Parliamentary questions

John Park

411 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

8 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4O-00010 by Alasdair Allan on 2 June 2011, whether it will provide a breakdown by age group of the 8,689 modern apprenticeship places taken by those upskilling.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. I will ask the Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland to write to the member with the information he has requested. Please note that in the answer to S4O-10 there was an administrative…

8 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4O-00010 by Alasdair Allan on 2 June 2011, whether it will provide a breakdown by local authority area of those 16 to 19-year-olds taking up modern apprenticeship places.

8 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4O-00010 by Alasdair Allan on 2 June 2011, whether it will provide a breakdown by local authority of the 8,689 modern apprenticeship places taken by those upskilling.

8 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4O-00010 by Alasdair Allan on 2 June 2011, in what key economic sectors the 8,689 modern apprenticeship places were of those upskilling.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The modern apprenticeship frameworks that Skills Development Scotland supported in 2010-11 for key economic sectors were: Business and Administration; IT users; Agricultural Crops and Livestock; Aquaculture; Glass Industry Operations; Vehicle Body and P…

8 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4O-00010 by Alasdair Allan on 2 June 2011, whether it will provide a breakdown of the 12,827 16 to 19-year-olds making the transition into the labour market by those (a) leaving school, (b) leaving further education and (c) who were unemployed.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. I will ask the Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland to write to the member on this matter.

8 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4O-00010 by Alasdair Allan on 2 June 2011, whether it will provide a breakdown by job sector of the 8,689 modern apprenticeship places taken by those upskilling.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: Skills Development Scotland published a breakdown of its sectoral frameworks taken by this group which can be viewed at: http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/375721/mas_2010-11q4_20up.pdf.

8 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4O-00010 by Alasdair Allan on 2 June 2011, whether it will provide a breakdown by job sector of the 12,827 modern apprenticeships undertaken by the 16 to 19-year-olds.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: Skills Development Scotland published a breakdown of the sectoral frameworks taken by this group which can be viewed at: http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/375718/mas_2010-11%2016%20-%2019.pdf.

8 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4O-00010 by Alasdair Allan on 2 June 2011, whether it will provide a breakdown by length of time unemployed of those 16 to 19-year-olds making the transition to the labour market who were previously unemployed.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally. I will ask the Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland to write to the member on this matter.

1 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it makes the direct employment of staff a condition of awards of Regional Selective Assistance to companies.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Scottish Enterprise (SE) is responsible for awarding grants under the Regional Selective Assistance scheme. The conditions attached to an offer of grant are an operational matter for SE and I shall ask its chief executive to reply to the member.

1 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support or other assistance it or its agencies has given to companies in Mid Scotland and Fife in the last 12 months.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Since 2007 The Scottish Government has supported companies in Mid Scotland and Fife through a wide range of measures. Over the last 12 months these have included over 2,500 modern apprentice placements in the region. Scottish Enterprise (SE) account manages …

1 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it investigates reported instances of bogus self-employment before awarding funding to companies directly or through its agencies.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Responsibility for investigating reported instances of bogus self-employment is a reserved matter and rests with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. If Scottish Government agencies are made aware of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs findings then they will be…

1 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it assesses the local impact of Regional Selective Assistance funding.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Evaluations of the Regional Selective Assistance scheme are undertaken. The most recent of these assessed the impact of the scheme over the period 2000-04 and was published in March 2008. The overall assessment of the scheme was very positive. The report is a…

1 Jun 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it gives to workers’ rights and trade union recognition when awarding financial support to companies directly or through its agencies.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Scottish Enterprise (SE) expects that all of the companies it supports, through either financial support or other services, to comply with all relevant legislation including employment legislation. Investigation into trade union recognition or workers rights …

19 May 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of new apprentices in 2010-11 were in work before beginning their training.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: All apprentices in Scotland must be employed prior to commencing their apprenticeship. The modern apprenticeship programme gives us the opportunity to support young people into work and others to increase their skills. Information provided by Skills Developm…

1 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has given local authorities guidance on what facilities and services should be protected when considering reductions in spending.

Answer · John Swinney: It is for each local authority to allocate the financial resources available to it on the basis of its statutory obligations and local needs and priorities. In doing so, local authorities will of course take account of the terms agreed between the Scottish Go…

1 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on reductions in local authority spending that impact on children.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has offered local authorities a financial package of over £11.5 billion which, if accepted, represents a reduction in funding of just 2.6%, a significantly lesser reduction than is being experienced across the Scottish Government as a …

1 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the (a) articles in the local press, (b) correspondence to elected representatives and (c) the 4,500 people who have signed up to a Facebook page in opposition to Fife Council’s proposal to close the Ardroy Outdoor Education Centre.

Answer · Michael Russell: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-39244 on 21 February 2011. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/apps2/Busine…

1 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has held discussions with Fife Council regarding the proposal to close the Ardroy Outdoor Education Centre.

Answer · Michael Russell: No discussions have taken place with Fife Council. The provision of outdoor education is a matter for local authorities.

1 Feb 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of Fife Council’s proposal to close the Ardroy Outdoor Education Centre.

Answer · Michael Russell: Yes. Ministers have received a number of letters on this matter. This is a matter for Fife Council to determine as the provision of outdoor education is a matter for local authorities.

3 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many farm animal welfare inspections undertaken by Animal Health or by local authorities in 2009 on (a) pig, (b) sheep, (c) dairy cattle, (d) beef cattle, (e) poultry including broiler chickens, ducks and turkeys, (f) laying hens and (g) other farmed animal units were for (i) monitori…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government does not hold records on animal welfare inspection undertaken by local authorities. All animal health visits and inspections for farmed animals are to monitor compliance against EU legislation. The number of on farm animal welfare insp…

3 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) pig, (b) sheep, (c) dairy cattle, (d) beef cattle, (e) poultry including broiler chickens, ducks and turkeys, (f) laying hens and (g) other farmed animal units underwent farm animal welfare inspections by (i) animal health or (ii) local authorities in 2009, also expressed as …

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government does not hold records on animal welfare inspection undertaken by local authorities. However, the number of on farm animal welfare inspections undertaken by animal health in 2009 were: <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding…

3 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to implement recommendations to government included in the forthcoming Farm Animal Welfare Council contingency planning report due for publication early in 2011, in particular in relation to severe weather

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government will give full consideration to the recommendations from the Farm Animal Welfare Council when there report is received. No commitment can be given to implement recommendations before they have been received.

3 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought advice from the Farm Animal Welfare Council in relation to livestock fatalities due to severe weather and, if so, what advice it received

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has not sought such advice from the Farm Animal Welfare Council, nor has any advice been received from them. However, the Scottish Government receives reports from the Scottish Agricultural College on a range of animal welfare…

3 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out research or intends to instruct research into the causes of livestock fatalities due to severe weather.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: No specific research has been conducted or is planned into the causes of livestock fatalities due to the severe weather earlier this year. However, research looking into the husbandry challenges, economics and sustainability of extensively managed h…

3 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is currently conducting or planning to commission research into how many animals died during severe weather in March 2010 and, if so, where this research is being undertaken; who is carrying it out, and what the cost is

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government is not conducting nor planning to commission research into how many animals died during the severe weather earlier this year.

3 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been fined under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 in relation to farm livestock in each of year since 2006 and how many of these offences were reported in the first instance by (a) Animal Health and (b) local authority officials

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36079 on 21 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Busin…

3 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been fined under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 in relation to farm livestock in each year since 2006 and how many of these offences were reported in the first instance by (a) Animal Health and (b) local authority officials

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The number of people fined for animal welfare offences committed under Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 were: 2006-07: 2 2007-08: 46 2008-09: 56 It is not possible to state whether the offences related to f…

3 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been sentenced to serve prison terms under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 in relation to farm livestock in each year since 2006 and how many of these offences were reported in the first instance by (a) Animal Health and (b) local authority officials

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The number of people sentenced to serve prison terms for animal welfare offences committed under Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 were: 2006-07: 0 2007-08: 2 2008-09: 4 It is not possible to state whether t…

3 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been convicted under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 in relation to farm livestock in each year since 2006 and how many of these offences were reported in the first instance by (a) Animal Health and (b) local authority officials

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The number of people convicted of animal welfare offences under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 were: 2006-07: 3 2007-08: 60 2008-09: 80 It is not possible to state which convictions related to farm li…

3 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 in relation to farm livestock in each year since 2006 and how many of these offences were reported in the first instance by (a) Animal Health and (b) local authority officials

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The number of prosecutions brought under animal welfare offences in the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 were: 2006-07: 3 2007-08: 71 2008-09: 102 It is not possible to state which prosecutions related to f…