- 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 First Minister (a) met and (b) spoke to Mr Jim Mackinnon, Chief Planner, between 20 November and 10 December 2007, also showing the matters discussed on each occasion.
Answer
The First Ministermet Mr Mackinnon to discuss the National Planning Framework on 20 November 2007and the Forth Replacement Crossing on 5 December. On 7 December they discussedby telephone the current position with a development proposal for Aviemorewhich had been the subject of enquiries to him from a number of MSPs. Mr Salmondhas only spoken to Mr Mackinnon on the question of the Menie Estate proposal inhis capacity as MSP for Gordon.
- 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 when the First Minister received a request to meet representatives of the Trump Organisation on or around 3 December 2007.
Answer
The request wasmade in Mr Salmond’s capacity as constituency MSP.
- 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 (a) met and (b) spoke to Mr Jim Mackinnon, Chief Planner, between 20 November and 10 December 2007, also showing the matters discussed on each occasion.
Answer
The Chief Plannerand I discuss planning issues on a regular basis. We met on 20 November 2007 to discuss the National Planning Framework. On 26November, we met at a meeting of local authority planning directors. On 5 December,we met to discuss the Forth Replacement Crossing and we both attended a dinnerwith SNH that evening. We met on 6 December todiscuss the Asset Management Review.
On 3 December, Icontacted the Chief Planner to receive a general update on the eventssurrounding the proposed golf resort at Menie Estate. And during a telephoneconversation on 4 December the call in of the Menie Estate planning applicationwas discussed and approved.
We discussplanning matters regularly by telephone but a formal record of every telephonecall is not kept.
- 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.
- 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 First Minister has had contact with any representative of the Trump Organisation subsequent to his meeting with representatives of the organisation at the Marcliffe Hotel on 3 December 2007.
Answer
Mr Salmond has had nocontact with the Trump Organization in his capacity as First Minister. Themeeting referred to was undertaken by Mr Salmond in his capacity asconstituency MSP for Gordon.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 11 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-6023 by John Swinney on 19 November 2007, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth agrees with the full text of paragraph 68 of Guidance on Scottish Parliamentary Questions, issued by the civil service, which states that “Where a question on the same subject already exists, consideration should be given to using that question to make the announcement, whether or not it is an Opposition question, instead of arranging an inspired question. Failing that, it is, of course, important to ensure that any other existing question on the same subject is answered on the same day as the inspired question”.
Answer
For the reasons explainedin the answer to question S3W-6023, the approach adopted when answering questionS3W-4824 adhered to the terms of the guidance.All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 11 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-6023 by John Swinney on 19 November 2007, whether the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth considers that the way the answer quotes from Guidance on Scottish Parliamentary Questions is in keeping with his obligations to the Parliament, as set out in the Scottish Ministerial Code.
Answer
The answer providedto question S3W-6023 fully complied with the terms of the Scottish Ministerial Code.All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 6 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the personnel concerned were informed about the loss of their pension details as part of a package of information sent by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Answer
No. It was quicklyestablished that the data were not lost.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 6 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-6022 by John Swinney on 20 November 2007, what domestic visits have been undertaken by the unpaid special adviser referred to; how the visits have been funded, and what the total cost was of such visits.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6777 on 6 December 2007. Allanswers 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: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 6 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-6022 by John Swinney on 20 November 2007, whether the overseas visit referred to is included in the expenses information provided in the answer to question S3W-4830 by John Swinney on 31 October 2007.
Answer
I refer the memberto the question S3W-6777 on 6 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questionsare available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
