- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 17 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government on the social inclusion implications for those in Scotland who do not receive a good analogue signal and who have recently had ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 free-to-view services withdrawn from their digital service; whether it has made representations to BBC Scotland about this issue, and whether it will take any steps to protect the interests of those viewers, mostly in remote rural locations, who do not have access to an analogue signal, rely for television viewing on a digital signal and who have been disadvantaged following the withdrawal by the BBC from them of these free-to-view services.
Answer
The First Ministerraised these issues at a meeting with Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State forCulture, Media and Sport, in September. Although details are not yet finalised,a scheme is planned which will allow those customers who currently have asatellite viewing card and who wish to continue to receive the commerciallyfunded public service channels without paying a subscription to Sky or anotherpay TV broadcaster, to get a new card. Customers will be offered theopportunity to purchase the card at a cost of £23.50.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 17 November 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer what powers are held by Lord Fraser in relation to the Holyrood inquiry and whether the inquiry has any power to compel the attendance of witnesses or require the production of documents and tapes.
Answer
It was made clear when theInquiry was announced that it is a non statutory Inquiry and , as such, has nostatutory power to compel the attendance of witnesses nor the production ofevidence. In his opening statement to the inquiry, Mr John Campbell, QC, Counselto the Inquiry, emphasised the co-operation received with the production ofmaterial, both by civil servants and by the private sector. Mr. Campbellfurther commented “Thus far, as I have said already, and in this short time sofar taken up, the level of co-operation has been impressively high”.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding the increase in the interest rate level of student loans and whether it was consulted by Her Majesty's Government before the interest rate was increased.
Answer
Student support is devolved.The value of outstanding student loan amounts is uprated annually in line withinflation in order to maintain the value of the amount borrowed constant inreal terms. The method of calculation is set out in part V of the Education(Student Loans) (Scotland) Regulations 2000 as amended.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will propose a long-term plan for the upgrading of the trunk road network.
Answer
Very significant investmentin the upgrading of the trunk road network is already committed during thisdecade. Longer term upgrading of the trunk road network will be considered aspart of the Strategic Projects Review which will consider all transport modes.That review will begin before 2007.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will include dualling any parts of the (a) A9, (b) A96, (c) A82 and (d) A95 in the next round of trunk road improvements and, if so, which stretches of each road it is planning to dual.
Answer
As part of the A9 routeaction plan it is planned to extend the existing dual carriageway atCrubenmore. Longer term upgrading of the trunk road network will be consideredas part of the strategic projects review which will consider all transportmodes. That review will begin before 2007.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when the newly upgraded stretch of the A830 between Kinsadel and Arisaig will be opened; whether there have been any delays to the opening of the road and, if so, what the reasons are for any such delay.
Answer
The road was completely openedto traffic on 25 July 2003. The contract anticipated that the road should havebeen opened in March 2003. Delays to the opening were the result of difficultiesexperienced by the contractor partly as a result of exceptionally severeweather conditions and a fatal accident on the site.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 13 November 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has made all documentary and other evidence that it has available to the Holyrood inquiry; whether the SPCB requested that any particular items be kept confidential, and, if so, whether the nature of such items can be identified and the reasons for them being kept confidential.
Answer
Documentary evidence hasbeen, and continues to be, made available to the Holyrood Inquiry. The SPCB, aslegal owner of the Holyrood project in succession to the then Secretary ofState, is bound by contractual and other obligations created in addition to anyentered into by the SPCB since the transfer date. Where obligations ofconfidence subsist, documentary evidence is marked accordingly. Where the inquiryconsiders that any part of such material ought to be made public, the consentof the parties involved will require to be obtained.Relevant legal advice, forexample, supplied to the SPCB has been and is being made available to the inquiryand is marked confidential. It is expected that such advice would not be madepublic.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 13 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on whether there should continue to be a source for the supply of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) fuel in Inverness for vehicles converted to run on that fuel.
Answer
The Scottish Executive promotes the use of LPG through itsfunding of the Energy Saving Trust’s PowerShift and associated autogas andvehicle conversion programmes, and its rural petrol stations grant scheme. Thesupply of LPG fuel is, however, a commercial matter.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the comments made by the Permanent Secretary and reported in the media on 9 October 2003 were supported by a written briefing and, if so, whether a copy of that briefing will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
The Permanent Secretary hasintroduced management changes to strengthen and sharpen the capacity of themachinery of government to support ministers when they work collectively. Theorganisational changes, which are not the subject of any written pressbriefing, bring together mainly existing parts of the administration alongsideexisting elements of the Office of the Permanent Secretary.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 11 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre copies of all submissions received to its consultation paper Business Improvement Districts as soon as possible so that members may consider them prior to the parliamentary debate on building better cities scheduled to be held on 30 October 2003.
Answer
Copies of submissions to theBusiness Improvement Districts consultation paper have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 29738).
