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: S3W-27453

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 5 October 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what new investment it will make in the Glasgow transport network.

We are investing and planning to invest record sums in the Glasgow and West of Scotland area. Current projects include the M74 Completion; M80 Stepps to Hagg; M8 Baillieston to Newhouse (including the Raith Interchange and the Associated Network Improvements (ANI); the Airdrie to Bathgate Railway; rail upgrades between Glasgow Central and Paisley, and the Edinburgh Glasgow (rail) Improvements Programme (EGIP).

In addition, the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR), announced on 10 December 2009, recommends a number of other projects, which will benefit Glasgow including Strategic Park & Ride / Park & Choose sites (including serving Glasgow) and West of Scotland Strategic Rail Enhancements.

In aggregate, these investments will amount to between £4.5 billion and £6 billion.

Question reference: S3W-27451

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 25 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it has had in 2009 to discuss the Clyde Fastlink proposal.

Question reference: S3W-27452

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 25 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the Clyde Fastlink project.

Question reference: S3W-27491

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 25 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has assessed the impact to business and commerce in Glasgow following the cancellation of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link.

We are committed to delivering £182 million worth of investment in the rail infrastructure between Glasgow Central and Paisley Gilmour Street, which will bring real benefits to the people of Glasgow and the west of Scotland.

Ministers continue to work with others to deliver the largest investment programme in recent times to improve transport infrastructure, particularly in the West of Scotland. There will be significant upgrades of the motorway and rail networks around Glasgow over the next few years including:

Edinburgh Glasgow Improvements Programme (Rail “ complete 2015-16)

Airdrie to Bathgate (Rail “ complete 2010)

The works at Central station and the Glasgow “ Paisley rail corridor (Rail - complete 2012)

M74 Completion project (Road “ complete 2010-11)

M80 Stepps to Haggs (Road “ complete 2011-12).

All these projects combined are already and will continue to support and create thousands of jobs over the next few years.

Question reference: S3W-27430

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 23 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the purpose is of the presumed North Sea capital allocation fund, as referred to in The Herald of 17 September 2009.

Question reference: S3W-27431

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 23 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how much is set aside for the presumed North Sea capital allocation fund, as referred to in The Herald of 17 September 2009.

Question reference: S3W-27141

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 23 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many lawyers are employed by it to draft legislation.

The Scottish Government employs 122 lawyers in the Scottish Government Legal Directorate (SGLD). Lawyers within SGLD are not employed solely to draft subordinate legislation, but drafting Scottish Statutory Instruments makes up a significant part of the work of the Directorate. Of the 10 divisions in SGLD, eight are engaged in drafting Scottish Statutory Instruments as part of the legal services they provide to the Scottish Government.

The Office of Scottish Parliamentary Counsel drafts Scottish Parliamentary Bills and Scottish provisions in UK Bills. OSPC presently consists of 14 lawyers.

Question reference: S3W-27142

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 23 September 2009

The table below sets out the number of lawyers employed by the Scottish Government Legal Directorate (known as the Office of the Solicitor to the Scottish Executive before 2007) and the Office of Scottish Parliamentary Counsel in 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

Year	2005	2006	2007	2008
SGLD	111	110	111	120
OSPC	16	14	14	14

Lawyers within SGLD are not employed solely to draft subordinate legislation, but drafting Scottish Statutory Instruments makes up a significant part of the work of the Directorate. Of the 10 divisions in SGLD, eight are engaged in drafting Scottish Statutory Instruments as part of the legal services they provide to the Scottish Government.

The Office of Scottish Parliamentary Counsel drafts Scottish Parliamentary Bills and Scottish provisions in UK Bills.

Question reference: S3O-07761

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 10 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to safeguard the future of the Lighthouse in Glasgow.

Question reference: S3W-24927

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 August 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of producing (a) Scotland’s Future: Join the Debate: Education and Lifelong Learning, (b) Scotland’s Future: Join the Debate: Finance and Sustainable Growth, (c) Scotland’s Future: Join the Debate: Health and Wellbeing, (d) Scotland’s Future: Join the Debate: Justice, (e) Scotland’s Future: Join the Debate: Rural Affairs and the Environment and (f) Scotland’s Future: Join the Debate: Scotland’s Place in the World.

Scotland''s Future: Join the Debate leaflets are an important contribution to informing the public debate successfully generated by the National Conversation. Over 4,500 people have attended public events, there have been over 500,000 hits on the National Conversation web pages and the voluntary sector, businesses, universities, the media, faith groups, ethnic minorities, and Scotland''s young people are all taking part.

The cost for design, printing, translation and web publication was £20,927. The cost of distribution to almost 600 libraries across Scotland was £3,452. Copies of the leaflets will be available at National Conversation events and on request.