- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 7 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it is giving to (a) charities and (b) local authorities with investments in Icelandic banks.
Answer
The Scottish Government is working with the UK Government, Scottish local authorities and, through the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Scottish charities to secure and retain all the assets that Scottish depositors had placed in Icelandic banks in good faith.
We are in regular contact with the UK Government, including the Secretary of State for Scotland and HM Treasury to ensure that everything possible is being done by the UK Government to recover these assets.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 7 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive for what projects it has drawn up approved lists of contractors and what the criteria are for deciding whom to include.
Answer
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 7 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what bonuses were paid to the Permanent Secretary in each of the last three financial years.
Answer
The Permanent Secretary''s remuneration is set by the UK Government on the recommendation of the Permanent Secretaries'' Remuneration Committee, which comprises members of the independent Senior Salaries Review Board (SSRB), the Head of the Home Civil Service and the Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury, as set out in paragraph 31 of the Scottish Government Consolidated Accounts which were published on 30 September 2008 at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/09/29130020/21.
In common with the remainder of the Senior Civil Service, the resources available for annual non-consolidated performance bonuses available for Permanent Secretaries are significantly greater than those available for increases in consolidated pay, in line with the recommendations of the SSRB.
Paragraph 38 of the Consolidated Accounts for 2007-08 sets out the salary and benefits in kind of the Permanent Secretary and comparable information is available in the Consolidated Accounts for previous years.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 7 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide substantive answers to questions S3W-16307 and S3W-15878, which received holding replies on 29 September 2008.
Answer
Information is currently being collated and answers to questions S3W-16307 and S3W-15878 will follow in due course.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 7 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-17090 by John Swinney on 22 October 2008, which Scottish ministers and junior Scottish ministers have signed a declaration of adherence to the provisions of the Official Secrets Act 1989.
Answer
The Official Secrets Act 1989 applies to the Scottish ministers. There is no requirement for ministers to sign declarations of adherence to the act.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 7 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the First Minister has met the (a) Prime Minister and (b) Secretary of State for Scotland in each month since May 2007.
Answer
The First Minister met with the Prime Minister on 16 July 2007 and 28
April 2008.
The First Minister met with the Secretary of State for Scotland on 16 August 2007, 25 January 2008, 25 June 2008 and 21 October 2008.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the introduction of a single non-emergency telephone number.
Answer
The Scottish Government is not convinced that the considerable expense in terms of funding and organisational change needed to install a single non-emergency number would be justified by the possible benefits. Our view is that the most appropriate way forward is through police forces and local authorities collaborating to develop solutions that work best to meet public demands and expectations. This is already bearing fruit in a number of areas such as Grampian, where Grampian Police and Aberdeenshire Council have a formal contract that covers out-of-hours calls and callouts for services including environmental health and housing repairs.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 6 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all statements by ministers prior to 1 September 2008 calling for greater regulation of banks and other financial institutions.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not call for greater regulation in any sector but rather regulation that is proportionate, transparent and targeted.
The Scottish Government has taken the view that the most appropriate route to discuss regulation of the financial services industry in Scotland was through the Financial Services Advisory Board (FiSAB) which comprises industry, trade union and Scottish Government representatives. I wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in April 2008 following advice from FiSAB calling for improved communications between the tripartite authorities and Scotland. In his speech to the Global Financial Services Conference organised under the FiSAB auspices in May 2008 the First Minister called for careful deliberation and a measured response. That is still the Scottish Government''s approach.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 6 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road fatalities there were in 2007-08 and how this compares with the previous three years.
Answer
The following table shows the number of casualties involved in injury accidents who were killed in the years 2004 to 2007. Data for 2008 are still being collected and will not be available until early next year.
| Year | Casualties Killed in Road Accidents |
| 2004 | 308 |
| 2005 | 286 |
| 2006 | 314 |
| 2007 | 281 |
Source: Scottish Government (STATS 19 return).
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 6 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to the use of fixed-term contracts for its senior officials.
Answer
Fixed-term employment contracts, normally for no more than four years, are used from time to time for appointments to the Senior Civil Service in line with business needs. They allow for people to be recruited to posts that are expected to last for a defined period and/or where there is a specialised business need.
