- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 30 May 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many special advisers will be appointed; what their specific responsibilities will be, and what the total annual cost of the posts will be.
Answer
The First Minister has todayconfirmed six full-time appointments, one part-time appointment, one unpaid part-timeappointment, and one short-term appointment until the end of July 2007. All of theseappointments are conditional on satisfactory security, health and reference clearances.The names and specific responsibilities of the special advisers appointed are:
| Name | Specific Responsibilities |
| Duncan Hamilton (part time) | Political adviser to the First Minister |
| Professor Sir Neil McCormick (part-time unpaid) | Adviser on Europe and external relations |
| Kevin Pringle | Main political spokesperson and senior adviser on communications issues across all portfolios |
| Stephen Noon | Senior adviser on policy matters across all portfolios |
| Noel Dolan | Senior policy adviser to the Deputy First Minister |
| John McFarlane | Policy adviser, supporting Mr Noon |
| Jennifer Dempsie | Communications adviser and Parliamentary liaison |
| Geoff Aberdein | Advice on diary issues and support for parliamentary Liaison Officers |
| Jennifer Erickson (short-term contract) | Project managing the establishment of the Council of Economic Advisers |
The estimated total annual salarycosts will be £425,156 subject to a salary review from 1 April 2007. This figureincludes ERNIC but does not include employer pension contributions as specialadvisers have not yet indicated whether they wish to join a Civil Service pensionscheme.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 28 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects local authorities to have sprinkler systems installed in newly built schools as a matter of best practice.
Answer
These are decisions for local authorities and others involvedin the detailed building specification. Executive guidance emphasises the importanceof considering all aspects of fire safety planning in the context of thorough riskand security assessments.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 28 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that Argyll and Bute Council will not be installing a sprinkler system in the new Hermitage Academy.
Answer
The Executive does not collect information on the specificationof individual school buildings.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 28 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it issues guidance to local authorities on the installation of sprinkler systems in schools.
Answer
The Executives booklet Fire Safety in Schools Building our Future: Scotland’s School Estate published in November 2003 suggests that the provisionof sprinklers should be considered for new schools and for existing high risk schools.The decision on installation remains though one for the local authority concerned.A copy of the booklet is available in the Scottish Parliament InformationCentre (Bib. number 36155).
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 22 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on the action being taken to improve care services for elderly people in Argyll and Bute.
Answer
The Joint Improvement Team hasbeen working with Argyll and Bute Council and NHS Highland to address high levelsof delayed discharge from hospital and implementation issues around free personalcare. Some improvements have been made in these areas, but more remains to be done.The Social Work Inspection Agency has brought forward its planned inspection ofsocial work services in Argyll and Bute and will report to ministers later this year.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the patronage projections are for the Helensburgh to Waverley railway line following the completion of the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-32317 on 22 March 2007. Allanswers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at:
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current patronage projections are for the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link project.
Answer
The patronage projections forthe Airdrie to Bathgate Rail Link project, developed using the base case assumptionfrom Helensburgh to Waverley, show an additional 13,350 boardings daily resultingin an annual increase of 4.1 million. The daily boarding projection was containedin the promoter’s evidence submitted to Parliament on 8 January 2007.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Transport Scotland is taking account of the 3% per annum passenger growth identified in Network Rail’s Network Utilisation Strategy in the procurement of rolling stock for the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link project.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-32316 on 22 March 2007. All answersto written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, thesearch 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: Friday, 09 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what patronage assumptions were made by Transport Scotland in respect of the procurement of rolling stock for the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link project.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-32316 on 22 March2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich 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: Friday, 09 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the original patronage projections were for the Larkhall to Milngavie railway line and what the current patronage level is, expressed in passenger journey numbers and showing the percentage difference.
Answer
The original patronageprojections for the Larkhall – Milngavie service, as worked up in the business caseby Strathclyde Passenger Transport in 2001, shows 225,060 passenger journeysper annum. The current patronage level is 343,766 passenger journeys per annum,an increase of 53% in patronage against the projection. These are passengerjourneys for the new stations on the Larkhall branch.
