Parliamentary questions

Mr Duncan Hamilton

494 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

1 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what specific proposals it has to improve public access to the internet.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Executive will launch a digital inclusion strategy in the autumn which will set out the Executive's approach to tacking the digital divide.

1 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the population in (a) Scotland, (b) each parliamentary region and (c) each local authority area has home access to the internet and how the figure for the whole of Scotland compares to the equivalent figure for (i) the USA and (ii) the European Union.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: (a) The latest statistics for Scotland as a whole show that 25% of households had access to the internet from home (Scottish Household Survey, October-December 2000).(b) Statistics are not currently available by parliamentary region.(c) Statistic…

1 Aug 2001 · Written Question

Answer · Angus MacKay: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17320.

1 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the websites offering devolved government services online utilise customer relationship management systems.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The Students Awards Agency for Scotland is the only body within the Scottish Administration that currently utilises customer relationship management systems in delivering its online services. The agency has recently introduced facilities to allow students to …

1 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the maturity of each of the websites offering devolved government services online and who is responsible for developing these sites.

Answer · Angus MacKay: I refer you to the answer to question S1W-17320. The Executive has set down mandatory standards for public service sites, and provides assistance and guidance, although responsibility for the detailed content and development of each site rests with the releva…

1 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the government portal for Scotland referred to in paragraph 4.5 of Information Age Government in Scotland - A draft common framework has not been delivered in the same timespan as UK online.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The UK Online portal contains services and information of both Scottish and of general UK application. A separate Scottish portal remains under active consideration and will be launched when appropriate. Its development has to be complementary to the main UK …

1 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the government portal for Scotland referred to in paragraph 4.5 of Information Age Government in Scotland - A draft common framework will be established.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive is fully involved with UK Online, (which is widely regarded as a great success, now getting more than a million hits a week). Considerable effort continues to go into the development of Life Episodes with distinct Scottish content, with…

1 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which of its departments and agencies and which Scottish public bodies do not have services available online; why no services are available online in each case, and when any such bodies will make their services available online.

Answer · Angus MacKay: Provision of information is the biggest service provided by Government in Scotland. All Executive departments, Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies in Scotland make information available online. Other services are being developed. We are fina…

1 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the set of actions devised as a result of the study commissioned to map present and planned facilities providing public access to the internet referred to in paragraph 4.8 of Information Age Government in Scotland - A draft common framework.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Executive will publish a digital inclusion strategy in the autumn and the actions detailed there will be informed by the work to map the locations of all facilities providing public access to the internet in Scotland.

20 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the way in which each of the public consultation exercises regarding the extension of the Lingerton landfill site undertaken since January 2000 has been carried out.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The arrangements for holding public consultation exercises on planning applications are entirely matters for the council concerned.

20 Jun 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent plans are for the reintroduction of the Campbeltown-Ballycastle ferry service.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Since July 2000 the Scotland Office, the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Executive have been working closely together to examine the feasibility of re-introducing the Campbeltown to Ballycastle ferry service. Ministers from the Scotland Office, th…

20 Jun 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met officials from Argyll and Bute Council and what issues were discussed.

Answer · Peter Peacock: I met the Leader and Chief Executive of Argyll & Bute Council on 2 April 2001 to discuss local government issues.

16 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the location was of each aircraft in the air ambulance fleet on 29 and 30 April 2001 and whether it will detail the jobs undertaken by each aircraft on each of these dates, specifying in each case the location of the job, category of patient and type of aircraft used.

Answer · Susan Deacon: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service. I have asked Mr Adrian Lucas, the Chief Executive of the service, to look into this matter and to respond direct to you.

3 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail all projects relating to IT which will be put out to tender by its core departments, agencies and associated departments and any other public body within its responsibility in (a) May 2001, (b) June 2001, (c) July 2001, (d) August 2001, (e) September 2001 and (f) Oc…

Answer · Angus MacKay: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. European law requires that public contracts for goods and services exceeding given thresholds (currently £93,896 for central government and £144,456 for most …

23 Apr 2001 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has any plans to establish another partner library in Argyll and Bute to take account of the overall si'e of the constituency and the number of islands in the area.

Answer · David Steel: The Parliament is keen to grant Partner Library status to additional public libraries if there is sufficient demand, or where geographic and other factors mean that the public are effectively excluded from access to parliamentary information. Staff in SPICe h…

23 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14439 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 6 April 2001, who the members were of the steering group which specified the criteria for the selection of an operator for the proposed Rosyth-Europe ferry service; who specifically within Scottish Enterprise decided th…

Answer · Wendy Alexander: As your question relates to operational matters which are the responsibility of Scottish Enterprise, I have asked the Chairman of Scottish Enterprise to respond. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

23 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14539 by Angus MacKay on 10 April 2001, what level of expenditure was incurred by each local authority to meet their local educational requirements in (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01 and what the estimated figures are for 2001-02.

Answer · Angus MacKay: Local authorities' provisional outturn expenditure for 1999-2000 and budgeted expenditure for 2000-01 on education is contained in the table. The budget estimates for 2001-02 have still to be received from all councils.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=…

23 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has received on the compatability of section 6 of the Agricultural (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1968 and the Cattle Identification Regulations (SSI 1998/871), which confers on inspectors a power of entry to farms, with Article 8 of the European Convention on Human R…

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is obliged to act in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights. We are satisfied that the provisions concerned are compatible with ECHR.

27 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13062 by Mr Jack McConnell on 8 March 2001, whether it will define the contribution from their budgets which local authorities would normally be expected to make.

Answer · Angus MacKay: In addition to Scottish Executive grant support, local authorities are expected to fund an element of their total expenditure from local taxation. The exact level of expenditure on specific services is dependent on local policy decisions. However, the grant p…

23 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10680 by Wendy Alexander on 1 December 2000, whether it will give a definition of the "appropriately high standard" to which it expects the ferry service to be run.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The high standard deemed appropriate for the operation of the proposed ferry service between Rosyth and the Continent includes aspects such as an operator having a record of safe and reliable provision of ferry services, the operation of technologically advan…

23 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10680 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 1 December 2000, what the composition and remit of the steering group are and when it will next meet.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Steering Group established by Scottish Enterprise for the purpose of taking forward the proposal to establish a ferry service between Rosyth and Europe, included representatives of Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise Fife, Fife Council and the Scotti…

23 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost has been of the environmental programme monitoring the clean-up of the Holy Loch for each year since it began, broken down by organisation involved.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The information requested is not held centrally.

23 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10680 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 1 December 2000, whether it will give details of the criteria on which the preferred bidder was chosen, with particular reference to the criteria on safety.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: As the tendering process has not yet been completed, Scottish Enterprise consider that it would not be appropriate to make public at this time details of the criteria specified for the selection of an operator for the proposed ferry service between Rosyth and…

19 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the funding arrangements for local Business Shops.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and I have asked the Chairmen to write to the member. A copy of their replies will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

19 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to close any existing Business Shops or to open new such facilities.

19 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Business Shops there are for each local enterprise company and where each one is located.

15 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the European Union requesting that the planned review of guidelines on state aid be brought forward in order that it can take account of these revised guidelines in formulating its policy on the Scottish ferry network.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: No. The Commission has clarified, in its recent reply to European parliamentary question Number 73 H-0151/01, that tendering in relation to the ferry services off the west coast of Scotland, which are currently operated by Caledonian MacBrayne, must be seen i…

8 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11800 by Mr Jack McConnell on 5 March 2001, whether it will consider the inclusion of developmental co-ordination disorders, including dyspraxia, in the Special Educational Needs Programme of Action.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Programme of Action is intended to address the needs of all children and young people with special educational needs, including developmental co-ordination disorders such as dyspraxia.The programme encompasses a broad ra…

8 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-12634 and S1W-13385 by Ross Finnie on 2 February and 28 February 2001 respectively, how it is able to give the figures detailed in the answer to S1W-12634 for Kintyre but not for other Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department local office areas.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Early estimates of the impact of the Less-Favoured Area Support Scheme were prepared as a guide. I shall make a full analysis available once all claims have been processed and analysed.

8 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13385 by Ross Finnie on 28 February 2001, when it expects the figures to be processed and analysed for each Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department local office area, and whether it will make the figures available in the Scottish Parliament Infor…

Answer · Ross Finnie: The immediate priority is to ensure payments are made to eligible farmers and crofters as soon as possible. Analysis will be completed over the coming months and shall be made available to the Parliament's Reference Centre.