- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 20 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the creation of a not-for-profit bidder for the ScotRail franchise and what action it has taken to explore the practicality of this.
Answer
All contract models for the future franchise are being fully explored, including not-for-profit models. Discussions with the Scottish Trades Union Congress and its affiliate rail unions have already taken place as part of the preparatory work currently being undertaken to launch a full consultation exercise on the form and content of the next franchise.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 20 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will be able to provide a Scotland-wide multi-modal smartcard ticket for public transport and, if so, by what date.
Answer
The Scottish Government has provided smart enabled electronic ticket machines to the entire Scottish bus fleet, as part of its administration of the National Concessionary Travel Scheme, and is working with First Scotrail on a trial of similar systems for the rail industry. We will continue to work with transport operators, local authorities and Regional Transport Partnerships to support the creation of a multi-modal smartcard ticket for public transport.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 20 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to further refine the existing on-bus smartcard system and, if so, what the nature of the refinements will be.
Answer
The roll-out of smart enabled electronic ticket machines to the entire Scottish bus fleet has allowed Transport Scotland to introduce processes that enable it to manage the National Concessionary Travel Scheme more efficiently and more effectively. Transport Scotland will continue to review these processes and introduce further improvements as appropriate.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 20 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what activity will be funded by the additional expenditure shown for the smartcard programme in Table 7.05 of Scotland’s Spending Plans and Draft Budget 2011-12.
Answer
The £9.5 million allocated to the smartcard programme quoted in the draft budget 2011-12 paper will be used to fund the managed services that support the current ITSO interoperable smart systems, ITSO fees and charges, necessary software and hardware upgrades including back office systems development as well as supporting further development of smart and integrated ticketing.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 19 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on students taking a non-traditional route toward a degree qualification and who move from one institution to another over a summer break benefiting from the same council tax discounts during the summer as other students.
Answer
The Scottish Government is supportive of students accessing education through all routes. Students leaving one institution before enrolling at another to commence further studies are not deemed to be students during that period. Consequently, they may be liable to council tax. However, where they are liable, they may be eligible for council tax benefit of up to 100% to help pay their council tax bill.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2011
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 19 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the forthcoming Council Tax (Discounts) (Scotland) Amendment Order 2011 can make it possible for students, including those who take non-traditional routes to university, to benefit equally from council tax discounts and, if so, whether it plans to use these powers to do so.
Answer
All students who meet the relevant qualifying criteria will be eligible for an exemption from council tax charges and thus will benefit equally.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 December 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 19 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37964 by John Swinney on 15 December 2010, whether it will urge the UK Government to withdraw from the Government Procurement Agreement or to amend it to allow the application of ethical criteria in procurement decisions, for example to implement boycotts against countries that are in breach of international law
Answer
The UK''s membership of the World Trade Organization''s Government Procurement Agreement allows Scottish businesses certain rights to participate in competitive tendering opportunities in those international markets covered by the agreement; withdrawal from the agreement may result in Scottish businesses being denied access to these markets. There are no current plans to urge the UK Government to withdraw from the agreement or to amend it to implement boycotts against other parties to the agreement.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 17 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any assurances, statements, views or comments were given by the First Minister to the Trump Organization on the likely outcome of its planning application for the Menie Estate at his meeting with their representatives on 3 December 2007.
Answer
No. Mr Salmond undertook this meeting in his capacity as the MSP for Gordon and was excluded from the decision making process on this application.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 17 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) phone calls, (b) letters, (c) emails and (d) other communications were made between its ministers, officials and representatives and the Trump Organization between 29 November and 10 December 2007.
Answer
Substantial information was published by the Scottish Government on the Menie Estate planning application. These documents, which include the period between 29 November and 10 December 2007, are available on the Scottish Government website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/1997/03/17133808/0.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 November 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 17 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that any communication from ministers or civil servants between 29 November and 10 December 2007 could be interpreted as encouraging the Trump Organization to expect that its planning application for the Menie Estate would be granted and, if so, who was involved in any such communications.
Answer
No.
