Marco Biagi

1 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has provided to the Edinburgh tram project in each year since the project began.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government accepted Parliament’s decision on 27 June 2007 to support the capital cost of the Edinburgh Trams project, subject to a maximum contribution of £500 million. Details of funding are as follows: Financial Year Amount (£ million) 200…

19 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times it has allocated funds arising from Barnett consequentials or other in-year funds to the Scottish Funding Council since 1999 and how much was provided on each occasion.

Answer · John Swinney: The following table provides details of additional funding provided to the Scottish Funding Council from financial year 2000-01, the first year of supporting records. The figures have been sourced from the published annual budget revision supporting documents…

18 Jan 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on assistance to those affected by the Edinburgh tram project.

11 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-04620 by Fiona Hyslop on 11 January 2012, whether it considers that, under the Scotland Act 1998, it would be competent for it to take a different interpretation of the obligations arising from an international agreement than those taken by the UK Go…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Ministers have an overarching duty to comply with the law, including international law and treaty obligations. To the extent that the requirements arising from a particular agreement lie within devolved competence, it is a matter for the Scottish Ministers an…

9 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what contact it has had with the Department of Energy and Climate Change on feed-in tariffs for community energy projects.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is in regular contact with Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) regarding the feed-in tariffs (FITs). As part of its current consultation on solar PV we have urged the UK Government to exclude social housing from the proposed…

14 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that it observes and implements international obligations as per Schedule 5, Part 1, section 7(2)(a) of the Scotland Act 1998.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The United Kingdom is a signatory to a large number of international treaties, conventions, covenants and analogous undertakings. The Scottish Government is accountable to the Scottish Parliament for executive action to ensure the implementation, within devol…

14 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures access to individual advocacy under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Section 259 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 provides that every person with a mental disorder has a right of access to independent advocacy services. The 2003 act places a legal duty on local authorities and health boards to wor…

14 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what projects in the Edinburgh Central constituency have received grants from the Climate Challenge Fund since its introduction.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Information on projects funded by the Climate Challenge Fund is not categorised by constituency boundaries, but rather by local authority area. In the following table, a breakdown of all projects within the boundary of Edinburgh City Council is provided for a…

14 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the European institutions regarding challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises in accessing public procurement.

Answer · Alex Neil: The European Commission is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of EU public procurement legislation and published a Green Paper consultation earlier this year. Our response to the Green Paper outlined the steps already taken by the Scottish Governmen…

14 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it subjects its invitations to tender to pre-issue checks to ensure that no unnecessary barriers have been created to small and medium-sized enterprises.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government is committed to enhancing the economy by reducing the barriers to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) bidding for public sector work. Good procurement must strike a balance between delivering savings, quality and buying sustainab…

14 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce further information on the allocation of Barnett consequentials arising from the UK Government’s Autumn Statement.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is considering how it will apply Barnett consequentials arising from the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement. Further information will be provided to Parliament in due course.

14 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has projected Scottish Government expenditure and revenue alongside economic growth projections.

Answer · John Swinney: Illustrative estimates of Scottish Government expenditure to 2026-27 were published in figure 1 of the Scottish Spending Review 2011. The report is available from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/358356/0121130.pdf Estimates of the tax revenue raised …

14 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when ministers last met representatives of the Market Research Society and what issues were discussed.

Answer · Bruce Crawford: Scottish ministers have not met with representatives from the Market Research Society within the last three years. The Scottish Government has adopted the practice of publishing on a monthly basis details of engagements carried out by all ministers. These rec…

13 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Scottish Funding Council has allocated to further education student support in each year for which figures are available.

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

13 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how citizen advocacy accords with the change of the model of social care to a community-based approach.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to questions S4W-04577 and S4W-04578 on 10 January 2012. 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…

13 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that citizen advocacy is in accordance with preventative spend principles.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-04577 on 10 January 2012. 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/parliamentaryb…

13 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made an assessment of the extent of citizen advocacy projects and services throughout Scotland.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Advocacy Map (2009-10) available on the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance website provides information on advocacy projects and services (including citizen’s advocacy) across Scotland at that time. http://www.siaa.org.uk/images/stories/AdvocacyMap09…

13 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it funds citizen advocacy projects or organisations.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not directly fund local citizen advocacy projects or organisations. NHS boards should work with their local partners to provide access to advocacy to “all who need it”. NHS boards should also engage with local advocacy planning a…

13 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on citizen advocacy.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-04578 on 10 January 2012. 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/parliamentaryb…

7 Dec 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to update or publish a progress report on its climate change delivery plan.

6 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it envisages changes to the composition of the Research Excellence Grant for universities.

6 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the extent of land banking by major retailers to be.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The information requested is not held centrally.

3 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be any changes to the methodology for (a) distributing or (b) deciding the composition of the Research Excellence Grant for universities.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) allocates the Research Excellence Grant (REG) to Scottish higher education institutions. The SFC has yet to determine how it will allocate REG in academic year 2012-13. My recent guidance letter to SFC sets out my expectati…

2 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a list of the 10 Scottish Government completed consultations that have received the greatest number of responses from individuals, showing how many such responses were received in each case.

Answer · Bruce Crawford: Information on the number of responses received to each consultation is not held centrally. Analysis of the responses to our consultation on the registration of civil partnerships and same sex marriage is currently underway. We expect to publish the analysis…

30 Nov 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on a hotel bed levy as considered by the City of Edinburgh Council.

28 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what data are available on the impact on life expectancy of being a problem drinker.

Answer · Michael Matheson: There is substantial international evidence to demonstrate the risk of mortality and morbidity for a range of conditions increases the more alcohol that is consumed. However, no routine data is available on the impact on life expectancy of being a problem dri…

24 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the anticipated operational end date is for each power station with a generating capacity of over 300 megawatts.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The anticipated operational end dates for conventional power stations in Scotland with a generating capacity over 300 MW are shown in the following table: Power Station End Date Torness - Nuclear 2023 Hunterston B - Nuclear 2016 Cockenzie – Coal 2015…

23 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on ecological concerns about the safety of deepwater oil drilling and the potential impact on the Scottish coast.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Ecological concerns such as the impact of drilling operations on fish and other marine life are considered in detail by Marine Scotland. This is done on a case-by-case basis when reviewing the Environment Statements that must be prepared by offshore operators…

23 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what changes it envisages by 2017 in Scotland's waste and recycling performance and what legislation will underpin this.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: By 2017 we expect to see a positive improvement in Scotland’s waste and recycling performance, driven by the Scottish Government’s zero waste agenda. The Zero Waste Plan sets out an ambitious agenda for changing how Scotland views and manages its resources a…

16 Nov 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will update guidance on the use of Kielland forceps used in childbirth.