Questions · Hugh O'Donnell

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish all correspondence between it and the Scottish Inter Faith Council regarding its funding award beyond 16 January 2009.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that any delay over the decision on the funding settlement for the Scottish Inter Faith Council causing redundancy notices to be issued to eligible staff is not repeated in its funding decisions for other organisations.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it is good practice for government to delay taking a decision on funding an organisation until after that organisation had issued redundancy notices to its staff.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the process used in awarding funding to the Scottish Inter Faith Council followed best practice.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a manual of good practice or official guidance available to the civil service on the process to be followed in awarding funding to organisations and, if so, whether such good practice was adhered to in the process of awarding funding to the Scottish Inter Faith Council.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on whether any of the redundancy notices issued to eligible staff at the Scottish Inter Faith Council in December 2008 will be enforced.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons were for it not taking a decision regarding funding awards for the Scottish Inter Faith Council until after eligible staff had received redundancy notices.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when a final decision was taken on funding for the Scottish Inter Faith Council beyond 16 January 2009.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it was made aware that eligible staff at the Scottish Inter Faith Council would receive redundancy notices in December 2008.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the notice sent to the Scottish Inter Faith Council to advise it of its funding award beyond 16 January 2009 was made publicly available.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it informed the chief executive officer of the Scottish Inter Faith Council of the core grant funding that the council would receive beyond 16 January 2009.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it informed the Convener of the Scottish Inter Faith Council of the core grant funding that the council would receive beyond 16 January 2009.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Inter Faith Council regarding staff redundancies and when these discussions took place.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding the Scottish Inter Faith Council will be awarded beyond 16 January 2009; what timescale this funding covers, and how this funding settlement compares with previous years.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19526 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Inter Faith Council regarding funding awards and on which dates these discussions took place.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: As the First Minister announced on 15 January, this matter has been referred to the panel of independent advisors on the Ministerial Code, which will report in due course. The Scottish Inter Faith Council welcomed the commitment to continue funding a…

6 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much the private sector has contributed to the redevelopment of the Ravenscraig site in Lanarkshire in each year since the inception of the redevelopment project.

Answer · Jim Mather: There are two private sector partners involved in the Ravenscraig Development Project - Corus UK Ltd and Barratt (who recently replaced Wilson Bowden Developments following a takeover). Since closure of the Ravenscraig steelworks in 1993 it is under…

10 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3O-5138 by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 December 2008, whether it will bring forward an allocation of additional funding to NHS boards that demonstrate particular needs or shortages, as has been done for the Western Isles NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The bulk of health funding in Scotland is allocated by way of formula which takes account of boards'' relative health care needs. The Scottish Government provided additional resources to those boards who are below both their current Arbuthnott formula and NHS…

10 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3O-5138 by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 December 2008, whether measures to improve the Arbuthnott formula and ensure that no NHS board will receive less funding than it does at present will include an increase in the overall amount available for board funding.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Yes.

4 Dec 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will implement the NHS Scotland Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) formula for health board funding.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I announced in February 2008 my decision to implement NRAC''s recommendations to improve the Arbuthnott formula from the 2009-10 allocations onwards. As I stated at that time, moves towards the new target shares will be phased in gradually, as was the practic…

26 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase pumped storage hydro capacity to enable excess electricity to be stored for later use when output exceeds demand.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government recognises the potential benefits of developing effective ways of storing electricity. Hydro pumped storage is one of a range of storage technologies which could be deployed. It is up to the private sector to bring forward proposals fo…

26 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the benefit to the Scottish economy will be from having an excess of subsidised wind farm electricity generating capacity if this electricity is exported and the aerogenerators have been manufactured abroad.

Answer · Jim Mather: The growth of the wind energy sector is providing a platform for the growth of new technologies and a catalyst for the development of a grid infrastructure which will allow us to export some of Scotland''s massive green energy potential from a wide-range of r…

26 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-17508 by Jim Mather on 14 November 2008, whether the installation of more efficient turbines of the original size at the downsized hydro generating stations would also result in an increase in renewable output.

Answer · Jim Mather: This is a hypothetical question; the decision to reduce the capacity of eight hydro power schemes prior to the introduction of the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) in April 2002 was a matter for the owners of those generating stations.

4 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that down-rating the capacity of extant hydro generating stations, carried out prior to April 2002 to make them eligible for subsidy under the renewables obligation Scotland scheme after refurbishment, was the most efficient way of ensuring that such stations make …

Answer · Jim Mather: There is no evidence to suggest that the down-rating of the stations in question has had an adverse impact on renewable generation. Eight hydro schemes in Scotland down-rated their capacity prior to April 2002 and the introduction of the renewables obligation…

31 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether owners of static caravan parks are classed as registered social landlords in relation to their obligations to tenants.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Owners of static caravan parks are not classed as registered social landlords. There are clear statutory criteria that registered social landlords must meet and it is not possible to be classed as such for carrying out similar functions, for example, providin…

20 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much expenditure it has incurred in each directorate since June 2007 by using external consultants.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government''s financial system reports expenditure on the basis of the budgets approved by Parliament, i.e. on a portfolio basis, with relevant consultancy expenditure included within the spending associated with the delivery of a particular proj…

20 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in relation to consultation on the issue of forced marriage.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government''s consultation on whether civil legislation should be introduced to protect those affected by forced marriage will be published later this month.

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the development of learning partnerships.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Learning partnerships were set up in England in 1999 to promote collaboration by learning providers across sectors (schools, further education, work-based learning and adult and community learning). They are non-statutory, voluntary groupings of local learnin…

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether basic literacy and numeracy skills training is provided free for adults over 18 years of age or has to be paid for from an individual learning account.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Adult literacy and numeracy provision in the community is free to the learner. We are not replacing this free provision “ we are extending the use of Individual Learning Accounts to include workplace learning. Adults aged 16 and over can use their ILA for lit…

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether individual learning accounts are available for 16 to 18-year-olds.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Yes, the Scottish Government has now extended the use of individual learning accounts so that they are now available for all eligible adults aged 16 and over. Individual learning accounts were not available to 16 to 18-year-olds under the previous Scottish Ex…

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what changes it has made in relation to financial thresholds for individual learning accounts.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: On the 1 June 2007 the individual income threshold eligibility for the Individual Learning Account Scotland scheme increased from £15,000 to £18,000.