- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the occasions since May 2007 when a minister has had the services of a police escort or outrider, showing the (a) minister, (b) nature of the event or journey and (c) total cost of the operation.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 6 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the policy of the Scottish Government and its agencies is in relation to dealing with allegations of bullying.
Answer
The Scottish Government''s aim is to ensure that all members of staff are able to work in an environment that is free from bullying, harassment, discrimination and victimisation and to feel safe and secure either in the workplace, or during work-related activities.
Our Dignity at Work policy makes clear that the Scottish Government, as an employer, will not tolerate behaviour considered to be unacceptable and that we will take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that staff are able to work in a safe and non-threatening working environment. This includes contact with external stakeholders and other third parties.
The policy also ensures that all staff are treated fairly at work and are able to pursue a grievance quickly and effectively. Any such complaints are dealt with sensitively, professionally, effectively and as quickly as possible. We also ensure that all line managers and other staff dealing directly with unacceptable behaviour in the workplace are equipped to identify and deal with these issues. We monitor all grievances, including those under our Dignity at Work policy, on an annual basis and address any issues arising from our monitoring quickly and appropriately.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 23 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from Edinburgh University Students’ Association regarding higher education and student funding and what action it is taking as a result.
Answer
The Scottish Government has received five letters from Edinburgh University Student''s Association (EUSA) with regards to student funding and in particular issues relating to student hardship.
EUSA were also represented at the student summit which I held in April 2008. At this summit a number of concerns were raised by students'' representatives, including the proposal to move to a minimum income guarantee, a policy which had previously been set out by NUS Scotland.
On 15 December 2008 I launched the Scottish Government''s consultation paper on supporting learners in Higher Education: Supporting a Smarter Scotland. This paper sets out proposals to reform student support in Higher Education, including the option of moving towards a minimum income guarantee.
Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47104) and can be found at www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations.
This consultation will provide an opportunity for all interested parties, including EUSA and other student representatives, to set out what their priorities are for higher education. We will consider all responses to the consultation before making any decisions on which option we chose to pursue.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 19 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the supplementary to question S3O-5175 by Kenny MacAskill on 11 December 2008 (Official Report c. 13360), whether it will answer the specific issues raised of whether any ministers were involved in discussions with Mr Osama Saeed or other representatives prior to a decision being made on an allocation to the Scottish Islamic Foundation from the race, religion and refugee integration funding stream and, if so, which ministers.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15009 on 3 September 2008. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
No additional ministerial meetings between Mr Osama Saeed or other representatives of the Scottish Islamic Foundation took place prior to the decision to award SIF funding from the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Funding Stream 2008-11.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 19 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it provided to the Scottish Islamic Foundation for its national conference in Glasgow on 6 December 2008 and whether this was additional to the funding it provided for Islamfest.
Answer
The Scottish Government did not provide any additional funding to the Scottish Islamic Foundation for its national conference in Glasgow on 30 November 2008. All funding provided by the Scottish Government to the Scottish Islamic Foundation is subject to normal funding conditions and is used for the purposes set out in the grant award.
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15005 on 3 September 2008, which provides a breakdown of the Scottish Government funding awarded to the Scottish Islamic Foundation. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 19 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) male and (b) female (i) prisoners and (ii) prison places it anticipates there will be in each of the next five years.
Answer
I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
Scottish prison population projections for each year from 2007-08 to 2017-18 are published in the November 2008 issue of the Scottish Government''s Statistics Publication Notice, Crime and Justice Series. The on-line version may be accessed at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/11/21110618/0.
The projected figures do not separately identify the number of male and female prisoners.
The current design capacity of Scottish prisons is 6,624. Planned developments will result in the following design capacity levels:
| End of Year | Design Capacity |
| 2008-09 | 7,440 |
| 2009-10 | 7,577 |
| 2010-11 | 7,577 |
| 2011-12 | 8,277 |
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 19 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will initiate discussion with Camelot regarding the production and sale of scratchcards to raise funds for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Answer
The Scottish Government has consistently objected to the diversion of £150 million lottery funds from Scottish good causes and the Minister for Communities and Sport has written to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with a bid to support the return of the funds. A dedicated scratchcard/game is one potential mechanism for the return of the funds.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 19 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussion or contact it has had with the (a) UK Government and (b) Office of Communications regarding public service broadcasting.
Answer
The Scottish Government has regular contact with the UK Government and Ofcom on a number of broadcasting issues. I recently met with Lord Stephen Carter, the new UK Government Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting and public service broadcasting was one of the issues discussed. The Scottish Government has also submitted a response to Ofcom''s Second Public Service Broadcasting Review “ Phase 2: preparing for the digital future consultation. The response can be accessed via the Ofcom website at:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/psb2_phase2/responses/scottish.pdf.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 18 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive which daily and weekly newspapers and magazines are purchased regularly for ministers.
Answer
The following daily and weekly newspapers and magazines are purchased regularly by ministers:
| Daily Record | The Big Issue |
| Daily Telegraph | The Spectator |
| Edinburgh Evening News | The Sunday Times |
| Evening Times | The Courier |
| Farmers Weekly | The Guardian |
| Financial Times | The Herald |
| Fishing News | The Independent |
| Health Service Journal | The Mirror |
| News of the World | The Scotsman |
| Press and Journal | The Sun |
| Scottish Daily Express | The Times |
| Scottish Daily Mail | Times Education Supplement Scotland |
| Scottish Farmer | West Highland Free Press |
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 18 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what overseas official visits the First Minister plans to make in the next six months.
Answer
A number of international visits are being considered at the moment. Ministerial diaries are subject to parliamentary and other pressures and therefore often subject to change. Details of each visit will be announced in due course.
