Stewart Stevenson

19 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30875 by Andy Kerr on 18 November 2002, whether the report providing advice on dissemination to the Effective Interventions Unit in the Substance Misuse Division of its Health Department will be made available in the Scottish Parliament Information C…

Answer · Hugh Henry: Copies of this report have been delivered to the Parliament's Reference Centre.

19 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30633 by Nicol Stephen on 18 November 2002, whether the costs incurred in respect of the National Grid for Learning (Scotland) website were met from (a) the existing department budget and, if so, from what part of the budget, (b) new money allocated …

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The National Grid for Learning Scotland web services provides a range of resources, information and facilities for teachers, learners, parents, community groups and other stakeholders in education. Expenditure comes from the Education Department's budget. In …

19 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30633 by Nicol Stephen on 18 November 2002, whether it will give a breakdown of the expenditure incurred on the National Grid for Learning (Scotland) website.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The National Grid for Learning Scotland web services are not a single website, but a complex collection of resources and services accessed through the single <A HREF="http://www.ngflscotland.gov.uk/">www.ngflscotland.gov.uk</A> address.<P>The budget for 2002-…

19 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30633 by Nicol Stephen on 18 November 2002, for how many years the site is projected to be operational and what the budgeted cost is for each of those years.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The National Grid for Scotland web services will continue to operate for the foreseeable future. Over the next few years they will evolve into an important part of the services of the Scottish schools intranet. Detailed budgets depend on progress with the Sco…

19 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30633 by Nicol Stephen on 18 November 2002, whether the total costs given for the National Grid for Learning (Scotland) website are inclusive of VAT and whether the cost given for 1999-2000 includes all development work.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive provides a grant to Learning and Teaching Scotland to develop and manage the National Grid for Learning (NGfL) Scotland web services. This grant is outwith the scope of VAT. The NGfL Scotland web services are continually being expanded …

19 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24966 by Lewis Macdonald on 13 May 2002, whether it will provide an update on action taken by BEAR Scotland Ltd in respect of erecting road safety signage on the A90 south of Fraserburgh near Invernorth.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The signs are currently programmed to be erected in December 2002.

13 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the likely effects on the competitiveness of shipyards in Scotland compared to the rest of the UK and the European Union of the fact that implementation of the regulations under EU IPPC Directive 96/61/EC on integrated pollution prevention and control is not…

Answer · Allan Wilson: Implementation of the Directive is not expected to affect the competitiveness of shipyards in Scotland compared with the rest of the UK as arrangements in Scotland are essentially the same as in England and Wales.<P>The Executive proposes to defer until 2007 …

13 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the cost to shipyards of compliance with regulations under Directive 96/61/EC on integrated pollution prevention and control.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive published a Regulatory and Environmental Impact Assessment (REIA) prior to making the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (PPC) to implement the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (96/61/EC). …

13 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from harbour authorities, shipyards and other maritime agencies or businesses regarding the regulations under Directive 96/61/EC on integrated pollution prevention and control.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive (and the former Scottish Office) received no responses from harbour authorities, shipyards or related industries to the consultation papers issued prior to implementing the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (96/61/EC…

13 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation was carried out on the implementation of the regulations under Directive 96/61/EC on integrated pollution prevention and control.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Executive (and the former Scottish Office) carried out five separate consultations on options to transpose the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Directive (96/61/EC). A wide range of industries, businesses, trade associations, statutory bodies, …

13 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30632 by Ross Finnie on 12 November 2002, whether the costs given for (a) establishing and (b) operating annually the Do a Little, Change a Lot website are inclusive of VAT.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The costs of establishing and operating the new Do a Little, Change a Lot website, as set out in the answer given to question S1W-30632, exclude VAT. Including VAT, the equivalent costs would be £30,550 and £8,577 respectively. The cost of the previous versio…

12 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what lessons it has learned from the work of Social Enterprise London.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Many of the issues raised by the work of Social Enterprise London are addressed in the Executive's review of the social economy, which we aim to publish shortly.

11 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions its staff have (a) requested and (b) been granted permission to undertake local political activity in each year since 1999, broken down by grade.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested is set out in the following table:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=302><TR><TD WIDTH="19%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Year</TD><TD WIDTH="38%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Grade</TD><TD WIDTH="44%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Permission Granted</TD></TR>…

11 Nov 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer on how many occasions Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body staff have (a) requested and (b) been granted permission to undertake local political activity in each year since 1999, broken down by grade.

Answer · David Steel: We have only had one request from a member of staff to participate in local political activity. This was from a Grade 6, in 2001 and was turned down. Our conduct rules do not just restrict staff from working for a party or standing as a candidate in a local e…

8 Nov 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what the unit cost per PC will be of purchasing Microsoft Office XP for use by general users of parliamentary PCs and whether any other industry standard packages compatible at file level with Microsoft Office, such as StarOffice, were considered as an alternative.

Answer · David Steel: Microsoft products used in the parliamentary estate are purchased under an agreement negotiated in March 2002 by the Office of Government Commerce on behalf of the UK public sector, including the devolved administrations. Through consolidating the purchasing …

6 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30638 by Cathy Jamieson on 29 October 2002, whether the costs of establishing and operating the Children's Hearings website are inclusive of VAT.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Yes.

6 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30636 by Iain Gray on 6 November 2002, whether the costs of establishing and operating the Funding for Learners website are inclusive of VAT.

Answer · Iain Gray: The costs are inclusive of VAT.

6 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30631 by Cathy Jamieson on 6 November 2002, whether the costs of establishing and operating the National Debate on Education website are inclusive of VAT.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Yes.

6 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will simplify the procedures for holding all-postal by-elections, for example by removing the necessity for a local authority to seek permission from it to hold a by-election in this way.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Local Government (Elections) Act 2002 allows ministers to extend successful pilots throughout Scotland by order. As only three pilots have been run to date, the Executive believes that it needs to secure more experience in order to determine best…

5 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the Modernising Government Fund funding for Aberdeenshire Council's Service Access for Older People project in partnership with Grampian Primary Health care Trust, Grampian Caredata, Scottish Enterprise Grampian and the voluntary sector, what criteria have been, or will be…

Answer · Andy Kerr: Aberdeenshire Council will measure the level of success of the project and the extent to which it has enabled older people to use ICT to improve access to services. The main aim of the project is to take technology out to older people in a rural setting and t…

5 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the Modernising Government Fund funding for Aberdeenshire Council's Service Access for Older People project in partnership with Grampian Primary Health Care Trust, Grampian Caredata, Scottish Enterprise Grampian and the voluntary sector, whether the internet portal for peo…

Answer · Andy Kerr: Aberdeenshire Council's original intention was to develop an internet portal for people aged 65 and over. However, the scope of the project has changed and instead of this the council will, with £100,000 from the Modernising Government Fund, examine the use, …

4 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-22444 and S1W-30578 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 February and 28 October 2002, on what estimates of prisoner population any contracts for prisoner places with private prison providers in respect of any period from 2011 to 2033 will be based.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>Procurement decisions for prisoner places, whether in the public or private sector, are based on the best available population projections at t…

31 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive with what private and public organisations the Scottish Road Safety Campaign has established partnerships as part of the Foolsspeed campaign; what the specific achievements of each partnership have been, and how these achievements have impacted on the speeding behaviour of drivers.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Foolsspeed campaign was supported by 25 local authorities, for example through the display of the Foolsspeed logo on council vehicles, letter heads and road safety related material. Many authorities also negotiated free advertising space to display the lo…

31 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent studies it has undertaken in regard to the Balmoor Bridge on the A90 north of Peterhead and whether it has any plans to replace the bridge.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Recent maintenance inspections of Balmoor Bridge and an assessment of the structure for its load carrying capacity have confirmed that the bridge is suitable for current trunk road purposes. There are no plans to replace the bridge.

29 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Solicitor General will reply to my letter dated 20 August 2002 regarding my constituent Mr A.Whyte of Aberdircher, Banffshire.

Answer · Elish Angiolini: A reply to the member's letter was sent on 29 October 2002.

29 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Qualifications Authority has disregarded any candidate's course work in determining awards in 2002 under Higher Still and, if so, in what subjects and for what proportion of candidates.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The SQA has advised that it has not disregarded any unit assessment results or, where appropriate, work such as folios that have been submitted for assessment by SQA.<P>This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

29 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Qualifications Authority sets the pass and grade boundary marks for the Higher Still exams for which it is responsible by (a) mapping the distribution of marks actually gained (i) against a normal distribution curve with a single peak, (ii) against a normal distribut…

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

29 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fishing licenses are being managed at ports outwith Scotland.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The arrangements in the UK are that licences are issued to fishing vessels by the Fisheries Departments on the basis of a vessel's port of administration. The arrangements relating to fishing vessel licensing following devolution were set out in letters sent …

29 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fishing licenses have been allocated to non-Scottish registered vessels in 2001-02 and 2002-03.

Answer · Ross Finnie: In the UK, licences are issued annually for vessels over 10 metres in length and biennially for vessels of 10 metres and under in length, and as and when necessary for individual vessels as a result of, for example, the introduction of a new or replacement ve…

29 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Agricultural Business Development Scheme can be extended to areas outwith the Highlands and Islands and, if not, what other assistance can be available to dairy farmers in north-east Scotland.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Agricultural Business Development Scheme (ABDS) is an integral component of the Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme and is funded jointly by the Scottish Executive and the European Union. The scheme is only open to those applicants who op…