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: S2W-19098

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 22 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15476 by Iain Gray on 14 May 2001, what the cost of fuel for fire service vehicles was in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03, (c) 2003-04 and (d) 2004-05, broken down by fire board.

This information is not held centrally however we have been provided with the following information from fire and rescue services:

Fire and Rescue Service	(a) 2001-02	(b) 2002-03	(c) 2003-04	(d) 2004-05
Central Scotland	£96,481	£78,303	£92,859	£95,366
Dumfries and Galloway	£39,212	£35,538	£39,545	£43,415
Fife	£91,000	£96,000	£105,000	£106,000
Grampian	£103,728	£112,046	£132,491	£122,882
Highlands and Islands	£83,710	£102,984	£100,997	£97,593
Lothian and Borders	£233,359	£218,624	£247,807	£253,012
Strathclyde	£621,495	£588,901	£663,836	£665,747
Tayside	£125,400	£121,300	£130,600	£139,300

Question reference: S2W-19099

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 22 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7661 by Sarah Boyack on 13 September 2000, what fuel costs have been incurred by each water authority in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-18743

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18181 by Tavish Scott on 24 August 2005, what the duration is of the lease agreements, including start and end dates.

NorthLink leases its three roll-on/roll-off passenger/vehicle vessels from Royal Bank Leasing Ltd under chartering arrangements signed by them on 22 December 2000. Those arrangements provided that, subject to detailed terms and conditions, each charter would run from the delivery date of each vessel until 1 October 2007.

However, and as part of the contractual amendments made to enable the early termination of the contract between the Scottish ministers and NorthLink and the start of the proposed new contract with another operator, an early termination agreement made on 27 September 2004 provides that the end date for each charter shall be the date, to be set by the Scottish ministers in due course, for the end NorthLink’s contract for the provision of the Northern Isles ferry service.

Those contractual amendments also ensure that the three ro-ro vessels can be made available to the incoming operator from the start of the new contract currently being tendered.

Question reference: S2W-18680

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 August 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 21 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the use of jet-skis should be limited on (a) the Firth of Forth and (b) rivers and lochs in general and, if so, what additional resources would be made available for such action.

It is the responsibility of local authorities and harbour authorities to consider whether the use of jet-skis needs to be limited. If necessary this can be done using local byelaw powers.

On the Firth of Forth there has been co-ordinated action involving Edinburgh City Council and Forth Ports, the harbour authority. The city council has purchased buoys to designate areas for swimming where jet-skis are not permitted. Forth Ports has issued a Notice to Mariners advising of the area.

In non-coastal waters, local authorities, or within national parks, the national parks authorities, are the byelaw authorities and would be responsible for implementing any necessary measures to limit the use of jet-skis. The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority is currently undertaking a consultation on the byelaws relating to registration and navigation on Loch Lomond and revised draft byelaws are expected to be submitted to Scottish ministers for confirmation by the end of December 2005.

Question reference: S2W-19057

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 21 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any bodies listed under Schedule 1 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 are no longer operational and, if so, which bodies these are and why the Act has not been amended to reflect this.

A number of changes have been made to Schedule 1 to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 by primary legislation. These changes include deletions of, additions to and amendments of the descriptions of the listed bodies.

Eight bodies which are no longer operational have been removed by primary legislation, five of those by virtue of Schedule 4 of the Public Appointments and Public Bodies etc. (Scotland) Act 2003. Those eight bodies are:

1. The Scottish Hospital Trust;

2. The Scottish Medical Practices Committee;

3. The Ancient Monuments Board for Scotland;

4. The Historic Buildings Council for Scotland;

5. The Scottish Conveyancing and Executry Services Board;

6. Her Majesty’s Inspector of Fire Services for Scotland;

7. A person providing primary medical services under a general medical services contract (within the meaning of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978) or general dental services, general ophthalmic services or pharmaceutical services under Part II of the National health Service (Scotland) Act 1978, but only in respect of information relating to the provision of those services, and

8. A person providing personal medical services or personal dental services under arrangements made under section 17C of that act, but only in respect of information relating to the provision of those services.

There are some other bodies listed in schedule 1 which are no longer operational but have not yet been deleted. These are

1. The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland;

2. The Health Education Board for Scotland;

3. The Health Technology Board for Scotland;

4. A local health council, established under section 7 of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978;

5. A National Health Service Trust;

6. The Post Qualification Education Board for Health Service Pharmacists in Scotland;

7. Scottish Advisory Committee on the Medical Workforce;

8. The Scottish Council for Post Graduate Medical and Dental Education, and

9. The Scottish Health Advisory Service.

Consequential amendments to remove these bodies will be made when there is a suitable legislative opportunity.

Question reference: S2W-19102

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7659 by Henry McLeish on 20 June 2000, what fuel costs have been incurred by Scottish Enterprise in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-19096

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15475 by Angus MacKay on 5 June 2001, how much has been spent on fuel for ministerial cars in each month since May 1999.

Question reference: S2W-19095

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30356 by Mr Andy Kerr on 22 October 2002, what the cost has been of the government car service in each month since September 2002, showing the fuel, vehicle purchase or leasing and staff costs and the cost of conversion of any cars to liquid petroleum gas (LPG) or purchase of cars with LPG facilities.

The monthly expenditure on fuel, vehicle purchase, and staff costs for the Government Car Service (Scotland) (GCS)⁴ since September 2002 is shown in the following table:

Month	Fuel Cost (£)	Vehicle Purchase(£)^1,2	Staff Costs (£)³
Sep 2002	3,903	0	39,296
Oct 2002	3,204	0	38,671
Nov 2002	4,050	0	45,926
Dec 2002	3,051	21,500	42,564
Jan 2003	3,145	43,000	43,655
Feb 2003	3,107	0	45,487
Mar 2003	3,182	0	45,046
Apr 2003	3,643	0	44,627
May 2003	4,098	0	38,324
Jun 2003	4,123	0	44,846
Jul 2003	3,964	0	42,906
Aug 2003	3,548	0	46,187
Sept 2003	4,266	0	46,867
Oct 2003	4,402	0	32,100
Nov 2003	3,727	87,254	31,020
Dec 2003	4,472	0	31,357
Jan 2004	4,306	0	31,097
Feb 2004	3,325	0	31,038
Mar 2004	3,304	0	32,767
Apr 2004	4,928	0	40,207
May 2004	3,562	0	32,614
Jun 2004	3,374	0	37,978
Jul 2004	4,023	0	43,708
Aug 2004	3,303	0	37,692
Sept 2004	4,052	0	58,585
Oct 2004	3,972	43,889	44,501
Nov 2004	4,445	21,945	44,433
Dec 2004	4,442	0	46,643
Jan 2005	3,700	0	44,692
Feb 2005	3,555	21,945	45,221
Mar 2005	3,942	109,748	49,177
Apr 2005	4,321	0	38,658
May 2005	4,504	0	63,083
Jun 2005	4,589	0	51,669
Jul 2005	5,328	0	56,650
Aug 2005	3,631	0	50,319

Notes:

1. None of the GCS vehicles are leased.

2. All dual-fuelled saloons were converted prior to purchase.

3. Staff costs include Accruing Superannuation Liability Charges (ASLC) and earnings-related national insurance contributions (ERNIC).

4. GCS provides/arranges transport for a wide range of customers, including Scottish ministers, ministers of UK Government departments when in Scotland, some senior officials at the Scottish Executive, visiting dignitaries, and where necessary the transportation of official documents.

Question reference: S2W-19097

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 21 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15477 by Mr Jim Wallace on 14 May 2001, what the cost of fuel for police vehicles was in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03, (c) 2003-04 and (d) 2004-05, broken down by police force.

Question reference: S2W-19103

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 September 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 20 September 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7657 by Henry McLeish on 20 June 2000, what fuel costs have been incurred by VisitScotland and its predecessor and each area tourist board in each year since 1999.