Colin Fox

15 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will fulfil its commitment to enact sections 25 to 29 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990.

Answer · Johann Lamont: Sections 25-29 of the Law Reform(Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990 came into effect on 19 March 2007.Guidance for professional or other bodies on making an application to enable theirmembers to acquire rights to conduct litigation and rights of au…

8 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the sale of Meadowbank Stadium fits with the National Strategy for Sport.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: <i>Reaching Higher</i> defines the role of local authorities in taking a strategicapproach to the provision and management of sports facilities within their corporateasset management strategy. The revised strategy also states that local authoritiesshould liai…

6 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to reduce the number of full-time nursery places available for three and four-year-olds in south and south-east Edinburgh.

Answer · Robert Brown: Local authorities areresponsible for the planning and provision of pre-school education at locallevel. The information requested is not held centrally.</p>

6 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the public sector provision is of full-time and part-time nursery places for three and four-year-olds in south Edinburgh.

Answer · Robert Brown: Information on the patternof nursery provision in specific areas within local authorities is not heldcentrally.</p>

15 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have used money from their housing revenue accounts to fund services provided by departments other than housing since 2003, also detailing the services that have been funded in this way.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Since 2003 East Lothian,Midlothian, Moray and West Dunbartonshire are the only councils which havereported a transfer of funds from the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) to theGeneral Fund. The Executive does not collect information on which specificservices were…

2 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Accountant in Bankruptcy has the power to consider what remedies are available to Farepak customers in Scotland in receipt of benefits under the Social Security Administration Act 1992 with regard to recovering monies lost and, if so, what action the Accountant in Bankruptcy h…

Answer · Johann Lamont: Corporate insolvency, suchas the Farepak Administration, is reserved for the UK Parliament under Schedule5 of the Scotland Act 1998 and as such the Accountant in Bankruptcy does nothave any powers to assist Farepak customers.</p><p>The Accountant inBankruptcy…

26 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how devolved services may benefit from any monies which become available should a decision be taken not to replace Trident nuclear weapons.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The responsibilities of the Ministryof Defence are reserved to the UK Government and so no Barnett consequentials cometo the Scottish Executive as a result of allocating resources to defence.</p><p>Only if the UK government reallocated resources to another UK…

17 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers from each constabulary have so far been sent to cover the year-long “Faslane 365” protest at the Faslane naval base.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Only officers from StrathclydePolice and the Ministry of Defence Police have been involved in policing the Faslane365 protest.</p>

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its precise timetable is for the commencement of outstanding sections 25 to 29 of the Law Reform Miscellaneous Provisions (Scotland) Act 1990.

Answer · Johann Lamont: Sections 25-29 of the Law Reform(Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990 provides for rights of audience andrights to conduct litigation to be granted to members of professional or other bodieswhich meet the criteria described in the legislation. The co…

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29323 by Lewis Macdonald on 10 November 2006 in which the minister stated that he hoped to publish the review of NHS prescription charges and exemption arrangements before the end of the year, what the reason is for the delay and when the Executive n…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We are carefully consideringthe results of our consultation on NHS prescription charges and exemptionarrangements in Scotland. Changes to the current arrangements may havecomplex financial and social consequences. We intend to publish a report on theconsultat…

13 Dec 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its policy on PFI projects, in light of the findings by Edinburgh University¿s Centre for International Public Health that payments from NHS boards across Scotland to private financiers will increase from the current £107 million to £510 million per year by 2011.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Public Private Partnerships arean important part of the Executive’s mixed economy approach to the modernisationand investment agenda to grow the Scottish economy and provide better public services.</p><p>Payments by public bodies toprivate sector PPP consorti…

7 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it reconciles the position taken by the Minister for Justice and the Lord Advocate on the benefit of applying racist and sectarian aggravations in respect of hate crime with its decision not to provide such protection to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and disabled peopl…

Answer · Johann Lamont: The Scottish Executive deploresall crime, particularly that motivated by prejudice of any kind. The common lawin Scotland allows the courts to take forms of prejudice into account as aggravatingfactors. We consider that the creation of further statutory aggra…

5 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider its decision not to implement the recommendation in the report of the Working Group on Hate Crime that there should be a statutory aggravation for crimes motivated by malice or ill-will towards people based on their sexual orientation, transgender identity or di…

Answer · Johann Lamont: I refer the member to the answer to question S2O-11201 on 23 November 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facilityfor which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

5 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the ministerial decision-making process was that resulted in the Executive deciding not to implement the recommendation in the report of the Working Group on Hate Crime that there should be a statutory aggravation for crimes motivated by malice or ill-will towards people based on the…

Answer · Johann Lamont: This decision was taken followingnormal procedure in the context of collective Cabinet responsibility, namely, afterfull and careful consideration by all those ministers with an interest in the matter.The member will also wish to take account of my answer to …

28 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Halifax Bank of Scotland regarding the Farepack collapse.

Answer · Allan Wilson: My officials have been in contactwith Halifax Bank of Scotland on a few occasions regarding the Farepak collapse.</p>

28 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it first learned of the Farepack collapse.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Executive learned of theFarepak collapse when the administration was made public. My officials then madecontact with the Department of Trade and Industry to try and get formal details.</p>

20 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it intends to give the Farepak customers’ protest outside the Halifax Bank of Scotland headquarters on 11 December 2006.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive will notbe taking any part in the Farepak customers’ protest outside the Halifax Bank ofScotland headquarters on 11 December. It is for individuals to decide if they wishto protest for or against a particular issue or event.</p>

20 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered making representations to the Department of Trade and Industry to examine whether a bond scheme similar to the ABTA scheme for the holiday industry would better protect customers in future, in light of the Farepak collapse.

Answer · Allan Wilson: I wrote to Ian McCartney, Ministerof State at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) at the beginning of Novemberabout Farepak. In his response he indicated that the Office of Fair Trading andthe Financial Services Authority are currently working with the…

15 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend the national concessionary travel scheme to individuals who are not senior citizens.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Scotland-wide Free BusScheme for Older and Disabled People already fully meets the PartnershipAgreement commitment. As the First Minister and I announced on 9 November 2006, aseparate concessionary travel scheme for all young people between the ages of16 …

15 Nov 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the closure of the Solectron factory in Dunfermline could be avoided by learning any lessons from Motorola¿s closure of its Bathgate facility.

Answer · Allan Wilson: We recognised the need to moveup the value chain in electronics - away from high volume manufacturing and intohigh-value, knowledge-based areas several years ago and we have been working withthe electronics industry to offer companies, including Solectron, as…

7 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it first learned of Solectron’s plans to close its factory in Dunfermline.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: We were first made aware of possiblejob losses at the facility on 13 October 2006. We were made formally aware of thecompany’s intention to close the facility on 27 October 2006.</p>

7 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it is making to the Department of Trade and Industry in respect of the losses suffered by Farepak’s customers.

Answer · Allan Wilson: My officials are in regular contactwith DTI counterparts on issues arising from Farepak collapse which impact or impingeupon devolved responsibilities. I wrote to Ian McCartney, Minister of State forTrade, Investment and Foreign Affairs at the Department of T…

27 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it now expects to publish its report on its review of NHS prescription charges and exemption arrangements in Scotland.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I hope that it will bepossible to publish the report on the review of NHS prescription charges andexemption arrangements in Scotland before the end of the year.</p>

16 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it will make available for the renovation and upgrading of changing facilities and pavilions for sporting use at public parks in each of the next three years.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Local authorities need to takea strategic overview of the range and location of sports facilities its communitiesrequire before considering funding packages for renovating or upgrading pavilionsor changing facilities. Where facilities are in private ownership…

11 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-10768 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 October 2006, what criteria it uses to decide which conditions qualify as chronic.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The current list of chronic medicalconditions that confer exemption from charges was agreed with the medical professionin 1968. The criteria for placing conditions on the list at that time were thatthey must be:</p><p>easily recognisable</p><p>lifelong and li…

11 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when and by whom the city of Edinburgh’s sports pavilions were last audited to ensure that they are fit for purpose.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: This is a matter for the ownersof the sports pavilions. <b>Sport</b>scotland provided support to the City of Edinburgh Council in the preparation of the Council’s Sports Pitch Strategy, which was completedin 2002 and part of this work considered the condition…

1 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when its Relocation Policy Team’s evaluation report will be published.

Answer · George Lyon: I refer the member to the questionS2W-28082 answered on 28 September 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliaments website, the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

1 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any review has taken place to indicate whether its relocation policy’s objective of providing cost-effective delivery solutions has been met.

Answer · George Lyon: I advised the FinanceCommittee in June of the work being undertaken by officials to evaluate theimpact of individual relocation decisions. This is being considered alongsidethe findings of the Audit Scotland report on a sample of relocation decisions. Theresu…

1 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to announce the relocation of any additional civil service jobs.

Answer · George Lyon: Details of currentRelocation reviews are provided on the Scottish Executive’s Relocation web page<a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Relocation/Introduction">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Relocation/Introduction</a>.</p><p>Dec…

1 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision concerning the potential relocation of Registers of Scotland will be announced.

Answer · George Lyon: A decision will be announcedshortly.</p>