- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 10 October 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer what the reasons are for the additional cost of the works packages let as part of the Holyrood Project and set out in Annex A to the quarterly report on the Parliament Building Project to be considered at the Finance Committee on 8 October 2002 and, in particular, how much of the additional cost for each package is attributable, or estimated as being attributable, to (a) blast resistance requirements and (b) other reasons, detailing in full what the reasons are for the additional costs in each case.
Answer
As reported to the Finance Committee on 8 October 2002, the Holyrood Project Team are currently in the process of compiling a more detailed estimate of the additional costs associated with the blast resistance requirements for the new building. The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has confirmed that the results of this exercise will be made available in due course.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 10 October 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his answer to question S1W-29130 on 24 September 2002, whether he will now provide the information requested on how much in total has been incurred in respect of legal advice on contractual and other issues in connection with Flour City Architectural (Metals) UK Ltd, including those involved in examining and preparing the case for action under the parent company guarantee, and details of the invoices issued and the dates when they were paid and those that remain outstanding
Answer
The amount of legal fees incurred to date, relating to contractual and other issues concerning the Flour City trade contract, amounts to £26,124.24 including VAT. The invoice details requested were provided to the member in my letter to him of 3 October, a copy of which will be made available to other members in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 10 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of the decision of the Inland Revenue not to give a tax concession that would allow ex-gratia payments in respect of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes to be made as tax-free lump sum payments, what action it will now take in the interests of the scheme members, given that the Inland Revenue has allowed tax-free lump sum payments to members of the National Bus Company pension scheme.
Answer
We have made representations to Treasury Ministers. The matter now lies with them and I understand that Scottish Members of Parliament are pursuing these matters on behalf of their constituents.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 9 October 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer what the total current estimate is of the fees for the Holyrood Project and whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will provide a full breakdown of these fees.
Answer
As reported to the Finance Committee on 8 October 2002, the current estimate for professional fees relating to the Holyrood Project amounts to £38.6 million. A breakdown cannot presently be given as the amounts payable to the individual professional consultants are still regarded as "commercially confidential".
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to any physical, practical and financial constraints which may face The Highland Council in implementing an effective waste strategy; whether it will provide assistance to the council to implement such a strategy from the Strategic Waste Fund, and, if so, how much it will provide and over what period.
Answer
As part of the implementation of the National Waste Strategy, an Area Waste Plan is being prepared to establish the Best Practicable Environmental Option for waste in the Highland Council area. A draft plan is available on the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's website at: http://www.sepa.org.uk/. In preparing the plan the strategy group, which includes the council, followed published guidance and considered physical, practical, financial, social and environmental constraints.The Highland Council is also preparing a public private partnership contract for the treatment and disposal of waste collected by the council. The Executive has been kept informed of the progress of the waste PPP scheme. However, the council has not yet submitted a bid for support from the Strategic Waste Fund. The Executive has not therefore made an assessment about what level of support might be provided to the council to assist in implementing the Highland Area Waste Plan.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 30 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the event that the Inland Revenue grants a concession so that pensioners and beneficiaries under the Scottish Transport Group pension funds do not have to pay income tax on their payments, any tax deducted will be reimbursed immediately following the securing of the exemption.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-29303 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 30 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28258 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 September 2002, whether the first tranche of payments under the disbursement of Scottish Transport Group pension funds will be calculated using a fixed percentage of the total calculated entitlement and, if so, what that percentage will be and, if not, how the percentage of payments to be made under the first tranche will be calculated, and whether the second tranche of payments will be for the total amount remaining.
Answer
The first tranche of payments was calculated as £3.90 per £ of pension or pension entitlement at 1993 levels. The total to be paid out in this tranche, assuming that all the details on the database are correct, is approximately 80% of the £118 million then available for distribution. Since the calculations were made for the first tranche of payments we have secured an additional £8 million for distribution to beneficiaries, and the second tranche will distribute the balance of the £126 million now available.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 30 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28202 by Lewis Macdonald on 2 September 2002, whether it still supports the application for a Public Services Obligation (PSO) for the Inverness/Gatwick route; what conditions are attached to its support for the PSO, and, in particular, whether its support is dependent upon the outcome of the consultation exercise on the Department of Transport's consultation paper, The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom.
Answer
Ministers unconditionally support the application of measures to secure Inverness' link with Gatwick and this is not dependent on the outcome of the present consultation process.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 30 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27999 by Peter Peacock on 2 September 2002, what it estimates will be the percentage of small businesses eligible for business rate relief under the scheme to be introduced in 2003.
Answer
The Executive is currently preparing estimates of the number of properties eligible for relief and these will be published later this year, when the Minister for Finance and Public Services formally announces the provisional poundage rate for 2003-04.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 30 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what communication it is having with the Inland Revenue with regard to the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes and, in particular, (a) what concessions it is seeking from the Inland Revenue in respect of the schemes and (b) what response it has received.
Answer
Following previous exchanges of correspondence with the Inland Revenue on taxation issues, I wrote to HM Treasury on 9 August 2002 seeking a tax concession which would allow the ex-gratia payments to be made as tax-free lump sum payments. HM Treasury replied on 20 September 2002 confirming their view that there was no case for special treatment.
