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: S3W-06242

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 November 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 21 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in establishing an Olympic-standard swimming pool in Aberdeen with a view to it being available to be used by local athletes before the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2012 Olympic Games.

Question reference: S3W-06245

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 November 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 21 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional investment it will provide for the development of sport in the north east in the years leading up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Question reference: S3W-06241

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 November 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 21 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will work with Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council to promote proposals for a regional sports centre and Olympic-standard swimming pool in Aberdeen to encourage international teams competing in the Olympic and Commonwealth games to use Aberdeen as a training base.

Work is currentlyunderway on the construction of the Chris Anderson Stadium multi‑sport facilitywhich will be suitable for hosting national and regional sporting events as wellas providing a range of quality sporting facilities which will be available to localathletes and international teams.

Our investment of£7 million in the development of this facility is a clear demonstration of our commitmentto the provision of quality sports facilities across Scotland.

The Scottish Governmentdoes not oppose the proposal to build an Olympic-standard 50m swimming pool in Aberdeenwhich is suitable for use by the community, high-performance training, hosting nationaland regional events or use as a training base. We continue to recognise the needfor a 50 metre pool in the north east of Scotland, however, the proposal that is currently being proposed by Aberdeen CityCouncil is not affordable.

It is important thatAberdeen and its partners put together a bid that recognisesthe current maximum award levels available for a proposal of this nature.

Any proposal producedby Aberdeen must be affordable and this is why I am currentlyencouraging the council to work with sportscotland to develop a project that ismore cost effective and deliverable.

Question reference: S3W-06252

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 November 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what its targets are for increasing participation rates for sport in schools, colleges, universities and the community in the lead-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

This government iscommitted not only to ensuring that the games in 2014 are the best sportingevent that this country has ever seen, but also that the games are used as acatalyst for social change. We have an unrivalled opportunity to really use thepower of sport to inspire people of all ages, but particularly our children tolead active and healthy lives.

We will bedeveloping an outline plan over the next 100 days on how we intend to securethat as part of a lasting legacy for everyone in Scotland from these games.

Question reference: S3W-06253

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 November 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what campaigns it is planning to increase participation rates for sport in schools, colleges, universities and the community in the lead-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Question reference: S3W-06122

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 November 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 20 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate the policy of First Scotrail that young persons railcards are not valid between 6.00 am and 9.15 am from Monday to Friday.

The Young PersonsRailcard is a Great Britain-wide discounted ticketing scheme operated by the Associationof Train Operating Companies (ATOC) on behalf of all train operating companies.The product is one of a series of discount schemes provided by the previous nationalisedrail industry that was protected at the time of privatisation. First ScotRail isobliged by the terms of its franchise agreement to make the product available topassengers. The terms and conditions of the scheme are controlled through ATOC bya council drawing representation from all passenger train operating companies. the Scottish Government has no plans or locus to investigate the policies related tothe scheme.

Question reference: S3W-05867

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the delay to public consultation on improvements at the Haudagain roundabout in Aberdeen will have on the overall timescale for the project.

Following the recentreporter’s determination against the third Don Crossing as proposed in the FinalisedAberdeen Local Plan there is a requirement for the current Haudagain STAG assessmentto take stock of the implications of this decision.

This work ison-going with the outcomes expected early in the New Year. At that time a view willbe taken by the Haudagain STAG Steering Group on how to proceed with the next roundof public consultation. The Haudagain STAG Steering Group members include AberdeenCity Council, Nestrans and Transport Scotland.

The Steering Groupwill also a take view in the New Year on whether other options may have to be consideredonce the implications of there not being a third Don Crossing are better understood.

The Steering Grouphas had continuous dialogue throughout this STAG assessment. Amongst the pointsdiscussed is the regeneration of the Middlefield area of Aberdeen. It remains the position that any potential Haudagainintervention is not dependent on the regeneration of the Middlefield area proceeding.

Beyond this the STAGassessment requires to be concluded before any final decision on what the most appropriatesolution to the Haudagain Roundabout’s problems is.

Question reference: S3W-05869

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that a flyover should be one of the options consulted on for improvements at the Haudagain roundabout in Aberdeen, given that public consultation has been delayed.

Question reference: S3W-05868

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive when it now believes that work on improvements at the Haudagain roundabout in Aberdeen will begin.

Question reference: S3W-05870

Asked by: Richard Baker, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 November 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the timescale for the regeneration of Middlefield in Aberdeen is likely to have on the timescale for improvements at the Haudagain roundabout and what dialogue it has had with Aberdeen City Council on this issue.