- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 13 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Fire Service has purchased private cars from public funds for the use of senior management and, if so, (a) how many it has purchased, broken down by brigade area and (b) whether this expenditure is justified and what action it will take in respect of the matter.
Answer
This information is not heldcentrally. Detailed budgeting issues including vehicle and equipmentrequirements are matters for individual fire authorities to determine.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, in respect of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, whether all outstanding claims from farms and/or businesses have been settled and, if not, whether it will provide a breakdown of payments due by (a) it, (b) local authorities, (c) enterprise companies and (d) other public bodies.
Answer
The Executive has processedall claims in respect of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. Four claims are still outstanding pending the claimants’ responsesto offers made to them. Information on outstanding claims with localauthorities, enterprise companies and other public bodies is not heldcentrally.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the entitlement to the west of Scotland nephrops quota is held by non-active interests.
Answer
On 1 January 2004, five percentof the West of Scotland Nephrops quota was held on inactive vessel licences.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Transport has any plans to visit the west Highlands in response to any concerns expressed by motorists in relation to the A82, with particular reference to the upgrade of the road between Tarbert and Inverarnan, and whether the upgrade will be included in the next round of trunk road improvements.
Answer
I have no current plans tovisit the west Highlands in relation to driving conditions on the A82. A routeaction plan has been commissioned which will identify measures to improve roadsafety and reduce journey times between Tarbet and Fort William. Anyproposals to emerge from the study would be candidates to be consideredalongside emerging and new improvement proposals across the trunk road networkwhen looking at priorities for future expenditure programmes.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 9 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5091 by Mr Andy Kerr on 21 January 2004, whether it will provide a breakdown of the #6.7 million capital expenditure on the Holyrood project in 1998-99 into payments (a) to architects (b) to the construction manager (c) to construction engineers (d) to quantity surveyors (e) to other consultants and (f) on the building itself.
Answer
| | Breakdown | Cost |
| (a) | Architects | £1.2 million |
| (b) | Construction Management | Nil |
| (c) | Construction Engineers | £0.9 million |
| (d) | Quantity Surveyors | £0.3 million |
| (e) | Other Consultants | £0.4 million |
| (f) | On Building (Site acquisition and preparation) | £3.9 million |
| Total | | £6.7 million |
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 6 February 2004
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the architects for the Holyrood project did not comply with the instructions in the Scottish Parliament Building User Brief that the shape of the debating chamber should be of a “horseshoe or semi-circular arrangement” when they brought forward designs that based the shape on a leaf or ellipsis; on what date such drawing or drawings were first provided to the client, and what action was taken to secure compliance with the user brief.
Answer
The Scottish ParliamentBuilding User Brief suggests that “a horseshoe or semi-circular arrangementwould appear to be the most appropriate” This wording allows the architect somelicence to explore variations to that layout. I understand from the convener of the Holyrood Progress Group that the intention of the steer in the brief was toproduce a move away from the more confrontational arrangement at Westminster,and allow better access for wheelchairs. Drawings of the original Miralleslayout which was within the spirit of the brief, and allowed 100% wheelchairaccess were first presented formally to the client as part of RIBA Stage C(Outline Proposals) in September 1998.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 6 February 2004
To ask the Presiding Officer whether unpriced copies of the two letters of intent entered into between the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and Flour City (UK) Ltd will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
The SPCB has received advicefrom its construction law legal advisers that documents relating to the FlourCity Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd contract should not be disclosed, as theymay form part of the productions in any litigation which may follow.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 6 February 2004
To ask the Presiding Officer whether any errors, as referred to in 8.5 of the pro forma trade contractors agreement in the Construction Management Agreement for the Holyrood project, have been detected in the drawings and designs provided by Flour City (UK) Ltd.
Answer
The convener of the HolyroodProgress Group has confirmedthat Flour City'sdrawings were checked and subsequently developed to a conclusion, between thedesign team and the various replacement trade contractors, including amendments to suit differing construction methodologiesand the implications of blast tests. No significant errors were detected in Flour City's design.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 6 February 2004
To ask the Presiding Officer whether there is not, within the full trade contract entered into between the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body (SPCB) and Flour City (UK) Ltd, any legal duty of confidentiality owed to the trade contractors whether by the SPCB, the construction managers or anyone else and, if there this, what such duty is and where it is set out.
Answer
Within the full tradecontract entered into by the SPCB and Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd,there is no general obligation of confidentiality owed by the SPCB. Theconstruction manager, in that capacity, does not contract with tradecontractors, and consequently there should not be any contract to which anobligation of confidence would apply. The reference to “anyone else” is tooimprecise to be meaningfully answered.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many acute hospitals with consultant-led services it estimates there will be in (a) 5, (b) 10 and (c) 20 years' time.
Answer
More hospital care will beconsultant delivered in the future and more care will be provided in localcommunities. However, it is not possible to predict the precise configurationof acute hospital services.
