)
Eyemouth Town Centre	47,963.75
Hawick Town Centre	48,000
Total	95,963.75

Borders 1997-98 (£)
Galashiels Town Centre	11,500
Kelso Town Centre	38,000
Total	49,500

Borders 1998-99 (£)
Peebles Town Centre	42,000
Total	42,000

Borders 1999-2000 (£)
Melrose Town Centre	32,000
Total	32,000

Borders 2001-02 (£)
Selkirk	30,000
Duns	40,000
Total	70,000

East Lothian 1996-97 (£)
Musselburgh Town Centre	80,000
Total	80,000

East Lothian 1997-98 (£)
Haddington Town Centre	80,000
Total	80,000

East Lothian 1998-99 (£)
Prestonpans Town Centre	79350
Tranent Town Centre	56100
Total	135450

East Lothian 2001-02 (£)
Wallyford	20,000
Total	20,000

Edinburgh 1996-97 (£)
Edinburgh City Centre	92,500
Muirhouse Shopping Centre	50,000
Total	142,500

Edinburgh 1999-2000 (£)
Thistle Foundation	40,000
Total	40,000

Edinburgh 2000-01 (£)
Muirhouse	47,500
Old Town/Haymarket	72,000
Southhouse/Burdiehouse	50,000
Westerhailes Partnership	88,770
Total	258,270

Edinburgh 2001-02 (£)
Craigmillar Partnership	96,000
Gilmerton Safety in Focus	40,000
Restalrig in View	40,000
Challenge the negative Vision	70,000
Total	246,000

Midlothian 1996-97 (£)
Penicuik Town Centre	50,000
Total	50,000

Midlothian 1999-2000 (£)
Bonnyrigg, Dalkeith & Penicuik Schools	64,000
Total	64,000

Midlothian 2001-02 (£)
Danderhall	25,000
Loanhead	40,000
Bonnyrigg	45,000
Total	110,000

West Lothian 1998-99 (£)
Linlithgow Town Centre	41,500
Uphall & Livingston Railways	17,000
Total	58,500

West Lothian 1999-2000 (£)
Ivanhoe/Kenilworth Rise And Dedridge	24,000
Total	24000

Question reference: S1W-18448

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 21 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 5 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the recent terrorist attacks in the USA will have on its strategy for tourism.