Parliamentary questions

Irene Oldfather

1,035 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made to improve the rights of (a) mobile and (b) residential park home owners.

Answer · John Swinney: In order to improve the rights and security of park home residents I have launched a public consultation on proposals to update the terms in agreements between residents and park owners. The consultation will run until 18 March 2011 and includes a draft Scott…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made a submission to the UK Government regarding the national reform programme and, if so, whether it will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Answer · John Swinney: Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with their Whitehall equivalents on the drafting of the UK National Reform Programme document. In addition, the Scottish Government intends to produce a separate Scottish National Reform Programme document,…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding the national reform programme.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has regular discussions with the UK Government on the UK National Reform Programme, most recently at the Joint Ministerial Committee (Europe) on 14 March 2011. Scottish Government officials are in regular contact with their Whitehall e…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the uptake of modern language learning was in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010.

Answer · Michael Russell: The following table shows Modern Languages Qualification Entries (Presentations) from 2009 and 2010 in publicly-funded schools in Scotland for pupils in Secondary 4 and Secondary 5/6. <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td width=425…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it served foie gras at official engagements in 2010 and, if so, (a) at what engagements and (b) on what dates.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has not served foie gras at any of its official engagements in 2010.

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in identifying options regarding an air route development fund.

Answer · Keith Brown: The European Commission''s 2005 guidelines on start-up aid to airlines remain in force and have prevented us from providing a successor to the Route Development Fund. The Commission is reviewing these guidelines and will consult publicly on any proposed chang…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police wildlife crime coordinators there are.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There are currently eight wildlife crime coordinators in Scotland, one in each police force.

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many attacks there were on emergency workers while on duty in 2010, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Number of crimes of an attack on an emergency worker recorded by the police in 2009-10, by local authority area. <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td nowrap valign=bottom > Local Authority Area </td> …

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many small and medium-sized enterprises applied for funding for eco-innovation projects under the 2010 Competitiveness and Innovation Programme.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Data from UK Government indicates that, in total, 68 UK small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) applied for funding for eco-innovation projects under the European 2010 Competitiveness and Innovation Programme. No data on the number of Scottish SMEs is held …

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been allocated from the Town Centre Regeneration Fund to North Ayrshire, broken down by town.

Answer · Alex Neil: Town Centre Regeneration Fund awards were made to the following towns in North Ayrshire: <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=563 > <thead> <tr > <td width=228 valign=top > Project Title </td> <td width=228 valign=to…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been for wildlife crime in 2010-11.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Forty-six prosecutions have been raised from April 2010 to date.

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been for illegal snaring in 2010-11.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There have been 17 snaring cases reported to the Procurator Fiscal Service from April 2010 to date. Information on the number of prosecutions for illegal snaring for 2010-11 will not be available until publication of the Criminal Proceedings in S…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget is for the upgrading of the Dalry bypass.

Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20652 on 24 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/App…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale is for the upgrading of the Dalry bypass.

Answer · Keith Brown: This project, which is included within Intervention 22 of the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR), will require many stages to be undertaken, including detailed design and development work before we can finalise the timescales for delivery. A …

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage film production in Scotland.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government provides support to the film industry in Scotland through Creative Scotland, which was formally established in July 2010. Creative Scotland distributed £3.2 million of lottery funding to encourage film production in Scotland in 2010-20…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many feature films were made in Scotland in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-40108 on 16 March 2011. 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…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-36829 by Fiona Hyslop on 7 October 2010, whether a timetable has now been agreed for return of HMS Carrick, or City of Adelaide, to Australia.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: My officials have maintained close contact with the South Australian group backing the City of Adelaide''s move. We''re all looking forward to the ship''s presentation as a celebration of the shared culture heritage of Scotland and Australia. Following a thor…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people live in overcrowded dwellings, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Alex Neil: The following table shows the estimated number of people living in overcrowded dwellings broken down by local authority area. The definition of overcrowding is based on the bedroom standard. The data are taken from the Scottish House Condition Survey covering…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the likely impact of the European Union’s policy framework, The Small Business Act, on small and medium-sized enterprises.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government is fully supportive of the EU Small Business Act, which complements our Government Economic Strategy and Purpose. The Scottish Government welcomes the European Commission''s intention to review the Small Business Act as a helpful oppor…

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to regulating the methods used by private car park operators when seeking payment of fines.

Answer · Keith Brown: This is primarily a matter of contractual law and civil enforcement between those who own and those who use such private car parks. There is also significant case law that applies in Scotland. For example, the High Court concluded in 1992 that wheel clamping …

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government on the methods used by private car park operators when seeking payment of fines.

Answer · Keith Brown: We have exchanged information with the UK Government about the way in which the law on parking operates but we have not proposed any changes to the way in which the law in this area operates in Scotland.

2 Mar 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken research on the methods used by private car park operators when seeking payment of fines.

Answer · Keith Brown: No.

2 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether procurators fiscal have a responsibility to examine the content and impartiality of witness statements recorded by police officers.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: Procurators Fiscal have a responsibility to consider the content of all information which is provided to them by the police and other reporting agencies in the course of a criminal case, including available witness statements. The Crown is also under an oblig…

2 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that police officers completing witness statements do so impartially and without consulting with colleagues.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: The requirements for the preparation of witness statements are set down in detailed operational guidance prepared by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland in consultation with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). This require…

2 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues to ensure the independence and impartiality of witness statements.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: Guidance is not issued directly by the Scottish Government, since these are operational matters for the police, other reporting agencies who prepare witness statements and prosecutors. Detailed guidance for police officers entitled Disclosur…

21 Jan 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-34012 by Shona Robison on 14 June 2010, whether it will seek to hold a debate on Scotland’s National Dementia Strategy before the dissolution of the Parliament in March 2011.

Answer · Shona Robison: We will seek to hold a debate on Scotland''s National Dementia Strategy before the dissolution of Parliament.

21 Jan 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address regeneration in areas of deprivation in the budget for 2011-12.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government remains committed to the regeneration of Scotland''s most deprived communities. Despite unprecedented levels of spending cuts from Westminster, we will continue to support a range of regeneration activity in 2011-12. This will include:…

21 Jan 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether North Ayrshire Council’s allocation to the Irvine Bay regeneration budget is proportionately higher than the allocations of other local authorities to their regeneration budgets.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not hold official figures on individual local authority budget allocations for regeneration activity. This is a matter for the local authorities concerned.

21 Jan 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the budget allocation for the Irvine Bay regeneration area will reflect the difficulties faced in the local area.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is aware of the challenges that are being faced in North Ayrshire, particularly issues around worklessness. This is why we have already provided £7.8 million to Irvine Bay Urban Regeneration Company (URC) since 2007. We will continue t…

29 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has undertaken of crime prevention strategies.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is continually analysing and testing the latest evidence on crime prevention both nationally and internationally to inform policy development and decision making. Officials liaise widely with researchers, partner organisations and gove…