- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 27 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23632 by Cathy Jamieson on 13 March 2006, what the Minister for Justice’s policy intentions are in relation to pre-recorded messages and whether the Minister is satisfied that the Executive is not at risk of a successful legal challenge.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is asfollows:
The pre-recorded telephonemessage is a proportionate measure to ensure the prevention of crime and theprotection of victims. We intend to keep it. The outcome of any legal challengewould be for the court to decide but we are confident that the measure is “inaccordance with the law” and “necessary in a democratic society” and has alawful aim as required under Article 8 of the European Convention on HumanRights.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23001 by Mr Tom McCabe on 7 March 2006, when it will publish the proposed draft regulations that will amend the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations (Scotland) 1998.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-23000 on 16 March 2006, which deals in part with this question.I can also confirm that the discussions referred to in that answer are stillon-going.All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 22 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of a recent report that Dr Peter Fletcher, former Chief Scientific Officer at the Department of Health and Assessor to the Committee on the Safety of Medicines, previously responsible for deciding whether new vaccines were safe, believes that the evidence suggests that for a proportion of children MMR is not safe and that the Government is guilty of “utterly inexplicable complacency”, what urgent action will be taken to provide parents with the choice of single vaccines rather than MMR.
Answer
I refer the member to the Departmentof Health’s previous response to Dr Fletcher’s claims which can be found at:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/PressReleases/PressReleasesNotices/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4009879&chk=2/XPDP.The response was made in 2001and lists the evidence then. It also points out that Dr Fletcher was not in factinvolved in the licensing of these vaccines. Since that time there have been a seriesof studies which have reinforced the evidence that MMR is safe.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 21 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed the financial implications of addressing unequal pay with local authorities, COSLA and trade unions; what cognisance it has taken of such discussions, and what specific responses and actions it has taken as a result.
Answer
The Executive has had contactwith a number of local authorities, COSLA and trade unions about the financial implicationsof the equal pay negotiations taking place at council level. The views expressedhave been noted and are being taken into account. However, it is for councils, asemployers, to conclude arrangements relating to their employees and the Executivehas made clear its expectation that this will be done in a way that strikes a balancebetween what is fair and equitable to the people whom councils employ and also totax payers. There are regular discussions between the Executive and COSLA and councilsrelating to finance issues generally and those discussions will continue. In particular,we have made clear we are keen to engage with councils to assist them to deliverservice transformation, and on what mightbe achieved through a radical re-design of the way local services are deliveredand supported, with a view to providing better and more efficient services for thepeople of Scotland.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Miller Civil Engineering Limited or Miller Bhuideann Limited were members of the Skye Bridge PFI consortium.
Answer
No. Miller Civil EngineeringLimited, and its successor Miller (Buidheann) Limited, formed part of the jointventure company Miller Dywidag, which constructed, maintained and operated the crossingunder contract to the concessionaire, Skye Bridge Limited (SBL).
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive why the concessionaire’s name, Skye Bridge Ltd, as at May 1993 was not announced by the Secretary of State in a published document, given that one of the purposes of the Skye Bridge assignation statement was to identify the concessionaire to the public.
Answer
I am advised that the then ScottishOffice position was that the Skye Bridge Assignation Statement correctly identifiedthe proposed concessionaire at the time it was made available for public inspection.There was no statutory requirement to update the statement, nor to publish the changeof concessionaire’s name.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, given that the assignation statement in relation to the Skye Bridge toll order bears no year of issue, when it was made and how that is confirmed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to questions S2W-15739 and S2W-15741 on 26 April 2005. All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the value was of the first share issue, as identified in the statutory assignation statement made in relation to the A87 Skye Bridge crossing.
Answer
This is a matter for the concessionaire,Skye Bridge Limited. Copies of the company’s annual Directors Report and FinancialStatements are available from Companies House.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8363 by Sarah Boyack on 18 July 2000, what the purpose was of the assignation statement in relation to the Skye Bridge toll order, given the statement by the then Minister for Transport that it was not a probative document.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21510 on 19 December 2005. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 16 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish its rationale for not endorsing the legal advice obtained by COSLA in respect of the Rule of 85 in the Local Government Pension Scheme.
Answer
Discussions with TradeUnions on the plan to remove the rule of 85 from the Local Government Pensionscheme are continuing and the Executive is considering options for a solutionto this issue in Scotland. The draftRegulations proposed to implement the changes will be published forconsultation once discussions have concluded. However, the recent action initiated by UNISON to seek a Judicial Reviewof the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister’s decision to remove the rule of 85in England and Wales is likely to delay matters. Against this background it would therefore beinappropriate to publish the rationale at this time.
