Jamie Hepburn

29 Jan 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made by the Working Group on Scotland Without Nuclear Weapons.

Answer · Bruce Crawford: <i > This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:</i><i ></i></p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0129-01.htm">http://…

27 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence Scottish law officers must present to US authorities before a warrant for extradition to Scotland from the United States of America can be requested or issued.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Extradition from the United States of America is governed by an Extradition Treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States of America. It provides that requests for extradition require to be supported by:</p> <p >an accurate description of the pe…

27 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times requests for the extradition of American citizens to Scotland have been refused and for what crimes extradition was sought in each case.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20216 on 6 February 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <u><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/A…

27 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the extradition of American citizens to Scotland has been sought under the terms of the extradition treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States of America and for what crimes extradition was sought in each case.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Only one outgoing request has been made to the United States from Scotland in terms of the Extradition Act 2003. That case involved a contravention of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The request was successful.</p>

27 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals who were extradited from Scotland to the United States of America under the terms of the Extradition Act 2003 have been exonerated of the charges for which they were extradited.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: We do not hold information on how many individuals extradited from Scotland to the United States of America under the terms of the Extradition Act 2003 have been exonerated.</p>

27 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals have been extradited from Scotland to the United States of America under the terms of the Extradition Act 2003.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Two people have been extradited from Scotland to the United States of America under the terms of the Extradition Act 2003.</p>

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the unemployment figures were for (a) North Lanarkshire, (b) South Lanarkshire and (c) Falkirk council area in each quarter since 1999, broken down by local authority ward.

Answer · Jim Mather: The claimant count gives the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits and is produced by the Office for National Statistics.</p> <p >Table 1 shows the number of people within North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Falkirk who were claiming a…

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the unemployment figures were in each quarter since 1999, broken down by (a) local authority area, (b) parliamentary constituency and (c) parliamentary region.

Answer · Jim Mather: Information on the number of people claiming an unemployment related benefit (Claimant Count unemployment) by local authority, parliamentary constituency and parliamentary region, for each quarter since 1999, has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Inform…

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any differences in the way in which courts in Scotland handle extradition matters compared with courts in England and Wales and, if so, what the differences are.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Although extradition is a reserved matter, the Extradition Act 2003 confers certain functions on the Scottish ministers; accordingly, requests for the extradition of a person resident in Scotland are dealt with by them if the country seeking extradition is de…

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is normal practice for an individual who is subject to an extradition order to be held on remand during consideration of their extradition.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: All crimes and offences are bailable including those offences which come under the Extradition Act 2003. Decisions on bail are however matters for the court and will therefore be taken after giving full consideration to all the relevant factors, including the…

22 Jan 2009 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government has undertaken any early consideration of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland’s proposal that juries should be dispensed with in the most complex or lengthy of cases.

Answer · Alex Salmond: <i> This PQ was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:</i></p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0122-01.htm">http://www.scottish.pa…

15 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any functions were transferred to Scottish ministers as a result of the Sewel motion, S1M-3608, agreed by the Parliament on 21 November 2002.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Yes. Sewel motion S1M-3608 consented to the conferral on the Scottish Ministers of executive functions in relation to extraditions to and from Scotland. The functions in question are contained in Part 2 of the Extradition Act 2003 and relate mainly to extradi…

15 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any functions under the Extradition Act 2003 have been transferred to Scottish ministers.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19852 on 28 January 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/Apps…

15 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any power to grant extradition orders under the terms of the Extradition Act 2003.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Under Section 93 of the Extradition Act 2003, the Scottish Ministers have a statutory duty, in certain specified circumstances, to Order extradition. If the relevant conditions for extradition aren''t met the Scottish ministers have a duty to discharge the pe…

15 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence must be presented in court by those seeking the extradition of Scottish citizens under the terms of the Extradition Act 2003.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Extradition relations with category 1 territories are governed by Part 1 of the Extradition Act 2003. Part 1 implemented the Framework Decision on the European Arrest Warrant (EAW). The decision on extradition under Part 1 is entirely a judicial function and …

13 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it holds information on the expected demand range of (a) oil and (b) gas from the Scottish jurisdiction sector of the North Sea in 2020.

Answer · Jim Mather: Such information is currently not available. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19727 on 21 January 2009, which refers to data on possible future levels of oil and gas supply from the Scottish sector of the UK continental shelf up to 2013.</p>

13 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it holds information on the expected output range of (a) oil and (b) gas from the Scottish jurisdiction sector of the North Sea in 2020.

Answer · Jim Mather: Information for the year 2020 is not currently available. However, the Scottish government published in 2008 a report which provided estimates of Scotland''s geographical share of oil and gas production, operating costs and tax revenue from 2000 to 2013.</p> …

11 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it expects total installed generating capacity to be by 2012, broken down by type of capacity.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government does not make specific projections for installed generating capacity as future investment patterns are largely a matter for the private sector and the generators themselves who respond to market signals and incentives within a largely …

20 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what role it considers that credit unions have to play in times of economic downturn.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Credit unions have important roles in encouraging members to save in times of financial difficulties and in providing them with access to affordable credit, particularly for those who may not be able to access mainstream financial services and products. Many …

20 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support is available to credit unions.

Answer · John Swinney: Funding is available through the Scottish Investment Fund and will shortly be available through the Third Sector Enterprise Fund and the Social Entrepreneurs Fund. Funding may also be available through the Fairer Scotland Fund which is deployed and managed by…

20 Nov 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to reduce the number of babies being raised in prison, in light of recent media coverage on the matter.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Deciding on sentences for women offenders is entirely a matter for Courts. The Scottish Prison Service is required under law to receive anybody who is sent to them from Court. Expectant mothers and mothers of babies and young children are no exception.</p> <…

17 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the findings of a study commissioned by Barnardo’s that a significant minority of adults polled had negative views of children.

Answer · Adam Ingram: I refer the member to the answer to question S3F-1200 on 20 November 2008: </p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-08/sor1120-02.htm#Col12616">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialRepor…

17 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many healthy years after the age of 50 (a) men and (b) women in Scotland can expect and what comparable information it has for (i) the United Kingdom, (ii) each EU member state and (iii) each OECD country.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: (i) The most recent comparable figures for the UK are provided by ONS, for 2004 and are shown in the following table.</p> <p >At birth, and at 65 years of age, Scottish men and women have lower life expectancies, healthy life expectancies and disability-free…

4 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether advice is available to registered social landlords, who act as factors for owner-occupiers living in the same buildings as their tenants, to avoid conflicts of interest when deciding to improve those buildings resulting in costs to the owner-occupiers.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government has not published specific advice to registered social landlords who act as factors for owner-occupiers living in the same building as their tenants.</p> <p >There is some related guidance on the general subject of refurbishing blocks…

4 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether registered social landlords are VAT exempt or otherwise eligible to claim back VAT.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) are required to pay VAT at the appropriate rates on all expenses they incur. Their main activity, the letting of social housing, is an exempt supply for the purposes of VAT. This means that RSLs are unable to reclaim from HM…

4 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether obligations exist for factors to ensure best value in work that they undertake or commission on behalf of their clients.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Housing Regulator has published a set of high-level performance standards that registered social landlords (RSLs) and local authorities should achieve across their range of housing services. The Performance Standards include the broad expectation…

24 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the financial details for the construction of the on-line upgrade of the A80 to full motorway status have been agreed and, if so, what the details are.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Financial close and the subsequent contract award are expected to be concluded by the end of the year.</p>

14 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which banks own, or are part of consortia that own, companies that produce or supply electricity in Scotland.

Answer · Jim Mather: Information on the share structure of such companies is not held by the Scottish Government. In addition, ownership information on some companies who generate electricity in Scotland, especially smaller generators, may not be universally available.</p> <p >T…

14 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which banks own, or are part of consortia that own, companies contracted to undertake PFI/PPP projects for the Scottish Government, broken down by PFI/PPP project.

Answer · John Swinney: Information on banks as equity investors in PFI projects, where held, is provided in the following table. The information reflects the position when the original project contracts were signed. Equity investors are able to sell their investment subsequently.</…

14 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on which banks own, or are part of consortia that own, rolling stock operated on Scotland’s railways, broken down by operating company and type of rolling stock.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The table below provides a breakdown of the rolling stock that is currently operated under the First ScotRail passenger franchise in Scotland. The rolling stock fleet is owned in part by three different rolling stock leasing companies each of which has a diff…