Parliamentary questions

Pauline McNeill

2,367 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what increase there will be in the budget for rolling out drugs courts in each of the three years of the draft budget.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The draft budget containsprovision for the continued operation of the existing drug courts in Fife and Glasgow. The position of these is due to be reviewedin spring 2009 against the progress made with the summary justice reforms. Meantimethere are no plans fo…

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the number of community wardens in each of the three years of the draft budget.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: We have no plansto increase the number of community wardens. For future years, funding forcommunity safety and antisocial behaviour will be included within the overalllocal government finance settlement. It will be the responsibility of eachlocal authority, i…

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be a real terms increase in the Safer Communities budget in each of the three years of the draft budget.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Safer Communitiesbudget includes funding for community safety, for tackling antisocial behaviour,and for tackling drug misuse.Up to and includingthe current year, the bulk of funding for community safety and for tackling antisocialbehaviour has bee…

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any part of the local authority grant aided expenditure in the draft budget for 2010-11 will include funds for Safer Communities.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6924 on 5 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any part of the local authority grant aided expenditure in the draft budget for 2009-10 will include funds for Safer Communities.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the memberto the question S3W-6924 on 5 December 2007. All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search">ht…

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the expenditure for Safer Communities planned for the 2007-08 budget has been transferred to local authority grant aided expenditure for 2008-09 in real terms.

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the expenditure for Safer Communities planned for the 2007-08 budget has been transferred to local authority grant aided expenditure for 2008-09.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Under the concordatagreed between Scottish ministers and COSLA, funding for community safety and antisocialbehaviour will be absorbed into the main local government settlement from 1 April2008.The Scottish Governmentwill be providing local government w…

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth will write to me as he promised in response to my question on the ministerial statement on the strategic spending review (Official Report, c. 3339).

Answer · John Swinney: I replied to the memberon 26 November 2007.

13 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether police numbers on 13 November 2008 will be 150 higher than on 13 November 2007 and whether they will be 500 higher on 13 November 2011.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-5268 on 29 October 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…

2 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects a decision to be taken on Tesco Stores Ltd’s request for a public local inquiry in respect of its planning application to build a major superstore at Beith Street, Partick, Glasgow.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6007 on 8 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…

2 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in the consideration of Tesco Stores Ltd’s appeal to the Scottish ministers in respect of its planning application to build a major superstore at Beith Street, Partick, Glasgow.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Directorate forPlanning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) has received two valid planning appealsfrom Tesco Stores Ltd against the failure to give decisions on applications forplanning permission by Glasgow City Council for retail development on land to th…

5 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2874 by Bruce Crawford on 27 August 2007, when it first contacted organisations about participating in the proposed summit in opposition to the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system.

Answer · Bruce Crawford: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-4058 on 13 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…

5 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2874 by Bruce Crawford on 27 August 2007, what organisations have been contacted about participating in the proposed summit in opposition to the renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system.

Answer · Bruce Crawford: Duringthe debate on 14 June 2007 the Scottish Parliament showed clear opposition to the UK Government’s plans to replace Tridentand support for the Scottish Government’s vision of a Scotland without nuclear weapons.As part of the National Conversation …

31 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to protect open and green space that is not included in the definition of valued and functional space in Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 11.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3874 on 13 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…

31 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to define valued and functional space in the new guidance replacing National Planning Policy Guideline: NPPG 11 - Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Space.

31 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it plans to lay the regulation for the new guidance on recreational and open space to replace Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 11.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Governmentplans to issue Scottish Planning Policy 11 (SPP 11) in the near future. The dateof publication is not yet confirmed. Ministers are currently considering the textof the document and have made no final decisions in this regard.

29 Aug 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what responsibility the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism retain for Scotland¿s creative industries and when they will outline their vision for the growth of this sector of the economy.

Answer · Jim Mather: the Scottish Government is collectively considering how to best support the creativeindustries in Scotland. We will make an announcementon this matter, setting out respective roles and responsibilities, when we publishour proposals for Creative Scotland.

20 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has taken from the Scottish law officers in relation to the competence of the Executive to hold a referendum as detailed in the national conversation white paper.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-3306 on 12 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

15 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has (a) sought and (b) received on the legislative competence of the proposed Referendum (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The practice of successivegovernments, reflected in the Scottish Ministerial Code and the provisions of theFreedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, is that the fact and content oflegal advice is not revealed. We consider it entirely proper for the Scottish…

15 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the proposed Referendum (Scotland) Bill will be brought before the Parliament.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The government iscommitted to building support for a referendum on negotiations for independencein the lifetime of this Parliament, but decisions on this will be made in the lightof the national conversation.

15 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will proceed with the Referendum (Scotland) Bill if there is a low level of public support for the proposals in its white paper, Choosing Scotland's Future: A National Conversation.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The government willconsider the response to the national conversation in deciding how to proceed withthe draft bill. However, the level of support for any particular proposals couldbe only properly determined by a vote in a referendum.

15 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how responses to its white paper, Choosing Scotland's Future: A National Conversation, will be collated.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Responses made onthe National Conversation website are available there. Other responses to the conversationwill be collated and made available as the conversation progresses.

15 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many events have been planned around Scotland to promote its white paper, Choosing Scotland’s Future: A National Conversation.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The white paper invitespeople to sign up for the national conversation, and indicate how they wish to contribute.The paper also invites people to suggest how the conversation would best be structuredto ensure the greatest possible involvement of the people of…

15 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a budget has been set for the national conversation on the draft Referendum (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The cost of producingand translating the document is around £35,000 (including the web version, the design,printing and the summary in eight languages and a full Gaelic version). Distributionof the document cost a further £5,000, and the cost of the launch ev…

3 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the Scottish Government is doing to promote the Scottish film industry in the wake of the UK film industry's recent success at the Oscars

Answer · Shona Robison: This is a matter forNHS Ayrshire and Arran.

2 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the commitment made by the Minister for Parliamentary Business on 14 June 2007 (Official Report c. 709), what progress has been made on convening a summit with key stakeholders to agree a joint position against renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system; on what date the su…

Answer · Bruce Crawford: Initial planning hasbegun with a view to the summit taking place in Glasgow later this year. The precise date, the venue and those to be invited toparticipate are under consideration.

27 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Glasgow City Council will benefit from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Young People’s announcement on extending free nursery provision from 33 to 38 weeks.

Answer · Adam Ingram: Yes. Children in Glasgowwho attend partner provider settings will receive 475 hours of free pre-school educationfrom August 2007, an increase from the current level of 412.5 hours. Glasgow CityCouncil will receive an additional £1.576 million in 2007-08 and £…

27 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children will benefit from the proposed extension in free nursery provision.

Answer · Adam Ingram: We estimate that atleast 20,000 children will get additional funded hours of free Pre-SchoolEducation following the expansion in hours to 475 hours from August 2007. Makingthis a universal entitlement will also put local authority services which currentlyprov…

19 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-568 by Fiona Hyslop on 18 June 2007, when plans for free school meals pilot schemes will be published.

Answer · Adam Ingram: I refer the memberto the question S3W-1215 on 17 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search">http…

19 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-568 by Fiona Hyslop on 18 June 2007, whether any consultation will be held on where free school meals pilot schemes will take place before plans for the pilots are published.

Answer · Adam Ingram: Details of the localauthorities that have been selected to take part in the free school meals pilotschemes were announced on Wednesday 11 July 2007. The pilots willinvolve all pupils in primary 1 to primary 3 (P1 to P3) in Glasgow City Council,West Dunbartons…