Parliamentary questions

Kenneth Gibson

2,008 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

19 Oct 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it anticipates the closure of any colleges or college campuses in the foreseeable future.

30 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost would be of the first full year of devolving council tax benefit.

Answer · John Swinney: The UK Government intends to abolish council tax benefit from April 2013. It proposes that Scotland would then get a fixed addition to its budget corresponding to a 10% reduction in council tax benefit presently paid in Scotland. This could reduce the amount …

30 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) objections and (b) expressions of support had been received by 1 October 2011 regarding the application to construct and operate a new coal-fired power station at Hunterston.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: As of 1 October 2011, the Energy Consents and Deployment Unit (ECDU) had received and logged 19,509 objections to the development and 18 expressions of support from members of the public. The ECDU estimates that there a further 750-1,000 representations have …

7 Sep 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what annual impact it expects the savings made as a result of the merger of Scotland’s police forces to have on the Scottish budget.

3 Jul 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve the provision of lip-reading services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is continuing to invest in services for deaf people and is working to improve access to services and to remove barriers to inclusion. We are fully committed to improving the quality of life for those who have a sensory impairment, and …

20 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) objections and (b) expressions of support had been received by 1 June 2011 regarding the application to construct and operate a new coal-fired power station at Hunterston.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: To date, the Energy Consents and Deployment Unit (ECDU) has received 16,706 public representations objecting to the development and 18 public representations supporting the development. The ECDU is also holding a further 6 representations which have not yet…

20 Jun 2011 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what economic benefits will be delivered to Glasgow and the west of Scotland by the opening of the M74 northern extension.

8 Jun 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what change there has been in the levels of serious crime in Ayrshire over the last year for which figures are available.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Crimes of violence and crimes of indecency in Ayrshire have decreased by almost 2% between 2008-09 and 2009-10 and by almost 10% since this government first took office. This welcome news contributes to the lowest levels of recorded crime in Scotland for 32 …

2 Jun 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to take forward its Early Years Framework.

25 May 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much North Ayrshire Council will pay for schools built under PPP/PFI from 2007-08 to 2037-38.

10 Feb 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress NHS Ayrshire and Arran has made in delivering improved patient care in the last year.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Ayrshire and Arran has made significant progress in delivering improved patient care in the last year, in line with national policies, guidelines and frameworks; as evidenced at the NHS board''s annual review held in Irvine in September 2010.

7 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to take forward regeneration policy.

Answer · Alex Neil: On 9 February 2011 I will be launching a discussion paper on regeneration: Building a Sustainable Future. This discussion paper will provide an opportunity for regeneration practitioners and other stakeholders from national and local government, the w…

24 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review the Educational Maintenance Allowance.

Answer · Keith Brown: There are no plans to review the Education Maintenance Allowance Scheme. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth announced in the draft budget statement on 17 November 2010 plans to continue the Education Maintenance Allowance scheme, consist…

22 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to its consultation on high hedges and whether it intends to bring forward draft legislation.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I informed elected members of the progress made so far, and outlined proposed next steps, at a briefing session which I held in Parliament on 16 September 2010. A minute of the briefing will be made available shortly, once it has been finalised.

3 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) objections and (b) expressions of support had been received by 1 September 2010 regarding the application to construct and operate a new coal-fired power station at Hunterston.

Answer · Jim Mather: By 1 September 2010, 13 expressions of support had been received alongside approximately 15,500 objections to the Hunterston proposal.

12 Jul 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what annual budget has been set for the Court of the Lord Lyon and what the final outturn for that budget line has been in each year since 1999.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The table below sets out the budget allocation and the outturn figure for the Court of the Lord Lyon since 2005, which is the earliest year for which records are held internally within the Scottish Government. An outturn figure is not yet available for the cu…

12 Jul 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in which of its directorates responsibility for the Court of the Lord Lyon lies.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Justice Directorate has a sponsorship role for the Court of the Lord Lyon, however the court exercises its judicial functions independently and some aspects of the work are reserved as it is part of the Royal household.

12 Jul 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what budget is allocated to the Court of the Lord Lyon and who the accountable officer is.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This year a budget of £106,000 was allocated to the Court of the Lord Lyon. The accountable officer is Stella Manzie, Director General of Justice and Communities within the Scottish Government.

27 May 2010 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking in conjunction with NHS Ayrshire and Arran to reduce drug addiction in North Ayrshire.

Answer · Shona Robison: Our national drug strategy, The Road to Recovery, published in May 2008, is focused on recovery and the needs of the individual. NHS Ayrshire and Arran has received an extra 28% drug treatment funding since 2006-07. Officials are working clo…

23 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much North Ayrshire Council paid to fund PPP/PFI payments for schools in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09 and will have to pay in each year from 2009-10 until the end of the contracts and what the Scottish Government’s contribution will be in each of those years.

Answer · Keith Brown: The following table shows the Unitary Charge payments made by North Ayrshire in 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 and the estimated Unitary Charge payments in each year onwards until the end of the contract. North Ayrshire Council were offered revenue support of £…

27 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff who have transferred to Mitie PFI Ltd under respective school contracts have experienced an incorrect pension deduction from salary and how much the average shortfall is.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31149 on 3 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…

27 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, under staff and service transfer terms, local authorities are expected to formally meet regularly with Mitie PFI Ltd to discuss service provision and, if so, how often such meetings have taken place.

27 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff have transferred from each local authority to Mitie PFI Ltd.

27 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have contracted out cleaning and janitorial services to Mitie PFI Ltd.

Answer · John Swinney: This information is not held centrally. Information of this sort is a matter for local authorities as independent corporate bodies.

5 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost will be in each year from 2010-11 onwards for which information is available to (a) each NHS board, (b) each local authority and (c) the remainder of the Scottish block grant of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s decision to increase employers’ national insurance contribution…

Answer · John Swinney: Employers and employees'' National Insurance contributions are to increase by a further 0.5% from 1 April 2011. This is in addition to the 0.5% increase from 1 April 2011 announced at PBR 2008. In total, this will mean an estimated additional pressure on Scot…

18 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost is in 2009-10 to (a) each NHS board, (b) each local authority and (c) the remainder of the Scottish block grant of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s decision to increase employers’ national insurance contributions by 0.5% from 2011.

23 Sep 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency regarding the environmental impact of Scotland’s power stations.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor1001-01.htm">http://www.scot…

21 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executivewhat the total PFI/PPP payments have been in each year since 2006-07 and will be for the duration of the repayment shedules.

Answer · John Swinney: The estimated total annual PFI/PPP unitary payments from 2006-07 onwards is provided in the following table. <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=71 valign=top > Year </td> <td width…

3 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much land in Scotland is under the control of the Ministry of Defence

Answer · John Swinney: From information held by the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland and from National Statistics on the Government Estate, we estimate that the Ministry of Defence owns 79,200 hectares of land in Scotland.

17 Jun 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it considers the Tobacco and Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Bill will have on the number of children taking up smoking.

Answer · Shona Robison : This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0625-01.htm">http://www.sco…