Parliamentary questions

Jim Mather

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

12 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19986 by Tavish Scott on 17 November 2005, what decisions were made; what actions were agreed, and what conclusions were reached as a result of the discussions referred to in respect of a Users Charter relating to the services provided by Western Fer…

Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21597 on 13 January 2006. 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/webap…

12 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19986 by Tavish Scott on 17 November 2005, when and where the discussions in respect of a Users Charter relating to the services provided by Western Ferries between Inverclyde and Cowal took place and which parties were present.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Representatives from Western Ferries discussed their proposals for a Users Charter for the Gourock to Dunoon route with Scottish Executive officials at meetings in June, July, November and December 2004. Representatives from Argyll and Bute Council attended t…

5 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of members of boards of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) live in Scotland (a) in total and (b) broken down by NDPB.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Information on all regulated NDPB appointees’ place of residence is in the public domain via the Executive’s public bodies website at <a href="http://194.247.95.101/Topics/Government/public-bodies/directory/Q/apptlist/true">http://194.247.95.101/Topics/Govern…

5 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20821 by Tavish Scott on 1 December 2005, what exact contractual conditions it would apply, or other measures it would use, to make a Users' Charter binding on any potential ferry operator.

Answer · Tavish Scott: As I explained in my answer to question S2W-20821, were the Executive to enter into an agreement with a ferry operator to introduce a Users’ Charter on a particular route, the detailed legal issues would be considered at that time. As the Executive has no pla…

29 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was paid to the Confederation of British Industry by non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Caledonian MacBrayne, Scottish Water, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Qualifications Authority and Historic Scotla…

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information is not held centrally. The use by non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) of services provided by the Confederation of British Industry is an operational matter for individual NDPBs to consider.

25 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20644 by Nicol Stephen on 25 November 2005, what the most up-to-date data is in respect of the number of food retail premises operating in Scotland.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The latest available data isfor 2004.I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-17428 on 30 June 2005. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="h…

24 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Ministerial Statement on the Local Government Finance Settlement on 23 November 2005 which referred to the desire to exert downward pressure on tax levels, whether it will publish the performance data for each of outcomes it will use to measure the effectiveness of the Ef…

Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21055 on 22 December 2005. 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/weba…

24 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Ministerial Statement on the Local Government Finance Settlement on 23 November 2005 which referred to the desire to exert downward pressure on tax levels, how frequently it will publish the performance data for each of the outcomes it will use to measure the effectivenes…

Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21055 on 22 December 2005. All answers to written 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.search">http://www…

24 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Ministerial Statement on the Local Government Finance Settlement on 23 November 2005 which referred to the desire to exert downward pressure on tax levels, when the Executive will publish the baseline outcomes against which it will measure the effectiveness of the Efficie…

Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21055 on 22 December 2005. 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/web…

24 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Ministerial Statement on the Local Government Finance Settlement on 23 November 2005 which referred to the desire to exert downward pressure on tax levels, when the Executive will specify the range of the baseline outcomes that have a direct beneficial impact on the peopl…

Answer · Tom McCabe: The definition of efficiency is the relationship between outputs and inputs. Of course outcomes are important, and as I have said before, the Executive pursues them across the whole range of its activities. However, it would be very difficult for us to separa…

23 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that the standard of Higher Gaelic is sufficiently high to enable students to deal with an academic course in the language. The member has provided the following Gaelic translation: A dh’fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba de na ceumannan a thathar …

Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21016 on 5 December 2005. 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.…

23 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers Scottish Gaelic to be an academic subject or a living language. The member has provided the following Gaelic translation: A dh’fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba ma tha e den bheachd gur e cuspair acadamaigeach a-mhàin no cànain bheò a tha anns a’ Ghàidhlig.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive’s policies for the development of Gaelic are designed to ensure its survival as a living language which also may be used in academic study.The Scottish Executive has provided the following translation:Th…

23 Nov 2005 · Written Question

Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21016 on 5 December 2005. 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/webap…

23 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that more graduates of Scottish Gaelic will be fluent speakers.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive recognises the importance of maintaining a high standard for Gaelic qualifications and ensuring courses are available which meet the needs of both Gaelic learners and fluent speakers. The detailed delivery of these is a matter for parti…

18 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with, or communications from, Western Ferries indicating the circumstances and/or timing of a possible complaint by the company to the European Commission alleging the payment of unfair subsidies to Caledonian MacBrayne in respect of the Gourock to Dunoo…

Answer · Tavish Scott: Western Ferries have indicated to the Executive on a number of occasions that it has concerns about the existing subsidy arrangements for Caledonian MacBrayne’s Gourock to Dunoon service. However, we are not aware of Western Ferries ever making an official co…

17 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question to S2W-19986 by Tavish Scott on 17 November 2005, how it would frame a Users' Charter in order to make it legally binding.

Answer · Tavish Scott: There are several ways that a Users’ Charter could be framed to make it legally binding. Were the Executive to enter into an agreement with a ferry operator to introduce a Users’ Charter on a particular route, the detailed legal issues would be considered at …

17 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which sectors of the economy it considers to have a skills shortage.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The information requested is given in the Futureskills Scotland publication, Skills in Scotland 2004, which was published in January 2005. Copies of this publication are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 35294).

17 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average total pension incomes have been for (a) men and (b) women in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested is not held centrally.

17 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have had below average incomes in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not available. The official source of low income data for Scotland is the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) dataset available from 1994-95. This is derived from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The sample size of the…

14 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-17428 by Allan Wilson on 30 June 2005, how many food retail premises there (a) were in 1998 and (b) are in 2005.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: (a) The number of food retail premises in 1998 was 8,515. (b) Data is not yet available for 2005.Source: Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) which is maintained by the Office for National Statistics.

10 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20077 by Mr Tom McCabe on 9 November 2005, how many additional permanent jobs in its core departments there were in each of the listed local authority areas between April 2000 and October 2005.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The number of additional permanent jobs (full-time equivalent, rounded to the nearest whole number) in Scottish Executive core departments between April 2000 and October 2005 is listed as follows by local authority area. <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cell…

8 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20014 by Nicol Stephen on 7 November 2005, which countries accounted for the non-EU percentage of business investment in research and development in Scotland in each year since 1999.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Of the total non-EU Business Enterprise Research and Development (BERD) expenditure, only USA BERD expenditure is separately identifiable. The years for which this information is available are as shown. Percentage of Non-EU BERD Expenditure by Firm Own…

8 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20014 by Nicol Stephen on 7 November 2005, what percentage of business investment in research and development in Scotland has been by (a) non-Scottish, (b) non-UK and (c) non-EU companies in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000, (iii) 2001, (iv) 2002, (v) 2003, (vi) …

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Earlier surveys on business research and development did not separately identify each source of investment. The latest available data is shown as follows. Percentage of Scottish Business Enterprise Research and Development (BERD) Expenditure by Firm Ow…

7 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its rating is of the current performance of NHS Western Isles.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I conducted the annual review of NHS Western Isles on 12 September in Stornoway from which it was clear that the board has delivered in 2004-05 a high-standard of patient care, and has substantially improved its standards of staff and clinical governance. I e…

7 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how confident it is that NHS Western Isles will meet its outcome and financial objectives and what additional steps are being taken to ensure that these objectives will be achieved.

7 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what patient outcome-oriented objectives have been set for NHS Western Isles for future years.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The same performance objectives are set for all health boards in Scotland, covering a wide range of patient–oriented issues. Currently, principal objectives are set out in Building a Better Scotland, in October 2004 and Fair to All, Personal to Each…

7 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has reviewed and approved the financial plans for NHS Western Isles for 2005-06 and beyond.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive Health Department has received a draft financial plan from NHS Western Isles in relation to 2005-06 and the following four financial years, which the department has reviewed and provided feedback on.The final version of the plan …

4 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce concessionary air fares for residents of Scottish islands or social groups, such as elderly people, students, young people or disabled people, for travel between mainland Scotland and Scottish islands.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Partnership Agreement priorities for concessionary travel are to introduce a Scotland-wide free bus scheme for older and disabled people and a scheme of concessionary travel on bus, rail and ferry for young people. However, as part of our commitmen…

4 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether public service obligations applied to flights from mainland Scotland to (a) Stornoway, (b) Benbecula, (c) Sumburgh and (d) Kirkwall airports will specify a reduction in ticket prices and, if so, what level that reduction will be.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The precise mechanism to deliver lower fares for Scotland’s island communities is being developed. It is being designed to ensure that communities receive substantial fare reductions. Any scheme requires European Commission approval and I shall announce detai…

4 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to introduce public service obligations on flights from mainland Scotland to (a) Stornoway, (b) Benbecula, (c) Sumburgh and (d) Kirkwall airports.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive’s main aim is to ensure that I delivery of lower fares for Scotland’s island communities. The precise mechanism is currently being developed and I shall announce details as soon as is practicable.