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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-14913

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 8 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers are available to local authorities or other bodies to compulsorily purchase derelict shops or other commercial properties for community use.

The power to acquire land is for certain statutorily defined purposes. The legislation to be relied upon depends on the purpose behind the acquisition rather than the nature of the land itself. For example, should the purpose be a school, then specific powers exist within section 20 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 whilst if the acquisition were for a planning purpose (such as regeneration), the powers contained in section 189 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 could be considered.

It would be initially for the local authority or other body to consider how and when to use such powers.

Question reference: S2W-14744

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of emissions of (a) greenhouse gas and (b) carbon dioxide come from all buildings in Scotland.

The information requested is not held centrally. However, Scottish greenhouse gas emissions data is available in Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1999-2002, a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34590) and is also available on the Executive’s climate change website at www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechange. The inventory presents emissions data by source but does not allocate emissions to buildings in Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-14760

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Euan Robson on 7 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider providing funding to local authorities to run similar projects to the Debates Outreach Project being run in North Lanarkshire by the English-Speaking Union Scotland.

The Scottish Executive is committed to providing more out of school hours opportunities across a wide range of activities including debating to help young people develop their skills and confidence. We have allocated funding to local authorities under the Study Support programme since 1999 and have committed £12 million this year. It is for local authorities to determine, in the light of local needs and circumstances, what activities should be provided from the available funding.

Question reference: S2W-14333

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 4 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has given to local authorities about the closure of rural schools.

Question reference: S2W-14335

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 4 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it consults local authorities over school closures.

Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, local authorities are responsible for school provision. Under that Act and the Education (Publication and Consultation etc.) (Scotland) Regulations 1981 they are statutorily required to consult parents and school boards of affected schools and relevant church or denominational bodies if proposing school closures. The Scottish Executive has no role in such consultations. Under the same act and regulations, authorities cannot implement certain closure proposals without the consent of Scottish ministers.

Question reference: S2W-14336

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 4 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has the power to intervene in respect of school closures and, if so, whether this power has been utilised.

Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, local authorities are responsible for school provision. The Scottish Executive has a role only in some prescribed categories of school closure proposal as set out in that act and the Education (Publication and Consultation etc) (Scotland) Regulations 1981. In summary, these are where the school is more than 80% full; over a certain distance from the alternative school, or in certain specified circumstances involving denominational schools. In such cases, an education authority cannot implement a closure decision without the consent of Scottish ministers.

Question reference: S2W-14223

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 3 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under 18 have been identified as regularly consuming alcohol.

Question reference: S2W-14492

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Natural Heritage's new headquarters in Inverness will use energy from renewable sources.

Question reference: S2W-14332

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 2 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools the Minister and Deputy Minister for Education and Young People have visited in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire in each of the last five years, detailing each school visited and the date of, and reasons for, each visit.

Ministers and Deputy Ministersfor Education and Young People made the following number of visits to schools inAberdeen City and Aberdeenshire in each of the last five years.

Year	Aberdeen City	Aberdeenshire
2000	3	0
2001	10	2
2002	4	1
2003	2	0
2004	3	1

The following table gives detailsof the schools visited, date and reasons for the visit.

Visits by ministers will, tosome extent, reflect invitations they receive.

Table: Visits Made by the Ministerand Deputy Minister for Education and Young People to Schools in Aberdeen andAberdeenshire Between January 2000 and December 2004.

Date	Minister	Local Authority	School	Reason
14/01/2000	Deputy	Aberdeen City	Dyce Academy	Announcement: funding for music school
24/01/2000	Minister	Aberdeen City	Charleston Primary	Opening of school
18/12/2000	Deputy	Aberdeen City	Tullos Primary	Mordernising Government Fund Announcement
01/02/2001	Deputy	Aberdeen City	Torry Academy	Meeting with Torry Community Council
02/02/2001	Deputy	Aberdeen City	Hanover Street Primary	General Visit
23/04/2001	Minister and Deputy	Aberdeen City	Walker Road Primary	Immersion Project
23/04/2001	Minister	Aberdeen City	Torry Academy	General Visit
23/04/2001	Minister	Aberdeenshire	Alford Academy	General Visit
23/04/2001	Deputy	Aberdeen City	Aberdeen Grammar	Teacher Seminar (Discipline Task Group)
18/06/2001	Deputy	Aberdeen City	Torry Academy	Opening: Equal Opportunities Morning
22/06/2001	Deputy	Aberdeenshire	Banchory Academy	Scholar Forum
25/06/2001	Deputy	Aberdeen City	Kincorth Academy	Awards Ceremony
31/08/2001	Deputy	Aberdeen City	Oakbank School (Independent)	General Visit
07/09/2001	Deputy	Aberdeen City	Fernielea Primary	General Visit
09/11/2001	Deputy	Aberdeen City	Kincorth Academy	Education for Work Meeting
27/05/2002	Minister and Deputy	Aberdeen City	Northfield Academy	General Visit
28/05/2002	Minister	Aberdeen City	Hazelwood Special School	Special Needs Forum
30/05/2002	Minister and Deputy	Aberdeen City	Linksfield Academy	S1-S3 Event for National Debate on Education
07/06/2002	Deputy	Aberdeen City	Kingswells Primary	Launch: Education for Citizenship
29/10/2002	Deputy	Aberdeenshire	Meldrum Academy	General Visit
07/02/2003	Deputy	Aberdeen City	Cults Primary	Presentation to Carsten Troell-Smith (swimmer)
08/03/2003	Deputy	Aberdeen City	St Machar Academy	Opening of Assocation for Science Education Scotland Annual Conference
01/03/2004	Minister	Aberdeen City	Hanover Street Primary	General Visit
03/08/2004	Deputy	Aberdeenshire	Kintore Primary	General Visit
25/08/2004	Minister	Aberdeen City	Loirston Primary	ICT Materclass Programme
25/08/2004	Minister	Aberdeen City	Charleston Primary	Aberdeen School Building Project

Question reference: S2W-14226

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 07 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 28 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) sports centres, (b) libraries, (c) community centres and (d) playing fields there have been in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.