Parliamentary questions
Alex Neil
3,059 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what special expertise, knowledge and experience in relation to the water service industry the chairperson of the proposed Scottish Water is required to have.
Answer · Ross Finnie: See S1W-18730.
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new chairperson of the proposed Scottish Water declared any interests on being appointed and, if so, what those interests were.
Answer · Ross Finnie: No appointment can be made until Parliament approves the Water Industry (Scotland) Bill. The candidate identified as ministers' preferred choice for appointment, Professor Alan Alexander, declared no interests in the relevant section of his application.
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications were received for the recent vacancy of chairperson of the proposed Scottish Water.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Three.
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when and where the vacancy for chairperson of the proposed Scottish Water was advertised.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17768, in which I made clear that the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments gave prior approval to a closed competition for the prospective chairmanship of Scottish Water. There were, therefo…
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of the chairperson of the proposed Scottish Water.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Chair will be responsible for leading the board of Scottish Water, which will have specific responsibility for:<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">establishing the overall strategic direction of Scottish Water within the policies and resources framework agreed with the re…
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the remuneration package is of the post of chairperson of the proposed Scottish Water.
Answer · Ross Finnie: No appointment can be made until Parliament has approved the Water Industry (Scotland) Bill. As announced on 8 August, ministers intend that the initial appointment should be remunerated at a daily rate of £385, for three days a week in the first year, and fo…
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what requirements will be placed on chairpersons of the proposed Scottish Water with regard to attendance at meetings and other official engagements.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The normal expectation would be that the chairperson would be absent from board meetings only in exceptional circumstances.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Water Industry (Scotland) Bill proposes a power for Scottish ministers to remove a non-executive member of the bo…
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the period of appointment is of the chairperson of the proposed Scottish Water.
Answer · Ross Finnie: No appointment can be made until Parliament approves the Water Industry (Scotland) Bill. As announced on 8 August, we intend the initial appointment to last for three years.
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what codes governed the procedures used in the recent appointment of chairperson to the proposed Scottish Water.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The prospective Chair of the proposed Scottish Water was identified through procedures in line with guidance from the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
28 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the supplementary answer to question S1F-1259 by Henry McLeish on 27 September 2001, whether it will clarify the First Minister's answer in relation to homelessness, that "the underlying trend is down" and how this underlying trend was measured.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The latest available information on homelessness applications in Scotland up to 31 March 2001 is given in tables 19 and 20 of the most recent edition of <I>Housing Trends in Scotland</I>, published on 27 September 2001. The bulletin is available from the Parl…
26 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cleaners are working for the NHSiS currently and how many were at the same point in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Information on the number of cleaners working for NHSScotland is not held centrally.
26 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many in-patients there are in NHSiS hospitals currently and how many there were at the same point in (a) 1997, (b) 1998, (c) 1999 and (d) 2000.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The available information on the average number of inpatients occupying a bed in NHS hospitals is shown:<P>Three months to:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=189><TR><TD WIDTH="60%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial"><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">30 June 1997<…
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with organisations such as the Information Policy Unit of the NHS in England, the Department of Health and the Office of the e-Envoy in order to determine whether the proposals set out in Connecting Scotland: our broadband future will be affected by existing U…
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Health department officials have kept colleagues in Department of Health and the NHS Information Authority informed of the proposals set out in <I>Connecting Scotland: our broadband future </I>on the basis that existing contract arrangements will be sustained…
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the development of aggregated broadband procurement for the public sector, as outlined in its report Connecting Scotland: our broadband future, will be affected by existing national agreements such as NHSnet and SuperJANET4.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: NHSScotland has contract arrangements under NHSnet until early 2004. NHSScotland will be exploring with the Digital Scotland Unit of the Scottish Executive, and with NHS suppliers, the options for procurement action before and after current NHSnet contracts e…
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the development of aggregated broadband procurement for the public sector, as outlined in Connecting Scotland: our broadband future, will be affected by the Government Secure Internet and any related tendering process.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Government Secure Intranet (GSI), and any related tendering, is a matter for the Office of Government Commerce. We do not anticipate the GSI having an impact on aggregated procurement as anticipated in <I>Connecting Scotland: our broadband future</I>. Tha…
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to Section 5 of Connecting Scotland: our broadband future, what steps it has taken to extend current knowledge of Scottish networks by establishing disclosure agreements with telecommunications companies in order to obtain information of a commercial-in-confidence nature.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Telecommunications companies have, where they wished, provided information to us to inform our broadband strategy. A formal procurement process has not yet commenced.
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the recommendations of Section 4 of Connecting Scotland: our broadband future, whether it has any plans to introduce, or support the introduction of, compulsory sharing of capacity by cable and local loop suppliers with other tendering organisations.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Regulation of the telecommunications market is a reserved matter.
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement in its report Connecting Scotland: our broadband future that competition must be encouraged, what measures it plans to take to ensure that local supply procured on a local basis is not monopolised by one company, given that BT plc is the prime owner of local loop…
Answer · Wendy Alexander: A formal procurement process has not yet commenced. The Scottish Executive is not in a position to anticipate the content of bidders' proposals. The procurement strategy is to ensure that the solutions procured are those which most appropriately meet the broa…
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the report Connecting Scotland; our broadband future, whether the responsibility for upgrading existing services will lie with local telecommunications companies; if so, how they will be financed and by whom and, if not, with whom the responsibility will lie.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Availability and extension of services is a commercial matter for operators which we would expect to be dependent upon demand. The Executive's strategy, based on the aggregated procurement of public sector connectivity, aims to provide a volume of demand that…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any funding, including regional development grants, which was given to BAE Systems to attract them to establish a plant at Bishopton.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: No funding, including regional development grants, has been given to either BAE Systems, or its predecessor British Aerospace, to attract them to establish a plant at Bishopton. In 1989, however, British Aerospace was offered £2.8 million of Regional Selectiv…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with BAE Systems regarding the disposal of their site in Bishopton, in particular on meeting the objectives of the area's regional planning strategy.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Bishopton working group was established by my predecessor in 1999 to look at the future use of the Royal Ordnance site at Bishopton. I understand that negotiations are currently on-going between the planning authority and BAE SYSTEMS on the appropriate de…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it or any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies have undertaken into the economic impact of the establishment of the Parliament; what the conclusions were of any such assessments and, if no assessments have been undertaken, what plans exist for one.
Answer · Tom McCabe: No such assessment has been undertaken by the Scottish Executive or any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies. No plans exist to carry out such an assessment.
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with MagicStar Corporation (UK) regarding the development of the proposed MagicStar themepark and resort project.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: While the Scottish Executive has had some initial contact with MagicStar Corporation about the proposed themepark and resort development project at Bishopton and we are aware of the development proposals, we have had as yet no discussions with MagicStar Corpo…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its strategy is for the development of the construction industry.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive maintains regular dialogue with the industry on key issues through the Scottish Construction Industry Group. Two key issues that have been raised at recent meetings have been taking forward <I>Rethinking Construction</I> in Scotland and…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students under 18 enrolled in (a) further and (b) higher education in each of the past three years.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The table shows the number of students under 18 enrolled in further and higher education for the academic years 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=538><TR><TD WIDTH="53%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="16%" VALI…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much in financial support was paid in total to students under 18 enrolled in (a) further and (b) higher education in each of the past three years.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Information on the financial support paid to students aged under 18 in higher education is not held centrally. The main support for living costs is by way of a student loan. The Student Loans Company Limited pay loans and do not currently hold information in …
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to bring arrangements for financial support, including bursary entitlement and the means test for parental contributions for students under 18 in further education, in line with the support for parentally dependent students in higher education.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Future support for further education students under the age of 18 will be based on the findings and conclusions that emerge from evaluation of the Educational Maintenance Allowance pilots currently under way in East Ayrshire, Glasgow, Dundee and West Dunbarto…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences involving the possession or use of knives there were in (a) Scotland and (b) each police force area in each of the past three years.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The available information concerning crimes involving possession of a knife is given in the following tables:<P>Crimes of possession of an offensive weapon recorded by the police in Scotland 1997<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=567><TR><TD WIDT…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences involving the (a) possession, (b) presentation and (c) use of imitation firearms there were in (i) Scotland and (ii) each police force area in each of the past three years.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the tables:<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Crimes and offences recorded by the police in Scotland in which an imitation firearm was alleged to have been used: 1997 <TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=597><TR><TD WIDTH="18%…
14 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times disciplinary action has been taken against prisoners in (a) HM Prison Kilmarnock, (b) HM Prison Perth, (c) HM Prison Peterhead and (d) HM Prison Barlinnie in the last year.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">This information can be found in the SPS Annual Report.