Parliamentary questions
Peter Peacock
1,395 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd has to borrow cash for investment in its harbours and vessels.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) already has, and uses, the power to borrow money from central government. Public corporations, such as CMAL, are only allowed to borrow commercially in certain strictly defined circumstances. Any proposal by CMAL to borro…
29 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what liabilities Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd has in relation to each of its harbour facilities.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) has undertaken extensive asset condition surveys at all CMAL owned facilities and is currently developing a maintenance plan and investment strategy for its harbour facilities covering the short, medium and long-term.</p>
29 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the value is of Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd’s fixed assets in terms of harbour facilities, broken down by facility.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The value of Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd''s fixed assets is £23.7 million as contained in Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd''s Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements for 2006-07 laid before Parliament on 29 November 2007. The report was published…
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish ministers have discretion to offer assets under their control directly or at arms length through an agency or company owned by the government to other parties and, if so, what constraints or requirements Scottish ministers are under in disposing of such assets.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish ministers and arms length bodies may dispose of or lease assets subject to the relevant guidance in the Scottish Public Finance Manual.</p> <p >In any potential transfer of assets consideration would have to be given to the impact on business co…
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who owns Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Caledonian MacBrayne Limited was restructured into an asset owning and leasing company, Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited and a ferry operating company, David MacBrayne Ltd in October 2006 by the previous administration, in preparation for the tendering of t…
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who owns Lochboisdale harbour.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) owns Lochboisdale pier and owns the linkspan which occupies land leased from the Crown Estate Commissioners. CMAL also has title to the buildings including the waiting room/ticket office and store room, vehicle marshallin…
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the staffing structure of Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The staffing structure of Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd is published on their website at <a href="http://www.cmassets.co.uk/organisationalinformation.htm">www.cmassets.co.uk/organisationalinformation.htm</a>.</p>
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual running costs of the administration of Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd are estimated to be in terms of staff salaries and other costs.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The annual running costs of the administration of Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd is estimated to be £1 million.</p>
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs have been of establishing Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-31530 on 6 March 2007. 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/w…
25 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Highland and Moray councils will have access to government funding to extend the kerbside collection of dry recyclables.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: In line with the newconcordat between the Scottish Government and local authorities government fundingfor recycling services will no longer be provided via the ring-fenced StrategicWaste Fund (SWF) from 1 April 2008, but will instead be transferred to the loc…
24 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-7971 by Michael Russell on 18 January 2008, whether it believes that there is any relationship between national funding policy for flood and coast protection and the flood risk that businesses and householders across Scotland experience locally.
Answer · Michael Russell: Funding takes accountof the level of flood risk to homes and businesses in each council area and themeasures underway better to manage that risk.</p>
18 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there is a case for paying lay members of school inspection teams for any loss of earnings and costs incurred in conducting their responsibilities.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Lay members of schoolinspection teams provide an invaluable perspective on the quality of educationin Scotland. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) meetall their related travel and subsistencecosts. However, I am concerned that theintegrity and ind…
17 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding measures are in place to ensure that all households and businesses will be provided with a broadband service.
Answer · Jim Mather: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8626 on 28 January 2008. Allanswers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
17 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to prioritise the provision of broadband to all households and businesses in Scotland currently unable to obtain an ADSL service.
Answer · Jim Mather: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8626 on 28 January 2008. Allanswers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
17 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what timescale it has to respond to those who have registered their details through the Broadband for Scotland campaign.
Answer · Jim Mather: We are currently contactingthose who made registrations under our broadband campaign. This work iscompleting in the next few weeks and will verify the list of access problems beingaddressed in our procurement exercise. Our timescale for deploying actualsoluti…
17 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to progress the broadband reach project following the closing of registration for those currently unable to receive a broadband service.
Answer · Jim Mather: Our broadband reach projectis progressing well. We are currently completing the verification of all the registrationswe have received. The Scottish Government consider all registered premises withoutbroadband access to be a priority and their details will thu…
15 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many leases of property owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise are due to expire in 2008-09.
Answer · Jim Mather: This is an operational matterfor Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executiveto write to you in this regard.</p>
15 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many business tenants who lease property from Highlands and Islands Enterprise have leases of (a) less than two years, (b) from two to four years and (c) more than four years.
Answer · Jim Mather: This is an operational matterfor Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executiveto write to you in this regard.</p>
15 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what total value of land is owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Answer · Jim Mather: This is an operational matterfor Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executiveto write to you in this regard.</p>
15 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what total area of land is owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Answer · Jim Mather: This is an operational matterfor Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executiveto write to you in this regard.</p>
15 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it owns property jointly with other parties and, if so, how many properties are owned jointly with (a) other organisations in the public sector and (b) companies in the private sector.
Answer · John Swinney: There are no suchbuildings.</p>
15 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been allocated by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to acquire property in the last three years, also broken down by local enterprise network area.
Answer · Jim Mather: This is an operational matterfor Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executiveto write to you in this regard.</p>
15 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses have gained assistance from Highlands and Islands Enterprise to build new business premises or enhance existing premises in each of the last three years, broken down by local enterprise network area.
Answer · Jim Mather: This is an operational matterfor Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executiveto write to you in this regard.</p>
15 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses have sought assistance from Highlands and Islands Enterprise to build new business premises or enhance existing premises in each of the last three years, broken down by local enterprise network area and showing the types of assistance available.
Answer · Jim Mather: This is an operational matterfor Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executive to write to you in this regard.</p>
15 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans Highlands and Islands Enterprise has to stimulate property development in the highlands and islands.
Answer · Jim Mather: This is an operationalmatter for Highland and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executive to write to you in this regard.</p>
15 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much revenue Highlands and Islands Enterprise accrued from property sales in each of the last three years, also broken down by local enterprise network area.
Answer · Jim Mather: This is an operational matterfor Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executiveto write to you in this regard</p>
15 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much rental income Highlands and Islands Enterprise received in each of the last three years from properties in the region, also broken down by local enterprise network area.
Answer · Jim Mather: This is an operational matterfor Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executiveto write to you in this regard.</p>
15 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many properties were owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise in each of the last three years, broken down by local enterprise network area.
Answer · Jim Mather: This is an operational matterfor Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executiveto write to you in this regard.</p>
14 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what costs were provided by CalMac Ferries Ltd for the operation of options that it presented to achieve the introduction of a ferry service from Lochboisdale to Mallaig at the time of the tendering exercise for current services, or since.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The mandatory “variant bid”for a dedicated service between Mallaig and Lochboisdale required the purchaseof an additional vessel with a suggested capital cost of £25 million andadditional running costs of £4 million per annum.</p><p>The “optional variant bid…
14 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, under the terms of an invitation to look at innovative solutions as part of the bidding process for the contract, CalMac Ferries Ltd offered optional variants on how a Lochboisdale to Mallaig service could operate.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-8413 on 28 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…