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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-31992

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2002
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 24 December 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made, or plans to make, to the European Commission regarding any miscalculation of entitlement to Objective One funding for the Highlands and Islands.

The Executive keeps in regular touch with the European Commission. The Commission has confirmed that the regulations governing the current Structural Funds set a fixed date (26 March 1999) for establishing eligibility based on the data available at that time. Data which becomes available after that date cannot be taken into consideration.The Scottish Executive will use the most up to date statistics available in discussion about any entitlement to EU funds for the post-2006 period.

Question reference: S1W-31991

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2002
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 24 December 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had, or plans to have, with the Scotland Office regarding any miscalculation of entitlement to Objective One funding for the Highlands and Islands.

Officials in the Scottish Executive are in regular contact with the Scotland Office and have appraised colleagues in the Scotland Office of the recent work undertaken by the Office of National Statistics to review the figures. The Office of National Statistics have now withdrawn their provisional revisions. There has been no miscalculation of the eligibility to Objective One funding. Eligibility is determined on the most up to date statistics available from all member states during the relevant period as determined by the European Commission.We will continue to work closely with the Scotland Office, and the Department for Trade and Industry who co-ordinate Structural Funds matters for the United Kingdom, should any revised UK statistics affecting figures for Highlands and Islands emerge.The most up to date statistics will be used in discussions about any entitlement to EU funds for the post-2006 period.

Question reference: S1W-32546

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2002
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 23 December 2002

To ask the Presiding Officer, further to the answer to question S1W-30339 on 4 November 2002, whether further updated information in respect of the finances of, and assets owned by, Flour City International Inc. is now available and whether a copy of such information can now be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Question reference: S1W-32543

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2002
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 23 December 2002

To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre a detailed statement setting out the prospects of recovery of some, or all, of the losses from Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd and Flour City International Inc. under (a) the parent company guarantee or (b) any other means; whether such recovery would entail litigation and, if so, what the costs of such litigation may be and whether such litigation would be financially worthwhile; what the total cost to date is of legal expenses paid and incurred and not yet invoiced, and whether such expenditure has been financially worthwhile.

Question reference: S1W-30623

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 October 2002
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 20 December 2002

To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has obtained a list of the creditors in connection with the liquidation of Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd and whether he will place a copy of any such list in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Question reference: S1W-32542

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2002
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 20 December 2002

To ask the Presiding Officer when the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will provide a substantive answer to question S1W-30623 lodged on 15 October 2002.

Question reference: S1W-32085

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2002
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 19 December 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive under what criteria offences under sections (a) 1 and (b) 3A of the Road Traffic Act 1991 are heard in (i) the High Court of Justiciary or (ii) a sheriff court.

Question reference: S1W-32130

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2002
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 19 December 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is permissible for chief executives of local enterprise companies and politicians to co-sign letters to newspapers.

All staff employed by the Enterprise Networks are required to adhere to a code of conduct which covers matters of political activity and conflicts of interest. These codes do not prohibit public statements being made, including statements which may appear in the press, unless these are of a directly political nature. Chief Executives and senior members of staff are therefore expected to consider the implications of any actions they take and exercise judgement as to the appropriateness of those actions. The Executive is currently reviewing its guidance to non-departmental public bodies on such matters to ensure that guidance is as clear as it can be.

Question reference: S1W-32502

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 December 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish Transport Group pension scheme members the statement made by the Deputy Minister for Education, Transport and Lifelong Learning in his letter of 12 June 2002 that "where there is no surviving widow or widower or child as described above, the individual's share of the surplus will return to the overall surplus for the benefit of the remaining pensioners" applies to; how much will be so returned to the overall surplus, and how, to whom and when any such surplus will be distributed.

The Scottish Executive will not be in a position to provide the data requested until the consequences of the exercise utilising the Department of Works and Pensions' (DWP) tracing service become clear in the first quarter of 2003. This exercise will identify those who have died without qualifying survivors. A calculation will then be made to determine the shares of the remaining beneficiaries and the second tranche payment will be calculated from this total share. We will retain the shares of those who have not been identified as deceased by the DWP and who have not yet contacted the Scottish Public Pensions Agency.

Question reference: S1W-32501

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 December 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 December 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive when it now estimates that the second tranche of ex-gratia payments will be made to Scottish Transport Group pensioners and whether it will abide by the indication given in the letter of 1 November 2002 by the Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning to the Convener of the Petitions Committee that "a second tranche" will be paid "early in the next financial year", perhaps April or May 2003"