- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 5 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23915 by Nicol Stephen on 31 March 2006, on what basis it considers that file SEP 10/556 is of historical interest.
Answer
The file is of historicalinterest on the basis that it is over 30 years old.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 4 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of the KPMG audit of Scottish Enterprise’s finances; when the audit was commissioned and by whom, whether the audit was subject to competitive tender; what its cost will be and from which budget it will be paid; what the timescale is for completion of the audit; whether the report will be made public, and which financial years the audit will cover.
Answer
The Scottish Executive’sProcurement Directorate invited KPMG to tender for work on 28 March 2006. Thiswas not subject to competitive tender. The work is not an audit, that being theresponsibility of Audit Scotland. The cost is around £60,000 and will be met from theadministration budget of the Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department. Thefinal report was made available on 24 April 2006.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 3 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any member of Scottish Criminal Record Office staff, past or present, has at any time made the Crown Office or the Lord Advocate aware of any concerns regarding any fingerprint identifications which they considered might have led to a miscarriage of justice if the evidence had been prepared or submitted.
Answer
No central record of suchmatters is held. However, I refer to the member to the answer to questionS2W-23612 on 20 April 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound 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: Thursday, 20 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 2 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18253 by Tavish Scott on 18 August 2005 and whilst the Auchenkilns junction was opened to traffic by Christmas 2005, whether the contract was completed at this time or at a date subsequent to the junction opening to traffic.
Answer
The works were substantiallycomplete at that time but, as is customary, some ancillary works continued afterthat date. The contract is not due to end until 21 December 2010 when the fiveyear maintenance period ends.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 2 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23441 by Colin Boyd QC on 3 April 2006, whether it will confirm that there was no official or unofficial contact with FBI officials about the issues being enquired into in the Shirley McKie case and whether it will confirm that there was no concern expressed at any level that repercussions from her case could have a negative effect on the international reputation of the Scottish justice system.
Answer
I am not aware of any contact,either official or unofficial, having taken place with FBI officials about the ShirleyMcKie case.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 2 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23973 by Cathy Jamieson on 3 April 2006 and in light of a report that appeared in The Sunday Times on 5 March 2006 in which the Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) stated that “it was common for experts to sign on behalf of colleagues”, whether it considers that this was a breach of practice in relation to the identification of fingerprints at the SCRO and, as such, should be investigated further to ascertain whether the crime of forgery had been committed.
Answer
I do not considerthat the information referred to provides a basis upon which to instigate a criminalinvestigation.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 2 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland to include the new regional transport partnerships.
Answer
We have no plans to do so asonly the first round of appointments, made in April 2006, is made by Scottishministers. From May 2007 appointments will be made by the regional transport partnershipsthemselves subject only to the consent of Scottish ministers. The current appointmentswere made in accordance with detailed guidance drawn up by the Executive in orderto facilitate the process and ensure equity of treatment for all candidates. Thisguidance was based on the fundamental principle of securing appointments on meritafter an open and transparent process and is available on the Scottish Executivewebsite at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/03/06145237/0.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 2 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether liquidated damages were sought from the contractor for the late completion of the contract to complete the grade separated junction to replace the Auchenkilns roundabout on the A80 and, if so, what the total amount was of these damages.
Answer
The engineer for the works hasdetermined that liquidated damages will apply. The amount of these damages is beingconsidered carefully at present.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many freedom of information (FOI) requests each of its departments has received; how many FOI requests have been answered in full; how many have been refused; how many have been answered partially; of the refusals and partial answers, how many have been the subject of an appeal to the relevant department; how many of these appeals have been upheld; how many have been the subject of an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner, and how many of these appeals have been upheld.
Answer
A report covering the firstsix months of requests handling by the Executive was published on the Executivewebsite in October 2005:(
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/11/monitor).A copy was also placed inthe Parliament’s reference centre. The report includes details on numbers ofrequests and outcomes. A further report covering the whole of 2005 is plannedfor publication during the week beginning 24 April. Information about 2006requests handling will be published later in the year. Information aboutrequests which are appealed to the Scottish Information Commissioner and his decisionsare published on his website at http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24179 by Lewis Macdonald on 24 March 2006, in what way this answer indicates whether the Executive has any plans to implement the Charter of Rights for People with Autism as adopted by the European Parliament.
Answer
The rights of all Scottishcitizens are protected under the European Convention on Human Rights, the HumanRights Act 1998 and the Scotland Act 1998. It is therefore not appropriate forthe Scottish Executive to adopt separate rights for people with autism spectrumdisorders, such as the European Charter of Rights for People with Autism.
However, the National AutismSpectrum Disorders (ASD) Reference Group has formed a new subgroup that willfocus on Policy into Practice and Commissioning of services for people withASD. This group aims to provide guidance for commissioners and serviceproviders to ensure the needs of people with ASD are being met with respect tothose rights in the Charter that relate to service provision.
