- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers from outwith Scotland were deployed in Scotland in relation to policing the G8 summit and related events, such as the Make Poverty History march.
Answer
A total of 15,400 policeofficers and staff were involved in the policing operation for the G8 summit andassociated events. Seven thousand, eight hundred and ninety-six of this totalwere officers deployed from forces based in England and Wales.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has given consideration to the allegations of Amnesty International that three US agency chartered flights flew terror suspects from various locations to countries where they faced torture and on the plane’s return to America stopped over at Glasgow Prestwick airport to refuel on each occasion, as reported in The Herald on 16 December 2005.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-21577 on 22 December 2005. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forwhich can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government to establish the nature of the business of CIA flights landing at Scottish airports which an official spokesperson for the Prime Minister identified as “normal CIA business, not related to renditions” in a Downing Street press briefing on 12 December 2005.
Answer
The Scottish Executive hasnot had any discussions with the UK Government to establish the nature of thebusiness of CIA flights landing at Scottish airports.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any flights by US agencies in which alleged suspected terrorists were carried to countries where the practice of torture is used for the purposes of investigation were in either (a) civil aircraft or (b) state aircraft when such flights stopped at Scottish airports for refuelling.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21092 on 8 December 2005. All answers to written questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware whether steps were taken to establish the precise nature of the cargo and passengers on board any planes allegedly carrying suspected terrorists to countries where the practice of torture is used for the purposes of investigation before such planes were given clearance to land at Scottish airports for refuelling.
Answer
The UK is a signatory to the Chicago Convention on Civil Aviation. The Convention allows civil aircraft to stop at airports for technical reasons, such as refuelling, without requiring permission to do so or having to disclose what passengers or cargo they may be carrying.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in relation to people being forcibly brought into the country against their will, without the right to seek legal representation, before being transported to another country.
Answer
Abduction is a crime in Scots law. If anyone has evidence that people are being brought to Scotland in such a way as to breach Scots law, this should be reported to the appropriate Chief Constable.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 18 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the definition of kidnap is within Scots Law.
Answer
The equivalent crime in Scots Law is abduction and I refer to my answer to question S2W-21871 on 18 January 2006. 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/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 18 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21290 by Tavish Scott on 15 December 2005, whether, if it accepts the logic of bypassing Muirhead, Chryston and Moodiesburn with the upgraded A80, it considers it logical to bypass Cumbernauld as part of the upgrade as well and what the reasons are for its position on the issue.
Answer
Constructing an on line upgrade through Muirhead, Moodiesburn and Chryston would be impractical due to the significant degree of frontage access on that section of the route. The limited frontage access on the remainder of the route can be accommodated through the provision of an alternative access.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 18 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the definition of abduction is within Scots Law.
Answer
Abduction is a common law crime in Scots law. The crime of abduction is committed by carrying off or detaining a person against his or her will without lawful authority.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 18 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21273 by Tavish Scott on 15 December 2005, whether this indicates that the new Auchenkilns Junction is an integral part of the plan to undertake an on-line upgrade of the A80 to full motorway status.
Answer
The new Auchenkilns Junction is being designed to integrate with an on-line upgrade of the A80 to motorway status should that successfully negotiate its statutory procedures. However, the scheme stands alone economically in that the benefits accrued from it over the period between its opening and the opening of the new M80, on whatever line, will outweigh the cost of providing the junction.
