- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 3 May 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his answer to question S1W-20304 on 6 March 2002, what trading was being carried out by the parent company of Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Limited as at 1 March 2002; with whom the parent company was trading; from what source the information about the trading position of the parent company was obtained, and whether any documents relating to the conclusion that the parent company was still trading as at 1 March 2002 will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
As at 1 March 2002, the shares of Flour City International were listed for trading on the National Association of Security Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDQ.) The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has no further information about the scale and nature of the company's trading at that time.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 3 May 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his answers to questions S1W-19876, S1W-19886, S1W-20304 and S1W-21037 on 6 March 2002, whether the process of the evaluation of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body's rights and entitlements has been completed, or when it is anticipated that the process will be completed; against whom any litigation may be raised, and whether any of the parties against whom any litigation may be raised have had sight of any of the documents mentioned in questions S1W-19876, S1W-19886, S1W-20304 and S1W-21037.
Answer
The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has confirmed that the process is still under way and is being conducted in a manner consistent with achieving the key objective of the Holyrood construction programme. At this stage and subject to the evaluation of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body's rights and entitlements, litigation may be raised against the parent company. Parties to the contractual arrangements should be aware of relevant documents.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre a copy of the consultants report commissioned by Caledonian MacBrayne as part of its fares review in which it considered whether a road equivalent tariff fare structure should be implemented on the Clyde and Western Isles ferry services.
Answer
I have asked Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd to place a copy of the report in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 20611).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support and promote a pilot scheme for the introduction of road equivalent tariff on one of the ferry routes to the Western Isles.
Answer
We have no plans to support such a scheme.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the case for road equivalent tariff to be applied to the costs of travel by ferry; whether it has considered the cost of implementing such a policy and, if so, what the estimated cost would be, and whether it has estimated what the additional traffic would be through a reduction in the ferry fares by the application of a road equivalent tariff policy.
Answer
We have no plans to implement a road equivalent tariff (RET) approach to setting fares for ferry services which the Executive subsidises, nor do we intend to conduct research into the cost of implementing such a policy. As I have indicated in previous answers, it is clear that RET would require substantial alteration in the fares structure of Caledonian MacBrayne at a time when it and the people whom it serves most require stability and security of service. Our efforts must be focused on securing continuity of services and protection of fares through the future tendering exercise relating to the company's services.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Elaine Murray on 3 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific measures it has taken or plans to take to promote the use of architects and what action it has taken to ensure that Communities Scotland works in partnership with architects.
Answer
The Executive is committed to the promotion of good architecture by means of the objectives and commitments set out in A Policy on Architecture for Scotland. The Executive believes that good architecture is the product of the creative collaboration of many disciplines and that architects have a key role to play in this process. Communities Scotland meets quarterly with the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland to facilitate joint working.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 3 May 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer, in light of the passage of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill, whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will now disclose information which was classified as confidential in answers to previous written parliamentary questions on the Holyrood Project, detailing the reasons for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Parliament's position on the disclosure of commercially confidential information has not changed, and is set out in my answer of 19 September 2000 to question S1W-9469. When the provisions of the Freedom of Information Bill come into force, claiming commercially confidential material will require to be judged in the context of the act's provisions on a case by case basis.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 29 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a detailed breakdown of the estimated #20 million cost of a new campus for the Scottish Agricultural College in Paisley and a move to Aberdeen; whether it is satisfied that these costings are accurate; whether the costings have been submitted for analysis or assessment and, if so, to whom.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24835.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 29 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail each venture written off as a "failed joint venture" as referred to in the director's report on the Scottish Agriculture College (SAC), setting out the reason why each failed and the amount of money that was written off as a result.
Answer
The director's report to the Scottish Agricultural Group Accounts, for the year to 31 March 2001, refers to joint ventures that were entered into by SAC Commercial Ltd - the commercial arm of the SAC group. This company is not grant aided by the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department. In the circumstances, the member might wish to approach the SAC for the information he is seeking.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Simpson on 29 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure the provision of specialist drug misuse services within the Lochaber area.
Answer
The Executive has allocated additional resources of over £380,000 for treatment and £831,000 for the rehabilitation of drug misusers in the Highland area for the period 2001-02 to 2003-04. Responsibility for how these and existing resources are spent rests with the local Drug and Alcohol Strategy Group and its constituent agencies, taking into account local circumstances and needs.
