- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will protect the right-to-buy for tenants who already have this right.
Answer
We recognise theimportance of protecting the existing rights of tenants to buy their homes butalso wish to ensure that the Right to Buy is responsive to local needs. Weintend to examine how to achieve a comfortable balance between theopportunities for homeownership and the pressure that exists in some localitieson affordable housing.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to withdraw the graduate endowment paid by students from Northern Ireland studying at Scottish universities.
Answer
Only Scottishdomiciled and non-UK EU students studying in Scotland are liable for the graduate endowment fee. It has never applied tostudents from England, Wales or Northern Ireland studying in Scotland.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 31 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Government will consider introducing a legal limit on caffeine in alcohol products.
Answer
I discussed responsibilityand cost sharing with the former Secretary of State for Environment and RuralAffairs, David Miliband, when we met on 18 June 2007.I also wrote to the new Secretary of State, Hilary Benn on this issue on 4 July 2007. In allthe discussions with Defra on this issue the Scottish Government have stressedthe importance of affordability and supporting a sustainable livestockindustry.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 20 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Iberdrola to end the policy of backcharging token prepayment meter customers.
Answer
Regulation of energy supply companiesis a matter for Ofgem. The new supply licence conditions will oblige suppliers totake all reasonable steps to ensure meters are recalibrated in a timely manner afterany price change and Ofgem will be monitoring closely compliance with this condition.I intend to keep this matter under review and I will make appropriate representations to Ofgem if this becomes necessary.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 20 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Ofgem to go further than the forthcoming licence condition on backcharging token prepayment meter customers and require all suppliers who adopt the policy to end it immediately.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to questionS3W-1618 on 20 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found 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, 28 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times sections of the A82 have been closed or had access otherwise curtailed due to accidents in the last four years.
Answer
Statistics on restrictions dueto accidents are not held centrally.
Transport Scotland hasoperational responsibility for this matter and can be contacted for more informationif required.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the (a) Erskine Bridge and (b) Clyde Tunnel have been closed or had access otherwise curtailed in the last four years.
Answer
The following table details thenumber of closures of the Erskine Bridge in the last four years. Information aboutpartial closures or lane closures is held by route not by specific location.
The Clyde Tunnel is a local roadand is the responsibility of Glasgow City Council.
| Year | Closures due to Severe Weather | Closures Due to Accidents | Total Closures |
| 2004 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 2005 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 2007 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Transport Scotland hasoperational responsibility for this matter and can be contacted for more informationif required.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 19 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that the tenders for Scottish Enterprise Network’s Business Gateway will be awarded.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise issuednew contracts for the local delivery of Business Gateway services on 11 July 2007.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the A82 has been restricted due to roadworks in the last four years.
Answer
Between 1 January 2003 and 1 July 2007 the A82trunk road between the Erskine Bridge and Inverness has been restricted on 2780 occasions due to roadworks.Of these, 613 were on the section in the South West Trunk Road Area from Erskine Bridge to Balloch, and 2167 were on the section in the NorthWest Trunk Road Area from Balloch to Inverness.
Transport Scotland hasoperational responsibility for this matter and can be contacted for more informationif required.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 19 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is reviewing the operation of Scottish Enterprise Network’s Business Gateway and, if so, what the timescale is for the review.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise hasreviewed the operation of the Business Gateway over the past two years. This hasnow been completed and new contracts for the local delivery of Business Gatewayservices were issued on 11 July 2007.
