- 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 what the legislative basis is for the decision to call in the Trump Organisation’s planning application for a golf development at the Menie Estate, subsequent to it being determined by the local planning authority.
Answer
The call-in was made underSection 46 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. As the council had yet to issue notice ofits decision on the case the application was still live at the time when it wascalled in by the Scottish Government.
- 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 the First Minister informed Executive officials of a request to meet representatives of the Trump Organisation on or around 3 December 2007 and, if so, what advice he received.
Answer
Mr Salmond sought advicefrom the Chief Planner and the Head of Planning Decisions Division, in hiscapacity as MSP for Gordon on 29 and 30 November 2007. This confirmed Mr Salmond as constituency MSP was entitled torepresent properly the interests of constituents.
- 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 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 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: 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: 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.
