Parliamentary questions
Derek Brownlee
680 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
14 Nov 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of GDP growth in each year to 2011 would be consistent with achieving the target of matching the GDP growth of the small independent EU countries by 2017, as set out in The Government Economic Strategy.
Answer · John Swinney: Technical notes, outlininghow the targets set out in <i>The Government Economic Strategy</i> will be measuredand monitored, will be published on the Scottish Government website on 30 November 2007.</p>
31 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5226 by Stewart Maxwell on 29 October 2007, how many applications for a rural home ownership grant were received in each local authority area in each of the three years listed.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is asfollows:</p><p>The total number ofapplications for rural home ownership grants over the three year period was 329.This is broken down by local authority area…
31 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reduction in the number of homeless (a) families and (b) individuals is projected to be in each of the next five years if the proposal to end the right to buy for new-build social housing is implemented, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Governmenthas proposed to end the right to buy for new-build properties except, for example,for those tenants who are forced to move permanently as a result of demolition orrefurbishment. The proposed changes would help local authorities and hous…
31 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5075 by Stewart Stevenson on 25 October 2007, which of the factors that contributed to the increase in subsidy provided to CalMac Ferries Ltd were included in the increase in the Ferry Services for Scotland budget outlined in the 2006-07 spring budge…
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: None of the factorsthat are listed in the answer to question S3W-5075, on 25 October 2007, were included in the increase in the Ferry Servicesfor Scotland budget outlined in the 2006-07 spring budgetrevision.</p><p>The increases in subsidythat are detailed in…
30 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what items of expenditure were incurred under the heading of “Transfer from Air Services to Calmac for restructuring costs” in Schedule 3.10 of the 2006-07 spring budget revision.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The £4 million thatis referred to at Schedule 3.10 of the Scottish Executive’s 2006-07 spring budgetrevision represents the capital provision that was made in that financial year inorder to strengthen Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd’s capital base prior to the rest…
25 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the levels of personal debt in each local authority area and how this compares with such levels in 1997.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Information on thelevels of personal debt in each local authority area, or at a Scotland level, is not held centrally.</p>
24 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what maximum number of probationary police officers can be trained at the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan in one year.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Currently, the maximumnumber of probationary police officers that can be trained at the Scottish Police College in one financial year is 1,080.</p>
24 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many probationary police officers will be trained at the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan in each year to 2011.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This informationis not held centrally.</p><p>We willcontinue to work with the Scottish Police College and forces to ensure appropriaterecruitment and training levels.</p>
24 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many probationary police officers have been trained at the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan in each of the last eight years.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The number of probationarypolice officers trained at the Scottish Police College in each of the last eight years, on firststage following recruitment, is outlined in the following table:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td val…
24 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has provided to trade unions in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) union and (b) budget heading.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Over the period since1999, the Scottish Executive has provided funding to the STUC and a number of individualtrade unions where such funding has been consistent with Executive policy and metappropriate programme criteria. The information requested, for each f…
24 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) proportion and (b) amount of its funding for the One Workplace Equal Rights campaign in each year since 2004 was spent on using music, theatre or art to create a dialogue between equality groups, trade unions and employers, as highlighted in Mainstreaming Equality and Tackling Ra…
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: £10,732(£3,118 in 06-07 and £7,614 in 07-08) of the Scottish Government’s funding wasused to commission and produce two live theatre performances and 500 trainingDVDs. This represents approximately 4% of the total amount of funding providedby the Scottish Gov…
24 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has provided for the One Workplace Equal Rights campaign in each year since 2004.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td valign=top> Year</p> </td> <td valign=top> <p>Amount of Funding</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top> <p>2003-04</p> </td> <td valign=top> <p align=right>£29,743</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valig…
24 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Public Finance Manual guidance on capital project appraisal was updated in light of section 4.6.4 of the Howat report.
Answer · John Swinney: The recommendationsof the Budget Review Report, <i>Choices for as Purpose</i> remain under consideration.The Scottish Public Finance Manual will be amended if appropriate.</p>
24 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the internal financial management review, referred to in section 4.2.12 of the Howat report, has been completed and, if so, what its conclusions were and whether it will be published in full.
Answer · John Swinney: The internal financialmanagement review referred to in Section 4.2.12 of the Budget Review Report, Choicesfor a Purpose, is not yet complete. It is an internal piece of work at officiallevel, not intended for publication.</p>
17 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the next edition of Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland will be published.
Answer · John Swinney: The ScottishGovernment will continue to publish the Government Expenditure and Revenue inScotland (GERS) document. The publication date and content are a matter for DrAndrew Goudie, the Chief Economic Adviser and not for ministers.</p>
17 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has utilised the dispute resolution procedure outlined in the concordat between HM Treasury and the Executive.
Answer · John Swinney: I have written toHM Treasury Ministers requesting a meeting to raise the Scottish Government’s concernsover its CSR settlement allocation.</p>
17 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates since 1999 formal liaison meetings have taken place between officials of the Executive and HM Treasury.
Answer · John Swinney: Scottish Governmentofficials have regular biannual meetings with officials from HM Treasury and theother devolved administrations. The most recent of these meetings took place on28 June 2007. Previous meetings over the last year wereheld on 24 January 2007 an…
17 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Executive has requested a review of the concordat between HM Treasury and the Executive, and if so, on what date.
Answer · John Swinney: The ScottishGovernment has not requested such a review. It has however put forwardparticular issues in terms of the Review of the Statement of Funding Policy.</p><p> </p>
10 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations the Scottish Government has made, or intends to make, to the UK Government in relation to the impact on the Scottish budget process of a delay in the spending review such as occurred this year.
Answer · John Swinney: In the course of mydiscussions with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury in recent weeks, I have explainedthe concerns of the Scottish Government over the delay to our budget process arisingfrom the delay to the Comprehensive Spending Review.</p>
10 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the lower UK growth forecast announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 9 October 2007 means that the Scottish Government’s growth target will be lower and what that target is.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government’sgrowth target is to match the UK rate of growth by the end of this parliamentaryterm in 2011.</p>
10 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures of NHS output it records and where comparative annual figures for each measure are published.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Measuring output inthe context of a health system embraces a wide range of factors including, for example,contributing to a healthier population, high quality health are, a breadth of servicesand improving access.</p><p>Extensive informationrelating to measur…
9 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether HM Treasury has consulted the Executive with a view to undertaking a study of relative spending needs.
Answer · John Swinney: No.</p>
9 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has utilised the dispute resolution procedure outlined in Section 11 of Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly - A Statement of Funding Policy.
Answer · John Swinney: In line with Section11.2 of the Statement of Funding Policy, I wrote to the Chief Secretary on 11 October 2007 requesting a meeting to discuss the Scottish Government’sconcerns with its CSR settlement allocation.</p>
9 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has proposed any revision of the rules set out in Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly - A Statement of Funding Policy and, if so, on what dates and what revisions were proposed.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-5358 on 26 October 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/wa.…
9 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether HM Treasury has consulted the Executive in relation to the revision of the rules set out in Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly - A Statement of Funding Policy and, if so, on what dates and what revisions were considered.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Governmentwas sent a copy of the draft Statement of Funding Policy for comment in March 2007and a revised draft on 2 October 2007. Comments were given ona number of issues on a number of occasions.</p>
9 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the spending in the base year will be for the purpose of applying the Barnett Formula in relation to the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, broken down by sub-programme.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-5353 on 26 October 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
9 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date HM Treasury first notified the Executive on a (a) provisional and (b) final basis of the spending in the base year for the purpose of applying the Barnett Formula in relation to the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.
Answer · John Swinney: HM Treasury notifiedthe Scottish Government of amendment to the basis of spending in the base year forthe purpose of applying the Barnett Formula on 4 September 2007 and provided notification of the final basis on 9 October 2007.</p>
9 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the comparable expenditure percentage will be for each sub-programme for the purpose of applying the Barnett Formula in relation to the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-5353 on 26 October 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
9 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date HM Treasury first notified the Executive on a (a) provisional and (b) final basis of the comparability percentages of each sub-programme for the purpose of applying the Barnett Formula in relation to the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-5352 on 5 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questionsare available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
9 Oct 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which departmental expenditure limits HM Treasury has advised contain comparable expenditure for the purpose of applying the Barnett Formula in relation to the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.
Answer · John Swinney: The departmental expenditurelimits which contain comparable expenditure for applying the Barnett Formula aredetailed in the Statement of Funding Policy published by HM Treasury on 10 October(<a href="http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./media/2/2/pbr_csr07_funding5…