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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: S3W-26198

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 13 August 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support is available to assist businesses with the costs of achieving certification to ISO standards.

None. Whether or not to have an independent audit of its management system to confirm that it conforms, for example, to ISO 9001 or ISO 14001 is a decision to be taken by a business against a range of factors. These might include if implementation of ISO standards is a contractual, regulatory or market requirement, to meet customer preferences, or if the business thinks it will motivate staff by setting a clear goal for the development of its management system.

The best reason for wanting to implement ISO standards is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of company operations. A business can implement ISO standards without seeking certification; such certification of a management system is not always an ISO requirement.

Question reference: S3W-26204

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 July 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 5 August 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it requires or encourages construction companies undertaking publicly funded contracts to achieve certification to ISO standards and, if so, whether it will detail the levels of certification required or sought.

Decisions on the criteria used in public construction contracts to select contractors are taken on the basis of what is relevant and proportionate to individual project needs. Evidence of membership of recognised accreditation schemes, of which there are many, may form part of the consideration of the technical or professional ability of a contractor bidding for a job, but to set mandatory requirements for specific accreditation schemes could be open to challenge.

Question reference: S3W-25116

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the €1 billion funding package for rural broadband under the European Economic Recovery Plan will be allocated to Scotland.

Scotland''s share of the ‚¬1 billion funding package for rural broadband under the European Economic Recovery Plan is approximately ‚¬2.9 million. Criteria to determine the distribution of the funding package are currently being considered by the Scottish Government and will be concluded over the summer. Applications for the funding will be invited as soon as practicable thereafter.

As I announced on 10 June, funding for broadband services will be distributed under the Scotland Rural Development Programme through LEADER. I can also confirm that this funding will be ring-fenced and is additional to LEADER funding already allocated.

Question reference: S3W-25117

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be used to determine the distribution of Scotland’s share of the €1 billion funding package for rural broadband under the European Economic Recovery Plan.

Question reference: S3W-25118

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scotland’s share of the €1 billion funding package for rural broadband under the European Economic Recovery Plan will be distributed under the Scotland Rural Development Programme through the LEADER programme and, if so, whether it will be ring-fenced and whether it will be additional to any LEADER funding already allocated.

Question reference: S3W-25119

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive when applications can be made for funding from Scotland’s share of the €1 billion funding package for rural broadband under the European Economic Recovery Plan.

Question reference: S3F-01807

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 22 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Salmond on 25 June 2009

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Question reference: S3F-01786

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Salmond on 25 June 2009

To ask the First Minister what issues will be discussed at the next meeting of the Cabinet.

Question reference: S3W-24798

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 12 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 22 June 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many copies of Curriculum Review - Experiences and Outcomes were (a) printed and (b) sent to teachers; what the cost was of (i) printing and (ii) distributing the document, and whether consideration was given to (A) reducing the printing cost by designing a less glossy document in a simpler binding and (B) reducing the printing and distribution cost by the use of the internet to make the document available to teachers, with only a limited distribution of printed documents to schools.

The decision to issue the Curriculum Review - Experiences and Outcomes in a print format was based on engagement with teachers and teaching unions. During the trialling and engagement process, teachers expressed a strong demand for personal hard copies, in addition to the online version. They believed this format would be the most effective in enhancing teachers'' understanding of the linkages across the curriculum, which is a key principle of Curriculum for Excellence. The design brief for the Curriculum Review - Experiences and Outcomes was influenced by engagement with teachers and by the need to ensure consistency with the online version.

The format of the ring back folder was a direct response to teacher requests. The Government decided to bear the cost nationally rather than require individual teachers and schools to bear the cost of printing and copying from their own devolved school management budget.

One hundred thousand copies of the Curriculum Review - Experiences and Outcomes have been printed, of which 61,375 copies were sent directly to schools, providing sufficient for a copy for every teacher, for other staff in schools and to cover contingencies.

Copies have also been distributed to teacher education institutions, local authorities, Her Majesty''s Inspectorate of Education, early years centres and Scotland''s colleges.

The total print cost was £747,645. Final distribution costs are projected to be no more than £175,000.

Question reference: S3W-24658

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 16 June 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) its target for the number of housing units approvals and (b) the actual number of units approved by it where the grant offer was accepted was in each of the last three years for which information is available, broken down by local authority area.

The following table details the planned and actual unit approvals split by local authority over the past three years.

Planned and Actual Unit Approvals

	2006-07		2007-08		2008-09
	Planned	Out-turn	Planned	Out-turn	Planned	Out-turn
Highland	560	552	501	536	352	427
Orkney	134	120	91	94	83	49
Shetland	58	94	47	45	30	50
Western Isles	94	80	62	35	38	12
Aberdeenshire	368	24	637	692	69	58
City of Aberdeen	368	9	595	671	0	1
Moray	111	90	250	250	146	11
Angus	113	105	86	86	37	69
City of Dundee	212	170	212	52	196	168
Perth and Kinross	171	118	188	114	159	154
Clackmannanshire	36	57	50	71	55	12
Falkirk	51	56	105	115	48	48
Stirling	223	260	62	15	75	79
East Lothian	60	36	60	69	43	80
Fife	233	267	233	302	200	283
Midlothian	45	62	45	39	46	48
The Scottish Borders	89	96	89	76	82	90
West Lothian	198	196	198	100	88	98
City of Edinburgh	596	596	600	625	600	600
Dumfries and Galloway	132	149	195	187	115	430
East Ayrshire	100	202	100	104	51	92
North Ayrshire	90	118	90	68	81	88
North Lanarkshire	269	279	260	233	100	133
South Ayrshire	68	12	192	180	52	71
South Lanarkshire	420	179	260	334	175	174
Argyll and Bute	162	217	180	183	128	130
West Dunbartonshire	149	117	97	38	200	122
East Dunbartonshire	73	68	80	1	70	46
Inverclyde	317	159	98	101	150	222
Renfrewshire	235	388	105	219	26	12
East Renfrewshire	198	148	98	58	45	53
Glasgow	1,017	1,340	1,500	1,500	1,450	1,456
Glasgow Housing Association		69		239	410	442
Other Programmes				-10
LIFT: Shared Equity Open Market Pilot	150	675	634	434	520	465
Mortgage to Rent				161	150	233
Total	7,100	7,108	8,000	8,017	6,070	6,506

It should be noted that 1,563 approvals covered by the four-year Devanha programme agreement in Grampian are shown in 2007-08 in the table; however official stats published differ as they spread the approvals over a four-year period:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS.