- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26033 by Mr Tom McCabe on 8 June 2006, what the Executive received in return for the £20,000 sponsorship of the lecture given by Bill Clinton on 10 May 2006 at the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow.
Answer
The £20,000 sponsorship was partof a total package of support of £38,258.80 towards the hosting of this high profileevent in Scotland. Permission to brand the lectern, stage and room withthe Saltire and images of contemporary Scotland was received as part of this sponsorship package – thefirst time this has been granted by President Clinton. This was also the first timePresident Clinton has allowed press into such an event – 33 journalists attended– which resulted in substantive press and TV coverage.
What we received in return forthe £20,000 element of the sponsorship package is as follows:
Permission to brand the lectern,stage and room with the Saltire and images of modern Scotland
The inclusion of informationon Scotland in press packs (32 journalists attended)
Permission to use photographyand film footage of the event for Scottish Executive purposes. For example, we arecurrently considering the scope to use the DVD of the speech in schools as a supplementto wider activity under Determined to Succeed
One table for 10 guests (includingsenior representatives from the media and the Convenor of the European and ExternalRelations Committee).
The Scottish Executive has akey role to play to stimulate the debate on global issues and supporting this eventhas allowed us to do just that. The event received considerable media coverage andhas helped to position Scotland as a leading country for high-profile events and,as such, this sponsorship packages represents good value for money.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what contact has been made with Mr John MacLeod in respect of the two fingerprint reports he submitted to the Executive since its settlement with Shirley McKie and since the Minister for Justice announced that the reports would not be released into the public domain or made available to the ongoing Parliamentary inquiry; who instigated that contact; what the nature was of that contact; what persons made that contact and on whose behalf; what information was exchanged during that contact, and whether Mr MacLeod was at any stage warned either verbally, by letter or in any other way that, should he release the reports, divulge their contents or give evidence about them, he would be sued or otherwise have official or unofficial action taken against him.
Answer
Communications betweensolicitors and expert witnesses are confidential. However, I made clear in myletter of 22 May 2006 to the Convener of the Justice 1 Committee that the Executive had not imposed any new constraints on Mr MacLeod and was seekingmerely to maintain the standard approach to confidentiality that is implicit atthe outset in all work of this type. A copy of that letter is available at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/justice1/papers-06/j1p06-19.pdf.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24680 by Cathy Jamieson on 20 April 2006, how many communications, other than those in the form of written parliamentary questions, it has received on the subject of “extraordinary rendition”; who initiated each communication, and what the Executive's response has been in each case.
Answer
I refer the member to theresponses made by the Scottish Executive to recent requests under freedom ofinformation legislation, which will be available as from 19 June on theExecutive’s website. The material published there includes all relevantcommunications to the Executive on the subject of extraordinary rendition andthe Executive’s responses. Names of correspondents have been omitted in orderto comply with data protection requirements.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24647 by Cathy Jamieson on 4 April 2006, why it has not passed to the police any allegations brought to its attention regarding the possibility that US agencies have used Scottish airports as refuelling stops for flights engaged in the process of “extraordinary rendition”.
Answer
It is the responsibility ofthose making allegations, and believing themselves in possession of relevantinformation, to refer the matter to the police. The Executive has repeatedlyadvised anyone with relevant information to pass it to the police.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24473 by Cathy Jamieson on 13 April 2006, how it reconciles the statement that no credible or reliable information exists regarding the facilitation of “extraordinary rendition” flights through Scottish airports by US agencies with its statement, in answer to question S2W-24475 by Cathy Jamieson on 13 April 2006, that it would not comment on the credibility of a report handed to it by Angus Robertson MP regarding the existence of such flights, on the grounds that “it is not for ministers to judge the credibility, or otherwise, of the information in the report”.
Answer
In my answer to questionS2W-24473, I explained that no enquiry could be undertaken in response tounsubstantiated allegations. It is not for me to say whether allegations can besubstantiated; but to date no law enforcement agency in Scotland,having examined those allegations, has reached such a view.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the findings have been of any investigations, undertaken by it, the police or any Executive agency or supported agency, or in which these bodies have co-operated, into the process known as extraordinary rendition.
Answer
It is for the police tomount an investigation if information comes to light which they regard ascredible and reliable and indicating that criminal offences may have beencommitted. To date they have not mounted any such investigation: hence thereare no findings. I refer to the member to the answer to question S2W-24473 on 13April 2006.
All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website the search facility for whichcan be 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: Wednesday, 07 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with autism have been refused referral, consultation or treatment by (a) a gastroenterologist, (b) an immunologist or (c) a toxicologist in each of the last five years.
Answer
This information is not heldcentrally.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with autism, with or without mental health problems in addition to their autism, have been confined in mental health institutions in each of the last five years and what the (a) average and (b) longest length of confinement was for patients with autism in mental health facilities.
Answer
The informationrequested is not available centrally.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies there have been in (a) neurosurgery and (b) neurology in each NHS board area in each year since 1990.
Answer
Prior to 1995, theinformation requested was not collected centrally. However, details of vacantconsultant posts since 1995 are published on the Scottish Health Statisticswebsite under Workforce Statistics at
www.isdscotland.org/workforce.In particular, table B12gives the number of consultant vacancies in neurosurgery and neurology by NHS boardarea. Latest available figures are at 30 September 2005.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) neurosurgeons and (b) neurologists there have been at each hospital in each year since 1990.
Answer
Information on the number ofneurosurgeons and neurologists in each hospital is not held centrally.
