Margaret McDougall

17 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had CalMac and other ferry companies and providers regarding tendering for the (a) Largs to Cumbrae, (b) Wemyss Bay to Rothesay, (c) Ardrossan to Arran and (d) other Firth of Clyde ferry routes.

Answer · Keith Brown: A number of prospective operators, including CalMac, were approached to determine the level of their potential interest in these, and other services, when the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services are re-tendered. Work on the tendering of these ferry services wil…

17 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with CalMac regarding the future of the (a) Largs to Cumbrae, (b) Wemyss Bay to Rothesay, (c) Ardrossan to Arran and (d) other Firth of Clyde ferry routes.

Answer · Keith Brown: My officials have had discussions with CalMac regarding the routes and services requirements for all routes as part of the Scottish Ferries Review. CalMac are a member of the Operator Sub Group, and part of the remit of the Operator Sub Group is to help infor…

3 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the guaranteed college place for 16 to 19-year-olds will be made available at the nearest college or at any college.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Opportunities for All scheme will ensure an offer of an appropriate place in learning or training for all young people aged 16 to 19 not currently participating in education, employment or training. We have made clear in our guidance to the Scottish Fundi…

3 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) support and (b) funding will be made available for colleges to provide courses for people aged (a) 19 to 25 and (b) 25 and over.

Answer · Michael Russell: The guidance which we issued to the Scottish Funding Council in September made clear the central role we wish to see colleges play in delivering our guarantee that every 16 to 19-year-old should have an appropriate place in learning. We have also asked the Fu…

3 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Funding Council will provide colleges with a three year budget.

Answer · Michael Russell: Matters relating to the funding of colleges fall within the responsibility of the Scottish Funding Council. I have asked its Chief Executive to write to the member.

3 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it will give to colleges in areas of high unemployment and deprivation, in light of budget reductions of up to 40% over the next four years.

Answer · Michael Russell: By the end of the Spending Review period we will have invested £4.7 billion in colleges - 40% more in cash terms than the combined investment made under the last two terms of the previous administration. Colleges have an excellent record of meeting the needs…

3 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support there is for people with learning difficulties who attend college.

Answer · Michael Russell: Colleges are required under Equalities Legislation to make reasonable adjustments in order to accommodate people with learning difficulties. In addition to this, the Student Awards Agency for Scotland administers the Disabled Students Allowance which exists t…

3 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how James Watt College’s funding will be affected if colleges are grouped by region.

Answer · Michael Russell: We are currently consulting on the prospect of a regional alignment of the college sector. Only after we have closely considered the responses to the consultation will we be in a position to reach a final view about its future shape and the associated funding…

28 Oct 2011 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the cost is of processing a parliamentary (a) question and (b) motion.

Answer · Mary Scanlon: The costs of processing parliamentary questions and motions are largely those attributable to the time of parliamentary staff in making checks on admissibility and compliance with the relevant guidance, publishing questions and motions in accordance with Stan…

28 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost is of answering a parliamentary question.

Answer · Brian Adam: The average cost to the Scottish Government of answering a parliamentary question is £98.51. Further details can be found in the most recent (2008) Study into the average cost of answering Scottish Government Parliamentary Questions, copies of which are avai…

26 Oct 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost of the council tax freeze between 2007 and 2016 will be.

19 Oct 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it will give to colleges in areas of high unemployment and deprivation, in light of budget reductions of up to 40% over the next four years.

14 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to re-examine the housing and regeneration budgets.

Answer · Alex Neil: Housing and regeneration budgets for the period 2012-13 to 2014-15 were included in the Scottish Spending Review 2011 and Draft Budget 2012-13, published on 21 September 2011. The Draft Budget is currently being scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament, and I h…

14 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many housing developments have been approved in 2011.

Answer · Keith Brown: Between 1 January and 30 June 2011, 102 housing projects (each covering several units) were approved by the Scottish Government and by Edinburgh and Glasgow City Councils through the Transfer of Management of Development Funding. This information may include …

14 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to ensure that new homes are (a) sustainable and (b) of high build quality.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: Furthering the achievement of sustainable development and energy efficiency are key aspects of Scottish building regulations. They apply when new construction work is carried out and are reviewed on a regular basis. Recently standards for energy and sound ins…

14 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) social rented, (b) subsidised owner-occupied and (c) intermediate rented homes have been built in 2011.

Answer · Keith Brown: Between 1 January and 30 June 2011, 2,374 social rented homes, 539 subsidised owner-occupied homes and 16 intermediate rented homes were completed. The figures reflect the projects funded directly by the Scottish Government and those funded through Glasgow an…

14 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police civilian staff there are and how many would be required under a single police force.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: As at 30 June 2011 there were 7,109 full-time equivalent (FTE) police support staff in Scotland. Final decisions on civilian staff numbers will be a matter for the leadership of the new service to determine based on operational requirements.

14 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what talks it has had with police civilian staff regarding their future under a single police force.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government has met police staff and the staff associations as part of its consultations on police reform. I met with representatives from UNISON on 27 June to discuss reform and have recently written to Mr. Veldon, UNISON Scotland Staff Side Sec…

14 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it measures the roll-out of next generation broadband by (a) households that can connect to the service or (b) exchanges that provide it.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is currently developing a national broadband plan for Scotland. Although the Scottish Government does not currently measure roll out directly, data is held by the various suppliers and the regulator, Ofcom. We will agree the main compo…

14 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on (a) fibre optic, (b) satellite and (c) wireless technology for the provision of next generation broadband to rural areas.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government does not hold information on private sector investment in the delivery of next generation broadband which is currently being progressed by a number of industry suppliers. To date, the Scottish Government itself has not yet invested in…

14 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what talks it has had with local providers of next generation broadband to ensure the best fit for the needs of areas.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is not aware of any indigenous companies providing next generation broadband services but is aware of a number of community broadband groups which are developing next generation broadband plans. As part of our national broadband plan f…

14 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what work it is carrying out with smaller telecoms companies to facilitate the roll-out of next generation broadband.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is currently developing a national broadband plan for Scotland. As part of this work, we are currently investigating a number of different roll-out options (including technical specifications, financing and procurement models) and are …

14 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of exchanges is able to provide next generation broadband.

Answer · Alex Neil: BT has recently confirmed superfast broadband upgrade plans for 40 of its 1,070 Scottish exchanges, representing 3.7%. Twelve of these exchanges are fully complete and are currently providing next generation broadband services, while the remainder are in the …

14 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of households is able to receive next generation broadband.

Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held by the Scottish Government. Ofcom’s Communications Market Report, published on 4 August 2011, indicates that by the end of 2010, 37% of Scottish households were passed by Virgin Media’s cable broadband network, which offers next …

16 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition of next generation broadband is.

Answer · Alex Neil: There is currently no fixed definition of what constitutes next generation broadband. The UK Government has defined next generation broadband as being at least 24 Megabits per second (Mbps), while the European Commission’s Digital Agenda for Europe has set a …

16 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, if the proposed national football academy is not located at the Inverclyde National Sports Training Centre (INSTC), what effect this will have on the funding of the INSTC.

Answer · Shona Robison: Funding for the National Centre at Inverclyde is the responsibility of sportscotland as the national agency for the development of sport in Scotland. The Scottish Government provides sportscotland with annual Grant in Aid as set out in the Budget Bill (for 20…

16 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on identifying a site for the proposed national football academy.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02342 on 21 September 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/parliamentar…

16 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that enterprise zones do not cause the displacement of employment.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that lessons are learnt from the previous Enterprise Zones policy and to ensure that the jobs created do not displace employment elsewhere. The application of rigorous criteria during the assessment of individu…

16 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what incentives it will give to business to provide jobs outwith the cities.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The government is offering a range of recruitment incentives across Scotland to support business and get people into jobs through Skills Development Scotland providing: - £1,000 to employers who offer 16 to 19 year-olds who have been through pre-employment t…

16 Sep 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Inverclyde National Sports Training Centre is being considered as a site for the proposed national football academy and, if not, whether it will consider it.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02342 on 21 September 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/parliamentar…