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-16315

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive where the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme is advertised to the public and at what cost.

Question reference: S3W-16312

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can confirm that the Race Equality Integration and Community Support Fund preceded the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme.

The stream of funding which Audit Scotland referred to as the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme, exists to respond to new and emerging issues which arise in communities around race, religion and refugee integration. It aims to support developmental work across the sector and to enable key national bodies to assist in progressing the race, faith and refugee agendas. The funding from this stream is also used to support one off events which promote government objectives in these areas.

This funding stream has existed alongside and complemented the specific funds - the Scottish Refugee Integration Fund over 2003-08, the Race Equality Integration and Community Support Fund over 2006-08 and the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Funding Stream in 2008-11. In the 2007-08 financial year 53 different organisations received a total of £3.4 million from this funding stream.

All applications for funding received by the Scottish Government are scrutinised and considered for their match with government priorities and assessed for their value for money.

Question reference: S3W-16526

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive on which occasions prior to the announcement of the HBOS/Lloyds TSB merger the First Minister called for a ban on short selling or stricter control on hedge funds and other speculation.

Question reference: S3W-16525

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 9 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the First Minister had discussions with (a) HBOS and (b) Lloyds TSB about their future prior to the announcement of the proposed merger.

The First Minister had a range of contacts with HBOS and Lloyds TSB before the announcement of the proposed merger, of which there was no prior knowledge in the Scottish Government. As media reports emerged, the First Minister spoke officially to representatives of both banks as follows:

Wed 17 September “ 15:00 “ Call with Sir Victor Blank (Lloyds TSB)

Wed 17 September “ 16:30 “ Call with Shane O''Riordain (HBOS)

Wed 17 September “ 23:45 “ Call with Shane O''Riordain (HBOS)

Thu 18 September “ 11:40 - Call with Sir Victor Blank (Lloyds TSB)

Thu 18 September “ 14:00 - Call with Andy Hornby (HBOS)

Fri 19 September “ 16:15 - Call with Archie Kane (Lloyds TSB)

Fri 19 September “ 17:00 - Call with Eric Daniels (Lloyds TSB)

Fri 19 September “ 17:30 - Call with Ewan Brown (Lloyds TSB)

Tue 23 September “ 13:30 “ Meeting with Archie Kane (Lloyds TSB).

Question reference: S3W-16313

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme was established and which group was the first beneficiary of funding.

Question reference: S3W-16317

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations were allocated funding from the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme and how much was awarded in each case.

Question reference: S3W-16316

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for applying to the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme, with particular regard to mandatory requirements and exclusions.

Question reference: S3W-16318

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget was for the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme for 2007-08 and what the budget will be in each remaining year of the stream.

Question reference: S3W-16314

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive where on the Scottish Government website members of the public can find information about the Race, Religion and Refuge Integration Grant Scheme.

Question reference: S3W-16539

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are proposed for the appointment of further members of the Scottish Futures Trust.

I intend to appoint non-executive Directors to the Board of the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) to support Sir Angus Grossart in his role as Chairman as soon as possible. These initial appointments will “ along with Sir Angus'' appointment “ be for a one year period and are outside the scope of the Code on Public Appointments published by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland (OCPAS) because SFT is not a regulated body. Our intention is that SFT will become a regulated body in due course, after which future appointments will be governed by the OCPAS Code.