Parliamentary questions
George Foulkes
1,927 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects an announcement to be made by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice on the recommendations of the Scottish Prison Commission.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government welcomes the Prisons Commission''s challenging report. We have made it clear since the report was published on 1 July that this is a priority for the Scottish Government. We are considering how the report''s recommendations would contr…
29 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning last met the City of Edinburgh Council to discuss its school building programme; what the outcome was of these discussions, and when it is estimated that work will start on building the new (a) Portobello, (b) Boroughmuir and …
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13387 on 5 June 2008, which explained when I last met the City of Edinburgh Council. There has been no meeting since 5 June.</p> <p >As to Edinburgh''s school building programme, I refer the member to the answ…
29 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what amount is due to the Student Loans Company and how much of this has been outstanding for more than (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 15 years.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The following table shows the total amount due to the Student Loans Company at the end of financial year 2007-08 broken down by how long it has been outstanding.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=278 > <thead> <tr > <td width=152 …
29 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with bus operators over the last six months regarding the continued provision of free bus travel for elderly and disabled people.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Ministers met representatives from the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) on 11 March 2008 and this meeting included discussion on free bus travel for elderly and disabled people. A steering group and working groups have been set up to review free bus…
29 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate has been made of the cost of maintaining free travel for elderly and disabled people on the current age, time and geographic bases for the current and next three financial years and what budgetary provision has been made for each of these years.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The budgetary provision for concessionary fares for the next three years is £181.4 million in 2008-09, £187.4 million in 2009-10 and £189.4 million in 2010-11. This budget provides support for the development and delivery of concessionary travel schemes for o…
29 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will guarantee that free travel for elderly and disabled people will be maintained 24 hours per day, seven days per week, for the next three years for all people aged 60 and over, for the whole of Scotland.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Night services are not currently included and they were not included by the previous administration.</p>
29 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what official trips the First Minister took by ministerial car from 1 to 24 July 2008, showing the origin, destination and purpose of the journey in each case.
Answer · John Swinney: The First Minister made the following journeys by Government car between 1 July and 24 July:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=600 > <thead> <tr > <td width=85 valign=top > <p align=center >Date</p> </td> <td valign=top …
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which of its officials are provided with chauffeur-driven cars for official business and what the total cost of such car usage was in the 2007-08 financial year.
Answer · John Swinney: The officials entitled to use the Government Car Service (GCS) are the Permanent Secretary, the Scottish Government''s six Directors-General and HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary (HMCIC).</p> <p >Costs are not available as GCS provides cars to ministers and…
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it estimates that the Scottish Futures Trust will be operational.
Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13276 on 3 June 2008. 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/webapp/…
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what reports have been produced by the Council of Economic Advisers and to whom they are available.
Answer · John Swinney: The first annual report of the Council of Economic Advisers will be published by the end of the year.</p>
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many members of the governing bodies of Scottish higher education institutions are over the age of 70.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. Matters such as the appointment criteria for members of governing bodies fall within the governance responsibilities of each individual higher education institution.</p>
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider differentiating between teachers (a) retiring and (b) leaving for other reasons in its annual teacher workforce planning exercise.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: For the purposes of teacher workforce planning it is only necessary to know the number of teachers leaving each year. The teacher employment working group is currently examining teacher workforce planning processes to see if they are fit for purpose.</p>
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out a survey of the arrangements for providing school meals with particular reference to (a) value for money, (b) nutritional content and (c) cooking arrangements.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has no plans to carry out a survey of arrangements for providing school meals. We are providing local authorities with record levels of funding and allowing them to retain any efficiency savings. It is the responsibility of local autho…
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the number of police officers eligible to retire from the service when developing its police workforce planning policy.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Workforce planning for the police service is a matter for individual forces and police boards.</p>
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what change there has been in the volume of traffic across the Forth and Tay road bridges since the abolition of tolls.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13873 on 18 June 2008. 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/webapp/w…
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff were paid a bonus in the last year and what the total amount paid was.
Answer · John Swinney: All bonuses paid to staff in the Scottish Government are related to performance.</p> <p >Information about bonuses relating to the most recent performance appraisal year ended 31 March 2008 is not yet available. 833 civil servants in the core Scottish Govern…
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what international development work is being undertaken in countries other than Malawi.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: As stated in our new International development policy, published in May 2008, the Scottish Government is starting new programmes in Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia and the Darfur region of Sudan, as well as the Indian subcontinent.</p> <p >In addition, some program…
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has undertaken regarding the role of new nuclear power stations in reducing carbon emissions.
Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has not commissioned or undertaken any studies on the role of new </b>nuclear power stations in helping to reduce carbon emissions.</p> <p >The Scottish Government believes that Scotland neither wants nor needs new nuclear power. We b…
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what systems are in place for managing provision for (a) women, (b) children, (c) young offenders, (d) life sentenced prisoners, (e) sex offenders and (f) foreign nationals in the prison system and who is (i) responsible and (ii) accountable for the overall direction of management in each…
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >Governance for the provision of services to prisoners is set out in the Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 20…
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been paid from public funds for parking fines incurred by its employees since May 2007.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government staff handbook makes it clear that staff incurring car parking fines for parking illegally whilst on official business will not be reimbursed from official funds.</p> <p >However there are occasions when circumstances arise which are …
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) public and (b) other official appointments under its control are subject to an upper age limit.
Answer · John Swinney: Public and other official appointments are not subject to an upper age limit, with the exception of appointments to the Parole Board. Schedule 2 of the Prisoners and Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 1993 states that an appointment of a person as a member o…
23 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to diverting any funds under its control from investments in companies in Zimbabwe.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not have investments in companies in Zimbabwe, nor does it offer financial assistance to companies in Zimbabwe.</p>
22 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of clostridium difficile have been reported by NHS Lothian in each year since 2000.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15122 on 12 August 2008. 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://scottish.parliament.uk…
22 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths have occurred as a result of clostridium difficile in NHS Lothian in the last year, broken down by hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The General Register for Scotland (GROS) collects information on the number of deaths which have occurred as a result of Clostridium difficile in Scotland on an annual basis, by NHS board and by hospital. The full information for 2007 has not yet been publish…
22 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of clostridium difficile have been reported by NHS Lothian in the last year, broken down by hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Mandatory surveillance on the total number of cases of clostridium difficile reported by NHS board was introduced in September 2006. This information is collected by Health Protection Scotland (HPS) and is published in quarterly reports on their website. This…
17 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13036 by Bruce Crawford on 2 June 2008, and regardless of whether any invitations were sought, whether any invitations were received by the First Minister from heads of state to discuss the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and, if so, which ones he h…
Answer · Bruce Crawford: No invitations have been received from heads of state to discuss the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.</p>
14 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of all meetings between cabinet ministers and the Scottish Islamic Foundation since May 2007, including the location and those (a) present and (b) observing.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Islamic Foundation was constituted in January 2008 and formally launched in June 2008. Since January 2008 Cabinet Secretaries and ministers have met the Scottish Islamic Foundation on the following occasions:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 c…
14 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what due diligence has been undertaken in deciding which organisations representing the Muslim community should receive Scottish Government funding.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: All funding applications are scrutinised and are considered for their match with government priorities and assessed for their value for money. All applications from organisations, including those representing the Muslim community, are subject to these procedu…
14 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations representing the Muslim community have met the First Minister in an official capacity since May 2007.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The following organisations representing the Muslim community have met the First Minister in an official capacity since May 2007:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=72 valign=top > <p align=center >Date</p> …
14 Jul 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations representing the Muslim community have requested a meeting with the First Minister since May 2007.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The First Minister receives numerous requests and invitations and endeavours to meet with as many organisations representing Scottish communities as possible. In relation to Scotland''s Muslim community these have included approaches from organisations as var…