- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 18 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the employment practices of Monaghan Mushrooms at Fenton Barns in East Lothian, what information it has on the request by Donegal Creameries plc, associate company of Monaghan Mushrooms, for its shares to be suspended from the Irish stock exchange due to "financial irregularities" and whether the Executive will be involved in any possible inquiries.
Answer
The Executive has no information on a request by Donegal Creameries plc for its shares to be suspended from the Irish Stock Exchange nor do we expect to be involved in any possible enquiries.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 17 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of air transport for its officials in each year since 1999, broken down by purpose of travel, for example representing the Executive or fact-finding.
Answer
Information about expenditure incurred by officials travelling by air is available only from April 2002. No information is held centrally about the purpose of the journeys undertaken.
The expenditure incurred on air travel is as follows:
1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 - £1,737,744
1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 - £1,768,243
1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 - £1,894,142.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 17 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has rejected a limited third-party right of appeal for inclusion in its proposed reform of planning legislation.
Answer
As one of the Partnership Agreements the Scottish Executive committed to consult on wider rights of appeal in planning. This consultation took place in summer 2004.
The consultation paper prompted a large number of responses both for and against extending the right of appeal in planning. Scottish ministers have been giving careful consideration to the arguments presented on both sides and will publish their proposals on this, and other planning matters, in a white paper. We expect to publish the white paper before the parliamentary summer recess.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 17 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the National Planning Framework and, in particular, the setting of national policy and sector priorities, whether it will consult on the development of projects of national strategic significance and what role the Parliament will have in identifying and scrutinising such projects.
Answer
The Executive has made clear its intention to review planning legislation. To this end, ministers have been giving careful consideration to a wide range of reforms to modernise the planning system in Scotland. Proposals for this, including the future role and remit of the National Planning Framework, will be set out in a white paper, which we expect to publish before the parliamentary summer recess.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 17 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its proposed reform of planning legislation, whether it will provide examples of existing "projects of national strategic significance".
Answer
Under current planning legislation there is no reference to “projects of national significance”.
The Executive has made clear its intention to review planning legislation. To this end, ministers have been giving careful consideration to a wide range of reforms to modernise the planning system in Scotland. Proposals for this will be set out in a white paper, which we expect to publish before the parliamentary summer recess.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 16 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what its expenditure was on transporting ministers by air for ministerial business in each year since 1999, broken down by (a) portfolio and (b) party political affiliation.
Answer
Information about expenditure incurred by ministers travelling by air is available only from April 2002. All journeys undertaken by ministers were for official business purposes relating to their ministerial duties.
The expenditure incurred on air travel is as follows:
1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 - £70,256
1 April 2003 to 31 March 2004 - £59,757
1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 - £55,858.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 12 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it spent on relocation costs for new employees in each year since 1999.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally for new employees who have joined the Scottish Executive since 1999.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 12 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil servants worked for each of its departments in each year since 1999, broken down by division.
Answer
The number of permanent civil servants working in the Scottish Executive core departments at 1 April each year since 1999 is shown in the following table. It is not possible to provide the information by division.
Number of Full-Time Equivalent Permanent Staff in Post in Scottish Executive Core Departments at 1 April Each Year
| | April 1999 | April 2000 | April 2001 | April 2002 | April 2003 | April 2004 | April 2005 |
| SE Core Total | 3,706.5 | 3,929.3 | 3,985.6 | 4,144.6 | 4,332.6 | 4,411.0 | 4,412.9 |
| Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries | 940.6 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| Environment and Rural Affairs | .. | 963.7 | 1,017.2 | 1,074.1 | 1,086.1 | 1,086.2 | 1,072.2 |
| Central Services | 1,005.4 | 1,081.8 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| Corporate Services | .. | .. | 705.5 | 640.8 | 624.9 | | |
| Executive Secretariat | .. | .. | 283.6 | 341.1 | .. | .. | .. |
| Finance | .. | .. | 128.3 | 143.1 | .. | .. | .. |
| Finance and Central Services | .. | .. | .. | .. | 556.1 | 569.0 | 453.2 |
| Legal and Parliamentary Services | .. | .. | .. | .. | 173.5 | 179.2 | 192.8 |
| Ministerial Group | .. | .. | .. | 85.2 | 89.2 | .. | .. |
| Education and Industry | 582.6 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| Education | .. | 355.4 | 384.8 | 295.6 | 268.5 | 275.4 | 271.0 |
| Enterprise and Lifelong Learning | .. | 296.9 | 309.4 | 331.3 | 340.8 | .. | .. |
| Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 517.2 | 556.1 |
| Health | 251.5 | 308.0 | 337.3 | 374.8 | 382.9 | 396.0 | 386.4 |
| Home | 369.8 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| Justice | .. | 326.2 | 234.1 | 215.1 | 227.2 | 253.4 | 247.9 |
| Development | 482.2 | 517.3 | 506.5 | 564.2 | 486.0 | 312.4 | 287.0 |
| Office of the Permanent Secretary | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 745.0 | 867.4 |
| Centrally Managed Staff | 74.4 | 80.0 | 78.9 | 79.3 | 97.4 | 77.2 | 78.9 |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 11 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what its expenditure was on hosting receptions for visiting UK ministers in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002, (e) 2003 and (f) 2004.
Answer
Centrally held information on expenditure on hosting receptions for UK ministers is set out in the following table. This is likely to cover the majority of receptions for UK ministers. Further information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
| Year | Cost (£) |
| 1999 | Nil |
| 2000 | Nil |
| 2001 | 947 |
| 2002 | 393 |
| 2003 | Nil |
| 2004 | 705 |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 11 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what its expenditure in respect of the G8 summit will be (a) in the run-up to, and preparation for, the summit and (b) during the summit.
Answer
It will not be possible to give an accurate figure for G8-related expenditure until after the summit because planning will be continuing right up until the event. The information will be made available once it has been collected and analysed. The Executive and Scottish Enterprise have also commissioned an economic impact assessment to enable us to quantify the economic benefits of the summit for Scotland. The report of the assessment will be published.
