Parliamentary questions
Ms Wendy Alexander
505 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether direct comparisons in attainment at P3, P5, P7 and S2 can be made between the Scottish Survey of Achievement and the results from the 5 - 14 National Tests.
Answer · Michael Russell: The National Survey of 5-14 Attainment Levels was implemented in publicly funded primary and secondary schools in Scotland between 1999 and 2004. This survey was specifically designed to measure the progress of individual pupils and the results were derived f…
16 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a guaranteed (a) training place or (b) job for 18 to 24-year-olds out of work for more than 6 months.
Answer · Keith Brown: Employment is reserved to the UK Government through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The previous UK Government introduced the Young Persons'' Guarantee (YPG) as a targeted response to the recession''s impact on young people. Through this, the majo…
16 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a guaranteed training place for under-18s.
Answer · Keith Brown: 16+ Learning Choices ensures an offer of a suitable place in post-16 learning for every eligible young person who wants it. This will include staying on at school, entering further or higher education, taking up employment, participating in a National Trainin…
16 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many combined heat and power plants have been established in Scotland in each year since 2003-04.
Answer · Jim Mather: There is currently not a central list of how many combined heat and power plants have been established in Scotland since 2003-04. Collation of this information is planned as part of the actions included in the Energy Efficiency Action Plan due to be published…
16 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support (a) it and (b) its agencies have given to wave and tidal technologies and their deployment in each year since 2006-07.
Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government awarded research and development grants to marine projects and developers in February 2007, under the Wave and Tidal Energy Scheme (WATES). Payments under the scheme have been as follows (based on financial years):</p> <table border=…
16 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support (a) it and (b) its agencies have given to offshore wind technologies and their deployment in each year since 2006-07.
Answer · Jim Mather: The following table outlines Scottish Government''s and Scottish Enterprise''s financial support given to offshore wind technologies and their deployment since 2006-07. Please note the question has been interpreted as actual spend rather than committed, addit…
16 Jul 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what schools in Renfrewshire have a suitability rating of C and D.
Answer · Keith Brown: Suitability data for all Scottish local authority schools will be included for the first time in the <i >School Estate Statistics 2010</i>, which will be published at the end of September 2010.</b></p>
30 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when will it start to publish economic forecasts for Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has no immediate plans to publish economic forecasts for the Scottish economy. The Chief Economic Adviser regularly publishes an assessment on the future prospects for the Scottish economy within the State of the Economy publication se…
18 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is on target for Scotland to match UK economy growth rates by 2011.
Answer · John Swinney: The purpose of the Scottish Government is to deliver increased sustainable economic growth. Our actions, including our Budget Bill for 2010-11, our economic recovery plan, and our decision to defer further spending cuts to next year, demonstrate our commitmen…
18 Jun 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it does not publish growth forecasts for the Scottish economy.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government regularly publishes its latest assessment on the future prospects for the Scottish economy within the State of the Economy publication series. This draws together existing evidence, including independent forecasts, which helps to infor…
27 May 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs it estimates were saved in Scotland in 2009 and have been saved in 2010 by the discretionary fiscal stimulus.
Answer · John Swinney: Discretionary fiscal stimulus measures were introduced by countries across the world in response to the onset of the global downturn, and the fall in global demand. These actions have helped support demand and jobs in many countries, including Scotland.</p> …
25 May 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the money spent, and due to be spent, on the cancelled branch line element of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33171 on 22 April 2010, which sets out the costs incurred up until financial year end on 31 March 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions can be found on the Parliament''s website, the search facil…
10 May 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a full breakdown of the cost to it of the cancellation of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The cancellation of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project resulted in a net reduction of government expenditure. Based on the last estimated costs for the project, these figures are detailed in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadd…
10 May 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33003 by John Swinney on 28 April 2010, how many of the 15,000 jobs supported by the Economic Recovery Plan are new and over what time period these have been supported.
Answer · John Swinney: The Economic Recovery Plan is estimated to support around 15,000 jobs in the Scottish economy. This figure is based on estimates of the impact of some of the actions within the Economic Recovery Plan. It is assumed that in the absence of these actions these j…
10 May 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33003 by John Swinney on 28 April 2010, how much has been secured in additional European Structural Funds as part of the Economic Recovery Plan and how many jobs this is supporting.
Answer · John Swinney: The allocations to Scotland for the European Social Fund and the European Regional Development Fund were fixed in Euros for the 2007-13 programme period. There has been no additional allocation from the European Commission. </p>
10 May 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-33003 by John Swinney on 28 April 2010, how much in European structural funding has been accelerated and how many jobs this is supporting.
Answer · John Swinney: The 2007-2013 European Structural Fund Programmes are not yet at their half-way point but about two thirds of the total budget has been allocated to projects. The Operational Programmes for the European Structural Funds in Scotland originally presented, overa…
26 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools planned under its £1.25 billion school building programme will be built by (a) conventional procurement, (b) PPP, (c) non-profit trust and (d) another method of procurement.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31248 on 11 February 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <u><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/…
16 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much compensation was paid for land acquisition associated with the cancelled part of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: As at 31 March 2010 some £896,275 had been spent in relation to five plots of land which were acquired for the branch line element of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link Act (2007).</p> <p >Discussions between the District Valuer and the previous owners in relatio…
16 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what businesses faced compulsory purchase of their premises on land intended for that element of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project that has been cancelled.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The following businesses had their premises (or part thereof) acquired via Compulsory Purchase under the powers of Section 12 of the GARL Act 2007:</p> <p >Cape DBI</p> <p >Rentokil Ailsa</p> <p >Crossroads Road Plate Hire</p> <p >Bike IT Motorcycle Train…
16 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the information in the Transport Scotland minute to ministers of 1 May 2009 indicating £40 million of expenditure on the branch line at that time, what the total estimated cost is of the cancellation of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33171 on 22 April 2010, which sets out the actual costs incurred up until 31 March 2010 along with a forecast of the remaining costs to close out. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on…
16 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for land acquired for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-32289 on 19 March 2010. 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/Apps2/…
16 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what future annual funding profile is associated with each new capital project that received support from the budget consequentials on 14 April 2010.
Answer · John Swinney: The £76 million of consequentials is available only in 2010-11 and not in future years. Therefore the Scottish Government has allocated these resources to help accelerate shovel-ready capital projects, in order to make the maximum positive contribution to Sco…
16 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its best estimate is of the long-term job creation potential associated with the budget consequentials expenditure allocated on 14 April 2010.
Answer · John Swinney: The £76 million allocation of budget consequentials announced on 14 April 2010 will support:</p> <p >£31 million for affordable housing developments </p> <p >£17 million capital investment in Dundee and Forth Valley colleges </p> <p >£10 million for sus…
16 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its best estimate is of the long-term job creation potential associated with the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The original assessment of the wider economic benefits arising from the introduction of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) project (Roger Tym and Partners “ Assessment of Wider Economic Benefits “ June 2005, commissioned by Strathclyde Partnership for Trans…
16 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in Renfrewshire have been in modern apprenticeships in each year since 1996-97.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. I will ask the Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland to respond to you with this information.</p>
16 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what projects are supported by the Scottish Futures Trust and what the procurement model is for each.
Answer · John Swinney: I have asked Barry White, Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust to respond. His response is as follows: </p> <p >The following table lists the projects being supported by the Scottish Futures Trust in 2010-11 as identified in their Business Plan, an…
16 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Futures Trust has developed an alternative model of procurement to PPP/PFI.
Answer · John Swinney: I have asked Barry White, Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust to respond. His response is as follows: </p> <p >The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) is seeking to improve value for money across infrastructure investment and is implementing a variety of …
31 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what projects have benefited or will benefit from the accelerated capital programme spend.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24288 on 4 June 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/Apps2/Bu…
31 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the jobs that it suggests have been supported by the Economic Recovery Plan.
Answer · John Swinney: It is estimated that elements of the Economic Recovery Plan are supporting around 15,000 jobs in the Scottish economy. This figure is based on estimates of the impact of some of the actions within the Economic Recovery Plan.</p> <p >It is estimated that the …
31 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30161 by John Swinney on 21 January 2010, how many of these jobs were (a) accounted by the accelerated capital programme and (b) new jobs.
Answer · John Swinney: It is estimated that elements of the Economic Recovery Plan are supporting around 15,000 jobs in the Scottish economy. This includes the capital acceleration programme, which is estimated to have supported over 5,000 jobs in the Scottish economy.</p>