- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there was any sponsorship or in-kind support for any of the events attended by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth during his visit to the United States of America on 2 and 3 December 2007.
Answer
IBM Scotland provided £20,000in cash sponsorship towards the Americas Globalscot conference. VisitScotland BusinessTourism Unit provided £15,000 in cash sponsorship towards the Conference Networkingreception held at Trump National Golf Resort. Pernod Ricard provided “in-kind” supportfor the Globalscot Welcome Reception by providing branded drinks during the evening(the estimated value is £5,000). Alexandria Real Estate paid for a helicopter flightfrom central New York to the IBM Learning Centre in Armonk to enable me to fulfiltwo speaking engagements in close proximity.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-6786 by Bruce Crawford on 3 December 2007, whether the review of the Scottish Ministerial Code will include consideration of having an independent adviser to investigate breaches of the code, similar to the approach taken by Prime Minister, Gordon Brown MP.
Answer
In line with the practice aftereach Scottish parliamentary election, the Scottish Ministerial Code is currentlybeing reviewed. The review will consider a number of issues and will be publishedin the near future.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-6783 by Bruce Crawford on 3 December 2007, when the review of the Scottish Ministerial Code will be concluded.
Answer
The review is expected to beconcluded in the near future and a revised version of the code will be publishedby the First Minister soon after.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the occasions on which the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth has discussed the Trump Organisation’s planning application for a golf development at the Menie Estate with the First Minister.
Answer
Some weeks prior to the meetingof the Infrastructure Services Committee of Aberdeenshire Council I advised theFirst Minister that I intended to determine the Menie Estate planning applicationif it required ministerial input as Mr Stevenson represented an Aberdeenshire constituency.On 4 December 2007, I advised the First Minister that the application hadbeen called in.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth will publish the advice that he received on the legal basis for calling in planning applications after they have been rejected by the relevant local planning authorities and where no appeal has been lodged.
Answer
It is Scottish Government practiceneither to confirm or deny whether legal advice has been received.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all minutes and other documentation relating to the Trump Organisation application for a golf development at the Menie Estate, Aberdeenshire, into which the First Minister’s Private Office has been copied since May 2007.
Answer
We are giving immediateconsideration to the publication of information alongside requests made underFreedom of Information legislation. I will write to advise when this has beenmade available.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive who was present at the meeting between the Chief Planner and representatives of the Trump Organisation on 4 December 2007.
Answer
The meeting was attended byJim Mackinnon, Chief Planner and David Ferguson, Head of Planning Decisions, ScottishGovernment along with George Sorial and Neil Hobday, from the TrumpOrganization.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the meeting between the First Minister and representatives of the Trump Organisation on 3 December 2007, whether the First Minister’s office contacted the (a) Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and (b) Chief Planner following the meeting.
Answer
Mr Salmond didnot contact me. On 3 December 2007, the Chief Planner took a call from Mr Salmondin his capacity as constituency MSP. Mr Salmond sought advice from the ChiefPlanner whether it would still be permissible for officials from the ScottishGovernment Planning Directorate to meet representatives from the TrumpOrganization. The Chief Planner confirmed that officials can meet with partiesinvolved in a planning application but only to discuss options and theprocedural implications, not to consider the merits of the case.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the ministers and officials with whom the First Minister subsequently discussed matters arising from his meeting with representatives of the Trump Organisation at the Marcliffe Hotel on 3 December 2007.
Answer
In his capacity asconstituency MSP Mr Salmond spoke to Jim Mackinnon, Chief Planner following themeeting. Mr Salmond sought advice from the Chief Planner on whether it wouldstill be permissible for the officials from the Scottish Government PlanningDirectorate to meet representatives from the Trump Organization.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the meeting between the First Minister and representatives of the Trump Organisation on 3 December 2007, whether any government resources were used (a) in advance of or (b) at the meeting.
Answer
As a result of the unusualamount of public interest in the First Minister’s travel to this meeting, the Permanent Secretary has personally considered what use was made of the Government Car Service on this occasion. He has noted that it is commonplace for civilservants, including special advisors, to travel with ministers in governmentcars, in order to assist ministers to use time spent travelling to progressgovernment business; and that it is also common for the minister’s governmentcar to convey such civil servants to their destination, where it is differentfrom the minister’s destination. He is satisfied that the use made of the Government Car Service in this case was consistent with such general practice and was bothappropriate and pragmatic.
