- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 30 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Fife Council regarding the building of new schools in Fife.
Answer
The Scottish Governmenthas periodic meetings with all local authorities to discuss their school estatemanagement and investment plans detailed decisions on the deployment of capitalresources and plans for new schools are matters for the local authorities.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 30 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide access to funding over and above its three-year settlement to Fife Council for new school buildings in each of the next three financial years.
Answer
The concordat signedwith COSLA on 14 November 2007 set out the resources being made availableby the Scottish Government to local authorities over the next three years. Underthe terms of the concordat, we will be providing local authorities with almost £3billion of capital resources over that period to secure investment in schools andother local authority infrastructure.
Allocations of capital resources within the three-yearsettlement are set out in Annex I of Finance Circular 6/2007, which can be foundon the Scottish Government website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/local-government/17999/11203.It is now for FifeCouncil to determine what proportion of those allocations will be spent on new schoolbuildings.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 28 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on advertising Project Scotland during the recent festive period.
Answer
ProjectScotland is a companylimited by guarantee and registered as a charity whose aims and objectives are topromote the welfare and relieve the needs of the population in Scotland by encouragingand assisting young people to provide their skills and services voluntarily to charitableorganisations.
Full information about the workof ProjectScotland is available from its Chief Executive at 49 Melville Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7HL.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 28 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5123 by Stewart Stevenson on 5 November 2007, whether Fife Council has submitted its proposed revisions to the Fife Structure Plan and, if so, when it did so.
Answer
Proposed housing modifications to the Fife Structure Plan were submitted to Scottish ministers on 27 December 2007.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 24 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in addressing antisocial behaviour.
Answer
Much progress has been made bylocal partnerships to address antisocial behaviour since the Antisocial Behaviour(Scotland) Act was introduced in 2004. We are currently reviewing the national strategyto see where it can be strengthened, and will report our findings to Parliamentby the end of 2008. I am always happy to receive representations from members onthese issues.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when funding will be available for Fife Council through the Scottish Futures Trust.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8469 on 22 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 19 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture’s Ministerial Statement on Creative Scotland and Cultural Policy on 7 November 2007 (Official Report, c. 3072-88), what resources will be provided to voluntary organisations in the arts and crafts sectors to enable them to engage with community planning partnerships.
Answer
Community planningalready entails local engagement with individuals and organisations in the areaof each partnership, including the voluntary sector. As I mentioned in my parliamentarystatement, the Scottish Government will provide community planning partnershipswith advice and encouragement to help all sectors to play their part in culturaldelivery, and to add value through cultural activity.
Local authoritiesprovide financial resources to voluntary arts and crafts sector bodies in theirarea in relation to a range of activity. In 2005-06 (the latest figures available) the total amountof local authority grant aid to the voluntary arts sector amounted to about £11.3million.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 13 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing’s statement on housing on 31 October 2007 that she would “encourage Fife Council—as I will any other council in the country—to increase the supply of land” (Official Report, c. 2842), whether Fife Council’s Structure Plan will be approved even if the housing land reappraisal proposes a reduction in the land available for housing compared with the original proposals submitted to the Executive in 2006
Answer
The Fife StructurePlan was submitted to ministers in June 2006. Their consideration of the planhas been delayed whilst Fife Council re-appraise the housing allocations. It isexpected that the council will submit proposed housing amendments to the plan atthe end of this year, at which point, ministers will recommence their considerationof the whole plan. When deciding whether to approve a structure plan, ministerstake account of all relevant factors including objections and representations, aswell as national policy guidance such as Scottish Planning Policy 3: Planningfor Housing. This requires structure plans to provide sufficient housing landto meet the assessed requirement for new dwellings.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S3W-4700 which received a holding reply on 25 October 2007.
Answer
A substantive answerwas given to question S3W-4700 on 21 November 2007.All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Claire Baker, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it is undertaking with external bodies regarding ship-to-ship oil transfers in the Firth of Forth.
Answer
The Scottish Governmenthas discussed, with both Forth Ports plc and Scottish Natural Heritage, the completionof an appropriate assessment of proposals for ship-to-ship oil transfer in the Firthof Forth, including implications of the proposals for three Natura sites.
In particular, I metwith Forth Ports’ representatives on 5 June 2007, when I was updated on their considerationof the proposals, and the First Minister met with Forth Ports’ representatives on31 July 2007, when he was informed of progress made bythe on-going appropriate assessment.
