- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 30 July 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Holyrood building project construction managers have, at any time since the recommendation of January 2001 that Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd be awarded the wall-cladding and windows contract in respect of the MSP block, passed to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), or any other representative of the Parliament, any information relating to the financial position of the Flour City Group or any individual companies in the group; if so, when the construction managers passed the information on, and whether the construction managers have provided any information to the SPCB in relation to the recovery by it of losses relating to Flour City.
Answer
I shall reply to the Member as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 30 July 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the decision not to publish documentation in relation to the Holyrood building project on the grounds of commercial confidentiality will now be reviewed and whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will give precise details of the legal basis of the decision.
Answer
I shall reply to the Member as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 30 July 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer, with regard to paragraph 19 of The 2001/02 Audit of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by the Auditor General for Scotland, what companies other than Flour City were assessed; what points each such company scored, and, if it is not possible to disclose the names of the companies, whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will give the scores awarded to them.
Answer
I shall reply to the Member as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 30 July 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre unpriced copies of any contract documents between the Parliament and Bovis Lend Lease in respect of the Holyrood building project that existed before the signing of the main contract document in October 1999, including documents relating to the appointment of Bovis Lend Lease in January 1999.
Answer
I shall reply to the Member as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 23 July 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether Flour City satisfied the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) in relation to health and safety standards and whether the company breached any contractual obligations in respect of these standards.
Answer
The SPCB is not aware of any breaches of contract on health and safety grounds by Flour City Architectural Metals (UK), in relation to the MSP Building Cladding contract.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 23 July 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer, with regard to paragraph 16 of The 2001/02 Audit of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by the Auditor General for Scotland, what legal provision entitled the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) to withhold payment to Flour City in respect of the claims submitted for payment in July and August 2001; whether the SPCB would have been entitled to withhold payments in respect of the previous claims paid out between February and July 2001, and, if so, what the reasons were for not doing so.
Answer
Payments to Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd were withheld since the work in respect of which payment was claimed did not meet quality and delivery requirements in the contract.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 23 July 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre copies of the six contractual notices of failure in specified areas referred to in paragraph 13 of The 2001/02 Audit of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by the Auditor General for Scotland.
Answer
These notices are part of the documents concerning Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd which, on legal advice, should not be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, as the documents may form part of the productions in any litigation which may follow.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 23 July 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) invited the Auditor General for Scotland, in preparing his 2001-02 audit of the SPCB and, in particular, the consideration of the Flour City contract in respect of the Holyrood building project, to interview those companies and individuals that submitted tenders for the contract and those who were associated with the contract after it was awarded; whether the SPCB will make representations to the Holyrood inquiry being conducted by Lord Fraser of Carmyllie that these companies and individuals be interviewed, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter
Answer
No. The SPCB cooperated fully with the Auditor General's 2001-02 audit, but did not in any way attempt to lead or direct his enquiries. It will be a matter for Lord Fraser to determine what evidence he will consider and from whom. The SPCB shall fully co-operate with the inquiry being conducted by Lord Fraser.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 22 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received a letter issued in May 2003 from the Forum of Private Business in Scotland seeking a meeting with the Minister for Environment and Rural Development to discuss water charges for business customers; if so, whether the minister will hold such a meeting and invite all other bodies representing businesses that have expressed concerns on this matter
Answer
A letter from the Forum of Private Business in Scotland has been received and I have agreed to meet them.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 June 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 22 July 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether full colour calendars for 2003-04 have been sent in the same envelope as Integrated Administration and Control System forms to all recipients of such forms and, if so, on whose authority the decision to do so was taken and, in particular, whether the Scottish Biodiversity Forum's agriculture working group had any role in making the decision; how many calendars were sent out; what the calendars cost in total; what the cost was of any extra postage involved, and whether distributing these calendars in this manner was a sensible use of public funds
Answer
The Scottish Biodiversity Forum's IACS Year Calendar 2003-04 was issued with Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) packs to all IACS producers in the spring of this year. The distribution of the IACS year calendars in the IACS packs was jointly authorised by Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department's agricultural staff, CAP Management and Countryside and Natural Heritage divisions. Following issue of the IACS Year Calendar 2002-03 last year, the Scottish Biodiversity Forum's Agriculture Working Group (AWG) invited NFUS Farming Leader recipients to provide feedback on the calendar, in particular whether one should be produced for 2003-04. Eighty-eight per cent of questionnaire respondents requested an IACS Year Calendar for 2003-04 and on the basis of that result, AWG members agreed that another calendar should be produced. It was clear from the responses that a majority of IACS producers considered the calendar to be valuable not only in biodiversity terms but also for highlighting key dates for events and grant and subsidy scheme deadlines. The IACS year calendars are not Scottish Executive publications but have been produced by the AWG. A wide range of organisations is represented on the AWG (now known as the Rural Land Use Working Group) and several have been directly involved in creating and contributing to the cost of the two calendars.The production and issue of IACS year calendars to almost 20,000 IACS producers in 2002 and 2003 is just one of several ways the AWG has gone about fulfilling its remit of raising awareness of the importance of biodiversity and encouraging its protection and enhancement. Such publications will contribute towards farmers' understanding of the natural environment and how important their role is maintaining biological diversity in the countryside. This is particularly worthwhile as farmers become involved in a more environment-focused CAP system, cross-compliance and other environmental issues. A copy of the IACS Year Calendar 2003-04 was sent to 19,725 IACS producers at an additional postage cost of £6,706.50. The total cost of producing 20,000 and distributing 19,725 IACS Year Calendars for 2003-04 was £16,819. As in the previous year, all these costs were met by the AWG.
