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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: S2W-16365

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 18 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the letters of 19 February and 27 October 2004 and 6 April 2005 from its Environment and Rural Affairs Department on the employment of foreign workers at Monaghan Mushrooms, Fenton Barns, East Lothian, whether it has accessed the wage records of the foreign workers employed at Monaghan Mushrooms and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Question reference: S2W-16420

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 18 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the employment practices of Monaghan Mushrooms at Fenton Barns in East Lothian, what information it has on the request by Donegal Creameries plc, associate company of Monaghan Mushrooms, for its shares to be suspended from the Irish stock exchange due to "financial irregularities" and whether the Executive will be involved in any possible inquiries.

Question reference: S2W-16289

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 17 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of air transport for its officials in each year since 1999, broken down by purpose of travel, for example representing the Executive or fact-finding.

Question reference: S2W-16308

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 17 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the National Planning Framework and, in particular, the setting of national policy and sector priorities, whether it will consult on the development of projects of national strategic significance and what role the Parliament will have in identifying and scrutinising such projects.

The Executive has made clear its intention to review planning legislation. To this end, ministers have been giving careful consideration to a wide range of reforms to modernise the planning system in Scotland. Proposals for this, including the future role and remit of the National Planning Framework, will be set out in a white paper, which we expect to publish before the parliamentary summer recess.

Question reference: S2W-16306

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 17 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its proposed reform of planning legislation, whether it will provide examples of existing "projects of national strategic significance".

Under current planning legislation there is no reference to “projects of national significance”.

The Executive has made clear its intention to review planning legislation. To this end, ministers have been giving careful consideration to a wide range of reforms to modernise the planning system in Scotland. Proposals for this will be set out in a white paper, which we expect to publish before the parliamentary summer recess.

Question reference: S2W-16305

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 17 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has rejected a limited third-party right of appeal for inclusion in its proposed reform of planning legislation.

As one of the Partnership Agreements the Scottish Executive committed to consult on wider rights of appeal in planning. This consultation took place in summer 2004.

The consultation paper prompted a large number of responses both for and against extending the right of appeal in planning. Scottish ministers have been giving careful consideration to the arguments presented on both sides and will publish their proposals on this, and other planning matters, in a white paper. We expect to publish the white paper before the parliamentary summer recess.

Question reference: S2W-16287

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 16 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what its expenditure was on transporting ministers by air for ministerial business in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) portfolio and (b) party political affiliation.

Question reference: S2W-16290

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 12 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it spent on relocation costs for new employees in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-16288

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 12 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil servants worked for each of its departments in each year since 1999, broken down by division.

The number of permanent civil servants working in the Scottish Executive core departments at 1 April each year since 1999 is shown in the following table. It is not possible to provide the information by division.

Number of Full-Time Equivalent Permanent Staff in Post in Scottish Executive Core Departments at 1 April Each Year

	April 1999	April 2000	April 2001	April 2002	April 2003	April 2004	April 2005
SE Core Total	3,706.5	3,929.3	3,985.6	4,144.6	4,332.6	4,411.0	4,412.9
Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries	940.6	..	..	..	..	..	..
Environment and Rural Affairs	..	963.7	1,017.2	1,074.1	1,086.1	1,086.2	1,072.2
Central Services	1,005.4	1,081.8	..	..	..	..	..
Corporate Services	..	..	705.5	640.8	624.9
Executive Secretariat	..	..	283.6	341.1	..	..	..
Finance	..	..	128.3	143.1	..	..	..
Finance and Central Services	..	..	..	..	556.1	569.0	453.2
Legal and Parliamentary Services	..	..	..	..	173.5	179.2	192.8
Ministerial Group	..	..	..	85.2	89.2	..	..
Education and Industry	582.6	..	..	..	..	..	..
Education	..	355.4	384.8	295.6	268.5	275.4	271.0
Enterprise and Lifelong Learning	..	296.9	309.4	331.3	340.8	..	..
Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning	..	..	..	..	..	517.2	556.1
Health	251.5	308.0	337.3	374.8	382.9	396.0	386.4
Home	369.8	..	..	..	..	..	..
Justice	..	326.2	234.1	215.1	227.2	253.4	247.9
Development	482.2	517.3	506.5	564.2	486.0	312.4	287.0
Office of the Permanent Secretary	..	..	..	..	..	745.0	867.4
Centrally Managed Staff	74.4	80.0	78.9	79.3	97.4	77.2	78.9

Question reference: S2W-16285

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 11 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to build a metal security fence around its offices at Victoria Quay in the run-up to the G8 summit.