- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings have taken place involving ministers regarding learning from the experience of the recent severe weather period and what action is proposed as a result.
Answer
The Scottish Government has asked resilience contacts across Scotland to identify lessons which may be learned and applied from the recent period of prolonged winter weather. The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Scottish Government Resilience (CSC SGoR) will meet to consider the findings, including any recommendations for action, once the current Scottish Government Resilience Room lessons learned activity has reported.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what visits Scottish ministers have made to areas affected by the Forth Replacement Crossing project since May 2007.
Answer
Ministers have visited areas affected by the Forth Replacement Crossing on a number of occasions.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions ministers or officials have had with (a) ScotRail, (b) East Coast and (c) CrossCountry about the rail service between Glasgow and Edinburgh and onward to England and what action it will take as a consequence.
Answer
I recently held an introductory meeting with the Managing Director of the East Coast Main Line Company during which we discussed the company''s planned changes to service provision on the East Coast Main Line, and the development of the SLC2 timetable.
Neither Scottish Ministers nor Officials have directly discussed the development of the SLC2 timetable with Arriva Cross Country.
Responsibility for cross border services rests with the Department for Transport, and we will continue to press the DfT to reconsider additions to the timetable which they have chosen not to include.
Transport Scotland has asked ScotRail to analyse the proposed East Coast timetable for May 2011 to identify the impact on ScotRail services.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 4 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive which ministerial journeys were made by public transport in 2009 that were made by car in 2008 and what plans there are for similar carbon saving transfers in 2010.
Answer
We are unable to make a comparison as ministerial journeys and engagements are not similar year-on-year.
Our objective is to reduce our overall business travel related emissions by 20% between 2005-06 and 2010-11 and by 40% by 2019-20 against 2005-06 levels.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 3 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of what annual revenue would be raised if the power to raise income tax by 3p in the pound were used.
Answer
HM Treasury estimates, published in Budget 2009, suggest that a three pence increase in the Scottish variable rate could have raised approximately £1 billion in 2009-10.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 3 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to proposing that the Parliament make use of the power to raise income tax by up to 3p in the pound.
Answer
Scottish ministers have no plans to invoke the Scottish variable rate to raise income tax in Scotland.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 3 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what buildings occupied by it and its agencies have been fitted with (a) solar panels, (b) wind generators and (c) other renewable power sources since May 2007.
Answer
As part of a current refurbishment project at Saughton House, Edinburgh, solar panels are being installed to meet some of the hot water needs of the building. This project is due to be completed in June 2010.
At the new Fish Veterinary and Aquaria facility currently under construction in Aberdeen photo-voltaics will be fitted to meet some of the electricity supply needs of the building. The building is due for completion in August 2010.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 3 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements will be made to institute a period of purdah during the forthcoming UK general election.
Answer
The arrangements that are put in place will be the same as for previous general elections. Guidance on the conduct of Scottish Government civil servants during UK General Election periods is based on the principle that the Scottish Ministers will continue to carry out their devolved functions as usual. The Scottish Government will remain in office whatever the outcome, and the normal business of the Scottish Government and the Parliament should continue during the election period with as little disruption as possible.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 3 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of its employees earn less than £18,000 per annum.
Answer
As at 31 December 2009, there were 1,106 members of staff in the Scottish Government core departments with full-time equivalent salaries of less than £18,000 per annum. This represents 20% of all staff in the core departments.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 3 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what efficiency savings were made in each of its directorates in 2008-09; by what means, and in what areas other than procurement.
Answer
Efficiency savings are not reported on a directorate basis. The 2008-09 Outturn Report, which is available on the Scottish Government website shows savings made by individual projects, grouped by director general. This is in line with the reporting arrangements of the previous administration, which collated savings by head of department.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/11/Outturn2008-09.
Table 3 of the Outturn Report highlights savings reported against the key workstreams of asset management, procurement and shared services. In addition, each Efficiency Delivery Plan describes, at section 7, the actions that will generate the expected savings. The latest version of the Efficiency Delivery Plan document is available at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/11/EDPNovember2009.
