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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: S1W-28623

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 August 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25393 by Ross Finnie on 17 May 2002, whether it intends to carry out a public consultation on banning all cages for laying hens and whether it has, or intends to, study the findings of the public consultation recently launched by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on banning all cages for laying hens in England.

Question reference: S1W-28576

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 August 2002
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 17 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether (a) its or (b) local authorities' powers to make compulsory purchase orders are limited by the European Convention on Human Rights and, if so, in what way they are limited.

Under the Human Rights Act 1998, all public authorities, including local authorities, are required by law to act compatibly with the European Convention on Human Rights (the Convention).Article 1 of Protocol 1 of the Convention states "No one shall be deprived of his possessions except in the public interest and subject to the conditions provided for by law and by the general principles of international law."The Scottish Executive has carried out an audit of all areas of activity in order to identify any potential incompatibilities with the Convention. We concluded that the compulsory purchase legislation is compatible with the Convention without amendment. We keep under review the need to amend existing law and procedures to comply with the Convention. We shall continue to do so, particularly in the context of new cases.

Question reference: S1W-27810

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 10 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the Surjit Singh Chhokar, Chris Cawley and Gordon Gibson cases, the Crown Office intends to carry out a review into the law on trials with multiple accused persons.

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service policy and practice in relation to multiple accused cases is kept under review and decisions in individual cases are guided by available evidence and the particular circumstances of the case. Any review of the law would be a matter for the Minister for Justice.It is anticipated that the Criminal Appeal Court will examine the law of "art and part", or concert, in the case of McKay and others, which is due to be heard in the near future. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will examine the judgement in that case with care and, if necessary, amend its policy and practice.

Question reference: S1W-28013

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 5 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many successful candidates for posts in the (a) Scottish Office and (b) Scottish Administration in each of the last five years were appointed from (i) within the Scottish Office, (ii) within the Scottish Executive, (iii) elsewhere within the civil service, (iv) public sector employment other than the civil service, (v) the private sector and (vi) being unemployed.

The specific information requested can not be provided due to disproportionate costs. However, we can provide the following:Vacant Posts Filled within Scottish Executive Core Departments: 1999-2000 to 2001-02

Year	Method of Filling Post
Year	(ii) Internal Staff Moves	(iii) Staff Transferring from other Government Departments/Agencies	(iv),(v),(vi) External Appointments
1999-2000	1,137	251	423
2000-01	1,121	248	424
2001-02	1,127	259	487

Question reference: S1W-28239

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 August 2002
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to publish full details of the (a) best public/private partnership bid for the Stonehouse Hospital and (b) public sector option for the hospital.

Revised guidance HDL(2002)49 was issued to the service earlier this year reminding NHS trusts and boards that key documents relating to all Business Cases must be made publicly available and that it is the responsibility of the NHS body to do so.With regard to the proposed new hospital at Stonehouse, the Scottish Executive will ensure that Lanarkshire Primary Care Trust comply with the terms of this circular by requiring confirmation from the trust that they have undertaken the required actions.

Question reference: S1W-27964

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 5 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities (a) have not set up registers of interest for social inclusion partnership board members and (b) do not currently have such a register available for public scrutiny.

The following local authorities (a) have not yet set up registers of interest for social inclusion partnership board members and (b) do not yet have such a register available for public scrutiny:

Aberdeen	Falkirk	Renfrewshire
Argyll and Bute	Fife	Scottish Borders
Clackmannan	Glasgow	Stirling
East Lothian	Inverclyde	West Dunbarton
East Renfrew	North Ayrshire	West Lothian
Edinburgh	Perth and Kinross

As indicated in the answer given to question S1W-27963 today, it is expected that all these authorities will have the required registers of interest available by 31 December 2002.

Question reference: S1W-27963

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 5 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects registers of interest for social inclusion partnership board members to be available for public scrutiny.

Question reference: S1W-28173

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 August 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what the effect on Scottish Power's renewables obligation will be if the proposed wind farm at Whitelees Forest does not proceed.

Question reference: S1W-28012

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 30 August 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many senior civil service appointments in the (a) Scottish Office and (b) Scottish Administration in each of the last five years were exceptions, approved by the Civil Service Commissioners, to appointment on merit on the basis of a fair and open competition, broken down by (i) secondments, (ii) re-appointments, (iii) appointments without competition of up to two years, (iv) any other short-term appointments made without open competition, (v) extension of fixed-term contracts and (vi) transfers from other public services.

Question reference: S1W-28169

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 August 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 30 August 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25833 by Lewis Macdonald on 27 May 2002, whether it will institute a public inquiry to examine issues surrounding the planning application for a proposed wind farm at Whitelees Forest.