- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost has been in each year since its inception to 31 March 2002 for the (a) design, (b) print production, (c) advertising, (d) promotion and marketing, (e) distribution and (f) external assessment of responses, for all its public consultations and what the estimated budget for such activities is for the period 1 April 2002 to 1 May 2003.
Answer
Costs for different aspects of consultation exercises are not always identified separately within the budget for a specific policy area. As there is no central record of such costs, it is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of expenditure for particular aspects of consultation exercises. Gathering such detailed information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, the Executive is currently giving consideration to the need for a central mechanism to record details of its consultations as part of the on-going work to improve Scottish Executive consultation practice and co-ordination. Decisions on the size of budgets for such activities in forthcoming consultations are taken by the Executive on an on-going basis.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much each of its departments spent in each year since its inception to 31 March 2002 on (a) publishing and (b) promoting public consultation documents and what the budget for each department for such activities is for the period 1 April 2002 to 1 May 2003.
Answer
The costs associated with particular aspects of consultation exercises are met from the budget for a specific policy area and are not always separately identified. As there is no central record of such costs, it is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of expenditure for particular aspects of consultation exercises. Gathering such detailed information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, the Executive is currently giving consideration to the need for a central mechanism to record details of its consultations as part of the on-going work to improve Scottish Executive consultation practice and co-ordination. Decisions about the details of activities to be undertaken in forthcoming consultations are taken by the Executive on an on-going basis.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 13 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that BEAR Scotland Ltd and other contractors have bilingual Gaelic and English road signs on their routes in accordance with the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
Answer
Contractors employed to maintain or construct new trunk roads comply with the instructions of the Scottish Executive in regard to the signing that they provide. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24913 today.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 13 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when bilingual road signs in Gaelic and English on trunk roads in the Highlands are to be erected in accordance with the undertakings made by Her Majesty's Government under Part III, Article 10, 2(g) of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
Answer
The Scottish Executive presently permits Highland Council to use bilingual signs on local roads. The erection of signs is a matter for the local roads authority. On trunk roads, Gaelic boundary signs and bilingual direction signs are already in place on the A87 in Skye and the A830. New bilingual signs will be provided on the section of the A830 between Arisaig and Kinsadel, now under construction. A report is being completed on further options for bilingual signs on the trunk road network.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 13 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) cannot retrospectively forbid classes from taking exams in circumstances where registration for those exams has been accepted by the SQA and where all course work conditions have been met.
Answer
It is the responsibility of centres to ensure that candidates are correctly entered for qualifications, including where appropriate, to receive the necessary approval for exceptional entry under the age and stage regulations. However, for the current exams round (2002), I have asked SQA to exceptionally allow certification for those candidates who do not meet the age and stage regulations and for whom centres have not sought the appropriate approval.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give examples of any information that it would not have told the Parliament previously but that it now would, following the passing of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill.
Answer
It is not possible to predict what information will be made available after the passing of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill. Consideration of whether requested information will be disclosed will be on a case-by-case basis.Until the bill comes into force, the Executive will continue to disclose information in accordance with the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Elaine Murray on 2 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance it has given to the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine since 1999.
Answer
Grants made by the Scottish Executive to the Scottish Maritime Museum since 1999 are set out as follows:
| 1999-2000 | £15,000 |
| 2000-01 | £20,000 |
| £70,000 |
| 2001-02 | £160,000 |
| £110,000 |
| 2002-03 | £160,000 |
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Elaine Murray on 2 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what requests for assistance it has received from industrial museums in the last 18 months and what its response has been.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has received a number of requests for funding from industrial museums in the last 18 months. In December 2000, the Executive announced a funding package of £1.26 million over three years towards the running costs of the Scottish Fisheries Museum, the Scottish Maritime Museum and the Scottish Mining Museum. In December 2001 the Executive awarded a further £110,000 to the Scottish Maritime Museum.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Elaine Murray on 2 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23859 by Dr Elaine Murray on 20 March 2002, whether the increase in funding to the Scottish Museums Council represents new monies or monies from previously announced support for museums, such as those monies announced as part of the National Cultural Strategy.
Answer
The Scottish Executive awarded an increase in funding to the Scottish Museums Council in March 2001. Grant in aid to Scottish Museums Council has increased from £0.941 million in 2000-01 to £1.041 million in 2001-02, £1.191 million in 2002-03 and £1.441 million in 2003-04.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Elaine Murray on 2 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to ensure that no existing industrial museum with a national designation from the Scottish Museums Council is allowed to either cease trading or shed the majority of its staff.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has responsibility for the National Museums and Galleries of Scotland whereas the responsibility for the non-national museums, including industrial museums, lies with local agencies and those who set up and operate them.The Scottish Executive is providing £420,000 per annum over three years to support three industrial museums: the Scottish Maritime Museum, the Scottish Mining Museum and the Scottish Fisheries Museum.Matters affecting trading and staffing at industrial museums are the responsibility of the trusts which run the industrial museums.
