Questions and answers

Question reference: S3W-09634

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 27 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Communities and Sport last met Scottish Power and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S3W-09068

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Environment took any advice from officials in his department or the Office of the Permanent Secretary on the appropriateness and advisability of speaking to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) about a then live planning application in Aviemore in which SEPA had statutory responsibilities and in which a donor to the minister’s political party had an interest.

No. ministers are always aware of the need to conduct business in line with the ministerial code and to behave in an appropriate manner. In relation to the Aviemore planning applications, in the light of the representations received from parliamentarians from four different parties. I decided it was entirely appropriate, and indeed essential, to speak to the Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to check there were no misunderstandings or matters of process for SEPA that were unnecessarily holding up proper consideration of the applications.

Question reference: S3W-09054

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is intended to operate independently of ministers in its day-to-day operational role and in relation to individuals and casework, albeit within a framework of policies and priorities agreed by ministers.

Question reference: S3W-09045

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any ministers have met representatives of Mr Donald Macdonald where reference has been made to the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Macdonald had an interest.

Question reference: S3W-09037

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive which (a) MSPs and (b) MPs made representations on the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest; in what form such representations were made; on what dates each written representation was made; on what dates and at what times they arrived in the First Minister’s Office, and when the contents of the representations were notified or given to ministers.

Representations concerning the Aviemore planning applications were received in the First Minister''s Office from:

- Mary Scanlon MSP in a letter dated 6 December 2007, delivered by hand and received electronically on 6 December, and notified to the First Minister immediately, and

- Rhoda Grant MSP in a letter dated 6 December 2007, received electronically on 6 December, and notified to the First Minister immediately.

The First Minister discussed these letters on 6 December with the constituency member, Fergus Ewing MSP, who also made representations.

In addition Danny Alexander MP wrote to the First Minister in a letter dated 11 December, received by fax on 12 December, and notified to the First Minister on the same day.

Each of the above also made representations direct to other ministers and to others.

On 6 December 2007 Mary Scanlon MSP made written and verbal representations to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and to the Minister for Environment, as did Rhoda Grant MSP. On 6 December John Farquhar Munro MSP made verbal representations to these ministers.

Mary Scanlon, Rhoda Grant and Danny Alexander wrote to other individuals and agencies including SEPA whose then chairman, Sir Ken Collins, was contacted by mail in letters dated 6 December 2007. Rhoda Grant drew attention in her letter to Sir Ken Collins to the fact that she had also written to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, and to the Chief Executive of SEPA, Campbell Gemmell.

Mary Scanlon MSP and Danny Alexander MP were also in direct contact with Tom Inglis, SEPA''s Head of Environmental Protection and Improvement (North) concerning the Aviemore development and SEPA''s processing of the flood risk assessments.

As the constituency MSP Fergus Ewing MSP wrote to Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment on 29 November and 6 December and was in touch with the various agencies involved.

Question reference: S3W-09048

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any minister raised issues with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency about the planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Donald Macdonald had an interest; if so, on what dates, whether any Scottish Government officials or special advisers were present at these discussions and what was said in the conversations.

I contacted the Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on 7 December 2007 to ascertain if there were any misunderstandings or matters of process within SEPA that were unnecessarily holding up proper consideration of the planning applications. No officials or special advisers were present during these discussions or during SEPA''s Chief Executive''s return phone call to me on the same day during which he updated me in the light of his own inquiries into the matter.

Question reference: S3W-09040

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates the First Minister has met or had conversations with Mr Donald Macdonald since becoming First Minister and what the location was of any such meetings.

Question reference: S3W-09043

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any ministers have met or had conversations with Mr Donald Macdonald since May 2007 and on what dates and at what locations.

The First Minister met Mr Donald Macdonald in Aviemore on 26 October 2007. Mr Macdonald welcomed Mr Salmond to the SNP Conference at the entrance to the conference. The meeting lasted a few seconds, was fully within public view and was filmed for television.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing met Mr Macdonald in St Andrew''s House in Edinburgh on 7 August 2007 to discuss Health Service related issues.

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth had a brief informal conversation with Mr Macdonald during the SNP National Conference in Aviemore on 26 October 2007 during which Mr Macdonald mentioned that he had been involved in a meeting, earlier that day, with the local MSP and others in relation to the development proposals for the Aviemore resort.

The Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism met Mr Macdonald in Edinburgh on 30 August 2007 to discuss the Government''s economic strategy and the tourism goal for 2015, and along, with the constituency MSP, at the SNP National Conference in Aviemore on 26 October 2007 to get an update on the Aviemore development from Macdonald Hotels, the local Chamber of Commerce, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Highland Council and the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

The Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture met Mr Macdonald, in his capacity as Chair of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, at Victoria Quay, Edinburgh on 26 July 2007; in central Edinburgh on 2 September 2007, and at the City Halls, Glasgow on 5 October 2007.

The Minister for Community Safety, acting in his capacity as constituency MSP, met or had conversations with Mr Macdonald on a number of occasions since May 2007.

Question reference: S3W-09057

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) or ministers that are responsible for advice to planning authorities on individual planning applications when SEPA is acting in its independent statutory role.

Question reference: S3W-09044

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any special advisers have met or had any conversations with Mr Donald Macdonald or his representatives concerning, or during which reference was made to, a planning application in Aviemore in which Mr Macdonald had an interest.

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