Parliamentary questions

Mr Brian Monteith

1,042 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

2 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the outcome of the review on the relocation of (a) sportscotland, (b) the Mental Welfare Commission, (c) the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding councils and (d) the Royal Fine Arts Commission for Scotland.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Decisions are expected during 2004 on the reviews of sportscotland, The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Councils and Architecture and Design Scotland (formerly the Royal fine Arts Commission for Scotland).The decision on the locati…

2 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the shortlist of possible locations being considered for the relocation of (a) the Scottish Arts Council, (b) NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, (c) NHS Health Scotland and (d) NHS Education for Scotland.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive has not routinely published shortlists of possible locations being considered in relocation reviews. However, that practice is now being reviewed as part of our commitment to transparency.

1 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set for reducing employee numbers in the (a) Civil Service and (b) public sector in each year from 2004-05 to 2007-08.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive is determined to secure operational efficiency in the Civil Service and public sector through ensuring that public servants are in the right job, at the right time and the right place.Targets which seek a reduction in employee nu…

31 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage gender breakdown was for (a) all applicants and (b) successful candidates for posts (i) in the senior civil service and (ii) at band C (formerly grade 7) in the Executive and the former Scottish Office in each year since 1 January 1994.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The table below gives the percentage gender breakdown for recruitment for (a) all applicants and (b) successful candidates for posts (i) in the senior civil service and (ii) at band C (formerly grade 7) in the Executive in each year since 1 January 1999. Info…

31 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its code of practice is in respect of public announcements by senior civil servants publicly stating their desire for a change in government policy.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The civil service is a reserved matter and rules and guidance regarding the standards of conduct for civil servants are contained in the Civil Service Management Code, which includes the Civil Service Code. The Scottish Executive Staff Ha…

31 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost has been of organising and holding public meetings on smoking in public places.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Final invoices have not yet been received, but costs will be no more than £25,000. This includes facilitator costs for all events and the preparation of a report of proceedings by Scottish Civic Forum, which will feed into the final evidence report to ministe…

31 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many public meetings it has held as part of its consultation on smoking in public places; where such meetings have been held; who the panellists were, and how many people attended each event.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Four large public seminars were organised by the Scottish Executive, as follows:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> Location </td> <td> Number Attending </td> <td> Chair </td> <td> …

13 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much income has been derived by local authorities from parking (a) charges and (b) penalties (i) in total and (ii), broken down by local authority, in each financial year since 1997-98.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Gross income derived from “parking charges” and “penalties” are not separately identifiable but the “total” is available for each year from 1997-98 in the CIPFA Ratings Review publications, copies of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre: <…

9 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to number the exits on the M8/A8 westbound between junctions 5 and 10 and, if so, whether the exit numbers will be displayed on the exit signs.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: In accordance with the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 junctions on motorways are numbered while junctions on non-motorway dual carriageways are named. The junctions between junction 6 and junction 8 of the M8 motorway are on the …

6 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected budget is for the marketing of, and income from, this year's Museum of Flight Airshow.

Answer · Frank McAveety: This is an operational matter for the National Museums of Scotland. However, I have contacted the Director. His response is as follows:- The 2004-05 marketing budget for the Museum of Flight is £80,000. The budget was increased from 2003-04 levels to s…

6 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total income was from the Museum of Flight Airshow in 2003.

Answer · Frank McAveety: This is an operational matter for the National Museums of Scotland. However, I have contacted the Director. His response is as follows:-The total income from the 2003 Museum of Flight Airshow was £82,000.

6 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on marketing costs for the Museum of Flight Airshow in 2003.

Answer · Frank McAveety: This is an operational matter for the National Museums of Scotland. However, I have contacted the Director. His response is as follows:- The sum of £45,000 was spent on marketing the Museum of Flight in 2003-04. Marketing expenditure was planned to pro…

1 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what directives that are (a) binding and (b) advisory have been issued to (i) hospitals, (ii) NHS boards, (iii) schools, (iv) housing associations, (v) police forces and (vi) fire brigades in each of the last five years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is inregular contact both directly and indirectly with the bodies listed. Thiscontact takes a number of different forms, such as Health Department Letters,Police Grant Orders, letters to education authorities etc. As there is nocentral …

1 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average age is of civil servants.

Answer · Andy Kerr: As at 1 July 2004 theaverage age of permanently employed staff in the Scottish Executive core departmentswas 41.

1 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what costs for civil service redundancies it has made budgetary provision for in each of the next three years, in light of the ministerial statement on effective government on 24 June 2004.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The budget for the staffing costs of the Scottish Executive in 2004-05 and 2005-06 does not include provision for redundancies. The budget for 2006-07 and 2007-08 will be set as part of the spending review process.

1 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil servants it expects will retire in each of the next five years.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The answer to this questioncan be found in the following table:Scottish Executive CoreDepartmentsNumber of Projected Retireesby Financial Year (Headcount)<table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=159> <thead> <t…

30 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8682 by Mr Andy Kerr on 15 June 2004, what steps it is taking to ensure that evaluations by the Scottish Assessors of non-domestic properties valued with reference to cost, as opposed to those valued with reference to rent, produce a like-for-like va…

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Assessors,who act independently of central and local government, base their valuations onthe cost of constructing a comparable modern property that provides the samestandards of quality, services and space as the property to be valued. In thecase…

30 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8934 by Mr Andy Kerr on 23 June 2004, what council tax collection rates were assumed by each local authority for 2002-03 and what the actual council tax collection rates were for that year.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The collection rates assumedfor 2002-03 are set out in the following table. The collection rate assumptionis the amount a local authority will expect to collect specifically relating tothat billing year, including payment of arrears relating to that year. Tot…

30 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8934 by Mr Andy Kerr on 23 June 2004, what proportion of the assumed council tax collection rates for each local authority consists of arrears from previous years.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The information requested isnot held centrally.

17 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2984 by Mr Jim Wallace on 13 October 2003, how many front-line staff who deal with the public worked in the public sector in each year from 1990 to 1996, broken down by profession.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.Statistics on the number of people employed in the public and private sector in Scotland from 1994 to 2003 are also contained in Numbers in Public and Private Sector Employment by Industry in Scotland<…

10 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate of council tax collection rate is used when setting the revenue support grant for local authorities.

Answer · Tavish Scott: No estimate of council tax collection rate is used when setting the revenue support grant for local authorities.Instead, an overall allowance for council tax income is made, and it is for local authorities to set their council tax rates in the light of…

10 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what non-collection rate of the council tax is assumed in the setting of the tax in each local authority.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The collection rate assumed by each local authority in setting their 2004‑05 council tax level is set out in the table below. This assumed rate takes into account the collection of arrears as well as billing for the current year.<table border=1 cel…

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive from which budget heading its additional funding proposals for Scottish Opera will be sourced.

Answer · Frank McAveety: We will find the money through careful management of this year’s and next year’s Scottish Executive budget.

2 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assurances it can give that, in the forthcoming revaluation of non-domestic business rates, properties valued with reference to cost will be assessed in such a way as to ensure a like-for-like valuation with comparable premises in England.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The valuation of non-domestic property in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scottish Assessors. The Scottish Assessors liaise with their counterparts in England and Wales – the Valuation Office Agency – to ensure harmonisation of valuation treatment north…

25 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8109 by Mr Frank McAveety on 21 May 2004, when it expects to finalise consideration of the audit of local sports facilities commissioned by sportscotland and, if no date has been set, whether it will set a target for completion.

Answer · Frank McAveety: The reports have not yet beenfinalised and received by Executive officials. It is therefore not possible to givea definite date but I would expect the reports to have been considered by the autumn.

20 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many non-departmental public bodies (a) were established, (b) were abolished and (c) there were in each year since 1995.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Detailed information on public bodies is contained on the Public Bodies and Appointments website at <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/government/publicbodies/">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/government/publicbodies/</a>. The number of public bodies in Scotland …

20 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on travel within Scotland, to other parts of the United Kingdom and abroad, by the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport and his predecessor ministers in their official capacity in each year from 1999-2000 to 2003-04 and what the budget is for such travel in 200…

Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer to the answers to questionsS1W-29052 given on 9 September 2002 and S2W-2904 given on 29 September 2003, for informationregarding the costs of overseas travel undertaken by Tourism, Culture and SportMinisters for the period 1 July 1999 to 31 March 2003…

7 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the results of its review of sports facilities.

Answer · Frank McAveety: The reports of the audit of localsports facilities commissioned by sportscotland are being finalised and willneed to be considered before publication arrangements are decided.

19 Apr 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost is of each sonic poster used in the 2004 Western Isles Tourist Board campaign.

Answer · Frank McAveety: This is an operational matterfor Western Isles Tourist Board.

19 Apr 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many sonic posters will be in use as part of the 2004 Western Isles Tourist Board campaign in (a) Glasgow, (b) Edinburgh and (c) London.

Answer · Frank McAveety: This is an operational matterfor Western Isles Tourist Board. However, I understand that one sonic poster willbe in operation in each of these locations during April.