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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: S2W-12851

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2004
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to the business case for the Borders Railway; whether the response will be made in a ministerial statement to the Parliament, and whether it envisages that there will be an opportunity to question the Minister for Transport on the matter.

Question reference: S2W-13321

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 21 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the number of children who have the opportunity, through school-organised trips, to participate in outdoor activity and whether it considers that National Park boards should play a role in facilitating such activity.

I want more young people to experience the far reaching benefits and opportunities which outdoor activities can bring, and school organised excursions provide an important means of encouraging that. I have asked Learning and Teaching Scotland to take forward the development of outdoor education.

It would be for the National Park Boards themselves to consider, in association with local authorities and other relevant interests, what role the boards might have in facilitating school organised excursions and I would welcome their active interest and actions to support expanding outdoor education.

Question reference: S2W-13320

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 21 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports Lochaber's bid to become the outdoor capital of the United Kingdom.

Question reference: S2W-13333

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 21 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote shinty; in particular, whether it has any plans to support the establishment of shinty as an internationally-recognised sport with its own federation and, if not, how the sport can achieve such recognition.

As the governing body for the sport, the Camanachd Association is responsible for promoting shinty. One of the targets in the Association’s Development Plan is to promote shinty and its cultural history to as broad an audience as is possible. It is for the association to seek to identify other areas where shinty is played and then explore with interested parties there the possible formation of an international governing body for the sport.

Question reference: S2W-13318

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 20 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any part of the funding spent on quality assurance schemes within VisitScotland would be more effectively deployed in marketing, in particular through increasing funding for Events Scotland.

High-quality in every aspectof Scottish tourism is vital to ensure that the expectations of our visitors arefulfilled during their visits to Scotland. That is why the Executive has given VisitScotland anadditional £3 million over two years to work with the tourism and related sectorsto widen and enhance the impact of its current voluntary Quality Assurance schemes.

In 2004-05 EventScotland hasa budget of £3 million and this will rise to £5 million in 2005-06 as it strivesto secure a viable portfolio of events to attract visitors to Scotland. VisitScotlandwill use the many opportunities that arise from hosting major events to promoteall that Scotland has to offer as a great place to visit throughout theyear.

Question reference: S2W-13316

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 20 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a ministerial statement regarding the future viability, without further public funding, of eTourism Limited.

Visitscotland.com continues toact as a highly-effective shop window for Scottish tourism. The joint venture continuesto generate significant business for the tourism industry in Scotland, with over£23 million worth of business generated since its inception.

Due to the nature of the jointventure, it was always anticipated that it would take a number of years for visitscotland.comto become profitable. However, as a shareholder in the company, VisitScotland hasreported that it is currently performing well against business plan targets andis projected to achieve profitability in the next three to four years.

Question reference: S2W-13319

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 20 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support will be provided for the Mountain Bike World Cup in Fort William in 2007, and from which sources, and whether there will be one person or group who will be taking charge of co-ordinating the public sector role in maximising the benefits of this event for Scotland and the local economy of Lochaber.

A number of partners have beenidentified as investors in the 2007 World Mountain Bike Championships to be stagedin Fort William. EventScotland (£207,000), VisitScotland (£50,000) sportscotland(£50,000), Highland Council (£50,000) and UK Sport (£250,000) have agreed, in principleand subject to completion of contracts, to invest in the event. EventScotland iscurrently taking a leading role in co-ordinating negotiations in relation to thestaging of the event and maximising the benefits to the area and Scotland as awhole.

Question reference: S2W-13317

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 20 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a ministerial statement in respect of how many redundancies it expects there to be as a result of the restructuring of Area Tourist Boards and, if not, which positions will be made redundant and whether there will be compulsory redundancies.

VisitScotland recently issueda proposed organisational structure for the new tourism network to all Area TouristBoards (ATB) and VisitScotland staff, which included an initial analysis of thecurrent number of posts in the ATBs and VisitScotland (1,062), and a proposed numberof posts for the new network (1,025). The difference, of around 35 to 40 posts,includes some posts which are already vacant. Most of the other reductions are expectedto be achieved by means of voluntary severance.

Question reference: S2W-13296

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12308 by Lewis Macdonald on 2 December 2004, why the period of 30 years is used in comparing the relative cost of lease and purchase of the new Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) headquarters to be built in Inverness when the required life span of the building is expected to be 75 years; what account is taken of the costs of leasing a building for the remainder of the period and whether a calculation of the net values using lease or outright purchase, using the Treasury guidance referred to, will be published; what consideration is given to the fact that, by outright purchase, SNH would be the owners of the building at the end of the lease period and, if such consideration has been given, what estimate has been made in respect of the value of the building as a fixed asset at that time.

The period of 30 years adoptedfor the appraisal is appropriate since it matches the rental period specified inthe Invitation To Tender documentation issued to developers. This is consistentwith the guidance on economic appraisals published by HM Treasury in the so calledGreen Book. The decision whether to rent or purchase the building will dependon an appraisal of costs and benefits which will include a residual value for theasset at the end of the 30 year period. This decision will not be taken until theend of the construction phase at which time details of the appraisal will be published.

Question reference: S2W-13272

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the report dated September 2004 by Turner and Townsend, project management consultants for Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), evaluating the four tenders received for the new SNH headquarters in Inverness.