Parliamentary questions
Karen Whitefield
555 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the publication of the Scotrail franchise amendment agreement, how the simplification of the fares system for rail services will benefit rail passengers.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Simplification of the fares structure will ensure that there are only four ticket types available. The new structure will bring greater clarity for passengers. The change is UK wide.</p>
7 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what options remain for altering the service level commitment in the Scotrail franchise agreement as amended.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answered on question S3W-11787 on 2 May 2008. 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/webapp/…
7 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the publication of the Scotrail franchise amendment agreement, how decisions will be made regarding the allocation of the Stations Community Regeneration Fund.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11793 on 1 May 2008. 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/webapp/wa…
7 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to begin the tendering process for the next Scotrail franchise.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government currently has no plans to begin the tendering process for the next ScotRail franchise.</p>
7 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the publication of the Scotrail franchise amendment agreement, whether further consultation with stakeholders will influence amendments to service level commitments and whether it will publish the list of stakeholders with which it will consult.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The service level commitments contained within the ScotRail franchise agreement were not affected by the decision to extend. We will consult on specific enhancements in the amendment agreement.</p> <p >In line with the undertakings given to the Transport, In…
24 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reregulate bus services.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: At present there are no plans to re-regulate the bus industry in Scotland. The Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 provides a framework which allows local transport authorities to enhance the provision of local bus services. The act provides a toolkit of options in…
24 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the introduction of a not-for-profit trust to run Scotland’s rail services.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government will consider its approach when engaging in the next re-franchising exercise.</p>
24 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions took place between Transport Scotland and representatives of FirstGroup plc in respect of its share price during the negotiations on the extension of the Scotrail franchise.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Discussions took place about the correct process for release of information on what was recognised as a price sensitive matter.</p> <p >No discussions took place on the share price.</p>
24 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions took place between ministers and representatives of FirstGroup plc in respect of its share price during the negotiations on the extension of the Scotrail franchise.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: No discussions took place on this matter.</p>
24 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent FirstGroup plc’s share price was taken into consideration during the negotiations on the extension of the Scotrail franchise.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-12238 on 8 May 2008. 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/webapp/wa…
24 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether FirstGroup plc’s share price was taken into consideration during the negotiations on the extension of the Scotrail franchise.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The extension of the ScotRail franchise was share price sensitive, requiring an announcement by officers of the company to the Stock Exchange. This necessary process was a consideration during the negotiations.</p> <p >The share price itself was not a consid…
18 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how long it will take to deliver on its pledge to cut class sizes to 18 for all P1 to P3 schoolchildren.
Answer · Maureen Watt: We have signed an historic concordat with local government under which local government undertakes to make year-on-year progress on reducing primary 1 to primary 3 classes to a maximum of 18. The concordat recognises that the rate of progress will vary betwee…
18 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received advice from officials that its pledge to cut class sizes to 18 for all P1 to P3 schoolchildren is not deliverable within Session 3 of the Parliament.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Advice from officials to ministers is confidential. On 14 November 2007 we signed an historic concordat with local government under which local government undertakes to make year on year progress on reducing primary 1 to primary 3 classes to a maximum of 18. …
18 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice was given to ministers regarding its ability to deliver on its pledge to cut class sizes to 18 for all P1 to P3 schoolchildren.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Advice from officials to ministers is confidential. On 14 November 2007 we signed an historic concordat with local government under which local government undertakes to make year on year progress on reducing primary 1 to primary 3 classes to a maximum of 18.…
18 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any estimate was made of cost to the public purse of delaying a decision on the extension of the Scotrail franchise until after the publication of Audit Scotland’s report into the issue and, if so, what the estimated cost was.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Prior to the decision to extend the First ScotRail Franchise, a value for money assessment was undertaken. The principles of awarding an extension were carefully examined against the alternative of a re-franchise. This examination covered performance to date;…
18 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who initiated the process of extending the Scotrail franchise.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: As contained within Schedule 18 of the ScotRail Franchise Agreement, it is Scottish ministers who offer the franchise an extension to the contract on agreed terms.</p>
18 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the process of extending the Scotrail franchise began.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Autumn 2006.</p>
11 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence was used to identify which services would be recommended for enhancement in the extension to the Scotrail franchise.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the ministerial statement which can be found in column 7712 in the <i >Official Report</i> of Thursday 17 April 2008. The <i >Official Report</i> can be found at: </p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialRep…
11 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it understands the terms of reference for the Audit Scotland examination of the Scotrail franchise arrangements to be and when it expects Audit Scotland to report.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the statement I gave to Parliament on 17 April.</p> <p >Audit Scotland writes its own terms of reference and these, together with the timescales for report, can be found on their website at <a href="http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/">w…
10 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following claims by the new Education Design Champion for Scotland that most schools in Scotland suffer from sick building syndrome caused by bad design, and miserable and short-term briefs from authorities seeking to cut costs, what plans it has to address any such problems and implemen…
Answer · Maureen Watt: We announced on 25 February 2008 that we are funding Architecture and Design Scotland over three years to run a schools programme in which they will work closely with local authorities across Scotland to help them share good practice and get the very best res…
10 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the appointment of Paul Stallan as Education Design Champion for Scotland, what the remit is of this position and how much public funding has been allocated to support this initiative.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Paul Stallan is already a board member of Architecture & Design Scotland (A+DS) but receives no remuneration in respect of his appointment as Education Design Champion by A+DS.</p> <p >A+DS describe his role as to give strategic direction to the work tha…
9 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of local authority nursery classes benefit from a dedicated qualified nursery teacher and how it plans to improve this figure.
Answer · Adam Ingram: Figures from the pre-school teacher census that took place in September 2007 indicate that 87% of local authority pre-schools had at least one General Teaching Council for Scotland registered teacher. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that ever…
9 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects every nursery class in every nursery school to have a qualified nursery teacher and what action it intends to take to achieve this objective.
Answer · Adam Ingram: The commitment to deliver access to a teacher for every pre-school age child is contained within the concordat with COSLA, which covers the period 2008-09 to 2010-11. It is the first commitment which has been made since devolution to ensure pre-school childre…
9 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of recently published statistics showing a reduction in the number of qualified nursery teachers, what plans it has to address this shortfall and to ensure that every local authority provides pre-school children with access to a qualified nursery teacher.
Answer · Adam Ingram: Progress towards delivering access to a teacher for every pre-school child is one of the commitments contained in the concordat signed with COSLA in November 2007. The Scottish Government expects that local authorities will deploy teachers on the basis of loc…
9 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to meet its manifesto commitment of ensuring that every nursery child has access to a qualified nursery teacher, in light of recently published statistics showing a reduction in the number of qualified nursery teachers.
Answer · Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government expects that local authorities will deliver the commitment to ensure access to a teacher for every pre-school age child using flexible models of teacher deployment, based on local needs and circumstances.</p>
3 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007, what progress has been made in establishing a central barring unit.
Answer · Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government is taking forward a comprehensive implementation programme to deliver the provisions of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. This includes delineating the determination criteria for inclusion on the barred lists and…
3 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on implementing the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 and when it anticipates the Act will come into force.
Answer · Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government is taking forward a comprehensive implementation programme to deliver the provisions of the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. This includes developing information flows with partners, preparing guidance and training,…
20 Mar 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following recent comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice that “our prisons are going to burst”, what steps it has taken to ensure that prisoners are not kept in overcrowded conditions.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill : I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >On 9 April 2008, SPS was responsible for 8,054 prisoners (7,686 in custody and 368 on home detention curfew) with a design capacity …
20 Mar 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following recent comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice that “our prisons are going to burst”, what steps it has taken to ensure the safety of prison officers within HM Prison Shotts.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11196 on 16 April 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on t…
20 Mar 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following recent comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice that “our prisons are going to burst”, what steps it has taken to ensure that there is sufficient capacity within the Scottish Prison Service.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The SPS is maximising the use of its accommodation to manage the high numbers. HM Prison Addiewell is planned to open in December 2…