- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 30 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence will be made available to the Standards Committee in relation to the Observer reports of 26 September 1999 and whether it will seek to exclude, restrict or otherwise limit the production of such evidence by virtue of reliance on the Code of Freedom of Information and, if so, whether it will specify which provisions of the Code are being relied upon and for what reasons.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer to S1W-1727.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 30 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will specify the criteria which are used to determine in what circumstances Ministers will agree to a meeting with (a) MSPs of the Labour Party (b) MSPs of the Liberal Democrat Party (c) MSPs of other parties (d) special interest groups and (e) lobbyists of clients, and state whether there is any guideline as to the time within which such meetings can be arranged.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer to S1W-1727.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 30 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what contact there has been between members of the Executive and Beattie Media, including its employees, in relation to (i) freight shipment rights at Prestwick Airport, (ii) development on the Lomond Shores Centre at Loch Lomond, (iii) any development within the constituency of Brian Wilson MP and (iv) youth soccer academies.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer I gave to Dennis Canavan (S1W-1708).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 30 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will, pending the outcome of any investigation by the Standards Committee into the reports by the Observer newspaper of 26 September 1999 regarding Beattie Media, (a) instruct the company that they may not enter any Scottish Executive office, (b) give an undertaking that it will not meet with Beattie Media and (c) request Beattie Media that it will not seek to influence the Executive on any matter.
Answer
In their statement of Sunday 26 September Beattie Media indicated that they had no, and would wish no, influence over ministers. I would expect the company to maintain that stance.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 30 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that public funds should be used by public bodies for which it is responsible in the engagement of the services of lobbyist organisations or companies and, if so, for what purpose or purposes and why such services cannot be carried out by others already in the employ of the public sector.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer to S1W-1727.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 30 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what contact members and staff of the Executive have had with the Observer newspaper regarding the reports of 26 September 1999 and in particular whether there was any such contact with the newspaper before 26 September and, if so, whether it will specify the dates such contact took place.
Answer
I refer the Member to my statement to Parliament today concerning Beattie Media and professional lobbying firms.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 30 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will instruct or request that all public bodies for which it is responsible, including Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies, make available to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre details of any monies which have been paid, are due, or may become due to any lobbyist organisations or company.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer to S1W-1727.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 30 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that self-regulation by lobbyist organisations is adequate and if so, whether it will make a statement justifying its position.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer to S1W-1727.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 29 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will amend Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information by deleting the words "including those" from the section headed "Public employment, public appointments and honours" and whether it will make a statement explaining its choice of wording.
Answer
The Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information is based closely on the UK Government's Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The Code was introduced in this form to ensure that openness arrangements were in place from 1 July 1999. As the Code represents an interim measure pending legislation on freedom of information (the proposals for which will be the subject of wide consultation), no amendments to the Code are currently being considered. We will however be monitoring the operation of the Code and will present a report to Parliament next year.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 29 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has communicated any general guidance on the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information to the public bodies listed in Schedule 1 of the Code or other affected bodies; if so, whether it will place a copy of this guidance in the information centre and, if not, why not.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to S1W-1533.