Chamber and committees

There is no requirement for a legally binding guarantee to progress the design work.

The Scottish Government have been clear on a number of occasions that it will pay for completion of the Haudagain roundabout improvement.

I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

Escorts are not paid for individually nor do they vary depending on the location of prisoner therefore there is no change to the cost profile from the current arrangements. Charges for the movement of prisoners are linked to the total number of escorts carried out. Details as to how the costs are structured are outlined in Schedule C of the contract which is published on the SPS website at:

http://www.sps.gov.uk/Publications/Publication-3104.aspx.

This is a matter for Police Scotland. There is however no Voluntary Severance/Voluntary Early Retirement scheme for police officers.

Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service went live on 1 April this year and will deliver estimated annual savings of £130 million.

Rebranding is an operational matter for the services.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-16788 on 18 September 2013. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government is providing local government in Scotland with over £10.3 billion in 2013-14. The vast majority of this funding, including that for roads maintenance, is being provided by means of a block grant.

It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives. Aberdeen City Council’s share of this funding amounts to over £336 million.

Furthermore, the National Road Maintenance Review has set out how all 33 road authorities across Scotland can work in collaboration to make road maintenance more efficient, ensuring Scotland’s roads remain a key facilitator of economic growth.

The Scottish Government is providing local government in Scotland with over £10.3 billion in 2013-14. The vast majority of this funding, including that for roads maintenance, is being provided by means of a block grant.

It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives. Aberdeen City Council’s share of this funding amounts to over £336 million.

There are no confirmed plans for medical facilities at the present time. However, NHS Grampian has been in discussion with the local authority on the matter, and those discussions will continue.

The information available is given in the table below and relates to students and graduates who originally took out loans while studying in Scotland.

Total Public Debt Outstanding at the end of the Financial Year (£ Billion)

Source (Student Loans Company / Office for National Statistics).

Student Loan Company figures published in 2013 show that average student loan debt for Scottish students is £6,850 compared to £18,740 in England and £14,910 in Wales.

The police in Scotland operate independently of Ministers and the provision of public counters is an operational matter for Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority. However, I am aware that Police Scotland commenced a four-week public consultation on public counter provision on 1 October.