Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

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 ��˿�� 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: S1W-09747

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 10 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Children and Education on 6 September 2000 and in particular his reference to reports from schools and colleges about problems with electronic transfer of information to the Scottish Qualifications Authority in March, (a) whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) all documentary evidence of and relating to such reports; (b) when it first became aware of such reports; (c) when action was first considered and taken by the Minister in relation to such reports and whether it will place documentary evidence in SPICe, and (d) what recommendations were made by its officials on what steps should be taken regarding such reports and whether it will place documentary evidence in SPICe.

Question reference: S1W-09745

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 10 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publicise the precise remit of each inquiry or review referred to in the Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Children and Education on 6 September 2000 on the exam results which it has initiated and whether it has carried out any consultation as to the extent of such remits.

The terms of reference for the independent review being carried out by Deloitte and Touche have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Consultation on the remit for this inquiry was not possible in the time available. The precise terms of reference for the Policy and Financial Management Review of the Scottish Qualifications Authority have yet to be agreed, but will be made public in due course.

Question reference: S1W-10075

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 10 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult teachers, parents and others directly involved in education regarding its response to any interim conclusions of the reports of the Education, Culture and Sport and Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committees into this year's exam results.

Question reference: S1W-09926

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 10 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to establish Scotland as the prime location for the translation of English-language, North American new economy business models such as ebay or Monster.com for the country markets of the EU.

The expanding e-commerce sector is one which is expressing a strong interest in Scotland as a business location.

Locate in Scotland and its partners see these projects as representing substantial opportunities for inward investment and are ensuring that companies are aware of the attributes Scotland has to offer to make it a prime location for e-business. These include a first class telecoms infrastructure, the availability of suitable sites and a workforce which possesses the language skills that will encourage dot.com companies to make Scotland the base for their European operations.

Question reference: S1W-09736

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 9 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek to invoke the exceptions under the Freedom of Information Code of Conduct to withhold from the Education, Culture and Sport and Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committees access to any of the documents relevant to their inquiries into the exam results and in particular whether it will withhold access to any documents relating to advice or other communication from officials to Ministers, or to communications between the Scottish Qualifications Authority and officials.

Question reference: S1W-09740

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 9 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Education, Culture and Sport and Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committees, in conducting their inquiries into the exam results issue and the Scottish Qualifications Authority, will be given access to Scottish Executive Cabinet minutes, memoranda and all other relevant cabinet documents.

Question reference: S1W-09748

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 9 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations were made by officials to Ministers regarding this year's exam results, whether any of these were (a) rejected outright, (b) not acted upon within one month of the date of the recommendation and (c) subject to deferred action, and whether it will place a copy of all relevant documents in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Question reference: S1W-09741

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 9 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre details of the recommendations made by the senior member of its IT Directorate following his meeting with the Scottish Qualifications Authority; when this meeting took place, and what steps the Executive took to ensure that all recommendations were accepted and implemented.

Question reference: S1W-09742

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 9 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish (a) the minute or other document of 10 May from the Scottish Qualifications Authority and (b) the subsequent Scottish Qualifications Authority paper to a committee meeting referred to in the Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Children and Education on 6 September 2000.

Question reference: S1W-10070

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 9 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the powers of direction granted by (a) section 11 of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 and (b) section 9 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1996 have been exercised.