- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the reputation of the National Conversation would be enhanced if the IP addresses of online contributors were routinely collected and compared for consistency with the stated location of such contributors.
Answer
The general privacy statement on the Scottish Government''s main website, which includes the National Conversation pages, states that any analytical data collected will not be used to identify any user personally. This approach is consistent with conventions for such sites and with section 38(1) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 12 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for making the final decision regarding the invitation lists for official engagements organised by it.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20319 on 12 February 2009. 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, 29 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 12 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on all aspects of the Working Group on Scotland Without Nuclear Weapons.
Answer
The total spent on the Working Group on Scotland Without Nuclear Weapons to date is £117.58.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 12 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive to what official engagements organised by it since May 2007 local MPs have been invited.
Answer
The Scottish Government publishes on a quarterly basis on the Scottish Government website (
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/14944/hospitality) the guest lists of those who have accepted an invitation to attend a Scottish Government hospitality event.
Information regarding the invitation of MPs to engagements is not held centrally and to locate and compile this information could only be done at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 12 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) its policy is and (b) the arrangements are for inviting local MPs and MSPs to official functions organised by it.
Answer
There is no policy regarding this issue, however, the commissioning policy area within the Scottish Government in consultation with stakeholders and the ministerial host determine the compilation of invitation lists for official engagements organised by the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 9 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S3W-19163 and S3W-19170 by Stewart Stevenson on 19 January 2009 and given that Transport Scotland has 291 employees and this figure does not include consultants, for what reasons it considers it impossible to separate out the cost of consultancy work.
Answer
The suppliers who provide consultancy advice to Transport Scotland are often responsible for wider service provision as part of an overall package. This could include engineering and support services. For this reason it is not always possible to separate out the cost of the consultancy element.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 9 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19169 by Stewart Stevenson on 19 January 2009, what elements are included in Transport Scotland’s budget for communications.
Answer
The communications budget of £115,000 for 2007-08 covered the preparation and publishing of a range of corporate documents and publicity material, the distribution of press releases, and running the Transport Scotland website.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19757 by Fiona Hyslop on 23 January 2009, which minister attended each meeting and what topics were discussed.
Answer
The following table provides information on which Scottish minister attended which meeting with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD) and what topics were discussed.
| Date | Scottish Minister | Topics Discussed |
| 25 September 2007 | Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning | Official opening of RSAMD''s new Digital Training Unit |
| 5 October 2007 | Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture | Glasgow''s UNESCO City of Music bid |
| 17 January 2008 | Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning | The future strategic direction for RSAMD and funding levels for drama |
| 5 February 2008 | First Minister | The range of RSAMD''s activities and opportunities for student participation in events |
| 28 April 2008 | Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning | Concerns of RSAMD Students'' Association about funding levels at RSAMD |
| 22 May 2008 | Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning | RSAMD''s financial position and funding levels for drama |
The other meetings listed in the previous reply involved officials only.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 4 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19159 by John Swinney on 19 January 2009, on what terms the chief executive of Transport Scotland will retire.
Answer
The Chief Executive of Transport Scotland is leaving the Scottish Government on normal retirement terms in line with the Civil Service Pension arrangements.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 4 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19396 by John Swinney on 19 January 2009, how many members of the senior civil service were considered for the post of chief executive of Transport Scotland; what criteria were used in making the appointment, and what the terms are of Mr Middleton’s appointment.
Answer
David Middleton was selected for appointment as the new Chief Executive of Transport Scotland, taking into account the skills and experience required for the post, from the group of around 40 Director level staff within the Scottish Government. He will take up the post as a normal Senior Civil Service assignment.
