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-06224

Asked by: Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 29 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Scottish Executive news release SE01102/00, when the #2 million boost for the fight against drugs was first announced, and on how many occasions this money was referred to either on its own or as part of a different package in Executive news releases between this date and 17 April 2000.

Question reference: S1W-10024

Asked by: Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 11 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive when Scotland will have implemented all the recommendations of the report R(85)11 The Position of the Victim in the Framework of Criminal Law and Procedure, published by the European Committee on Crime Problems in 1985.

The Scottish Executive recognises the important role which victims play in our criminal justice system and is committed to a policy which ensures that they have access to the support, information, protection and redress which they need. Recent announcements on the establishment of a victim and witness service in the Crown Office, and on our future plans for support services provide clear evidence of the priority which we attach to these matters. The Scottish Executive has already met many of the recommendations in the report R (85) 11 and we are taking its principles fully into account in the development of our overarching strategy for victims.

Question reference: S1W-10052

Asked by: Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 6 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have formulated local biodiversity action plans and which authorities these are.

Question reference: S1W-08346

Asked by: Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Angus MacKay on 18 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has the powers to introduce legislation to create new powers of confiscation of the assets of convicted and/or suspected drug dealers.

Current confiscation powers are set out in the Proceeds of Crime (Scotland) Act 1995. Current civil forfeiture powers are set out in the Drug Trafficking Act 1994. The criminal law is generally devolved. Schedule5 of the Scotland Act 1998 indicates that the Proceeds of Crime (Scotland) Act 1995 is reserved in so far as it relates to drug trafficking; but does not mention the Drug Trafficking Act 1994. The Scottish Executive is liasing closely with the Government about asset confiscation and recovering the proceeds of crime more generally. Future legislation is likely to be on an all-crimes basis.

Question reference: S1W-07945

Asked by: Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 3 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what safeguards have been implemented to ensure that firms debarred from being awarded World Bank financed contracts because they have been found guilty of fraud and corruption are also barred from being awarded Public/Private Partnership (PPP) contracts and whether any safeguards are in place to ensure that the directors of such firms are also debarred from involvement in PPP contracts either individually or as directors of other firms.

The Scottish Executive carries out a number of checks on firms bidding for major contracts, including PPPs. These include asking specific questions relating to criminal convictions. In addition, all contracts, including PPP's, have contractual provisions which allow for termination should evidence arise that the contractor, or any of its employees, has offered corrupt gifts or committed an act of fraud during the contract.

DTI also maintain a Register of Companies and Register of Disqualified Directors, which are updated regularly. The Companies House website has an online search facility for these for use by the public. There is a further safeguard in the case of PPP through the due diligence process conducted by the Lenders.

Question reference: S1W-08042

Asked by: Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 29 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will recommend to North Lanarkshire Council that it ensures that, under its restructuring of its housing system, all long-term applicants on the waiting list from the previous system will be successfully transferred to the waiting list for the new system.

Question reference: S1W-04907

Asked by: Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 31 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how East Ayrshire residents will be given the maximum opportunity to obtain employment opportunities from the construction of the M77 extension as defined in the Strategic Roads Review proposals of November 1999.

Local economic development opportunities associated with the provision of the M77 were considered in the Strategic Roads Review and reported in the Appraisal Summary Table for the scheme published in Travel Choices for Scotland, Strategic Roads Review. Such opportunities are generally identified in local plans in the area; for example the Kilmarnock Local Plan has identified development opportunities to the north of Kilmarnock that relate to the improved strategic access that the M77 extension will provide.

Question reference: S1W-04916

Asked by: Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 31 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government to clarify the criteria considered by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions when siting motorway services in Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-05201

Asked by: Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what is the number, type and location of open-cast mines currently in operation and to list any outstanding applications for open-cast mining.

Information on the number and type of open-cast mines is given in the following table. This is taken from the British Geological Survey's Directory of Mines and Quarries 1998. Details of subsequent approvals and outstanding applications are not held centrally.

	Coal	Clay and Shale	Hard Rock	Limestone	Sand and Gravel	Sandstone	Silica Sand	Others¹
Aberdeen City			1		2
Aberdeenshire			16	1	18
Angus		1	2		6
Argyll & Bute			5	2	5
Borders			2		4	2
Clackmannan	1		1
Dumfries & Galloway			2		18	12
Dundee City
East Ayrshire	13	1	1		1
East Dunbartonshire					2		1
East Lothian	1		2	1	1
East Renfrewshire			1
Edinburgh City			3
Falkirk	4	1	2		2	1
Fife	6	1	9	1	8	1	2
Glasgow City					1
Highland			12	4	23	14	1
Inverclyde			1
Midlothian	3			1	1
Moray			4	1	8	2
North Ayrshire			4	2	3		3	2
North Lanarkshire	12		7			1	1	1
Orkney					2	5
Perth & Kinross	2		2	1	5			1
Renfrewshire			2
Shetland			8		4	4		1
South Ayrshire			2	1				2
South Lanarkshire	4	1	2		8	1		1
Stirling					5
West Dunbartonshire			2
West Lothian	2	2			1		1	1
Western Isles			10		10

Notes:

1. Minerals (barytes, fireclay, honestone and talc) with less than five open-cast mines in Scotland have been grouped together.

Question reference: S1W-04906

Asked by: Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 16 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what was the level of public subsidy provided to "Healthy Gay Scotland" from (a) the Scottish Executive, (b) Health Education Board Scotland, (c) health boards, (d) local authorities and (e) any other groups funded by the aforementioned agencies for the financial years 1998-99 and 1999-2000.