- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it was appropriate for the First Minister to attend a press conference in St Andrew’s House in his capacity as First Minister on the issue of the Trump planning application, having been specifically prohibited from commenting on the matter as First Minister.
Answer
Yes. The First Minister wasdiscussing the position of the Scottish Government as set out in the answers to54 parliamentary questions on the matter. As in all his public statements onthe issue, the First Minister made no comment that could be interpreted asbeing for or against the development.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when it ceased to record telephone calls between ministers, civil servants and special advisers about matters of substance.
Answer
There has never been acorporate policy in the Scottish Government advising staff that a formal minutemust be produced for particular telephone calls.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth had any discussions with the First Minister on 3 December 2007 about the Trump planning application.
Answer
I had no such discussionswith the First Minister.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the statement by the First Minister that the MSP for Gordon did not discuss the Trump planning application at his meeting with representatives of the Trump Organization on 3 December 2007 is accurate, given that he placed a call to the Chief Planner about this subject on the same day as the meeting.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-7663 on 20 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many backbench MSPs have had meetings arranged for developers with the Chief Planner 24 hours after making telephone contact since May 2007.
Answer
Information in the formrequested is not held by the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when on 4 December 2007 the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth spoke to the First Minister about the Trump planning application.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-8107 on 22 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive why the minute of the meeting between Scottish Government planning officials and the Trump Organization does not record the fact or detail of the telephone call to the Chief Executive of Aberdeenshire Council.
Answer
The minute of the meetingrecords the main points discussed by the participants. It was not necessary toproduce a verbatim record.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any special adviser has made telephone or email contact with representatives from the Trump Organization since May 2007 and, if so, who.
Answer
We are giving considerationto the publication of information under Freedom of Information legislation thatrelates to this question. I will write to advise when this procedure has beencompleted.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the advice provided by the Chief Planner and Head of Planning Decisions Division to the First Minister in his capacity as MSP for Gordon on 29 and 30 November 2007.
Answer
Officials offered verbaladvice to Mr Salmond, at his request, confirming that, as MSP for theconstituency where the development was proposed, he was entitled to representproperly the interests of his constituents and to speak to the developer and toany other relevant parties. They confirmed that his constituency interest meantthat Mr Salmond was debarred from any potential Scottish ministerial planningdecision. They also set out their understanding of the procedural implicationsof the resolution of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what car journeys were made using the Government Car Service to and from the Marcliffe Hotel on 3 December 2007, showing who the passengers were and the timetable of all movements of the car involved on that day.
Answer
The information requested islisted as follows.
| Time | Pick Up | Via | Drop Off | Passengers |
| 1145 | Strichen | | Inverurie | Alex Salmond |
| 1700 | Inverurie | Special Adviser’s Home, Aberdeen (Geoff Aberdein dropped off) | Marcliffe Hotel | Alex Salmond Geoff Aberdein Hannah Bardell (Constituency Assistant) |
| 1825 | Marcliffe Hotel | | Strichen | Alex Salmond |
No otherjourneys were made on this day.
As a result of the unusualamount of public interest in the First Minister’s travel to this meeting, thePermanent Secretary has considered what use was made of the Government CarService on this occasion. He has noted that it is commonplace for civilservants, including special advisers, to travel with ministers in governmentcars, in order to assist ministers to use time spent travelling to progressgovernment business. He is satisfied that the use made of the Government CarService in this case was consistent with such general practice and was bothappropriate and pragmatic.
