Mr David Davidson

22 Jan 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the re-opening of railway stations on existing lines and what criteria it sets before giving support.

Answer · Iain Gray: Proposals to re-open a particular station are a local transport matter and as such are the responsibility of the relevant local transport authority or transport partnership to take forward. <P>The Scottish Executive is always keen to engage with local authori…

19 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether police officers were involved in visiting the sites of reported fire incidents to assess the severity of such incidents during the strikes by firefighters and, if so, what the costs have been of any overtime payments in respect of such visits and from what budgets any such payment…

Answer · Hugh Henry: Where there was any doubt about the accuracy of a call reporting a fire, police officers were asked to visit the reported site of the incident to confirm the existence, or otherwise, of a fire. <P>The Executive has given a commitment to police forces to meet …

11 Dec 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what parliamentary staff holiday arrangements have been made for 2003 and 2004 to allow for migration to the new Parliament building.

Answer · David Steel: Work is continuing to prepare for migration in a way which will minimise disruption to parliamentary business. Parliament staff have been advised that migration will have implications for when they will be able to take their annual leave.

11 Dec 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether any contracts need to be let to deal with any remedial works for the new Parliament building.

Answer · David Steel: No.

11 Dec 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether any subsidence problems need to be addressed at the new Parliament building.

Answer · David Steel: No.

10 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the length of examinations in higher level (a) modern studies, (b) history and (c) English has changed in each of the last five years and what marking system was used in each year, giving the number of marks out of which each examination was assessed.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The information requested is not held centrally.

10 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make the Scottish Qualifications Authority appeal system more transparent and accountable.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has given broad endorsement to a range of initiatives being undertaken by the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) to promote openness and understanding of assessment and awarding procedures. Implementing these initiatives is an opera…

10 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in what circumstances a school that has appealed against a pupil's grade may have sight of the pupil's examination script.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

10 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of appeals received by the Scottish Qualifications Authority led to examination scripts being re-marked at (a) (i) standard grade and (ii) higher level in each of the last three years and (b) advanced higher level in the last year.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The appeals procedure is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority. The information requested is not held centrally.

10 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals against advanced higher level awards the Scottish Qualifications Authority received in the last year and what percentage was successful.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32453. 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/webapp/search_wa"…

10 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals against higher level awards the Scottish Qualifications Authority received in each of the last three years and what percentage was successful.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32453. 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/webapp/search_wa"…

10 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals against standard grade awards the Scottish Qualifications Authority received in each of the last three years and what percentage was successful.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA). Statistics on qualifications offered or accredited by the SQA are available in the SQA's Annual Statistical Report. The 2001 report, containing the information requested for 1997-2001, was publ…

4 Dec 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether the final contracts for the new Parliament building at Holyrood have been let and, if so, when they were let and whether there was any cost variance to the Holyrood project's budget as a result.

Answer · David Steel: One Trade Contract, for the supply and installation of signage in the new Parliament building, remains to be let. The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has informed me that tenders for that package will be received and evaluated in January.

4 Dec 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether the post of project manager for the Parliament's opening ceremony in 2003 is not to be proceeded with and, if so, whether any costs have been incurred as a result.

Answer · David Steel: My answer to question S1W-32082 on 11 December 2002, explained that the appointment of an Opening Ceremonies Manager has been put on hold. No costs have been incurred as a result.

30 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has directed Communities Scotland to assess the performance of any housing association in the last three years.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Mr Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The Scottish Executive has not directed Communities Scotland to assess the performance of any housing association in the past three years.

30 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers Communities Scotland has to investigate the financial and maintenance performance of housing associations.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Mr Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:<P>Section 79 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 provides Scottish ministers with the power to set standards. Performance standards are developed and pu…

30 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers Communities Scotland has to investigate alleged mismanagement in housing associations.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Mr Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:<P>Communities Scotland (on behalf of Scottish ministers) may appoint a person to conduct an inquiry into the affairs of a housing association (a regist…

30 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what grants are available to communities for the renovation or rebuilding of village halls.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Executive provides grants, through the Local Capital Grants Scheme element of the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund, to assist local voluntary, youth and community organisations to provide new, or upgrade existing, premises for educational, social and recre…

30 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether each trunk road maintenance contract has met the performance indicators set.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Details of the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for the trunk road maintenance contracts is provided in section 4.4.7 of the <I>Public Report on the First Year of the New Trunk Road Operating Companies 2001-02</I>, a copy of which has been placed in the Parl…

30 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has provided any funding in addition to the original estimates in respect of the trunk road maintenance contracts.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Estimated budgets based on draft programmes of work are allocated to the trunk road maintenance contracts prior to the start of a financial year. Final budgets are allocated based on confirmed programmes of work and may increase or decrease the estimated budg…

2 Oct 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what the projected costs would be of a procession of MSPs down the Royal Mile to the new Parliament building, including costs to the City of Edinburgh Council, such as road closures and street barriers, and costs of policing and the attendance of emergency services.

Answer · David Steel: Procession options have not yet been assessed by the Opening Ceremonies Steering Group. No information on costs is available at this stage.

2 Oct 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what the total budgeted costs are of employing an Opening Ceremonies Manager for the opening of the new Parliament building, including administrative support and expenses.

Answer · David Steel: The Opening Ceremonies Manager will be responsible for the planned opening ceremonies for the new Parliament building and for the second parliamentary session. The post has been established on a temporary basis, for one year, at Grade 5. The current salary sc…

2 Oct 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what the projected budget will be for the opening ceremony of the Parliament building.

Answer · David Steel: The SPCB has appointed a working group, which includes representatives of the four main parties, to make recommendations for opening both the new session of Parliament and the Holyrood complex. A maximum budget of £400,000 has been allocated, but the actual c…

24 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why it has not directed that a public local inquiry be held into the planning application by Aberdeen Football Club for a new football stadium and other facilities at Kingswells, given that it did so for a smaller but similar application for East Middlefield Kingswells (P/PP/75/96/GA/18) …

Answer · Hugh Henry: This planning application is still under consideration by the Scottish ministers. The circumstances of the application at East Middlefield Farm were not identical to those of the football stadium application although I am aware that consideration of that case…

24 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why it has postponed by 28 days its consideration of the planning application by Aberdeen Football Club for a new football stadium and other facilities at Kingswells.

Answer · Hugh Henry: An extension to the assessment period has been necessary to allow further detailed consideration of the complex planning issues associated with this case.

4 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27994 by Mr Andy Kerr on 2 September 2002, what the split between advertising and marketing is for each heading specified in each year from 1999-2000 to 2004-05.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Advertising and marketing are not recorded separately.

6 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of the (a) costs associated with ministerial parliamentary aides and (b) proportion of such costs attributed to (i) its administration budget and (ii) other sources.

Answer · Jack McConnell: No costs have been incurred. The position of ministerial parliamentary aide is unpaid. However, they may receive normal civil service travel and subsistence allowances when undertaking ministerial parliamentary aides duties. However, no such claims have been …

29 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the average cost of employing civil servants in each of the last five years.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The average annual salary for permanent staff working in the core departments of the Scottish Executive in each of the past five years is given in the table.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=124><TR><TD WIDTH="55%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=19><P>As a…

29 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase or reduce the number of its staff members in (a) the current year and (b) each of the next three years.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has no plans to increase the staffing of the core departments beyond filling existing vacancies in the current year. Decisions on future staffing levels are dependent on the outcome of the Spending Review 2002 exercise which will determ…

29 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings it has had with trade unions about the use of the public/private partnership (PPP) process and whether it will list the outcomes and details of any agreements entered into.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Two meetings have been held with the STUC<B> </B>in the SE/STUC Working Group I established to examine employment issues in connection with public private partnerships. Two further meetings have taken place this month. The working group has been established i…