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: S1W-18095

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 24 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16576 by Allan Wilson on 24 August 2001, what criteria were used to determine that pigeon racing is not a sport.

Question reference: S1W-18094

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 24 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16576 by Allan Wilson on 24 August 2001, what consultation sportscotland had with outside organisations before deciding not to make representations on recognising pigeon racing as a sport.

Question reference: S1W-18729

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new chairperson of the proposed Scottish Water declared any interests on being appointed and, if so, what those interests were.

Question reference: S1W-18730

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what special expertise, knowledge and experience in relation to the water service industry the chairperson of the proposed Scottish Water is required to have.

Question reference: S1W-18722

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what codes governed the procedures used in the recent appointment of chairperson to the proposed Scottish Water.

Question reference: S1W-18726

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of the chairperson of the proposed Scottish Water.

The Chair will be responsible for leading the board of Scottish Water, which will have specific responsibility for:

establishing the overall strategic direction of Scottish Water within the policies and resources framework agreed with the responsible minister;

ensuring the delivery of planned results by monitoring performance against agreed objectives and targets, and

ensuring that high standards of corporate governance are observed at all times.

Question reference: S1W-18727

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive when and where the vacancy for chairperson of the proposed Scottish Water was advertised.

Question reference: S1W-18731

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used to select candidates for the (a) initial and (b) final shortlists for the post of chairperson of the proposed Scottish Water.

Question reference: S1W-18732

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used to select the successful candidate for the recent vacancy of chairperson to the proposed Scottish Water and who carried out the interview.

The interview panel consisted of:

John Graham, Head of the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department

Andrew Cubie, Senior Partner, Fyfe Ireland WS (Independent Assessor)

Deirdre Hutton, Chair, National Consumer Council (Independent Assessor)

Candidates were assessed on their ability to demonstrate the following qualities and experience:

A comprehensive and realistic understanding of the challenges facing the Scottish water industry in an increasingly competitive environment, and a clear vision of how they should be addressed in the interest of customers;

a commitment to provide leadership to the new authority as a sustainable, competitive public sector organisation;

ability to develop a constructive working relationship with ministers and their officials;

an ability to communicate effectively with, and listen to, all stakeholders and to represent the organisation - media skills, presentation skills, experience of public meetings;

an ability to harness the skills of, inspire and motivate board members in the interests of the authority;

a track record in setting challenging targets for the authority's executive management and monitoring progress against them;

a commitment to support executive management in their role, and a willingness to challenge their decisions and recommendations;

a track record in securing the use of resources to their best advantage, achieving value for money;

willingness to encourage innovation in business development, and

a good understanding of strategic business planning and how it should be applied in a public sector business.

Question reference: S1W-18724

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what requirements will be placed on chairpersons of the proposed Scottish Water with regard to attendance at meetings and other official engagements.

The normal expectation would be that the chairperson would be absent from board meetings only in exceptional circumstances.

The Water Industry (Scotland) Bill proposes a power for Scottish ministers to remove a non-executive member of the board, if that member has been absent from meetings of Scottish Water for a period longer than three months without the permission of Scottish Water.

As far as other meetings and official engagements are concerned, it will be a key role of the chairperson to keep in regular contact with stakeholders, and to play a representative role for Scottish Water throughout Scotland.