- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take in light of reports that officers from Strathclyde Police offered to pay a member of the protest group, Plane Stupid, as an informant.
Answer
The use of police informants is an established part of policing and is overseen by the independent Office of the Surveillance Commissioner. Individual operational decisions are a matter for the relevant police force.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has concerns about the operation of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 and, if so, what concerns.
Answer
The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 provides a framework for the authorisation and regulation of the use of investigatory powers by public authorities in Scotland. It seeks to balance the protection of individual civil liberties with the safety of the wider public and we have no current concerns with its operation.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to carry out an assessment of the role of surveillance in society.
Answer
There are no plans to conduct such an assessment.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 7 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to safeguard the right to protest.
Answer
Existing law safeguards and permits lawful protest. In doing so it strikes a balance between protecting the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly with the rights of the wider community to go about their daily lives safely and without undue disruption. We look to local authorities, the police and other agencies to use their discretion at a local level to ensure that this balance is maintained in respect of individual events.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 5 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it considers appropriate to manage spatial conflict in the marine environment and whether those measures should include the provision of financial compensation.
Answer
Marine planning should provide the main mechanism for managing spatial conflict in the marine environment. In general it would not be expected that financial compensation would be paid as part of the process of resolving conflict.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 5 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of sites on the Cumbrian coast opposite Dumfries and Galloway being included on the list of potential sites for nuclear reactors announced by the UK Government on 15 April 2009 and with a consultation period of one month, whether it intends to respond to the consultation or provide comment by another means.
Answer
The Scottish Government has no plans to respond to this consultation as it relates to sites in England and Wales only. The Scottish Government has made clear our position that we do not need or want new nuclear power stations in Scotland. However, the we will be consulted by the UK Government on the impact of new nuclear reactor developments in England as part of existing contingency arrangements.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 30 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will expand the remit of its privacy working group to examine all aspects of privacy and to consider possible changes to legislation.
Answer
The Expert Group has been wound up as their work has finished and a public consultation paper will be published in due course.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 23 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what issues were raised during the First Minister’s recent visit to China.
Answer
This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0423-01.htm
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 22 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how the provisions in its forthcoming draft housing Bill will improve energy performance in the domestic sector.
Answer
The draft housing Bill will be launched for consultation shortly.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 15 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive who will be commissioned to carry out the independent assessment of the energy options open to Scotland, as recommended in the First Annual Report of the Council of Economic Advisers: December 2008.
Answer
The Council of Economic Advisers is currently considering how to take this study forward.
