Parliamentary questions

Stewart Stevenson

2,358 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

25 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much each police force has spent through PFI/PPPs (a) on the refurbishment and replacement of police stations and (b) in total.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Details of investment in police stations is not held centrally by the Scottish Executive, and is a matter for individual police authorities.Information on the Strathclyde Police Training Centre Public Private Partnership project can be found on the Sco…

25 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the change has been in the number of full-time permanent jobs, broken down by local authority area, since 1997, expressed also as a percentage of the number of such jobs.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The table below shows, for Scotland and local authorities, the number of full-time jobs in 1997 and 2002 and net change and percentage change for this time period.It is not possible to obtain information about permanent jobs.<table class=MsoNormalT…

25 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in (a) each local authority area and (b) Scotland earn the minimum wage.

Answer · Jim Wallace: This information is not held centrally.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have advised the Low Pay Commission that neither the Labour Force Survey nor the New Earnings Survey produce accurate estimates of people earning the minimum wage. However,…

25 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) inward investment decisions were made and (b) new jobs were created through inward investment in each year from 1999 to 2003.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Scottish Development International (SDI) records information on inward investment projects in which SDI and its partners have had a significant involvement. The figures reflect the number of jobs which a company plans to create or safeguard at the time its de…

25 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many engineering jobs have been lost in (a) each local authority area and (b) Scotland in each year since 1999.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The information on number of jobs lost is not held centrally.However Table 1 shows net change in number of jobs in engineering and allied industries in local authority areas and Scotland in each year from 1999 till 2002.Table 2 shows number of j…

25 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage enterprise in disadvantaged communities.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Executive is committed toencouraging enterprise in disadvantaged communities, and groups currently under-representedin business. Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise offer a wide range of businesssupport through the business gateway in…

25 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on branding each of its departments since 1999, broken down into (a) consultancy fees, (b) design of, and orders for, new stationery, (c) website design and (d) other material featuring new logos.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive has not spent any money on branding its departments.

25 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many firms have been helped by (a) grants for research and development, (b) grants for investigating an innovative idea and (c) knowledge transfer partnerships since 1999.

Answer · Jim Wallace: (a) Grant for Research and Development is a DTI initiative and is available to firms based in England only. The information requested is not held by the Scottish Executive. However, Grant for Research and Development incorporates DTI’s equivalent of each of t…

25 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the start-up rate was for small businesses in (a) each local authority and (b) Scotland in each year since 1997 and what information it has on the equivalent rate for the United Kingdom as a whole for the same time period.

Answer · Jim Wallace: VAT Registration Rates per 10,000 of the Adult Population Aged 16 and Over for Scottish Local Authorities, 1997-2002<table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=469> <thead> <tr> <td> </td> <td> <p align=cente…

17 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which non-departmental public bodies since 1999 have (a) had their functions transferred to (i) another non-departmental public body and (ii) a democratically-elected body, detailing the body in each case, (b) been renamed but continue to perform a similar role and (c) remained unchanged.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested is not held centrally. Generic information on public bodies is contained on the Public Bodies and Appointments website at <ahref="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/government/publicbodies/">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/government/publi…

17 Jun 2004 · Written Question

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to reply. Her response is as follows:This information is not collected centrally.

17 Jun 2004 · Written Question

Answer · Euan Robson: This information is not held centrally.

17 Jun 2004 · Written Question

Answer · Hugh Henry: The information requested is given in a table entitled Recruitment to the Fire Service by gender and ethnic minority, a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 33107). It should be noted that not all those recrui…

17 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the requirements are for training a community warden and how long the training takes.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-9113 answered on 13 July 2004.All answers to written parliamentaryquestions available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/we…

17 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many community wardens entered training in (a) 2002-03 and (b) 2003-04 and how much it costs to train each warden.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Local authorities are still inthe process of recruiting and training their community wardens. We anticipate thatonce this process is complete there will be 400 fully-trained community wardensfrom the first round of our funding to tackle anti-social behaviour.…

17 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it costs to train a police officer.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Police officers receive training throughout their careers. The overall cost of such training will vary from officer to officer depending on their career path. Officers receive training at the Scottish Police College, within their own force and, on occasion, a…

17 Jun 2004 · Written Question

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The information available is shown in the following table below. <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> </td> <td> 1999-2000 </td> <td> 2000-01 </td> <td> 2001-02…

16 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities are required to record expenditure on consultancy, using the standard guidance on the definition of consultancy applied across the United Kingdom or otherwise, separately from other categories of spending.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Local authorities are not required to record expenditure on consultancies separately from other categories of spending in the financial returns they provide to the Scottish Executive.

15 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the actual or estimated total nominal value and number was of any transfers of assets, other than financial transactions, (a) to and (b) from (i) Liechtenstein, (ii) the Cayman Islands, (iii) Jersey, (iv) Guernsey, (v) the Isle of Man and (vi) other countries with similar tax policie…

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive is not knowingly aware of any such transfers of assets by its departments and agencies since 1996.

15 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the actual or estimated total value of all financial transactions was (a) to and (b) from (i) Liechtenstein, (ii) the Cayman Islands, (iii) Jersey, (iv) Guernsey, (v) the Isle of Man and (vi) other countries with similar tax policies by its departments and agencies and their predeces…

Answer · Andy Kerr: No financial transactions (a) to and (b) from (i) Liechtenstein, (ii) the Cayman Islands, (iii) Jersey, (iv) Guernsey, and (v) the Isle of Man were recorded in each year since 1999. Information for the years before 1999 is not available.

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish students have studied at foreign universities under the Erasmus programme in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The following table shows the requested information for students from Scottish higher education institutions for each year between 1998-99 and 2002-03.Number of Students from Scottish HEIs Undertaking an Erasmus Study Period<table class=MsoNormalTa…

8 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Communities will reply to my letter dated 30 April 2004 regarding Mr A Hepburn of Peterhead.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Your letter was passed to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland who are responsible for the delivery of student support. The agency received your letter on 24 May. The agency’s customer services manager replied to you on 8 June.

4 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many grants have been awarded under the Nitrate Vulnerable Zones grant scheme; how much funding has been awarded in such grants; what the average value of each grant awarded has been, and how many grants have been awarded in (a) Banff and Buchan (b) Gordon and (c) Moray.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Of the three tranches opened for applications under the NVZ Grants Scheme, information is available for applications approved under tranche 1:Total number of grants approved: 39.Total value of funding approved: £396,170.76.Average value o…

1 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will exercise its power under section 7 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and publish regulations to establish minimum rights for homeless people living in hostels and other types of short-term accommodation.

Answer · Margaret Curran: We will publish draft regulations later this year.

1 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7990 by Mr Andy Kerr on 27 May 2004, how much was spent on external consultancy in each department and agency in each of the last five years.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Information for 2002-03 and 2003-04 as recorded on the Scottish Executive’s finance and accounting system, reflecting standard guidance on the definition of consultancy applied across the United Kingdom, is set out in the table. It is not possible to provide …

24 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Environment and Rural Development will respond to my letter dated 11 February 2004 regarding the quality of private water supplies.

Answer · Allan Wilson: A reply to the member’s letterwas issued on 3 March 2004.

13 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7886 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 May 2004, what the average level of debt held after leaving university by former students was in each year since 1999.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The average student loan debt for Scottish domiciled borrowers starting repayment in each year from 1999 onwards is shown in the following table:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> Year </td> <td> <p align=cent…

12 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will reply to my letter of 20 March 2004 to the Minister for Transport regarding the A90 junction with the unclassified Gask Road, south of Longhaven.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I replied to your letter on 21 May 2004.

5 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Rural Voices Action Research Competition will be repeated in the future and, if so, when.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Following the success of thefirst year of the pilot of Rural Voices, a one year extension to the pilot was announcedin February 2004. Decisions on the way forward for the competition will be madefollowing the outcome of the current consultation on the future …

5 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation it has made of the Rural Voices: Action Research Competition.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The rural research team of theOffice of the Chief Researcher in the Executive has conducted an interim evaluationof the operation of the first year of the pilot Rural Voices programme. This willbe made publicly available in autumn 2004. We intend to undertake…