- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the methodology for this year's Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland report will show the allocation of Scotland's share of landfill tax revenue on information sought from local authorities and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.
Answer
The landfill tax has beenallocated on a population share basis.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive why it was unable to calculate an estimate of Scotland's landfill per head based on environmental data that indicated more landfill per head than the rest of the UK, as referred to in Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland (GERS) 2000-2001.
Answer
Customs and Excise do notprovide regional data on landfill tax. The environmental data referred to in GERSpertain to differences in recycling rates between England, Wales and Scotland. Thisdata cannot be used directly to infer Scotland’s share of landfill tax.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the methodology for this year's Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland report will take into account an estimate of Scotland's share of the extra-regio territory when allocating Scotland's share of capital gains tax revenues and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.
Answer
North Sea revenues do not include any capital gains tax.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 16 December 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether any Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) staff have sought counselling services in connection with giving evidence, or preparing to give evidence, to the Holyrood Inquiry and what financial provision the SPCB has made for such services.
Answer
Thecounselling service, which is available to members, their staff andparliamentary staff free of charge, is provided by the SPCB’s occupationalhealth provider. The service is completely confidential and the SPCB receivesonly statistical information regarding the take-up of the service. It isneither appropriate nor possible to identify any individual who has soughtcounselling in connection with the Holyrood Inquiry or any other matter.
Financial provision for theservice is made within the overall occupational health budget.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 15 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to the points raised by Jim and Margaret Cuthbert in their letter in The Scotsman on 25 November 2003; how much borrowing the water and sewerage industry could have undertaken under the system of financial control in 2001; whether the industry could have borrowed up to around #260 million in 2003-04 without breaching its resource accounting limit, and whether there were mistakes in the commissioning letter.
Answer
I have already responded tothe points made by Jim and Margaret Cuthbert in the
The Scotsman priorto the 25 November. I do not believe their letter of 25 November raises anysignificant new points.
In 2001-02, in accordancewith the rules governing public expenditure, limits were applied to the capitaland resource budgets, not borrowing. For 2003-04, following a change in therules, public expenditure for public corporations now scores net new borrowingand grants. £250.7 million is, therefore, available.
No mistakes were made in thecommissioning letter for the strategic review of charges 2002-06.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive which assets were subject to non-trading capital consumption in 2000-01 in Scotland and what comparative information it has on the treatment of such assets in England and Wales.
Answer
The depreciation of allpublic assets was recorded. The same treatment applies to England and Wales.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 15 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider its decision with regard to the dualling of the A96.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2O-678 on 6 November 2003which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 12 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is regarding the level of charges that voluntary organisations are required to pay in order to register with the Care Commission and what action it will take on the matter.
Answer
The maximum registration feelevels set annually by Scottish ministers for all care services apply equallyto the public and independent sector. Ministers publicly consult on fee levels.Changes in response to consultation have included a new definition ofwhole-time equivalent employees and the exclusion of volunteers whencalculating the size of the service for the purpose of determining fee levels.This was in response to concerns raised by some smaller organisations and thoseheavily dependent on volunteers.
Ministers will shortly beconsulting on maximum fee levels for 2004-05.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 11 December 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether EMBT/RMJM have completed the services to be provided under their contract with the Scottish Parliament and, if not, what work remains to be completed, with particular reference to any design work.
Answer
The convener of the HolyroodProgress Group has informed me that EMBT/RMJM has not yet completed thecontract for architectural services and continues to provide those services stillrequired on a day to day basis. The architect is required to verify all work onsite; to certify it complete, comment and approve trade contractor detaildesign drawings and resolution of complex interfaces, as well as carry out siteinspections to determine that all the work undertaken meets the requiredspecification. This will continue until practical completion of the building.Any outstanding design work relates to finalising detailed design issues withinthe remaining work packages in discussion with Bovis Lend Lease and the relevantcontractors.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 11 December 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the allegations reported in the Scottish Daily Mail on 1 December 2003 that a company that won a multi-million pound contract for the Holyrood Project has admitted funding a party for staff of the construction managers who are stated to have recommended the company for the contract should be investigated by the Auditor General.
Answer
It is for the AuditorGeneral for Scotland to decide which aspects of the Parliament buildingproject should be audited. I can assure you that for the forthcoming audit,announced as part of the Fraser Inquiry, the auditors will have access to allrelevant Parliament papers and personnel.
