- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has ever authorised the transportation of prisoners via airports operated by Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd to a third country and, if so, whether, where appropriate for it to do so, it has sought assurances regarding the conditions under which such prisoners are held.
Answer
I would refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22577 on 10 February 2006. 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/wa.search.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many invitations to visit local authorities were declined by ministers in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how the projected economic growth figures for the Scottish Borders over the next 10 years compare with the Scottish average.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not produce forecasts of economic growth.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 20 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many experienced allied health practitioners have applied for travel scholarships of up to £5,000, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
The number of Allied Health Professionals who have applied for the first round of the travel scholarship scheme is shown in the table:
| NHS Board | Applications |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 1 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 1 |
| Grampian | 3 |
| Greater Glasgow | 9 |
| Forth Valley | 1 |
| Lanarkshire | 2 |
| Tayside | 1 |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by John Scott on 13 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what monitoring is in place with regard to the operation of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.
Answer
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman was established under The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002. Paragraph 2(2) of schedule 1 of this act provides that the ombudsman, in the exercise of her functions is not subject to the direction or control of any member of Parliament, any member of the Scottish Executive or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body.
Separate provision does, however, require the ombudsman to lay an annual report before Parliament and the Parliament may give directions as to the form and content of an annual report. Copies of the annual report are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The ombudsman must also keep accounts and prepare annual accounts for each financial year in accordance with such directions as Scottish ministers may give.
In terms of the Act, the SPCB has to pay any expenses incurred by the ombudsman in the exercise of her functions. As part of this process, the SPCB invites the ombudsman on an annual basis to prepare a budget submission which is scrutinised by the SPCB and which scrutiny may include discussions between the SPCB and the Ombudsman prior to the bid being reported to the Finance Committee as part of the SPCB’s overall budget submission.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by John Scott on 13 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the operating cost of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has been in each year since the office’s inception.
Answer
The operating costs of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman since the office’s inception on 23 October 2002 are as follows:
| | 2002-03 (part year) | 2003-04 | 2004-05 |
| Operating costs | £163,000* | £2,779,228* | £2,169,000 |
Note: *These figures include costs associated with the setting up of the new office.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 10 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Borders Council in respect of the council’s plan to remove an £85,000 minibus subsidy and whether this will impact on school pupils’ extra-curricular sporting and learning activities.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is committed to encouraging more out of school hours opportunities for all pupils across a wide range of activities.
We have had no discussions with Scottish Borders Council on the role of minibuses in school activities as it is for each local authority to decide on the detailed allocation of the resources they have at their disposal.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 10 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21090 by Tavish Scott on 20 December 2005, whether it has instructed the management of Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd to investigate reports of two alleged CIA-operated flights into Wick and five such flights into Inverness since September 2001 and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has requested and received information from Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) about the procedures that are in place for handling and recording information regarding international flights to and from its airports. We are satisfied that HIAL is fulfilling its legal and regulatory obligations as a licensed airport operator in respect of international flights.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 10 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21090 by Tavish Scott on 20 December 2005 and noting that Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd has no statutory duty to record or publish passenger or crew details of chartered or private flights, whether, in its capacity as sole shareholder or otherwise, it has concerns regarding two alleged CIA-operated flights which landed at Wick and five at Inverness since September 2001.
Answer
Neither the Scottish Executive nor Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd has any information which supports allegations that Wick or Inverness Airports have been used by CIA-operated flights.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 10 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21090 by Tavish Scott on 20 December 2005, what approaches Scottish Ministers or officials have made to the management of Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd asking it to check whether it holds any information or related documents suggesting that US Government officials or their proxies have operated flights through Wick and Inverness airports since September 2001.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has requested information from Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) regarding any flights operated on behalf of the US Government and its agencies. HIAL has no evidence that such flights have operated to or from its airports.
