- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by John Scott on 20 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the annual budget of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has been in each year since the office was established.
Answer
The annual budgets of the ScottishPublic Services Ombudsman since the office was established on 23 October 2002 areas follows:
| Year | Budget |
| 2002-03 | £1,731,000¹ |
| 2003-04 | £2,568,000 |
| 2004-05 | £2,836,000 |
| 2005-06 | £2,727,168 |
Note: 1. Includes £0.5 millionfor start-up costs.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by John Scott on 20 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many staff members the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has had in each year since the office was established.
Answer
The Scottish Public ServicesOmbudsman’s staffing compliment since the office was established on 23 October 2002 is asfollows:
| Year | Average Number of Whole-Time Equivalents |
| 2002-03 | 23 |
| 2003-04 | 29 |
| 2004-05 | 31.9 |
| 2005-06 | 36 |
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by John Scott on 20 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it considers that the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has sufficient resources to cope with her workload.
Answer
We do consider that the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman has sufficient resources to undertake herstatutory functions. As part of the budgetary process, the SPCB invites theOmbudsman on an annual basis to prepare a budget submission which isscrutinised by the SPCB and which may include discussions between the SPCB andthe Ombudsman prior to the bid being reported to the Finance Committee as partof the SPCB’s overall budget submission.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 10 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18439 by Peter Peacock on 13 September 2005, whether it will list all the schools that have been closed since August 2005, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
I refer the member to answerto question S2W-18439 on 13 September 2005 was derived from information collectedannually by the Scottish Executive Education Department on the opening and closingof schools. The information collection takes place during the summer of each yearand, therefore, information on schools that have been closed since August 2005 willnot be available until later this year.All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 2 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the provision of NHS dentistry services in rural Scotland.
Answer
We do not believe current provisionof NHS dentistry is adequate throughout rural Scotland. That is why we have substantiallyincreased the rewards for those dentists who continue to treat all categories ofpatients on the NHS, and we have supported health boards in providing NHS servicesdirectly through the appointment of salaried dentists.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote winter sports, following the Winter Olympics in Turin.
Answer
Individual governing bodies of sport are responsible for promoting their sport. I wish to take the opportunity to congratulate our Winter Olympians and in particular Sinead and John Kerr on their 10th place and our men’s curling team on reaching the final stages of the competition.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 22 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whom it is consulting on its review of the current national planning guidance for the siting of onshore wind farms.
Answer
An Environmental Advisory Forum For Renewable Energy has been established to assist with the review. The forum includes representatives from Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Environmental Link, VisitScotland, Historic Scotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Association of Scottish Community Councils, Highland and Island Enterprise, Scottish Renewables Forum, Scottish Power, Scottish and Southern Energy and the Royal Town Planning Institute.
Full public consultation will take place on draft revised policies in due course.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 22 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is conducting its review of the current national planning guidance for the siting of onshore wind farms.
Answer
The Executive is considering, with the Environmental Advisory Forum for Renewable Energy, the appropriateness of a number of options for inclusion in consultative draft revised guidance. Each option is being assessed through the strategic environmental assessment process. Progress on this work can be followed on the Executive’s website at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Planning-Building/Planning/15243/9609.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 22 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will complete its review of the current national planning guidance for the siting of onshore wind farms.
Answer
The intention is to consult on revised draft policies in the spring and to have finalised guidance in place by the end of the year.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would give its endorsement to an official bid by Perth and Kinross Council for Perth to gain legal city status.
Answer
City status is a reserved matter for the UK Government. Should there be a further city status competition, the Scottish Executive would be given the opportunity to comment on any applications submitted by local authorities in Scotland. It would be premature to speculate on what future applications might be submitted, or their respective merits, in advance of any such future competition.
