- 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 members of the Trump Organization were with the First Minister when he called the Chief Planner on 3 December 2007.
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 telephone calls from backbench MSPs the Chief Planner has received since May 2007 asking for meetings to be arranged with developers.
Answer
The Chief Planner regularlyreceives telephone calls from MSPs about planning matters. Information aboutthe number of calls is not held by the Scottish Government because a formal recordis not routinely produced for every call received, as many involve simply theprovision of factual information to MSPs about planning processes. The ChiefPlanner has given information to the Local Government and Communities Committeeon a range of contacts he has had with MSPs. The official report is availableon the Parliament’s website at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/lgc/or-08/lg08-0102.htm#Col425.
- 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 Chief Planner contacted the First Minister on 4 December 2007 about the Trump planning application and, if so, when.
Answer
The Chief Planner metrepresentatives of the Trump Organization on 4 December 2007.At the close of the meeting the Chief Planner telephoned Mr Salmond, in hiscapacity as MSP for Gordon, as a courtesy to say the meeting had taken placeand said that all discussion of potential ministerial action would be passed tome in line with proper procedure. The First Minister was not party to thedecision to call in the application.
- 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 Permanent Secretary has, together with his consideration of the behaviour of civil servants, considered the behaviour of ministers, including the First Minister, in the handling of the Trump planning application.
Answer
The Permanent Secretary has made clear, as part of his consideration of the behaviour of civil servants,that he received an assurance from the Chief Planner that he has, at no time, been instructed by any party toact improperly and that he feels he has applied the same rigour in thisparticular case, in terms of following due process and having regard to the expectedstandards of conduct, as he would do in any other planning case.
Consequently, there would beno reason for the Permanent Secretary to consider the behaviour of any ministerin this matter, even if it were not the case that the terms of the Ministerial Codemake clear that the Permanent Secretary has no role in making judgements aboutthe behaviour of ministers in relation to the code.
- 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 role the Head of Planning Decisions Division has in relation to any planning application and, in particular, what role he has in relation to the called-in Trump planning application.
Answer
Planning DecisionsDivision’s primary purpose is to consider planning applications and otherplanning cases notified or referred to Scottish ministers, advising ministers asappropriate. It is the role of the Head of Planning Decisions Division to leadand oversee the work of the whole division. As such in relation to the calledin planning application for the Menie Estate, he is responsible for the division’swork in considering the application and advising ministers.
- 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, further to the answer to question S3W-7671 by John Swinney on 20 December 2007, whether it will publish the records of telephone calls between the Chief Planner and the First Minister in his capacity as MSP for Gordon and their content.
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 whether the Chief Planner has ever held meetings with developers after a planning application had been called in since May 2007.
Answer
No.
- 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 telephone calls placed from private offices are listed by extension number.
Answer
Yes.
- 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 who made the request that the Chief Planner meet the Trump Organization on 4 December 2007 and when and to whom it was made.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-7701 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: Wednesday, 16 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it paid for the First Minister’s overnight stays at the Marcliffe of Pitfodels Hotel in Aberdeen from May to December 2007 inclusive.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-8524 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.
