- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to develop national and regional sports facilities throughout Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Governmentis currently considering next steps with regard to the National and Regional SportsFacilities Strategy. We are disappointed with the slow progress to date and arein discussion with sportscotland regarding options to ensure the delivery commitmentto the ten previously identified applications. We are committed to delivering worldclass sporting facilities in Scotland.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2254 by Stewart Maxwell on 1 August 2007, what three projects in the Lothians will benefit from the £17 million allocated as part of the National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy; what discussions it has had with the City of Edinburgh Council regarding each project; what the current status of each project is, and what action the Executive and sportscotland will take to ensure that these projects are delivered.
Answer
Under current planswithin the National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy, the projects at Sighthill Park, the Royal Commonwealth Pool and Hunters Hallwill benefit from the £17 million allocation.
Sportscotland meetwith the City of Edinburgh District Council on a weekly basis todiscuss the progress of all three projects.
The Scottish Governmenthas asked sportscotland to initiate a review of the 10 projects which come underthe strategy and provide ministers with the latest information on the current statusof each project.
The Scottish Governmentand sportscotland will continue to meet with the City of Edinburgh Council to take forward the delivery of these projects.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2255 by Stewart Maxwell on 1 August 2007, whether it has discussed the anticipated funding method for the proposed upgrade of the Royal Commonwealth Pool with the City of Edinburgh Council.
Answer
Officials have metwith City of Edinburgh Council and discussed the funding for the Royal CommonwealthPool. Further discussion will place when the outcome of the working group reviewingthe sale of Meadowbank is known and revised build costs for the pool have been submitted.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the announcement made by the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills giving a guarantee, the Higher Education Student Support Guarantee, that recipients of the educational maintenance allowance will know what student support they would be entitled to receive prior to applying to university, what plans the Executive has to introduce a similar initiative.
Answer
This is part of the announcement made by the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universitiesand Skills on 5 July 2007. There are currently no plans tointroduce a similar guarantee in Scotland but we willexamine the proposals.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 1 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the Lothians contribute to and benefit from the Commonwealth Games in 2014, should the Scottish bid be successful.
Answer
The Royal Commonwealth Poolin Edinburgh will host the diving competitions, should Glasgow’sbid to host the Commonwealth Games be successful.
The Commonwealth Games areexpected to generate 1200 jobs and increase tourism across the whole of Scotland.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 1 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be made available to provide local community sporting facilities.
Answer
Local authorities have astatutory responsibility for ensuring that there is adequate provision ofsporting facilities for their residents, and are free to determine their owncapital investment programme to meet this obligation. In doing so, there are anumber of resources available to them. This includes sportscotland’s “Building for Sport” programme, whichis a combination of Lottery and Exchequer funds, and general support from the Scottish Government for around £300 million of capital expenditure annually(distributed across all the local authorities). Authorities are also free to undertake additional self-financed(Prudential) borrowing for capital expenditure, subject to affordability. However,we will be considering what additional investment may be made availablespecifically for local facility development as part of the forthcoming spendingreview process.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 1 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is being provided to ensure that 21st century sports facilities are provided for elite athletes in the Lothians.
Answer
The City of EdinburghCouncil has been allocated £17 million for three projects as part of theNational and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 30 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase bursary provision for Scottish students studying in Scotland, in light of the increase in student bursaries announced by the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, raising the threshold for a full bursary to £25,000 and awarding partial bursaries to students whose combined parental income is up to £60,000.
Answer
The Scottish Executive iscurrently undertaking a number of projects which will review both full-time andpart-time student support. We will publish our findings and plans once we havecarried out appropriate options appraisal and consultation with stakeholders.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any circumstances where decisions on Scottish prisons would be made by any other body than the Executive.
Answer
I have asked MikeEwart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
No.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 25 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it sought clarification at either official or ministerial level from the UK Government on the existence of a memorandum of understanding between the UK and Libyan governments before making an emergency statement to the Parliament and what the reason was for its position on this matter.
Answer
Yes. The First Minister’sstatement made clear the reasons for the position taken on this matter.
