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-10598

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 20 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will be a criterion for the building of new schools that they have suitable facilities and premises to offer technological studies.

Question reference: S1W-10599

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 20 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified teachers of technological studies there currently are in each local authority area and how many such teachers there were in each local authority area in each of the last five years.

No information is collected centrally on teachers specifically teaching technological studies. The information available on the teachers with a teaching qualification in technological education, which includes the subjects of technological studies, graphic communications, craft and design and practical craft skills, can be obtained from the statistical bulletin, Teachers in Scotland: September 1998, published in March 2000 which is in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

Question reference: S1W-10600

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 20 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the age profile of technological studies teachers is currently and was in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S1W-10597

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 20 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many secondary schools in each local authority area do not have sufficient premises or facilities to offer technological studies.

Question reference: S1W-10596

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 20 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools in each local authority area offer technological studies as an option in second year and what percentage of each local authority's secondary schools this figure represents.

Question reference: S1W-10466

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 20 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what information is available about the modes of travel to Scotland of conference delegates attending international conferences at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre and the Edinburgh International Conference Centre.

Question reference: S1W-10464

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 20 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance is available to promote Scotland as a venue for international conferences.

Question reference: S1W-11005

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 20 November 2000

To ask the Presiding Officer, further to the answer to question S1W-10467 by Sir David Steel on 6 November 2000, whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will provide a breakdown of the gradings and level of seniority of the staff currently on secondment from the Scottish Executive.

The grading of the Scottish Executive secondees working in the Scottish Parliament are set out below. The ranking is from most senior (C2) to most junior (A3). The list does not include the Directors. The terms and conditions of service of the Directors (with the exception of the Director of the Holyrood Project) have not yet been agreed and the individuals are, therefore, still subject to the transitional arrangements for the provision of staff from the former Scottish Office. This situation will be resolved in the context of the current grading, structure, efficiency and pay review for all Corporate Body staff.

Grade	Number of staff in post
C2	3
C1	9
B3	9
B2	8
B1	11
A4	2
A3	7
Total	49

Question reference: S1W-10300

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 20 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail, with regard to the proposals for Pacific Quay as a centre for creative industries, (a) what funding has been and is being made available; (b) who will be resident and in occupation at the centre; (c) what the projected si'e is of the project; (d) what the intended start and completion dates are; (e) how it is proposed the centre will interact with a distribution or marketing network for the industry, and (f) what interaction the centre will have with the film industry and academic bodies.

Pacific Quay is one of the key infrastructure developments associated with the Creative Industries Cluster Strategy. £2.6 million has been identified in the operating plan for 2000-01 for infrastructure development on the part of the site owned by Scottish Enterprise. This is subject to Scottish Enterprise's annual budget approval process. It is planned that Scottish Enterprise will expend on infrastructure such as site clearance, telecoms, and access and egress solutions over the next three to five years.

It is envisaged that development of office and incubator facilities on the site will be undertaken in partnership with private companies with an interest in the digital media industries. Discussions are ongoing with a number of interested parties. Work is also being done in conjunction with Locate in Scotland to identify and target relevant potential inward investors to the site.

Scottish Enterprise, in conjunction with its partners in the Creative Industries Cluster, has agreed that the vision for Pacific Quay is one that brings together broadcasters, facilities/post-production companies, interactive software/media companies, independent producers, internet/web designers etc.

The cluster as a whole includes links with academic institutions, in relation to training and skills development and the commercialisation of research projects through the Proof of Concept Fund.

Discussions regarding the film industry's potential involvement with Pacific Quay are ongoing.

Question reference: S1W-10512

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 20 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding the operation of IR35 in the information technology sector in Scotland and its effect on growth and employment in this sector.