- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the breakdown is between (a) construction, (b) maintenance and (c) other costs in the contract to build the M80 upgrade between Stepps and Haggs.
Answer
The £321.2 million NPV (net present value) of the whole contract is comprised as follows: (a) construction (including design) - £251.4 million; (b) maintenance (including capital works and operational costs) - £38.1 million, and (c) other costs (including taxation, financing and management costs) - £31.7 million.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 30 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether agencies other than the police are involved in tackling internet fraud.
Answer
In Scotland, the eight police forces, the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency e-crime unit and the Scottish Business Crime Centre are all involved in helping prevent internet fraud. In addition, private and business organisations such as banks and internet service providers are involved in monitoring and tackling internet fraud.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 30 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what action police forces are taking to tackle internet fraud.
Answer
Tackling fraud is a high priority for the Scottish police service. The e-crime unit at the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency provides specialist support to the Scottish Police Service on serious organised crime facilitated by computer and other information technology.
Following Her Majesty''s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland (HMICS) Thematic Inspection of Serious Fraud report, published in May 2008, an Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) led group has been established to take forward work to ensure a more systematic approach to understanding and handling fraud. It is expected to report shortly.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 30 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what concerns it has about internet fraud.
Answer
We, and the police, are treating all forms of fraud, including internet fraud, as a priority.
We support the recommendations in Her Majesty''s Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland''s recent Thematic Inspection on Serious Fraud to ensure a more systematic approach to handling fraud in Scotland within the police service, including establishing a national strategic unit. Scottish Government officials are working closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) team set up to take those recommendations forward.
The National Casework Division within the Crown Office and the police already work in partnership to investigate and prosecute high value, complex cases of fraud. Furthermore the National Fraud Initiative (NFI) has already identified around £37 million of fraud and error and has led to over 75 prosecutions in Scotland. We are strengthening the NFI by giving it statutory force in the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Bill. We are also using that bill to strengthen the law to ensure there are no barriers to all Scottish public authorities sharing information with each other and with anti-fraud organisations to help prevent and detect fraud.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 30 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of internet fraud have been reported to police in each of the last five years.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
The statistics held centrally on crimes of fraud recorded by the police do not distinguish the circumstances of the fraud, such as whether the fraud involved use of the internet.
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- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 12 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the monitoring officer and deputy monitoring officer of each local authority and the other positions they hold in their local authority.
Answer
This information is not held centrally. The appointment of a monitoring officer rests with each local authority.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 12 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authority monitoring officers are required to report regularly to any body other than the local authority for which they act and, if so, to what bodies.
Answer
Monitoring officers are only required to report to the full council for which they act.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 12 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the monitoring officer and deputy monitoring officer of each local authority are obliged to liaise with the chief executive of their local authority.
Answer
The monitoring officer and deputy monitoring offer are independent and are not subject to direction by the council. However, the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 states it is the duty of a monitoring officer in preparing a report, to consult as far as practicable with the authorities'' Head of Paid Services and the Chief Finance Officer.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 12 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive who appoints the monitoring officer and deputy monitoring officer for each local authority and whether these appointments require the approval of any agency other than the relevant local authority.
Answer
The Local Government and Housing Act 1989 requires councils to designate one of their officers as monitoring officer. The legislation requires that it must not be the Chief Finance Officer. No other approval is required.
In the absence of the monitoring officer, duties will be performed by the member of staff personally nominated by the monitoring officer as his deputy.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 12 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what body has primary responsibility for monitoring the work of local authority monitoring officers.
Answer
The role of monitoring officers is independent and is not subject to direction by the council or any other body.
