Parliamentary questions
Claire Baker
1,724 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
24 Sep 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a tenancy deposit scheme is its preferred option for safeguarding tenancy deposits and, if so, what its timescale is for introducing such a scheme.
Answer · Alex Neil: We have taken account of the interest also shown in this issue by Jamie McGrigor, Bob Doris and Iain Smith. At the last tenancy deposit working group on 1 September the stakeholder members, representing the full range of interests, agreed that a single, natio…
23 Sep 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many university places it has funded in each of the last three years and how many it will fund in each of the next three years.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Each year the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) funds a number of places in universities and other higher education institutions (HEIs), expressed as full-time equivalents (FTE).</p> <p >The following table shows the number of funded places for undergraduates …
23 Sep 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are delays at either the Student Awards Agency for Scotland or the Student Loans Company in processing Scottish students’ student loans.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Systems for assessing and paying student support in Scotland are different to those in the rest of the UK. The Student Awards Agency for Scotland is delivering its normal levels of service and is processing applications within its published targets. Where del…
23 Sep 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish students have not yet received their student loan.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Applications for support by Scottish students are being dealt with within published target times by both the Student Awards Agency for Scotland and the Student Loans Company Limited. Scottish students are not experiencing delays that have been reported elsewh…
23 Sep 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the legislative consequence would be of replacing discretionary childcare funds with a centralised, demand-led childcare fund for (a) higher education students, (b) further education students and (c) further and higher education students.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The discretionary funds for both higher and further education are a form of financial assistance paid under the Education (Access Funds) (Scotland) Regulations 1990 (SI 1990/1534). These funds are currently administered in accordance with the Regulations by m…
3 Sep 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial advice is offered to school pupils wishing to apply for a university place.
Answer · Keith Brown: Every year the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) writes to all schools with copies of their CD-ROM and DVD-ROM/Video. The letter informs them that SAAS are available to visit the school and speak to the students and parents. The CD-ROM and DVD-ROM/Vi…
3 Sep 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase the number of university places available across Scotland.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Through the Student Awards Agency for Scotland, we are financially supporting at a cost of some £8.6 million, an estimated 10 percent increase in the number of students entering Scottish higher education this year. By accepting some 3,000 additional students,…
2 Sep 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the outcome of the working group on safeguarding tenancy deposits.
Answer · Alex Neil: A stakeholder working group which was established to examine the various approaches to improving tenancy deposit practice, met again on 1 September to consider the options and costs for using some form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to resolve tenanc…
2 Sep 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on introducing a tenancy deposit scheme.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-26866 on 9 September 2009. 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/App…
2 Sep 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-21079 by John Swinney on 11 March 2009, how many community councils are now registered as subscribers to the Directorate for the Built Environment’s e-alert system, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · John Swinney: As of 3 September 2009, 8,816 stakeholders have subscribed to the Directorate for the Built Environment''s e-alert system. Of this, 311 are identified as representatives of community councils. The breakdown by each local authority is:</p> <table border=1 ce…
9 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many shipping containers of waste were imported and exported from Scotland’s ports in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) port and (b) area of destination and origination.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The information requested is not held centrally. Information on the total tonnage of container and roll on freight is provided in the answer to question S3W-24670 on 18 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament'…
9 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many shipping containers were imported and exported from Scotland’s ports in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) port and (b) area of destination and origination.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The information requested is not held centrally. However, tonnage of container and roll on traffic through Scotland''s major ports for the last three years is shown in the following table:</p> <p >Container Traffic at Scottish Major Ports (per thousand tonn…
9 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the positives and negatives would be of extending access to export shipping at Grangemouth.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: It is for Forth Ports, as port authority, to assess any extended access to export shipping at Grangemouth port, recognising its proposed designation as a national development, as set out in the answer to question S3W-24666 on 18 June 2009. All answers to writ…
9 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the ports at Grangemouth and Rosyth in its final National Planning Framework for Scotland 2.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The <i >Local Government and Communities Committee</i> <i >5</i><i >th</i><i > Report, 2009 (Session 3) Report on the National Planning Framework 2: Proposed Framework </i>recommended that the Government should continue dialogue with Forth Ports plc to reach …
9 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to publish the final National Planning Framework for Scotland 2.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24668 on 18 June 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament…
9 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the importance of shipping container capacity at Grangemouth and Rosyth to major export businesses in Fife.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We recognise the importance of shipping container capacity at Grangemouth and Rosyth for export businesses across Scotland, and its contribution to the Scottish Government''s purpose of increasing sustainable economic growth. Port development projects at thes…
13 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cleaning vacancies in hospitals there were in each month of the last two years for which information is available, broken down by NHS board and hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
12 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the results of the next Scottish Student Income, Expenditure and Debt Survey will be published.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The results of the <i >Scottish Student Income, Expenditure and Debt Survey 2007-08</i> will be published before the summer recess 2009. The report and accompanying research findings are currently at a draft stage and have yet to be fully quality assured. Onc…
11 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the events for which policing costs are charged.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally and is a matter for individual chief constables.</p>
11 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that costs for policing major events do not vary across police forces.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: It is an operational matter for individual chief constables to decide what they can charge for the policing of major events and to reach agreement with organisers on the total amount to be charged.</p>
11 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the practice of police forces charging the full cost of policing will not discourage organisers holding major events in Scotland.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: It is an operational matter for individual chief constables to decide what services they can charge for the policing of major events and to reach agreement with organisers on the total amount to be charged. In general forces aim to cover the full costs and we…
11 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will help the organisers of major events plan for policing costs years in advance.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: It is a matter for individual organisers to consult with the force concerned at the earliest opportunity to ensure that the policing requirements can be fully discussed and costed. For large scale events such as the Commonwealth Games Scottish Executive offic…
11 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how police forces should calculate policing costs for major events.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: It is an operational matter for individual chief constables to decide what they can charge for the policing of major events and to reach agreement with organisers on the total amount to be charged.</b></p>
11 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it produces guidance for police forces on costing the policing of major events.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-23840 on 19 May 2009. 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/Apps2/Bu…
6 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will fund and direct the Scottish Funding Council to support graduate opportunities in a similar way to the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s Economic Challenge Investment Fund.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-23554 on 14 May 2009. 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/Apps2/Bu…
6 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to establish a graduate talent pool, similar to the scheme run by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We have no plans to set up a graduate talent pool, similar to the proposed idea from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills in England. Full details of that scheme are yet to be published. Working with the Association of Graduate Careers Advis…
6 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much colleges have saved from the 2.5% reduction in the standard rate of VAT, broken down by institution.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The impact of the reduction in the standard rate of VAT for colleges is an operational matter for the Scottish Funding Council. I have asked the Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council to write to the member with this information.</p>
6 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much universities have saved from the 2.5% reduction in the standard rate of VAT, broken down by institution.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The impact of the reduction in the standard rate of VAT for universities is an operational matter for the Scottish Funding Council. I have asked the Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council to write to the member with this information.</p>
6 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Scottish Funding Council will save from the 2.5% reduction in the standard rate of VAT and where savings will be spent.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The impact of the reduction in the standard rate of VAT for the Scottish Funding Council is an operational matter for that body. I have asked the Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council to write to the member with this information.</p>
30 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many pre-registration student nurse and midwifery intake training places there are for each higher education institution in 2009-10, also broken down by (a) adult nursing, (b) mental health nursing, (c) learning disability nursing, (d) children’s nursing and (e) midwifery.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The pre-registration nursing and midwifery student intake for 2009-10 is 3,060, broken down as set out in the table below.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td valign=top > <p align=center >Higher Education Insti…