Parliamentary questions
Alex Neil
3,059 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
1 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households had incomes below half of the average household income (a) in 1997 and (b) at the latest date for which figures are available.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: Table 1 details the number of households with incomes below 50% mean GB income. Table 2 details similar information for households with income below 60% median GB income - the agreed standard definition used in poverty analysis.<FONT FACE="Arial"><P ALIGN="JU…
1 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of children live in the bottom (a) decile, (b) quarter and (c) half of households in terms of household income and what the equivalent figures were in 1997.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The information is detailed in the table.<P>Percentage of Children in Specified Areas of the Income Distribution, Scotland 1996-97 and 1998-99<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="12%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="28%" VALIG…
1 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has had from employers' organisations regarding the New Deal for Disabled People.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Employment Policy is reserved to the UK Government. The New Deal for Disabled People is delivered in Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Executive and other Scottish organisations.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>The Scottish Executive has had no representa…
1 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving to farm business diversification projects.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I will announce shortly the launch of the Farm Business Development Scheme, applicable to all rural areas outwith the Highlands and Islands. This grant scheme is aimed at farmers and their immediate family members who wish to create new income-generating ente…
1 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its priorities are in relation to the 2002 review of the Common Fisheries Policy.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive wishes to see the maintenance of key features of the present arrangements, such as national quotas, based on Relative Stability, conservation boxes and access restrictions within national 6/12 mile limits. At the same time, we want to secure imp…
1 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made towards the elimination of child poverty.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: As reported in our Social Justice Annual Report, the proportion of children in relative income poverty has dropped from around 34% in 1996-97 to around 30% in 1998-99, after housing costs have been taken into account. <P>We are also transforming pre-school ed…
1 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nominations it has submitted in relation to each Honours list issued since May 1999.
Answer · Henry McLeish: Honours are awarded by The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. Details of the process by which Honours nominations are processed and considered are not disclosed.
1 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why it stated on 18 December 2000 that it would pay out up to #100 million in ex-gratia payments to the Scottish Transport Group (STG) pension scheme members when a letter dated 15 May 2000 from the Minister for Transport and the Environment showed the value of the STG pension surplus to …
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The most recent annual report of the Scottish Transport Group available at 15 May 2000 showed the value of the surplus at 31 March 1999 to be approximately £120 million (net of tax). While there is no legal entitlement for Scottish Transport Group pension sch…
31 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive exactly how much will be made available for ex-gratia payments to the Scottish Transport Group pension scheme members and when these payments will be made.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The First Minister announced on 18 December that up to £100 million would be available for distribution, subject to the approval of the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Executive expects to be in a position to make ex-gratia payments in the second half of th…
31 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the decision to make ex-gratia payments to Scottish Transport Group pension members next year, how the figure of around #100 million that is to be made available was determined.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer the Member to the answer to question S1W-12980.
29 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all current Private Finance Initiative/Public Private Partnership projects in which it is involved and the annual interest payments associated with each.
Answer · Angus MacKay: A full list of PFI/PPP projects including those for which the Scottish Executive is directly responsible, is available from the Parliament's Reference Centre. The annual interest payments for those of the Executive's projects where such payments are currently…
29 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average spend per student was last year, broken down by university, using the current Scottish Higher Education Funding Council distribution system and what that figure would be using the proposed system for distribution.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: This information is not available centrally.
29 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council's distribution of funding, broken down by university, is for 2001-02 and was for the previous two financial years.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The allocation of funding to individual institutions is a matter for the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. The council makes its allocation on the basis of academic years. The allocation for 2001-02 academic year has not yet been published. Informati…
29 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received regarding any skill shortages which could damage prospects for inward investment.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Executive has received a representation from Electronics Scotland about issues in the electronics sector with regard to recruiting skilled staff. The Executive is working with industry groups and with further and higher education to help stimulate skills …
29 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide alternative employment opportunities in Lanarkshire, particularly in the event of any further closures of steelworks.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive and its agencies support job creation and training for new employment through a variety of programmes. In the event of significant redundancies, a team of local agencies is quickly brought together under the Executive's Partnership Acti…
29 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of any sales of body parts by hospitals and whether any such sales were part of an agreement relating to the funding of research.
Answer · Susan Deacon: There is no evidence in Scotland of sales of body parts by hospitals. In particular, there is no evidence of children's thymus glands being sold to pharmaceutical companies, as happened at Alder Hey.
29 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set up a dedicated hepatitis C telephone helpline.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The UK Health Departments fund the National AIDS and Drugs Helplines, which already provide callers with information on hepatitis C where this is sought. The Executive proposes to review, with other UK Health Departments, whether there is a need to put a grea…
26 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it notified the media on 25 January 2001 that the Minister for Parliament would be making a ministerial statement on long term care and, if so, at what time.
Answer · Tom McCabe: No.
26 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it consulted Her Majesty's Government on 25 January 2001 prior to the Minister for Parliament's ministerial statement on long-term care and, if so, whom it consulted and on what basis.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the United Kingdom Government on a wide range of issues, including long-term care for the elderly.
26 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it now has to support and promote credit unions.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Executive has been working in partnership with the credit union movement in Scotland, and other interested parties, to develop a national development strategy for credit unions, which will be produced by April this year. The strategy will identify the act…
25 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the value of the surplus of the Scottish Transport Group pension fund currently is.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The most recent annual report of the Scottish Transport Group showed the value of the surplus at 31 March 2000 to be approximately £146 million (net of tax).
25 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from interested organisations on the level of business rates.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The Executive has discussed business rates with representatives of the following bodies; in some cases separately or as part of meetings with business representative groups:<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">British Hospitality Association;<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Confederation of…
25 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a budget of #500,000 will become available for national training organisations in April 2001 and, if so, whether it will clarify what the targets and objectives will be in relation to this fund.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: £500,000 will be made available to National Training Organisations by the Executive in each of the financial years 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 to assist with the development of the network in Scotland. The focus will be on promoting workplace learning, asses…
24 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to carry out a Scottish labour market survey similar to that being carried out by National Electrotechnical Training on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: As employer-led organisations, all National Training Organisations are expected to gather labour market intelligence relating to their sector as part of their normal responsibilities. There are no current plans for the Executive to commission a labour market …
24 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to protect the interests of (a) smaller clubs and (b) youth development in any discussions about the future of the football transfer system.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: <B><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2>The main parties to the current negotiations relating to FIFA's international transfer regulations are FIFA, UEFA and the European Commission. We have made clear that we hope an early solution acceptable to all parties can be nego…
23 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned an impact assessment on Direct Labour Organisation employment and the ability of local authorities to respond to emergency maintenance situations on roads, following the decision to separate the maintenance of side roads from trunk roads.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The decision to seek trunk road maintenance through contract was taken in 1995. No assessment has been made of the impact on Direct Labour Organisation employment in the event that they are unsuccessful in any competition for the work or on their ability to r…
23 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the formula used in the value for money appraisal of tender submissions for the trunk road network contracts.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The tenders for the trunk road contracts stood to be evaluated on the basis of the "most economically advantageous bid". The pre-determined assessment procedures is set out in the "Instructions for Tendering". Specimen copies of the Instru…
23 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it arrived at its decision to separate the maintenance of trunk roads from the maintenance of side roads.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The decision to separate the maintenance of the trunk road network from the local road network was inherited by the Scottish Executive.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The statutory provisions of the Trunk Roads Act 1936 drew the distinction between trunk roads and local r…
23 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it had any discussions with contractors after their submissions were made with regard to the trunk road networks contracts.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive communicated with all of the tenderers for each of the competitions to seek clarification of the bids after tenders were lodged.
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether small and medium-si'ed enterprises have sufficient representation on the board of learndirect Scotland.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Christine Lenihan, Chairman of Scottish UfI Ltd (learndirect scotland is the brand name for SUfI's services), is currently the Marketing Director of a small company and previously owned and managed her own small business. A number of the other SUfI Board memb…