- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 7 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-36630 by Kenny MacAskill on 21 October 2010, whether it considers that police officers are not bound by the prohibition in section 4 of the Firearms Act 1968 on conversion of weapons.
Answer
It is not for the Scottish Government to provide detailed legal interpretation of the provisions in the Firearms Act 1968. Firearms policy and legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 7 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-36630 by Kenny MacAskill on 21 October 2010, whether it considers that police officers are not bound by the prohibition in section 25 of the Firearms Act 1968 on the supply of firearms to anyone who is drunk or insane.
Answer
It is not for the Scottish Government to provide detailed legal interpretation of the provisions in the Firearms Act 1968. Firearms policy and legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 3 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on tackling poverty in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10 and how much it plans to spend on this in its 2011-12 draft budget.
Answer
There is no specific budget for tackling poverty. The majority of the social inclusion budget is for tackling poverty. Information on that is set out below, However, a range of other budgets across Scottish Government, including the Fairer Scotland Fund which allocated £435 million from 2008-11 and funding for policy areas such as early years, housing and health inequalities also contribute to tackling poverty. The budgets of local authorities and other delivery partners provide the main funding. As with Scottish Government spend, impact will be made through a wide range of mainstream as well as dedicated services.
Social Inclusion Budget (Spring Revision)
2007-08 £7.3 Million
2008-09 £6.8 million
2009-10 £6.7 million
2010-11 £5.2 million.
The Social Inclusion budget for 2011-12 in our draft budget is the same as for 2010-11.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 3 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional CO2 has arisen from the increase in journeys across the Forth Road Bridge since the removal of tolls.
Answer
Responsibility for the operations of the Forth Road Bridge is a matter for the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA).
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 3 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage increase in journeys across the Forth Road Bridge has been since the removal of tolls.
Answer
Responsibility for the operations of the Forth Road Bridge is a matter for the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA).
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 3 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason local authority employees are excluded from its living wage commitment.
Answer
Local government pay is a matter for local government and the appropriate unions.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 3 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to encourage living wage agreements in the private and voluntary sectors.
Answer
The Scottish Government is supportive of living wage commitments in the private and voluntary sectors. Our Public Sector Pay Policy for 2011-12 requires organisations covered by the policy to pay their employees a living wage of £7.15 per hour - the current living wage level proposed by the Scottish Living Wage Campaign. However, beyond the levels set by the National Minimum Wage, which is reserved to the UK Government, pay is a matter for organisations, their employees and trade unions.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 3 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what private sector employers it has met to discuss the implementation of a living wage policy and when.
Answer
The Scottish Government is supportive of living wage commitments in the private and voluntary sectors. Beyond the levels set by the National Minimum Wage, which is reserved to the UK Government, private sector pay is a matter for companies, their employees and Trade Unions.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 3 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will establish a unit to monitor the implementation of the living wage in the public sector.
Answer
The Scottish Government will monitor the implementation of the living wage in relation to those bodies covered by the Scottish Government Public Sector Pay Policy 2011-12 through its pay remit process. Pay across the rest of the public sector in Scotland is determined through separate processes outwith the Public Sector Pay Policy.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 1 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase the living wage for its employees on an annual basis.
Answer
The pay of staff below Senior Civil Service level in the Scottish Government is determined within the parameters set by Public Sector Pay Policy. The Scottish Government''s Public Sector Pay Policy for 2011-12 requires employers covered by its provisions to introduce a Scottish living wage, currently set at £7.15 per hour. All full-time staff in the Scottish Government are currently paid above that rate. Any revision to the Scottish living wage set out in future Public Sector Pay Policy will be taken into account by the Scottish Government in determining minimum rates of pay.
