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: S2W-05880

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 February 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether private membership golf clubs will be eligible for the mandatory rate relief for community amateur sports clubs announced by the Minister for Finance and Public Services.

Question reference: S2W-05575

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 19 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 2 February 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it receives value for money for Scottish Enterprise's investment in the Institute for System Level Integration given the number of students enrolling in 2002-03 who were from the United Kingdom.

As part of project Alba, theInstitute for System Level Integration has been supported in line with thecommitment in Smart Successful Scotland to move to a technologicallyinnovative, knowledge based economy.

Funding issues in relationto the Institute itself are an operational matter for the main funding partners– Scottish Enterprise, University of Glasgow, University of Strathclyde,Heriot-Watt University and Edinburgh University. Non-UK students areself-funding.

Question reference: S2W-05479

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 28 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of the construction of wind farms on Forestry Commission land.

Our planning policy guidanceis given in National Planning Policy Guideline 6: Renewable EnergyDevelopments. Forestry Commission Scotland serves as the Executive’s forestrydepartment. The corporate plan for the Forestry Commission in Scotlandrecognises that “Every effort is being made to increase the value and income from leasesof many kinds, and from developments such as windfarms, mineral sites andtelecommunication masts, for which the national forests can often provide asuitable location.” In this way the national forest lands make a considerablecontribution to the Executive’s targets for increasing the proportion of powergenerated from renewable sources.

All proposals are developedwith full public consultation, and detailed plans for careful forestrestructuring. The usual planning consents and environmental impact assessmentsare required and environmental, economic and social issues are taken fully intoaccount.

Question reference: S2W-05305

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what economic factors it takes into consideration when identifying sites for the relocation of civil service agency jobs outwith Edinburgh.

The Executive advises bodiescarrying out relocation reviews that several socio-economic factors should be takeninto consideration when carrying out the qualitative assessment of prospectivelocations. The factors include income and employment deprivation, healthdeprivation and disability, education, skills and training deprivation, andgeographical access to services. We are currently considering the consistencyof socio-economic statistics to be used by bodies in relocation reviews.

Question reference: S2W-05306

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether low pay in a particular area is taken into account when it identifies sites for the relocation of civil service agency jobs outwith Edinburgh.

Question reference: S2W-05104

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 21 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30714 by Mr Andy Kerr on 11 November 2002, how many people have been employed in its Environment and Rural Affairs Department in 2002 and in 2003.

The following table shows thenumber of staff (headcount) and the number of full-time equivalent staff inpost in the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department as at thedate given.

Number of Staff in the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department

	Headcount		Full-time Equivalent
Year	Permanent	Casual	Permanent	Casual
1 April 2002	1,101	102	1,074.1	99
1 April 2003	1,116	66	1,086.1	65
31 December 2003	1,113	65	1,082.1	64

Question reference: S2W-05105

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 19 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30714 by Mr Andy Kerr on 11 November 2002, how much has been spent on staff costs in its Environment and Rural Affairs Department in 2002-03 and 2003-04 to date and what percentage of the department's total budget staff costs represented in each year from 1999-2000 to 2002-03.

The information requested on expenditure by the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) is set out in the following tables:

Table 1: SEERAD Staff Costs Spend

2002-03

2003-04 (Spend to

30 November)

£(000)

SEERAD staff costs spend ⁽¹⁾

£28,770

£20,509

Table 2: SEERAD Staff Costs Spend and Programme Budget

	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03
	£(000)	£(000)	£(000)	£(000)
SEERAD staff costs spend ⁽¹⁾	£22,622	£24,442	£26,808	£28,770
SEERAD programme budget ^(2)&(3)	£783,000	£834,000	£1,141,000	£1,167,000
Staff costs as a % of programme budget	2.9	2.9	2.3	2.5

Notes:

1.The figures for the staffcost spend in 2001-02 and 2002-03 exclude expenditure which was reimbursed fromDEFRA to meet the Scottish Executive costs of the foot and mouth outbreak.

2.The 1999-2000 and 2000-01programme budget figures were published in Serving Scotland’s Needs, The Government’s Expenditure Plans 1999-2000 to 2001-02 and the 2001-02 and 2002-03 programme budget figureswere published in the 2003-04 Annual Expenditure Report.

3.Following the introductionof Resource Accounting and Budgeting the programme budget figures for 2001-02and 2002-03 include non-cash resource adjustments to reflect capital chargesand are not therefore directly comparable with the programme budget figures for1999-2000 and 2000-01 which are reported on a cash basis.

Question reference: S2W-05106

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 19 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the number of staff and staff costs within its Environment and Rural Affairs Department will decrease over the next three years as a result of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and, if so, by how much in each case.

It is too early to estimateto what extent staff costs within the Environment and Rural Affairs Departmentwill change as a consequence of CAP reform because we have not yet decided howthe reforms will apply in Scotland. The consultation exercise on CAP reform finished on6 January and decisions will be made shortly.

A reduction in the number ofdirect support schemes should lead to reductions in staffing and staff costs. Butthis will depend on exactly which options are chosen. In the short term thereare likely to be additional costs associated with developing the new system atthe same time as continuing to make payments under the old system.

Question reference: S2W-04986

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the public investment in the Institute for System Level Integration provides an adequate return for the Scottish economy.

Question reference: S2W-04985

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of students studying at the Institute for System Level Integration is from (a) Scotland and (b) overseas.