- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 19 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what organisations wrote to it asking that they or their members be considered for membership of the National Licensing Forum.
Answer
The Scottish Beer and Pub Association requested in writing that it be considered for membership of the National Licensing Forum.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 19 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from licensed trade organisations in respect of its announcement of the establishment of the National Licensing Forum.
Answer
We have received representations from three organisations - the Scottish Beer and Pub Association, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association and the British Hospitality Association - requesting membership of the forum.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 19 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the membership of the National Licensing Forum to reflect fully the pub, hotel and restaurant sectors.
Answer
The National Licensing Forum has been established on an interim basis for a two year period. Membership of the forum will be reviewed by that time.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 19 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial interests have been declared by the members of the National Licensing Forum and whether it will publish such interests.
Answer
Consideration was given to whether or not members’ financial interests should be published. Scottish Executive guidance confirmed that this would be disproportionate to the status and role of the forum and was, therefore, not required.
However, members have all agreed to abide by an obligatory code of conduct. Copies are available from the Scottish Executive on request.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 19 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what its reasons are for deciding not to designate the National Licensing Forum as a public body.
Answer
The classification of the forum as a short-term Ministerial Advisory Group is in line with Scottish Executive guidance on the establishment of new public bodies. Ministerial Advisory Groups are task specific, can be established for up to two years and are then subject to review or dissolution.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 19 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what safeguards it has put in place to avoid conflicts of interest between National Licensing Forum (NLF) members’ own employment and commercial responsibilities and their responsibilities as members of the NLF in the course of their deliberations.
Answer
Forum members have been appointed for their individual knowledge, expertise and experience. They are required to abide by the remit and terms of reference of the forum and by a code of conduct. Copies of both documents are available on request from the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 19 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what rights of appeal or complaint exist in relation to the appointments it has made to the National Licensing Forum (NLF), given the forum’s status as a ministerial advisory group, and how such rights compare with those that would exist if the NLF were a public body.
Answer
There are no specific or formal rights of appeal available in relation to appointments to Ministerial Advisory Groups. Complaints can be made to the Scottish Executive in writing under our established complaints procedure.
An independent complaints procedure is operated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland in respect of appointments to those public bodies within her remit.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 19 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what process it used in deciding which individuals to appoint to the National Licensing Forum and what organisations it consulted prior to making the appointments.
Answer
The National Licensing Forum is a short-term Ministerial Advisory Group and, as such, does not come within the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland. Nevertheless, ministers are fully committed to the principle of appointment on merit and adopted this general approach in establishing the forum.
Candidates for appointment were therefore tested against pre-agreed criteria and recommendations were made to ministers using a list of those individuals considered to meet those requirements. In order to achieve a balanced membership, consideration was also given to geographic and sectoral spread in making the final selection.
Since appointments to the forum were made on the basis of individual merit rather than in terms of representation of specific organisations, formal nominations were not sought from any organisation.
The forum has also agreed a list of “corresponding members” which includes all local authority chief executives, Licensing Board clerks and 26 other organisations. Those members have the right to receive agendas, papers and minutes and to feed in their views to any forum member or to the Scottish Executive at any time. Copies of the full list of corresponding members are available from the Scottish Executive on request.
Direct consultation will also take place with licensed trade and other organisations.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 19 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive in what way the members of the National Licensing Forum (NLF) reflect “a fair sectoral spread” of the hotel, restaurant and pub sectors as referred to in the Executive’s letter of 22 June 2005 to the Scotish Beer and Pub Association.
Answer
Forum members have been appointed for their individual knowledge, expertise and experience.
Forum members are considered to represent a fair sectoral spread across the following sectors:
Training Bodies
Promotional Health Bodies
Medical profession
Members Clubs
Licensed Trade – on sales
Licensed Trade – off sales
Licensing Boards
Voluntary sector
Legal sector
Communities
Police.
Five members have served on previous groups and this is considered to offer a good balance in terms of continuity and fresh thinking. Several members have direct or indirect knowledge of the hotel, restaurant and pub sectors from their individual professional perspective.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 June 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how the use of funding to the Scottish Community Diet Project is monitored.
Answer
Scottish Executive funding for the Scottish Community Diet Project (SCDP) is subject to formal conditions agreed to by the SCDP and in accordance with the work outlined in their Business Plan. The latest business plan covers the period 2005–08.
The SCDP operates under the auspices of the Scottish Consumer Council (SCC) and is therefore monitored in line with SCC (and National Consumer Council) procedures. The project provides quarterly written reports and an annual verbal report to the SCC. These reports are also scrutinised at the quarterly meetings of the project's steering group.
Annual audited accounts are also presented by SCC to the Scottish Executive Health Department every year.
