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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-27606

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 August 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any disclosures made by Mr Peter McMahon to media in respect of the former First Minister constitute breaches of confidentiality; if so, which specific disclosures so constitute breaches of confidentiality; what the reasons are for not taking action against any such breaches; whether, had any such breaches been made by a former civil servant rather than by a former special adviser, it would have treated them differently, and, in particular, whether action would have been taken in such a case.

The articles written by Peter McMahon commenting on events when he was a special adviser did not contain anything which involved a significant breach of his duties in respect of confidential government information. On that basis legal action could not be justified. Civil servants, including special advisers, are bound by a duty of confidentiality and legal action would be considered against any existing or former civil servant, including special advisers, where there was a significant breach of that duty.

Question reference: S1W-27609

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 12 August 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on the circumstances under which primary schools should lose a teacher following a decrease in the school roll; whether such reductions in teacher complement should not take effect over a period of one year but over a longer period, and what guidance it will give to local authorities on this matter.

Question reference: S1W-27438

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Mike Watson on 5 August 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether hostel accommodation for backpackers in Scotland should meet essential minimum standards and, if so, what standards should be met giving full details, and whether the assessment of hostel accommodation in Scotland should be based on premises meeting such essential standards rather than in accordance with a grading scheme allocating them a number of stars from one to five.

Question reference: S1W-27383

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 2 August 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has convened the meeting between the forestry industry and COSLA representatives to discuss timber transport and rural roads issues as agreed by the Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development on 30 May 2002 (Official Report c 12540) and whether increased investment in rural roads is in the interests of the forestry industry.

I understand that the Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development has written to COSLA regarding a meeting, but no date has been arranged as yet.On investment, the Executive's Scottish Forestry Strategy identifies the development of timber transport infrastructure as a priority for action. However, it remains a matter for councils to determine their priorities on the maintenance of local roads used by timber transport, in terms of all the resources for which they are responsible, and to allocate resources to individual projects accordingly.

Question reference: S1W-27384

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 2 August 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the exercise of powers by local authorities to impose weight restrictions on roads may lead to areas of forest becoming isolated and whether any such action should be the subject of consultation with the Executive before it is taken.

Decisions on the management of local roads, including the imposition of weight restrictions, are a matter for local authorities. Consultation with the Executive on individual cases would not be appropriate. Wider issues concerning transport infrastructure and access to forest areas are being taken forward by the Timber Transport Forum.The Executive is aware of difficulties which can arise where areas of forest can become isolated or landlocked. In such circumstances, local authorities work closely with the forestry industry to identify alternative haulage routes, wherever possible.

Question reference: S1W-27385

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 2 August 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has met The Highland Council in connection with a proposal for a feasibility study in respect of a Stromeferry bypass.

Question reference: S1W-27248

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 2 August 2002

To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his answer to question S1W-22110 on 4 February 2002, whether a decision has been made yet on whether to take legal action against Flour City International Inc. and whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will provide an up-to-date estimate of the losses resulting from the Flour City situation.

Question reference: S1W-27358

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 1 August 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance has been provided to the north and north east by Communities Scotland for the purpose of providing housing accommodation for those with special needs; what the annual budget of Communities Scotland is for such housing; how this budget has been allocated in the current financial year, and whether it will provide a breakdown of such funding by geographical area for each year since Community Scotland's inception.

I have asked Mr Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:Communities Scotland's programme allocations reflect ministerial priorities and link the national distribution of resources to Area Teams, based upon the measurement of social exclusion. The area programme allocation is then developed in close consultation with partners, reflecting a broad range of existing partnership arrangements and leading to locally devised programmes and decision-making. Programmes are based upon local housing market and needs analysis to identify, consistent with our strategy, the demands, needs and opportunities for housing investment. Communities Scotland's allocation to North and North East Scotland on Housing Accommodation for Particular Needs is as follows:Communities Scotland - Expenditure in North and North East Scotland on Housing Accommodation for Particular Needs (2001-02 to 2002-03)

	2001-02 Approved Programme¹(£ million)	2002-03 Approved Programme²(£ million)
Grampian, Tayside and Fife	13.038	12.731
Highlands and Islands	2.838	2.358
Communities Scotland - Total	47.456	42.630

Notes:1. Approved Programme figure is used as 2001-02 accounts yet to be finalised - therefore these figures are subject to change.2. Estimates.

Question reference: S1W-27073

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 June 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 1 August 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Rural Development has met; whether its membership has changed and, if so, when and how; whether it produces minutes of its meetings, and, if so, whether these are made public.

The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Rural Development, which I Chair, (formerly the Ministerial Committee on Rural Development), was established in 1999, when it met three times. Since then, it has met five times in 2000 and five times in 2001 and has so far met twice this year, on 5 February and 15 May. The membership has changed once, following a review of ministerial committees and working groups in January this year, when some rationalisation was agreed. The sub-committee currently has the following members: the Minister for Social Justice, the Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, the Minister for Finance and Public Services, the Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development and the Deputy Minister for Tourism Culture and Sport. Details of the remit and membership of all Cabinet sub-committees are available on the Scottish Executive website. As indicated in the Guide to Collective Decision Making, a copy of which is available on the Scottish Executive website, the Executive operates on the basis of collective responsibility and does not disclose details of the internal processes through which decisions have been made. For that reason, the Executive does not normally publish minutes of Cabinet sub-committee meetings.

Question reference: S1W-26368

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 May 2002
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 16 July 2002

To ask the Presiding Officer how much of the #854,067 fee paid to Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Limited was paid to (a) Flour City and (b) contractors on behalf of Flour City.