Parliamentary questions
Jack McConnell
47 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
3 Feb 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how ministers will identify lessons learned from the recent adverse weather conditions at the end of December 2009 and beginning of January 2010 and how any recommendations will be taken forward.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31143 on 5 February 2010. 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…
3 Feb 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities had a policy of not filling grit bins as of November 2009.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Local roads maintenance and upkeep, including winter maintenance, is the responsibility of the appropriate local road authority. As such the information is not held centrally.</p>
3 Feb 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it gives to local authorities about filling grit bins and how it monitors the implementation of such guidance.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Local authorities are expected to follow the guidance on winter maintenance contained in <i >Delivering Best Value in Highway Maintenance “ Code of Practice for Maintenance Management July 2001</i> which has been endorsed by amongst others, Scottish Governmen…
3 Feb 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much grit and salt has been bought and stockpiled in each of the last five years.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Local roads maintenance and upkeep, including winter maintenance, is the responsibility of the appropriate local road authority. As such the information is not held centrally.</p>
3 Feb 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much grit and salt North Lanarkshire Council has bought and stockpiled in each of the last five years.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Local roads maintenance and upkeep, including winter maintenance, is the responsibility of the appropriate local road authority. As such the information is not held centrally.</p>
3 Feb 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many gritters were in operation each day on the (a) A721, (b) A722 and (c) A723 in the Motherwell and Wishaw parliamentary constituency between 17 December 2009 and 8 January 2010.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: These roads are local roads and are therefore the responsibility of the appropriate local road authority. As such the information is not held centrally.</p>
3 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been made by Scottish ministers to UK ministers to allow financial services trainees to complete their training and remain in Scotland beyond the two years of the Leave to Remain scheme under the Fresh Talent initiative and what decisions have been implemented as…
Answer · Linda Fabiani: There have been no representations made to UK ministers for a specific scheme to allow financial services trainees to remain in Scotland beyond their time on the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme (FT:WiSS). People on FT:WiSS can apply to transfer to re…
3 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been, or will be, made by Scottish ministers to UK ministers to allow trainee doctors to complete their training using the provisions of the Fresh Talent initiative.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing has written to the Home Secretary on 10 October requesting that the necessary changes are made to ensure graduates from Scottish medical schools currently on FT:WISS are granted equal access to transfer into Tier…
3 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether written representations were made to the UK Government by Scottish ministers in advance of the launch of the new UK Government immigration policy and what representations were made between May 2007 and September 2008.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: Scottish ministers have been in correspondence with UK Government ministers about the scope for Scottish flexibilities within the system; a reduced qualifying period for settlement in Scotland; the criteria for Tier One - Post Study (the successor to the Fres…
3 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how often Scottish ministers met UK ministers between May 2007 and September 2008 to discuss the new UK immigration policy.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Fiona Hyslop, has met with Liam Byrne and had a telephone conversation with Bill Rammell, and the Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, Linda Fabiani, has had a telephone conversation wit…
3 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements there are for overseas students graduating in Scotland to provide them with opportunities to remain in Scotland for an extended period following graduation and how these compare with arrangements elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: International students (from outside the EEA) graduating in Scotland can apply to remain in the UK for up to two years under Tier 1: Post Study, part of the new UK managed migration arrangements. These arrangements now apply across the whole of the UK. In Sco…
3 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation has taken place of the Leave to Remain scheme and the Relocation Advisory Service.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: We have recently published a review of the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme which is available on the Scottish Government website at:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/08/15155422/0">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications…
3 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Leave to Remain visas have been granted in each year since the launch of the Fresh Talent initiative.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: The Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme was managed by the Home Office, who have provided the Scottish Government with the following information on the number of visas granted under the scheme.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead…
3 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Leave to Remain visas have been requested in each year since the launch of the Fresh Talent initiative.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: This is a matter for the UK Government. The Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme was managed by the Home Office, and information on the total number of Leave to Remain visas requested in each year is not routinely made available to the Scottish Government…
3 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with North Lanarkshire Council about education spending and, in particular, the issue of teacher employment since May 2007 and what actions have followed from those discussions.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Minister for Schools and Skills met with North Lanarkshire Council on 9 September 2008 where budgets and teacher employment were included in the general discussions. No individual discussions have been held with North Lanarkshire on education spending or …
3 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many newly qualified teachers who have not yet secured employment reside in North Lanarkshire, broken down by Scottish parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Maureen Watt: This information is not collected centrally.</p>
3 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific additional funds for educational purposes were allocated to North Lanarkshire Council in each year from 2001-02 to 2007-08, broken down by fund and, of these, which are now included in the general local government settlement as a result of the concordat with local government…
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: As part of the concordat, we have significantly reduced the level of ring fencing around funding streams. This was delivered at the request of local government, and agreed with COSLA. Removing the ring fencing and regulation gives councils more freedom and fl…
3 Oct 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers were employed in North Lanarkshire in each of the last 10 years, broken down into those teaching in (a) secondary, (b) primary, (c) special and (d) nursery education.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The number of teachers employed is published each year and can be found on the government website using the following links:</p> <p >Pre-School <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Children/PubPreSchoolEdChildcare">http://www.scotland…
21 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a central register of school links with Africa as a means of sharing best practice.
Answer · Maureen Watt: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13299 on 5 June 2008. 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/wa…
21 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools in Scotland have links with schools in Malawi.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: A list of school to school links between Scotland and Malawi is held and updated by the Scotland-Malawi Partnership. At the end of April 2008 there were 154 schools on that list.</p>
21 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will confirm funding for the Link Community Development Global Teachers Programme after current funding ends in March 2009.
Answer · Maureen Watt: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13299 on 5 June 2008. 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/wa…
21 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support the Link Community Development Global Teachers Programme in each of the next three years.
Answer · Maureen Watt: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13299 on 5 June 2008. 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/wa…
21 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits for (a) Malawi and (b) Scotland it considers have been delivered by the Link Community Development Global Teachers Programme.
Answer · Maureen Watt: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13299 on 5 June 2008. 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/wa…
21 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding the Link Community Development Global Teachers Programme has received in each of the last three years, also showing the percentages of such funding spent in Malawi.
Answer · Maureen Watt: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13299 on 5 June 2008. 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/wa…
21 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools in Malawi have benefited from the Link Community Development Global Teachers Programme in each of the last three years.
Answer · Maureen Watt: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13299 on 5 June 2008. 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/wa…
21 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers from Scotland have been supported by the Link Community Development Global Teachers Programme to help schools in Malawi in each of the last three years.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Over the last three years 42 Scottish teachers have been selected by Link Community Development to take part in their Global Teachers Programme in Malawi (11 in 2005-06; 17 in 2006-07 and 14 in 2007-08). These placements benefitted 55 schools in 2005-06 and 8…
21 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for funding the Scotland-Malawi Partnership centrally in each of the next three years.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: I announced core funding for the Scotland-Malawi Partnership for the next three financial years on Tuesday 27 May 2008. The new core funding totals £158,387: £48,690 in 2008-09; £59,102 in 2009-10, and £50,595 in 2010-11.</p>
21 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for applications for the Core Funding for Scottish-Based Networking Organisations Programme within the International Development Fund.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: I have already announced support for the next three years of the Network of International Development Organisations in Scotland and the Scotland-Malawi Partnership. Any additional needs identified by the Scottish Government will be considered in the course of…
21 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for applications for the Indian Subcontinent Development Programme within the International Development Fund.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: We have not made final decisions on specific countries or allocated specific funding to this programme at this stage. Over the coming months officials will meet with key stakeholders to develop the programme and consider relevant funding mechanisms.</p> <p …
21 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for applications for the Sub-Saharan Africa Development Programme within the International Development Fund.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: The funding criteria for applications for the Sub-Saharan Africa Development Programme will be discussed with the Network of International Development Organisations in Scotland next week. Once agreed, full details will be published on the Scottish Government …