Parliamentary questions

Peter Peacock

1,395 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities will now be solely responsible for funding any expansion of community wardens from their grant allocations.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-7746 on 19 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.se…

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding for community wardens will now have to compete for funding with schools, social work and other services within each local authority.

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the provision in the budget line for community wardens will be increased before the funds are distributed to local authorities.

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which public agencies will be responsible for the funding of an enhanced level of community wardens in the (a) Highland Council, (b) Moray Council, (c) Argyll and Bute Council, (d) Orkney Islands Council, (e) Shetland Islands Council and (f) Western Isles Council areas.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-7746 on 19 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.se…

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what extra resources have been specifically identified in the spending review for the funding of community wardens.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-7746 on 19 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.se…

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms are in place to ensure that dedicated funding for community wardens in the (a) Highland Council, (b) Moray Council, (c) Argyll and Bute Council, (d) Shetland Islands Council, (e) Orkney Islands Council and (f) Western Isles Council areas will continue in 2008-09 and subseq…

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Under the concordatagreed between Scottish ministers and COSLA, funding for community safety andantisocial behaviour will be absorbed into the main local government settlementfrom 1 April 2008.The ScottishGovernment will be providing local government w…

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what statutory obligations local authorities are under to protect homes from coastal, fluvial or pluvial flooding.

Answer · Michael Russell: Under the current legislationthe Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961, local authorities have discretionary powersto mitigate the flooding of non-agricultural land in their area.

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much finance arising from departments under the control of the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment is held in the Central Contingency Fund and from which departmental underspends this finance comes.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: As I indicated in my answerto question S3W-1357, answered on 23 July 2007,the Environment and Rural Affairs Department generated underspends in 2004-05,2005-06 and 2006-07 of £39 million, £46 million and £54 million respectively. Ofthis £36 million and £9 mil…

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1357 by Richard Lochhead on 23 July 2007, what the difference is between centrally unallocated provision and the Central Contingency Fund.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Central Unallocated Provision(CUP) is a mechanism which was introduced to allow departments to hold aside provisioncentrally, within a Spending Review period, to meet commitments in future years,enabling them to ensure that voted budgets were taut and realist…

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what happens to European funding for agriculture and environment programmes which is underspent at the end of a year.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: European funding is entirelyoffset by negative DEL so if the expenditure is lower than estimated in a particularyear the offsetting European receipts will be reduced by a similar amount.

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1357 by Richard Lochhead on 23 July 2007, how end-year flexibility was allocated between budget heads at level 3 in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06 and (c) 2006-07.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: It is not possible to say howend-year flexibility was allocated between budget heads in 2004-05. The underspendwas £39 million but utilising resources held in the CUP (Central Unallocated Provision)a total of £73.6 million was allocated. No end-year flexibili…

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1357 by Richard Lochhead on 23 July 2007, which budget heads at level 3 accounted for the overall underspends in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2005-06 and (c) 2006-07.

Answer · Richard Lochhead:  2004-05.Environmentally Sensitive AreasSchemeRural Stewardship SchemeRural Partnership SchemeAgricultural BusinessDevelopment SchemeCrofting Building Grants and Loans SchemeHighlands and Islands Ma…

11 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1356 by Richard Lochhead on 31 July 2007, whether it uses management accounts internally to monitor expenditure; whether such accounts are available to budget managers on a monthly basis or more frequently; whether any such accounts are at budget lev…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The budgets are monitored ona monthly basis from the end of the first quarter to the end of the financial yearby reviewing the expenditure to date and the forecast outturn for the year. Thisis done at an appropriate level of detail at various levels of manage…

5 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funds from among the funding available through Bòrd na Gàidhlig for Gaelic language planning the Executive expects to bid for to implement its own Gaelic language plan.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-7485 on 20 December 2007. 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/w…

5 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision has been made in the spending review to implement its own Gaelic language plan.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: No specificprovision has been made. Costs related to the provision of Gaelic services bythe Scottish Government are met from within existing budgets. We have no plansto bid for resources from Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

5 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any funds intended for Gaelic not contained in the table on page 80 of Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-7483 on 20 December 2007. 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/w…

5 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what organisations have regularly received funding directly from the budget for Gaelic in each year since 2004-05; what amount each received in each year and for what purpose, and what assumptions of continuing funding, and at what level, are contained in the budget figures for Gaelic pub…

Answer · Linda Fabiani: The ScottishGovernment’s spend on Gaelic for the years 2004-05 to 2006-07, the projectedoutturn for 2007-08, and the planned budgets for 2008-09 to 2010-11 are shownin the attached table. This funding is targeted on key areas of Gaelicdevelopment with the aim…

5 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it plans to spend on (a) the Gaelic Specific Grant, (b) Bòrd na Gàidhlig, (c) Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, (d) Gaelic Media Services and (e) the Gaelic Digital Channel and from which budgets in each case and which of each of those funding elements and amounts is represented in the (i) 2007…

Answer · Linda Fabiani: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-7483 on 20 December 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/weba…

5 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the budget for Gaelic, as shown in Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007, it is assumed will transfer to local authorities over the period of the spending review under the terms of the recently signed concordat and the move toward less ring-fencing of funding.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: Gaelic specificgrants are available to local authorities to assist with the cost of deliveringGaelic education within their area, or towards the cost of providing access toGaelic education in another authority’s area. Specific grants will not transferto local…

5 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assumptions lie behind the reduction in resources for Gaelic for (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11 compared with the figure for 2008-09 and what the reasons are for this reduction.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-7483 on 20 December 2007. All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, thesearch facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…

5 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget for Gaelic for (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11, as shown on page 80 of Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007, is to be spent on and for what purposes.

5 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what actual outturn expenditure on Gaelic is estimated to be for 2007-08 and what this is being spent on, broken down by organisation, and for what purposes.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-7483 on 20 December 2007. 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/w…

5 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what adjustments were made to the £14.4 million Gaelic budget shown on page 80 of Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007 as part of the general process of adjusting baselines for budget comparison purposes.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-7476 on 20 December 2007. 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/w…

5 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the £14.4 million Gaelic budget for 2007-08 is being spent on, broken down by (a) organisation, (b) local authority and (c) other recipient and for what purpose the money is being allocated in each case.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: The £14.4 millionin the Gaelic budget for 2007-08 has been allocated for Gaelic Broadcasting(£8.9 million), Bòrd naGàidhlig (£4.664 million) and to local authorities for Gaelic education (£850,000).(The Bòrd na Gàidhlig amount included £235,000 which has been…

4 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary should take a view on the adequacy of police officer numbers in each force area.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The statutory dutiesof HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary are set out in section 33(1) of the Police(Scotland) Act 1967 as amended by section 57 of the Police and Magistrates’ CourtAct 1994 and schedule 6 of the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scot…

4 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers it estimates that Northern Constabulary needs.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The number of officersin any given force is a matter for the relevant Chief Constable who, working inconjunction with their police board, is responsible for the delivery of an efficientservice.

4 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what account is taken of the effects of sparsity of population and geographic scale in the distribution of resources between police force areas.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The methodology usedto calculate the distribution of funds to Scotland’s police forces takes into account the increased costs of policing areasof lower population density. Northern is one of the forces which benefits from this,in recognition of the increased …

4 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in determining the distribution of resources to police forces to recruit new and additional officers, any account was taken of the current numbers of police constables per head of population in each area.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-7467 on 12 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

4 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what method will be used to distribute extra resources between police forces to recruit new and additional officers.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The recruitment of the 500 additional officers announced on 12 November 2007 will be divided amongst forces in accordance with thePolice Grant Aided Expenditure allocation methodology.The distribution ofPolice Grant Aided Expenditure between police for…

4 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio is of promoted police officers to constables in each force area.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-7464 on 14 December 2007. 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/w…