- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 August 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27123 by Rhona Brankin on 20 July 2006, whether the £1 million made available under the Environmental Justice Fund will be carried over to the next financial year if the Executive’s review of the range of funding available for the promotion of local environmental regeneration projects is not finalised by the end of March 2007.
Answer
Under current spending plans,the budget for the Fund rises from £1 million in 2006-07 in 2006-07 to £2 millionin 2007-08. The allocation of any end-year underspends available to carry forwardinto 2007-08, in this or any other area of spending will be determined once theExecutive’s overall outturn position for 2006-07 and requirements for spending in2007-08 are known. This will be announced to the Scottish Parliament as in previousyears.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 23 August 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has contacted the European Commission to determine whether, in the Commission’s opinion, US agencies have used Scottish airports to facilitate extraordinary rendition flights, in light of reports in The Herald on 28 June 2006 that Franco Frattini, Justice and Home Affairs Commissioner, believes that such flights have been facilitated through Europe and that governments have a duty to determine whether these actions were illegal.
Answer
No. The inquiries into the allegationsaround extraordinary rendition flights have been conducted by the Council of Europeand the European Parliament, not the European Commission. In any case,the investigation of crime, including the collection of evidence, is a matter forthe police.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 July 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 August 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it calculates conviction rates for specific offences.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does notpublish conviction rates as such. However we do regularly publish statistics onthe number of court proceedings where a charge was proved in any one year as a percentageof the number of offences of that category proceeded against in the same year. Acopy of the statistics has been placed in the Scottish Parliament InformationCentre (Bib. number 37405).
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 August 2006
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Current Status:
Awaiting answer
To ask the Scottish Executive when it hopes to announce the outcome of the review of the future structure of Careers Scotland.
Answer
Awaiting answer
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 August 2006
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Current Status:
Awaiting answer
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive the report from the committee set up to review local government finance.
Answer
Awaiting answer
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 3 August 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26857 by Tavish Scott on 29 June 2006 and given that no final decision has yet been taken on the proposed online upgrade of the A80, whether it considers it appropriate for the Minister for Transport to have commented, as reported in the Sunday Times on 11 June 2006, suggesting that priority lanes might be introduced as part of the upgrade.
Answer
The context of the interviewwas the principle of priority lanes across the network. On the new M80 between Steppsand Haggs integral demand management measures will be introduced if and when required.This was discussed at the Public Local Inquiry in October 2005. The decision followingthe Public Local Inquiry has now been announced.
Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 3 August 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24494 by Tavish Scott on 12 May 2006, whether it has now responded to the study of a new strategic park and ride train station at Allandale; if so, what its response was, and, if not, what the reason is for the delay.
Answer
We have not yet responded tothe study into the proposed strategic park and ride station at Allandale.
We are considering the issuesraised in the report in relation to the capacity and projected increased traveldemand on the rail network in the Central Belt.
We will respond to the studyprior to the publication of our rail strategy in the autumn.
Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 July 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 31 July 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit, cost and timetable is for the study currently being conducted on its behalf by IFF Consultants in conjunction with Scottish Enterprise.
Answer
The study that is currently beingconducted by IFF Consultants in conjunction with Scottish Enterprise is the FutureskillsScotland led Scottish Employer Skill Survey (SESS) 2006 of 8,500 employers thatgather evidence about the:
Importance of skill-related issuescompared with other challenges facing employers;
Types of jobs in which skillshortages and skill gaps are most and least prevalent;
Causes of skill shortages, skillgaps, their consequences and employers’ responses to them;
Nature and extent of trainingpaid for by employers, and
The work-readiness of recruitsfrom school, college and university.
The survey will cost £275,000including VAT for 2006. The survey data is expected to be verified by September2006 with the survey results planned to be published by the end of 2006.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 July 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24494 by Tavish Scott on 12 May 2006, when its rail strategy will be finalised.
Answer
Scottish Ministers aim topublish a rail strategy in autumn 2006, which will be a component part of theNational Transport Strategy.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 24 July 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been for rape in each of the last 20 years.
Answer
The available information isgiven in the following table.
Persons ProceededAgainst for Rape1, in Scottish Courts, 1985-86 to 2004-05
| Year | Number |
| 1985-86 | 86 |
| 1986-87 | 65 |
| 1987-88 | 70 |
| 1988-89 | 93 |
| 1989-90 | 63 |
| 1990-91 | 60 |
| 1991-92 | 68 |
| 1992-93 | 63 |
| 1993-94 | 76 |
| 1994-95 | 46 |
| 1995-96 | 53 |
| 1996-97 | 78 |
| 1997-98 | 61 |
| 1998-99 | 66 |
| 1999-00 | 55 |
| 2000-01 | 52 |
| 2001-02 | 67 |
| 2002-03 | 58 |
| 2003-04 | 78 |
| 2004-05 | 88 |
Note: 1. Wheremain offence.
