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-09514

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Mike Pringle on 19 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it has incurred any costs in respect of the opinion provided by Queen’s Counsel to the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner on the issue of the Wendy Alexander leadership campaign and, if so, what costs were incurred and from which Queen’s Counsel the opinion was sought.

Question reference: S3W-09296

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports have been received by ministers from the Council of Economic Advisers since May 2007; on what subjects, and what action has been taken as a result.

Question reference: S3W-09298

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 12 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many telephone interceptions have been authorised by Scottish ministers since May 2007 and how this compares with the number for the equivalent period in the previous year.

Question reference: S3W-09307

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 8 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any consideration has been given since May 2007 to making use of the power to raise income tax by up to 3p in the pound.

Question reference: S3W-09295

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 7 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many business start-ups there have been in each Scottish parliamentary constituency since May 2007 and what the comparative figures were for each of the previous five years.

Data on the number of VAT registrationsare released annually by the Department forBusiness Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). These figures are used to monitorthe number of business start-ups. The latest available data refers to all VAT registrationstaking place in Scotland in 2006. There is no breakdown available by Scottish parliamentaryconstituency.

The table below shows the numberof VAT registrations by local authority area in Scotland from 2001 to 2006:

Local Authority	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Aberdeen City	525	610	545	520	565	600
Aberdeenshire	590	600	740	670	720	785
Angus	195	175	205	215	235	240
Argyll and Bute	225	230	230	275	210	205
Clackmannanshire	80	80	100	90	80	90
Dumfries and Galloway	300	320	350	345	335	325
Dundee City	250	240	245	265	255	225
East Ayrshire	215	215	205	210	225	190
East Dunbartonshire	205	185	180	215	195	185
East Lothian	175	180	215	200	190	210
East Renfrewshire	165	155	180	180	175	180
Edinburgh, City of	1,370	1,275	1,410	1,445	1,380	1,460
Eilean Siar	55	55	65	65	65	55
Falkirk	225	265	265	305	305	255
Fife	580	610	680	665	580	615
Glasgow City	1,585	1,505	1,540	1,525	1,505	1,505
Highland	510	595	620	670	595	620
Inverclyde	105	115	140	120	120	145
Midlothian	140	145	170	150	170	155
Moray	155	140	180	170	180	150
North Ayrshire	205	205	230	225	210	220
North Lanarkshire	525	520	595	555	580	630
Orkney Islands	60	55	50	60	70	55
Perth and Kinross	375	375	400	395	375	345
Renfrewshire	325	330	365	355	330	345
Scottish Borders	260	300	315	300	285	325
Shetland Islands	40	60	70	60	65	75
South Ayrshire	245	245	270	270	250	250
South Lanarkshire	640	655	665	665	650	645
Stirling	240	260	300	270	275	280
West Dunbartonshire	95	105	125	120	120	110
West Lothian	330	325	325	405	375	350
Scotland	10,980	11,130	11,980	11,980	11,665	11,825

Source: BERR.

Please note that these figuresdo not account for all business activity as only companies with a turnover abovethe VAT threshold are required to register.

Question reference: S3W-08738

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 4 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to offer financial assistance to the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh.

The Royal Observatoryhas not asked the Scottish Government to provide financial assistance and we haveno plans to do so. The UK Government’s Science and Technology Facilities Council(STFC) has the primary responsibility for funding the Royal Observatory throughits UK Astronomy Technology Centre facility (UKATC). We are aware of the potentialdifficulties at the Royal Observatory arising out of the STFC’s budget cuts, followingthe UK Government’s Spending Review. I have therefore written to John Denham, Secretaryof State at the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills to express myconcerns and I also plan to visit the Royal Observatory soon to discuss this issuefurther.

Question reference: S3W-08683

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-8271 by John Swinney on 18 January 2008, on what projects the Scottish Government’s Video Production Unit is currently working, giving a breakdown of the costs of each project.

Question reference: S3W-08681

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-8271 by John Swinney on 18 January 2008, what the total budget allocation for the Scottish Government’s Video Production Unit has been in each year since 1999.

The total budgetallocation for the Scottish Government’s video and television production unitin each year from 1999 until 2004 is as follows:

1999-2000 - £67,235

2000-01 - £67,361

2001-02 - £82,389

2002-03 - £95,213

2003-04 - £96,969.

As indicated inthe answer to question S3W-8680 on 1 February 2008, from 2004-05 the Video andTelevision Production Unit did not have a specific budget as it became part of the Scottish Government's multimedia unit.

Question reference: S3W-08682

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-8271 by John Swinney on 18 January 2008, what percentage of the Scottish Government’s Video Production Unit’s budget for 2007-08 was spent on the First Minister’s (a) Christmas and (b) New Year messages.

Question reference: S3W-08721

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 21 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-8271 by John Swinney on 18 January 2008, how many staff are employed by the Scottish Government’s Video Production Unit.