Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-30547

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 8 November 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) actual and (b) cumulative percentage increase from the 1997/8 level in rent charged by each local authority was in each of the five years from 1997/8, and what the (i) average and (ii) cumulative national increase was.

The information requested is shown in the following tables:Local Authority Rents - Actual Percentage Increase

	1997-98 to 1998-99	1998-99 to 1999-2000	1999-2000 to 2000-01	2000-01 to 01-02	2001-02 to 2002-03
	Actual %Increase	Actual %Increase	Actual %Increase	Actual %Increase	Actual %Increase
Aberdeen City Council	19	0	5	5	5
Aberdeenshire Council	4	3	3	6	6
Angus Council	8	5	7	10	4
Argyll and Bute Council	2	0	3	4	4
Clackmannanshire Council	4	3	2	8	8
Dumfries and Galloway Council	0	4	3	5	5
Dundee City Council	4	3	2	2	4
East Ayrshire Council	6	8	12	4	4
East Dunbartonshire Council	3	5	7	4	5
East Lothian Council	4	6	3	4	3
East Renfrewshire Council	10	5	7	3	8
Edinburgh Council, City of	3	0	1	0	3
Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan	3	3	3	5	4
Falkirk Council	5	4	10	5	7
Fife Council	3	5	4	3	6
Glasgow City Council	7	4	4	4	2
Highland Council	5	1	3	2	3
Inverclyde Council	12	4	5	5	5
Midlothian Council	9	-1	5	9	0
Moray Council	2	3	2	3	3
North Ayrshire Council	3	0	5	1	5
North Lanarkshire Council	6	5	7	4	4
Orkney Islands Council	2	0	1	4	3
Perth and Kinross Council	4	3	4	4	1
Renfrewshire Council	7	4	7	0	9
Scottish Borders Council	5	3	6	4	not available
Shetland Islands Council	8	10	7	0	5
South Ayrshire Council	5	0	1	4	4
South Lanarkshire Council	6	2	3	2	2
Stirling Council	0	4	4	3	2
West Dunbartonshire Council	3	-1	5	5	3
West Lothian Council	8	0	9	3	13
Scotland	6	4	3	3	4

Note:Rent information not collected for Scottish Borders in 2002-03 due to proposed housing stock transfer.Local Authority Rents - Actual Percentage Increase

	Cumulative% Increase	Cumulative% Increase	Cumulative% Increase	Cumulative% Increase
	Cumulative% Increase	Cumulative% Increase	Cumulative% Increase	Cumulative% Increase
	from 1997-98 to 1999-2000	from 1997-98 to 2000-01	from 1997-98 to 2001-02	from 1997-98 to 2002-03
	from 1997-98 to 1999-2000	from 1997-98 to 2000-01	from 1997-98 to 2001-02	from 1997-98 to 2002-03
Aberdeen City Council	19	25	29	34
Aberdeenshire Council	7	10	15	21
Angus Council	14	20	30	35
Argyll and Bute Council	2	6	10	14
Clackmannanshire Council	7	9	17	24
Dumfries and Galloway Council	5	7	13	17
Dundee City Council	6	9	11	15
East Ayrshire Council	14	26	30	34
East Dunbartonshire Council	7	14	18	23
East Lothian Council	10	13	18	21
East Renfrewshire Council	15	21	24	32
Edinburgh Council, City of	3	4	4	6
Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan	5	8	13	17
Falkirk Council	9	19	24	31
Fife Council	9	13	15	21
Glasgow City Council	10	14	17	20
Highland Council	6	9	11	14
Inverclyde Council	16	21	26	32
Midlothian Council	8	13	22	23
Moray Council	5	7	11	13
North Ayrshire Council	2	8	9	14
North Lanarkshire Council	11	18	23	27
Orkney Islands Council	2	2	7	9
Perth and Kinross Council	7	10	15	15
Renfrewshire Council	11	18	19	28
Scottish Borders Council	7	13	17	not available
Shetland Islands Council	18	25	25	30
South Ayrshire Council	5	6	10	14
South Lanarkshire Council	8	11	13	15
Stirling Council	4	9	11	14
West Dunbartonshire Council	3	7	12	15
West Lothian Council	8	17	21	33
Scotland	10	13	16	21

Question reference: S1W-30557

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 November 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what new investment was made at HM Prison Aberdeen, and for what purpose, in each of the last five years and what investment is planned, and for what purpose, in future years.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The total value of estate development projects completed at HM Prison Aberdeen in the last five years is about £2 million. Options for upgrading the existing health centre are currently being evaluated.I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30329 on 31 October 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

Question reference: S1W-30613

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2002
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 6 November 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Trade International website will be operational and what the reasons are for any delay in bringing it online.

In October 2001 the Scottish Executive launched its Global Connections Strategy which led to the creation of Scottish Development International. Scottish Development International brings together the activities of the former Scottish Trade International and Locate in Scotland.The Scottish Development International website became operational in October 2001 to tie in with the launch of the Global Connections Strategy and the creation of Scottish Development International.

Question reference: S1W-30435

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 October 2002
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 5 November 2002

To ask the Presiding Officer what research the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has carried out into the establishment of a parliamentary office in Brussels to represent the Parliament independently of the Scottish Executive.

Question reference: S1W-30433

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 October 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 November 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what regular bulletins or reports are compiled by its officials in Scotland House, Brussels, for submission to its departments and what discussions it has had with the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body on whether any such bulletins or reports should be made available to members as a matter of course.

Question reference: S1W-30552

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 November 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its European Union Office has been involved in efforts to disperse any European agencies to Scotland and, if so, what representations the office has made and to whom.

Question reference: S1W-30551

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 November 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in the dispersal of any European agencies to Scotland and what the timetable is for necessary decisions being taken.

Question reference: S1W-30543

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 November 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive why the Minister for Environment and Rural Development was not listed as an attendee of the most recent meeting of the EU Fisheries Council.

Question reference: S1W-30430

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 October 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 November 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what agreements, understandings and declarations it has entered into with other national bodies and national and regional devolved assemblies since 1999; who the other signatories to any such documents are, and what the status is of each such document and, in particular, whether there are any penalties associated with non-compliance with any provision contained within any such document.

Details of the agreements, understandings and declarations that the Executive has entered into with overseas national bodies and national and regional devolved assemblies are noted in the following table. In addition, the Executive has entered into a large number of agreements and understandings with UK Government Departments and other UK bodies.

Agreement	Other Signatories	Status
Protocol of Co-operation with Catalonia, May 2002	The Government of Catalonia	Commitment to co-operate in a number of policy areas. No penalty provisions.
Common Declaration on EU Governance, May 2002	The constitutional regions of Aquitaine, Emilia-Romagna, Flanders, Hessen, Marche, Skane, Tuscany, Wales and Wallonia.	Political declaration containing no obligations or penalty provisions.
Flanders Declaration, May 2001	Bavaria, Catalonia, North Rhine-Westphalia, Salzburg, Wallonia and Flanders	Political declaration containing no obligations or penalty provisions.
Liege Resolution, November 2001	50 regions with legislative power	Political declaration containing no obligations or penalty provisions.
Memorandum of Understanding with the Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales, Australia	New South Wales, Australia	Commitment to undertake joint developments to transport management systems. There are no penalty provisions.

Question reference: S1W-30431

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 October 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 November 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out, or has commissioned, into funding sources available to assist groups and organisations to participate actively in the European legislative process.