- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 7 November 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body considers that there is scope for savings in the expenditure of the Office of the Presiding Officer and, if so, whether any such savings can be made in respect of the expenses relating to the (a) Presiding and Deputy Presiding Officers and (b) staff of the Office of the Presiding Officer.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 7 November 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer what the (a) expiry date is of each lease, specifying whether there is any option to renew any lease and, if so, on what basis and (b) (i) annual and (ii) future rent payable by the Parliament is for each building in the Parliament estate.
Answer
Contracts exist with the City of Edinburgh Council in respect of the following properties currently occupied by the Scottish Parliament:Parliamentary Headquarters (George IV Bridge)Committee ChambersCannonball House369 and 375 High StreetUnder the current arrangements options to renew are not necessary, as these contracts continue on a monthly basis unless and until terminated by mutual agreement. Discussions are on-going with the City of Edinburgh Council as to an end date consistent with the migration to the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood. These discussions will incorporate a review of rent. Annual rentals payable in advance of this review are as follows : Parliamentary Headquarters (George IV Bridge) - 拢763,281.48Committee Chambers - 拢214,395.60Cannonball House - 拢37,622.76369 and 375 High Street - 拢122,957.52A contract, with an option to extend, exists with the Church of Scotland in respect of the Scottish Parliament's occupation of the Assembly Hall. Current rent payable is 拢110,000 per year, payable in equal quarterly amounts. In terms of the contract, a rent review is currently under way. The option to extend has been exercised and negotiations are on-going on a suitable expiry date in relation to migration to Holyrood.Contracts also exist in respect of two properties at the Tun development in Holyrood Road, Edinburgh. The first of these provides office accommodation and will expire on 28 May 2017, although a break clause was negotiated allowing the contract to be terminated on 28 May 2004. This will allow the Holyrood Project Team to continue to operate after occupation of the new building. The current annual rent payable in respect of this property is 拢69,590. The other contract is in respect of the Visitor Centre and will expire on 28 August 2004. The annual rent payable amounts to 拢24,750.The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body also holds a licence for occupation of office accommodation at the MWB Business Exchange in St Andrew Square. The licence will expire on 31 July 2003 but may be extended. The current annual rental of 拢718,650 will increase to 拢754,582 from 1 January 2003.Members will note the substantial reduction in rental expenditure expected after occupying the new building.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 7 November 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has received any correspondence from Prince Charles: if so, whether it will publish any such correspondence and any response made, and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.
Answer
No correspondence has been received from HRH The Prince of Wales by the SPCB.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 7 November 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer how much the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has spent on entertainment and hospitality since July 1999, giving details of each event where such costs were incurred, including the purpose of the event, who attended and on what date the event took place.
Answer
The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has incurred approximately 拢156,000 of expenditure on hospitality over a 39-month period, since July 1999. The cost of identifying each individual event and those present over the last three years would not be justified.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the economic impact over the next five years on sub-post offices of the removal of benefit and allowance payments; if it has made no such assessment, what plans it has to commission one; what information it holds on what the estimated number of sub-post offices over this period will be, and how many there were in each of the last five years.
Answer
Consignia, post offices and postal services are reserved to the UK Government. The Performance and Innovation Unit's report Counter Revolution: Modernising the Post Office Network (June 2000) showed that the future viability of the network was challenged by the introduction of automated credit transfer. The Department of Trade and Industry are concentrating on supporting the Post Office's efforts to build up new business opportunities, including universal banking services, in order to mitigate the effects of the move to automated credit transfer.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a scheme to assist rural sub-post offices along the lines of the funding made available to support sub-post offices in urban areas.
Answer
Post offices and postal services are reserved to the UK Government. I understand that details of financial support for rural post offices will be announced shortly by the Department of Trade and Industry.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the #3.5 million allocated to it by Her Majesty's Government for the support of pilots of Government General Practitioners and Internet Learning and Access Points in post offices has been spent on and whether all of this allocation will be spent on post offices or sub-post offices.
Answer
All funding consequentials contribute to a block allocation to the Scottish Executive. The flexibility this gives ministers is considered a key element of the devolution arrangements. There was not a sufficient case for running a separate Scottish pilot on the project now known as Your Guide. DTI recently announced that the project would not receive further funding. The Scottish Executive remains in close contact with both DTI and Consignia regarding possible alternative projects.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will postpone bringing forward any statutory instruments on the introduction of technical conservation measures for the scallop fishing industry until all issues in relation to amnesic shellfish poisoning are addressed and whether it will consult further with the industry prior to any such statutory instruments being laid before the Parliament.
Answer
No, amnesic shellfish poisoning is a matter of public health. Its existence increases the need for further conservation of scallop stocks, and I am persuaded following extensive consultation that technical conservation measures are the best way of achieving such conservation. However, I do intend to consider carefully the points made to and by the Rural Development Committee before finalising and laying the statutory instrument in question.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Food Standards Agency Scotland (FSAS) spent on the issue of amnesic shellfish poisoning, including research and the taking of samples, and whether it will show these figures against the overall budget of the FSAS in each year since the agency was established.
Answer
FSAS have advised me that between the years 2000 and 2002 they have spent 拢238,000 on research into amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). In the case of monitoring and the taking of samples, it is impossible to separate spend on ASP from other algal toxins. The following table details total FSAS spend on the shellfish algal toxin monitoring programme per year since the creation of the agency.Cost of Shellfish Algal Toxin Monitoring Programme Since Creation of FSAS
| Financial Year | Total Monitoring Costs(拢000) | Total Sampling Cost(拢000) | Total FSAS Budget(拢 million) |
| 2000-01 | 207 | 140 | 5.1 |
| 2001-02 | 466 | 307 | 5.9 |
| 2002-present | 292 | 233 | 5.5 |
In addition, 拢100,000 per annum is spent on monitoring phytoplankton in Scottish waters.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of all communications, including e-mails, letters, telephone conversations and any other methods of communication, it has had with Her Majesty's Government and any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies in regard to flights to Inverness and the north of Scotland.
Answer
No. Disclosure of information which would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion is exempted from the commitment to provide information under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information.
