Kevin Stewart

28 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4T-00377 by Kenny MacAskill on 28 May 2013 (Official Report, c. 20315), what recent communications it has had with the UK Government regarding extraordinary rendition and whether Aberdeen, Inverness and Wick airports have been used by the US Central In…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: As I indicated in response to Patrick Harvie’s question on 28 May, there has been no communication with the UK Government regarding extraordinary rendition flights using airports in Scotland. The Scottish Government remains strongly opposed to illegal renditi…

28 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many episodes of treatment have been carried out at the neurosurgery unit of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and how many included at least one operative procedure, in each year since 2008.

Answer · Alex Neil: The information requested is not held centrally in the format requested. It is not possible to identify all neurosurgical activity occurring in specific hospital units through centrally collected hospital admission records. It is, however, possible to identi…

7 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much the council tax freeze has saved the average band D household in each local authority area.

Answer · John Swinney: Over the six year period the council tax freeze will have been in place (2008-14), the average Band D household in Scotland will have benefited from cumulative savings of almost £690. The following table sets out how much the average Band D household within e…

3 May 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Aberdeen City Council about cultural issues.

25 Mar 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what recent analysis the Scottish Government has carried out of the impact of the UK Government's welfare reforms on the people of Scotland.

18 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the implications are for the education sector of a significant decrease in the number of non-EU students.

Answer · Michael Russell: International students bring a variety of benefits to the education sector. A reduction in international students would impact on an important source of funding for Scotland’s Universities. Equally important however is the potential reduction in cultural dive…

18 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact non-EU students have on the Scottish economy.

Answer · Michael Russell: In addition to fee income, international students also contribute to the Scottish economy through other expenditure (including accommodation and other day-to-day expenses) incurred during their studies in Scotland. According to a 2011 analysis carried out by …

18 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the financial value is of non-EU students to Scotland’s universities.

Answer · Michael Russell: Scottish higher education institutions received an overall income of £337 million from non-EU student course fees in 2011-12. This figure represents 11.8% of the total income of Scottish HEIs in that year (Higher Education Statistics Agency). This income doe…

18 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what impact recent changes to international student visas have had on Scotland’s universities.

Answer · Michael Russell: The impact of the negative message that the UK Government’s student visa policies send to other countries is a significant concern for the Higher Education Sector (HEI). There is evidence that student numbers from countries which normally send high numbers of…

18 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many non-EU students started studying at a university in Scotland in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13.

Answer · Michael Russell: The total numbers of non-EU undergraduate and postgraduate entrants to Scottish universities were: (a) 15,730 in 2010-11 (b) 16,085 in 2011-12 (c) the number for 2012-13 will not be available until March 2014. In 2010-11 there were 12,680 Scottish-domicil…

11 Mar 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent progress has been made on rolling out insulin pumps to people with diabetes.

28 Feb 2013 · Inspired Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it will publish the first in its series of analytical bulletins on oil and gas.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government will publish the first in a series of oil and gas analytical bulletins on 11 March 2013. The bulletin demonstrates that Scotland is a major oil and gas producer, accounting for an estimated 78% of total UK hydrocarbon production in 20…

25 Feb 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what impact the reported 30-year high in North Sea oil investment will have on the Scottish economy.

25 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the £1.7 million it announced on 21 January 2013 to provide support to advice services dealing with requests for advice due to the UK Government’s welfare reforms will be distributed; what criteria will be used to distribute it, and for what time period the fund will be available.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: On 21 January, I announced a £5.4 million package of support for advice services, of which £1.7 million will be distributed by the Scottish Legal Aid Board. This funding will be available in financial year 2013-14. We are working with stakeholders on the deta…

25 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what organisations have received funding from the £300,000 it announced on 21 January 2013 for advice services dealing with requests for advice due to the UK Government’s welfare reforms; how much each has received; for what purpose in each case, and what regions will receive support fro…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The organisations that have received funding from the £300,000 announced on 21 January operate across Scotland. This funding is intended to relieve immediate pressure on advice organisations that are experiencing increased demands on their services as a resul…

11 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of disabled people who will not receive personal independence payments by 2018, who would otherwise have received disability living allowance.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Department for Work and Pensions has produced forecasts for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) caseload in May 2018 and the counterfactual Disability Living Allowance (DLA) caseload if DLA had remained unchanged. This shows that by 2018, the DLA case…

28 Jan 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee regarding its forward work programme.

17 Dec 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met Aberdeen City Council to discuss infrastructure investment.

13 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many people in Scotland under 25 are in receipt of housing benefit and how many of them have dependent children.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: There are an estimated 34,880 households in Scotland in receipt of housing benefit where the main claimant is under 25 years of age. Of these, an estimated 17,100 (49%) have dependent children. As housing benefit is currently reserved to the UK Government, t…

11 Dec 2012 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what plans it has to make its online video archive more accessible to the general public.

Answer · David Stewart (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body):: Currently the online video archive on www.scottish.parliament.tv is available 24 hours after each Chamber or committee meeting and we regularly tweet direct links to archive and live video feed. Video currently remains available from the archive site for one …

11 Dec 2012 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what it is doing to publicise the (a) work, (b) meetings and (c) video archive footage of committees and to make it more accessible online to the general public.

Answer · David Stewart (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body):: All committees have a dedicated webpage, where all meeting papers and reports are published as well as background information and other appropriate content. Committee agendas are published in the Business Bulletin and are also highlighted on the home page of …

10 Dec 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with Aberdeen City Council regarding the proposed third Don crossing. 

5 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what leeway the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland gives to bus operators that experience delays due to circumstances outwith their control.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Traffic Commissioner is obliged by law to consider the responses of operators to any departure from the registered times or routes and whether such responses amount to reasonable excuse. A penalty will only be imposed if the Traffic Commissioner is satisf…

5 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether running a set number of buses per hour is an allowed alternative to setting timetables.

Answer · Keith Brown: Yes; it is open to an operator to register “frequent services”. Frequent services are defined at Paragraph 10 of the Schedule to SSI 2001 No. 219, The Public Service Vehicles (Registration of Local Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2001, as routes on which “th…

5 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what powers it has in relation to setting fines for bus companies.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government is responsible for collecting any penalties imposed by the Traffic Commissioner and could ask the Scottish Parliament to amend the amount of the penalty or its formula.

5 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what powers it has in relation to the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Traffic Commissioner is an independent regulator appointed under the Public Passenger Vehicles Act 1981 and undertakes the functions prescribed by statute, including Acts and Regulations of the Scottish Parliament.

5 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what fines can be imposed on bus companies in respect of services not running on time.

Answer · Keith Brown: Section 39 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 specifies the only power available to the Traffic Commissioner, which is to impose a financial penalty on any operator not running services on time. The maximum amount is £550 per vehicle multiplied by the level…

5 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many fines the Traffic Commissioner for Scotland has issued to bus companies in the last year.

Answer · Keith Brown: The fines referred to are penalties imposed under section 39 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001. For the financial year 2011-2012, there was one penalty of £750 imposed (on one operator only). For the financial year to-date, there has been one penalty of £2…

21 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidelines there are for local authorities or housing associations on allowing priority allocation for veterans who require social housing.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government published a practice guide to social housing allocations in March 2011. This aims to assist local authorities and housing associations to understand their legal requirements and the flexibilities they have in determining priority for t…

21 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a nationally recognised accreditation scheme for alcohol counselling services.

Answer · Michael Matheson: There is currently no nationally recognised accreditation scheme for alcohol counselling services. The UK Health and Social Care Act 2012 asked the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) for Health and Social Care (formerly the Council for Healthcare Regulat…