Parliamentary questions

Joe FitzPatrick

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

10 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it considers the decision of HM Treasury to increase interest rates on new loans from the Public Works Loan Board to an average of 1% above UK Government gilts will have on council house building in Scotland.

Answer · John Swinney: The decision to increase the interest rates on loans offered to councils by the Public Works Loan Board will increase the cost of council house building where this is funded from borrowing. Decisions on the investment in new housing are for individual council…

10 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it considers tax incremental financing projects in Scotland will be affected by the decision of HM Treasury to increase interest rates on new loans from the Public Works Loan Board to an average of 1% above UK Government gilts.

Answer · John Swinney: The United Kingdom Government is directly cutting Scotland''s resources by £1.3 billion next year. The decision to increase the interest rates on loans offered to councils by the Public Works Loan Board is an additional handicap. This will increase the overal…

10 Nov 2010 · Written Question

4 Nov 2010 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made regarding the Dundee Victoria and Albert Museum project.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Victoria and Albert at Dundee partnership has made significant progress on developing proposals for the project including an extensive business case and business plan. I congratulate the partnership on the highly successful exhibition in Dundee of the arc…

2 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will engage with HM Treasury to ensure that any money in end year flexibility at the end of 2010-11 is available to the Scottish Government’s budget in the future.

Answer · John Swinney: We have consistently argued for full and unfettered access to end year flexibility (EYF) and will continue to engage with HM Treasury to ensure that Scotland''s interests are fully recognised and protected in whatever new system replaces EYF in 2011-12.</p> …

2 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has maintained a policy of limiting end year flexibility (EYF) and what it expects the value of EYF to be at the end of 2010-11.

Answer · John Swinney: This administration has consistently maximised the use of resources and minimised underspends to ensure that further end year flexibility (EYF) balances, to which there is no guaranteed access, have been kept to a minimum. There will be no EYF at the end of 2…

2 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the value of unallocated end year flexibility was in May 2007.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish end year flexibility (EYF) balance published by HM Treasury in July 2007 was £1,529 million. Agreement had already been reached to draw down £655 million of this total in the course of 2007-08. This left a balance of £874 million which the presen…

2 Nov 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was consulted by HM Treasury over plans to abolish end year flexibility.

Answer · John Swinney: No. Spending review guidance issued by HM Treasury in June 2010 made clear that Spending Review 2010 submissions from Whitehall departments should be based on the assumption that access to end year flexibility (EYF) balances was not guaranteed. HM Treasury''s…

28 Oct 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it and its agencies have given the computer games industry since 2007.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the games industry in Scotland. Through Scottish Enterprise we have provided £450,000 in financial support for companies. We have also invested £3 million in the Centre of Excellence for Games Development Edu…

22 Sep 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the increase in each council tax band would be in each local authority if the funding for a council tax freeze was withdrawn.

Answer · John Swinney: The setting of the council tax is the responsibility of each local authority. However, the following table illustrates the increase in each council tax band for each local authority if the funding for the council tax freeze was withdrawn. It has been assumed …

6 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of the (a) recent Independent Budget Review Panel chaired by Crawford Beveridge and (b) Independent Budget Review Group chaired by Bill Howat and how much was paid in (i) remuneration and (ii) expenses to the members of each.

Answer · John Swinney: The estimated total cost of the Independent Budget Review Panel, chaired by Crawford W Beveridge CBE, which published its report on 29 July 2010, was as follows:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=284 valign=top…

3 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates have been made of the impact on the Scottish economy of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s decision to continue with the increase in employers’ national insurance contributions by 0.5% from 2011 and how much this is expected to remove from the Scottish economy.

Answer · John Swinney: The UK Government''s plans will increase the overall UK tax burden by £18 billion in 2011-12. This includes increasing both employee and employer national insurance contribution rates by 1%. Whilst the impact on employers will be partly offset by the accompan…

3 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s decision to continue with the increase in employers’ national insurance contributions by 0.5% from 2011 will be to (a) each NHS board, (b) each local authority and (c) the remainder of the Scottish block grant in each year from 2011-12.

Answer · John Swinney: The calculation of the impact of the 1% employers NIC increase across the whole public sector is a complex one and unfortunately we cannot split the cost of the NIC increase down to each local authority and NHS board as the basis of our calculation has been o…

30 Jun 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the financial results were of the accelerated capital programme undertaken in 2009-10.

Answer · John Swinney: The accelerated capital programme is a central element in the Government''s Economic Recovery Plan, helping to support over 5000 jobs in the Scottish Economy. In 2009-10, £292.5 million of capital spending was accelerated from this year''s Budget. </p> <p >I…

17 Jun 2010 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representation it has made to the Israeli Government following the Israeli boarding of the flotilla delivering aid to Gaza.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The First Minister has written to the Israeli Ambassador in the strongest terms condemning the recent actions taken by the Israeli authorities and called on Israel to lift the blockade and allow humanitarian aid in to Gaza as a matter of urgency.</p>

27 May 2010 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total number of NHS Tayside staff will be in 2011 compared with 2007.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are no definitive figures available yet. NHS Tayside are in the process of developing their future workforce profile in discussion with staff side representatives and have made clear there will be no redundancies. The latest figures available from Infor…

13 May 2010 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the result of the UK general election will have on relations between the Scottish Government and its UK counterparts.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government will continue to pursue the best interests of Scotland in its relationship with the UK Government. As the First Minister set out in his letter to the new Prime Minister yesterday, we would expect our working relationship to be based on…

23 Apr 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome is of the leak inquiry that the First Minister requested on 21 January 2010.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: On 21 January the First Minister was questioned in the Scottish Parliament about an exchange of letters between the Minister for Environment and the Home Office concerning the placing of paths across the Balmoral estate. The First Minister explained that the …

16 Mar 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the Local Authorities Public Information Notices Consultation.

Answer · John Swinney: The public consultation on the Local Authority Public Information Notices (Electronic Publication) (Scotland) Order 2010 received 141 responses of which 24 were in support and 117 against. We have decided not to proceed with the legislative changes at this ti…

26 Feb 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a decision has been made about the pay of NHS executives and senior managers for (a) 2009-10 or (b) 2010-11.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The government has made clear its intention to impose a pay freeze from 2010-11 for higher paid staff in the public sector and this will apply to the most senior managers in NHSScotland. The details of how this will be implemented will be announced in the new…

4 Feb 2010 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making to increase the accessibility of towns, cities and villages for people with limited mobility and whether it will consider plans to create an exemplar journey as a template for accessibility.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government is increasing accessibility to towns, cities and villages through both the planning system and the provision of accessible transport. Increased accessibility is promoted using the Shared Space approach to road design, and in particular…

3 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a decision has been taken regarding the outcome of the trial period contained in the ScotRail franchise extension agreement.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I am today able to confirm that ScotRail performance during the trial period has met the criteria for continuation of the Franchise Agreement through to 2014 as contracted.</p>

5 Nov 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made towards reducing the number of smokers in Tayside.

Answer · Shona Robison: I am pleased to report that smoking prevalence continues to fall in Tayside - from a level of 31.2% in 1999 to 21.0% in 2008. (Source: Scottish Household Survey). This sits favourably with the national average of 25.2%.</p>

8 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the alcohol-related death rate was in 2008-09, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) NHS board and expressed as a percentage of the UK average.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Table 1. Alcohol-related death rates by Scottish parliamentary constituency, as a percentage of the overall UK average rate 2008:</p> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=379 > <thead> <tr > <td width=255 nowrap valign=bottom > <p al…

8 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the mortality rates for chronic liver disease have been in each of the last three decades, broken down by (a) gender and (b) deprivation category.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Table 1. Chronic liver disease mortality rates per 100,000 population, by sex and by deprivation category (SIMD06), 1978-2008. </p> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td nowrap rowspan=2 valign=bottom > <p align=center >…

8 Sep 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many litres of alcohol were seized by police officers from under-18s in 2008-09, broken down by (a) alcohol type and (b) police force.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not collected routinely from police forces.</p> <p >However as part of the Violence Reduction Unit''s on-going anti-violence campaign, police in Scotland have, over the past year (April 2008 to March 2009), seized over 2,000 litres of al…

2 Sep 2009 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what reduction is expected in the Scottish Government’s budget as a result of UK Government’s budget plans.

Answer · Alex Salmond: <i >This question 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/sor0910-01.htm">http://www.scot…

17 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions since 1999 ministers have visited Ninewells Hospital in Dundee on official business; what the nature of the business was on each occasion, and whether a parking charge was incurred, broken down by year of visit and name of minister.

Answer · John Swinney: For the requested information since May 2007 I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-24907 on 2 July 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:</p> …

1 Apr 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth will provide an update on his statement of 16 December 2008 concerning the overpayment of public sector pensions.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA), which administers the NHS and Teachers'' Pension Schemes in Scotland, was informed by the UK National Insurance Contribution Office (NICO) on 23 January 2009 that a further tranche of erroneous pension payments had …

27 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what goals it expects Registers of Scotland to achieve in 2009-10.

Answer · Jim Mather: Scottish Ministers have set Registers of Scotland the financial goal of achieving a return of no less than -6% on net capital employed for the three-year period ending 31 March 2010.</p> <p >In addition, the Keeper of the Registers will shortly publish Regi…