Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-03570

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual running costs are of the Scottish Executive EU Office, including details of rent paid for accommodation in Scotland House.

Question reference: S2W-03569

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff it employs in the Scottish Executive EU Office and what their functions and annual costs are.

Question reference: S2W-03571

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Executive EU Office has authority to represent the Executive on devolved matters to EU institutions and bodies without permission from UKRep.

Staff in the Scottish Executive EU Office (SEEUO) have a wide range of meetings and contactswith representatives of EU institutions and bodies. Permission from the UKPermanent Representation to the European Union (UKRep) is not required for suchmeetings and contacts but UKRep is kept actively involved and informed ofSEEUO’s activities to maximise the success of their joint efforts to promoteScottish and wider UK interests in the European Union.

Question reference: S2W-03885

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 18 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Time Out centre being piloted in Glasgow as an alternative to prison for women was opened; how many (a) residential and (b) day places are available in the centre; how much funding the Executive has allocated to Glasgow City Council to establish this service, and how long the service will run as a pilot before evaluation and possible roll out to other parts of the country.

The Time Out residentialcentre will open for clients early in December but non-residential elements of the scheme have been running since August. Once fully operational, theresidential unit will have 14 beds and the support programme unit will havecapacity to cater for 75 women a day.

The annual running costs of the centre, which the Executive is meeting in full, are estimated at £1.2 million.The centre will operate as two-year pilot initially and will be evaluatedthroughout.

Question reference: S2W-03606

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6241 by Mr Jim Wallace on 19 April 2000, whether the terms of the commencement order and regulations laid before the Parliament on 19 April 2000 in respect of the devolved aspects of the treatment of pensions on divorce provided for in the Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 have the effect that sheriffs, when determining divorce settlements, may only consider valuations of pension assets from fund trustees, potentially underestimating the value of a pension and awarding a spouse less than half the actual value; if so, what its position is on this situation; whether it intends to address the situation speedily in order to ensure fair pension sharing, and, if so, whether it will consider retrospective application of any amendment to the commencement order and regulations to restore funds to divorcees from April 2000.

The scheme for calculatingand verifying the value of pension benefits for the purposes of matrimonialproperty on divorce is set down in the Divorce etc (Pensions) (Scotland)Regulations 2000. These regulations do not restrict sheriffs to consider onlythose actuarial valuations provided by pension fund trustees.

I intend to write to theSheriffs’ Association inviting their views on whether there are difficulties inthe way in which the regulations are operating, and I will consider the matterfurther in light of the response.

Question reference: S2W-03744

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 12 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were detained in HM Prison Cornton Vale on 29 October 2003 (a) in total and (b) serving (i) custodial sentences for non-payment of fines and (ii) sentences of (1) between seven days and three months, (2) between three and six months, (3) between six months and two years, (4) between two and five years and (5) over five years.

Question reference: S2W-03579

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andrew Welsh on 10 November 2003

To ask the Presiding Officer what representations, and on what issues, the Parliament's staff in Scotland House have made to (a) UKRep and (b) directly to EU institutions.

The remit, agreed by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), of themember of staff based in Brussels on a fixed term basis for one year from April 2003 is:

to research and produce a report to the SPCB on the options for and the practical aspects of establishing a more permanent Scottish Parliament presence in Brussels,

to provide support for MSPs who serve as delegates to the Committee of the Regions and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe, and

to support visiting MSPs on parliamentary business.

The member of staff has had contact with officials in UKRep, the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Committee of the Regions, and with MEPs, in connection with this work.

Question reference: S2W-03576

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andrew Welsh on 10 November 2003

To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body plans to change the number of staff that the Parliament employs in Scotland House.

Question reference: S2W-03577

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andrew Welsh on 10 November 2003

To ask the Presiding Officer what the cost was of establishing a Parliamentary presence in Scotland House and what the annual running costs are, including details of rent paid for accommodation in Scotland House.

Question reference: S2W-03578

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andrew Welsh on 10 November 2003

To ask the Presiding Officer who is responsible for directing work carried out by the Parliament's staff in Scotland House.