Parliamentary questions
Alex Neil
3,059 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what sea areas other than those covered by the Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Orders are presently, either by habit and repute or statutory authority, subject to Scottish legal jurisdiction
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Parliament and Scottish Ministers have competence in relation to all devolved matters in or as regards Scotland.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">In respect of sea fisheries, the Scottish Parliament and Scottish Ministers will legislate and act up to the bounda…
22 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions for fisheries offences committed in the sea area covered by the Scottish Adjacent Water Boundaries Order have taken place in Scottish courts in the past 10 years.
Answer · John Home Robertson: The numbers of cases relating to fisheries offences where a decision was taken in a Scottish court up to 31 March in each of the last 10 years are as follows:<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">1989-90	65<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">1990-91	51<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">1991-92	73<P AL…
22 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for how many years Scottish courts have dealt exclusively with fishing industry prosecutions in the sea covered by the Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Order.
Answer · John Home Robertson: It remains the case that the overwhelming majority of sea fisheries legislation allows for prosecutions to be taken at any court in the United Kingdom. Scottish courts have not dealt exclusively with prosecutions for alleged fishing offences which occur in th…
15 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the number of houses in Scotland which suffer from dampness and whether it will publish a table showing the numbers in each local authority area.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The 1996 Scottish House Condition Survey estimated that 534,000 houses were affected to some extent by dampness or condensation, of which 91,000 houses were estimated as having both dampness and condensation and 84,000 were estimated as having dampness only. …
15 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the number of children who are living in families at poverty level and whether it will publish a table showing the numbers in each local authority area.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The problem of poverty is not restricted to limited income, although this is a commonly used measure. According to data from the Family Resources Survey for 1996-97 and the subsequent Households Below Average Income analysis, approximately 300,000 children in…
15 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many citi'ens in Glasgow are liable to pay council tax liability and what is the number who qualify for full rebate.
Answer · Jack McConnell: This information is not held by the Scottish Executive.
10 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the expenditure on external contracts for public relations and lobbying activities by Scottish Enterprise for each of the past two years and its budgets for these activities for the current financial year.
Answer · Henry McLeish: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and I have asked the Chairman to write to the Member and will arrange for copies of the replies to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).
10 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the expenditure on external contracts for public relations and lobbying activities for Scottish National Heritage for each of the past two years and its budgets for these activities for the current financial year.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Scottish Natural Heritage has incurred no expenditure on external contracts for public relations and lobbying activities in each of the past two years and has not made any budgetary provision for such expenditure in the current financial year. SNH employs its…
10 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the expenditure on external contracts for public relations and lobbying activities by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for each of the past two years and its budgets for these activities for the current financial year.
Answer · Henry McLeish: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise and I have asked the Chairman to write to the Member and will arrange for copies of the replies to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).
10 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the expenditure on external contracts for public relations and lobbying activities by sportscotland for each of the past two years and its budgets for these activities for the current financial year.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The information requested is set out below.<P>1997-98	£7,000<P>1998-99	£20,000<P>1999-2000	£14,000 (budget)
3 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider making Local Enterprise Companies wholly owned subsidiaries of Scottish Enterprise.
Answer · Henry McLeish: We have no plans to so. The Scottish Executive however will keep the structure of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise under review to ensure the continuing efficient delivery of Government objectives.
3 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether specific evaluative analysis is available regarding the Full Time Education / Training Strand of the New Deal programme in Scotland and, if so, whether it will publish its findings.
Answer · Henry McLeish: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations, as indicated in the answer to S1W-136…
3 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether specific evaluative analysis is available regarding the Employment Strand of the New Deal programme in Scotland and, if so, whether it will publish its findings.
Answer · Henry McLeish: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations, as indicated in the answer to S1W-136…
3 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether specific evaluative analysis is available regarding the Environment Task Force strand of the New Deal Programme in Scotland and, if so, whether it will publish its findings.
Answer · Henry McLeish: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations, as indicated in the answer to S1W-136…
3 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether specific evaluative analysis is available regarding the Voluntary Sector strand of the New Deal programme in Scotland and, if so, whether it will publish its findings.
Answer · Henry McLeish: Employment Policy is reserved to the UK Government which therefore takes the lead on the funding and delivery of the New Deal throughout Great Britain, although in close consultation with its partners, including the Scottish Executive. Many partner organisati…
2 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what will be the legal status of the draft Concordats between it and Her Majesty's Government.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Concordats are administrative agreements. It is not intended that they should constitute a legally enforceable contract, or create any rights or obligations which are legally enforceable, between the Scottish Ministers and the UK Government.
2 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its code of practice regarding access to information obliges it to publish the draft Concordats received from Her Majesty's Government.
Answer · Jim Wallace: No, but once they were agreed the Concordats were published and presented to the Parliament for endorsement.
2 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of lone parents in Scotland are in "less than good health", as defined in The Health and Socio-economic Circumstances of British Lone Mothers over the last Two Decades, Shouls et al (1999).
Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is not currently available. The Scottish Executive Central Research Unit are reviewing the potential for the extension of existing studies of the circumstances of lone parents to accommodate the collection of more detailed health data for thi…
2 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of lone parents in Scotland have a disposable income of under #140 per week.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: According to combined data from the Family Resources Survey for 1996-97 and 1997-98, approximately one third of lone parents in Scotland had a total income after tax and National Insurance contributions of less than £140 per week. Income is from all sources i…
2 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of lone parents in Scotland go without food in order to feed their children, as defined in Patterns of Health and Illness amongst Lone Parents, Popay and Jones (1990).
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The article in question concerns the health implications of lone parenthood and poverty (but does not present statistics on whether lone parents go without food). The combined data on which the article is based relates to Great Britain from 1980-1982.
2 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many working lone mothers in Scotland are classed as living in poverty, as defined in 'Women, Health and Poverty: an Introduction, S Payne (1991)'.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: This information is not available at present. I understand that the limitations of the Scotland samples in currently available survey sources do not allow the working lone mothers subgroup of the population to be reliably monitored. However, the new Scottish …
1 Sep 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the operation of the Milton refuse tip, Milton Road, Kilmarnock, whether any illegal tipping of waste materials has taken place at this site, and what the estimate is of the cost and timetable for any clearance works which need to be undertaken.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), as controlled waste regulator, has responsibility for reviewing such operations.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">I understand that in February 1999 SEPA became aware that waste soils were being spread for restoration purpo…
31 Aug 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-886 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether it will provide details of future Minister meetings scheduled to discuss and negotiate the finalisation of the draft Concordats.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The <I>Memorandum of Understanding</I> and certain over-arching Concordats have now been published. They were endorsed by the Parliament on 7 October.
31 Aug 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-886 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether it will consult the Scottish Parliament prior to finalising its official response to Her Majesty's Government on its draft Concordats; and prior to reaching final agreement on their contents.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The <I>Memorandum of Understanding</I> and over-arching Concordats have now been published. They were endorsed by the Parliament on 7 October.
31 Aug 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-886 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether it will publish its official response to the draft Concordats it has received from Her Majesty's Government.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The <I>Memorandum of Understanding</I> and over-arching Concordats have now been published. They were endorsed by the Parliament on 7 October.
31 Aug 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-886 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether it will provide a detailed account of the process for finalising the Concordats following the submission of its official response to Her Majesty's Government's drafts, and in particular whether it will s…
Answer · Jim Wallace: The drafts of the <I>Memorandum of Understanding</I> and supporting Concordats have now been published and they were endorsed by the Parliament on 7 October.
31 Aug 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-886 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether it will list the subject areas covered by the draft Concordats received from Her Majesty's Government.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The agreed texts were published on 1 October and endorsed by the Parliament on 7 October. These documents set out the areas covered.
31 Aug 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-886 by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999, whether Concordats received from Her Majesty's Government are identical to those received by all devolved administrations in the United Kingdom and, if not, in which respects the draft Concordats it has received…
Answer · Jim Wallace: The texts are identical.
31 Aug 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a list of (a) those Local Enterprise Companies whose Articles of Association preclude board members serving more than eight years and (b) board members of these Local Enterprise Companies who have served in excess of eight years.
Answer · Henry McLeish: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and I have asked the Chairmen to write to the Member and will arrange for a copy of the replies to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).
31 Aug 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of which Local Enterprise Companies in Scotland are constituted on the basis of company membership; what rights are bestowed on member companies in such Local Enterprise Companies, and what restrictions are placed on non-member companies in particularly on …
Answer · Henry McLeish: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and I have asked the Chairmen to write to the member and I will arrange for a copy of the replies to be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).