- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 2 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10766 by Mr Andy Kerr on 1 October 2004, whether it will provide a breakdown of all transfers and loans by grade and specify whether such transfers and loans were to or from a UK department located within or outwith Scotland.
Answer
The following tables show the breakdown of loans by grade and whether the loans were to (Table (a)) or from (Table (b)) a UK department located within Scotland or elsewhere. Tables (c) and (d) show information on the grade of staff who have transferred inwards or outwards respectively from the Scottish Executive. Information on the location of departments to which staff have transferred is not held centrally.
Number of Civil Servants who have Moved Between the Scottish Executive and other Government Departments since January 1999 to August 2004
Table (a) Inward Loans
| | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Total number of staff | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 4 |
| C3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Elsewhere | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| C2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Within Scotland | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elsewhere | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| C1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Within Scotland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Elsewhere | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| B3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Within Scotland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elsewhere | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| B2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Within Scotland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Elsewhere | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| B1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Within Scotland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Elsewhere | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| A4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Within Scotland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Table (b) Outward Loans
| | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Total Number of Staff | 57* | 25 | 16 | 19 | 10 | 13 |
| Senior Civil Service | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Within Scotland | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Elsewhere | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| C3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Within Scotland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| C2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Within Scotland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elsewhere | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| C1 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Within Scotland | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Elsewhere | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| B3 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| Within Scotland | 7 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Elsewhere | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| B2 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 7 |
| Within Scotland | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Elsewhere | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| B1 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Within Scotland | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Elsewhere | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| A4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Within Scotland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A3 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Within Scotland | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Elsewhere | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
*This figure includes Executive staff seconded to the Scottish Parliament when it was first established.
Table (c) Inward Transfers
| | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Total Number of Staff | 89 | 45 | 67 | 71 | 71 | 16 |
| Senior Civil Service | 8 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| C2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| C1 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
| B3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| B2 | 21 | 5 | 19 | 15 | 13 | 0 |
| B1 | 33 | 15 | 23 | 22 | 37 | 8 |
| A3 | 4 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 8 | 0 |
| A2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| A1 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
Table (d) Outward Transfers
| | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Total Number of Staff | 32 | 25 | 27 | 52 | 53 | 64 |
| Senior Civil Service | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| C3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| C2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 8 | 3 |
| B3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
| B2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 9 | 14 |
| B1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| A4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| A3 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 15 | 20 | 20 |
| A2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| A1 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 8 |
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 2 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of any concerns among Scottish-based telecommunications companies about Project ATLAS, steps will be taken to consult fully with the industry and ensure their support before embarking on a second procurement exercise for the business park network.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to S2W-11211 on 2 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 2 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Enterprise has clearly defined what services it expects to be delivered under Project ATLAS’s business park network and the level of demand for those services and whether it has considered the impact of the network on Scottish-based operators who are already providing advanced broadband services to customers in such business parks.
Answer
The Scottish Executive’s broadband strategy is facilitating the rollout and uptake of broadband technology across Scotland. Project ATLAS fits within this overall strategy but is led by Scottish Enterprise. Therefore, this is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 2 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of prisoners was incarcerated for a period of less than six months in each year since 1999.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
The available information is given in tables 21 and 25 of Prison Statistics Scotland, 2003 published by the Scottish Executive in August 2004, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 33610).
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 1 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many planes it is anticipated will use Edinburgh Airport as a base for accessing the G8 summit; whether Leuchars was considered as an alternative site and what the reasons are for the position on the matter, how many flights are anticipated to land at Leuchars if it is used to access the summit, and what disruption it is anticipated such use will cause to the operation of Edinburgh airport, access for passengers and scheduled services.
Answer
The practical and logistical arrangements for the summit are a matter for the UK Government, with whom we are keeping in close touch. We do not expect that there will be any significant disruption to the designated arrival airport’s business.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 29 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact gambling has on (a) public health, (b) indebtedness and (c) crime and what statistics it has regarding such impacts.
Answer
To date there has been no research undertaken on the impact gambling has on (a) public health, (b) indebtedness and (c) crime.
The UK Government intends to fund a national study prior to the implementation of the UK Gambling Bill and every two-to-three years thereafter which will measure the impact of any new regime and the prevalence of problem gambling. In addition, provision has been made in the Gambling bill to establish the Responsibility in Gambling Trust. The Trust has been established on a voluntary basis in advance of the Bill and provides funding for the support of problem gamblers and their dependents.
In Scotland, we acknowledge the unwelcome impact problem gambling may have on families and are particularly concerned that we can deal with the very real problems caused by indebtedness.
In this respect the Executive is committed to reducing the vulnerability of people to multiple debt and is currently providing £4.5 million per annum direct to local authorities and other advice organisations to provide accessible local money and debt advice services.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 29 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what its powers are in respect of the use in casinos, or other establishments, of (a) category A slot machines and (b) fixed-odds betting terminals; what action it can take in respect of the use of these machines, and what representations it will make on the matter.
Answer
These matters are reserved to the UK Government. However, the Executive has been and continues to be in regular discussion with the UK Government on a range of matters relating to these issues.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 29 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact casinos have on the level of gambling.
Answer
The UK gambling addiction rate is approximately 0.6%-0.8% of the over-16 population. This is one of the lowest rates in the world. A national opinion poll published in April 2004, which was commissioned by the Department for Media Culture and Sport, reported that table games in casinos accounted for 2% of gambling amongst those surveyed.
The UK Government intends to fund a national study prior to the implementation of the bill and every two to three years thereafter which will measure the impact of the new regime and the prevalence of problem gambling.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 29 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) casinos and (b) regional casinos it expects to be opened in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007.
Answer
Casino Licensing is a function of local authority licensing boards and this information is not held centrally. However, there were 12 casinos licensed in Scotland as at 31 March 2004.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 29 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what its powers are in respect of applications for new casinos; what powers it has to regulate, or designate, regional casinos, and how many (a) casinos and (b) regional casinos there are in Scotland.
Answer
We have made it clear that whatever the UK regulatory framework, the position of this devolved government is that new casinos in Scotland will only be agreed if they are licensed by Scottish licensing boards and regulated by conditions set by Scottish ministers. We will accept nothing less than this.
Under the proposals set out in the bill, Scottish licensing boards will have a clear power to determine whether they wish to licence any or further casinos in their area.
The Gaming Board’s annual report for 2003-04 states that there were 12 casinos licensed in Scotland as at 31 March 2004. There are no regional casinos at present since this is a category introduced by the bill.
