- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the advice provided by the Chief Planner and Head of Planning Decisions Division to the First Minister in his capacity as MSP for Gordon on 29 and 30 November 2007.
Answer
Officials offered verbaladvice to Mr Salmond, at his request, confirming that, as MSP for theconstituency where the development was proposed, he was entitled to representproperly the interests of his constituents and to speak to the developer and toany other relevant parties. They confirmed that his constituency interest meantthat Mr Salmond was debarred from any potential Scottish ministerial planningdecision. They also set out their understanding of the procedural implicationsof the resolution of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth had any discussions with the First Minister on 3 December 2007 about the Trump planning application.
Answer
I had no such discussionswith the First Minister.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister first became aware that the Trump planning application was being called in, by what means and from whom.
Answer
I informed Mr Salmond afterI had made the decision to call in the planning application.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether telephone calls placed from private offices are listed by extension number.
Answer
Yes.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Planner has been placed under any pressure by ministers or MSPs in relation to calling in the Trump planning application.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a formal record of the telephone call of 4 December 2007 between the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and the Chief Planner about the call-in of the Trump planning application.
Answer
The phone call was notformally minuted, a record is kept on file showing that the Cabinet Secretaryfor Finance and Sustainable Growth had agreed to call in the application.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether members of the Trump Organization were with the First Minister when he called the Chief Planner on 3 December 2007.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-7663 on 20 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound 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, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Planner has ever held meetings with developers after a planning application had been called in since May 2007.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any special adviser has made telephone or email contact with representatives from the Trump Organization since May 2007 and, if so, who.
Answer
We are giving considerationto the publication of information under Freedom of Information legislation thatrelates to this question. I will write to advise when this procedure has beencompleted.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it was appropriate for the First Minister to attend a press conference in St Andrew’s House in his capacity as First Minister on the issue of the Trump planning application, having been specifically prohibited from commenting on the matter as First Minister.
Answer
Yes. The First Minister wasdiscussing the position of the Scottish Government as set out in the answers to54 parliamentary questions on the matter. As in all his public statements onthe issue, the First Minister made no comment that could be interpreted asbeing for or against the development.