- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive who made the request that the Chief Planner meet the Trump Organization on 4 December 2007 and when and to whom it was made.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-7701 on 20 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Head of Planning Decisions Division has in relation to any planning application and, in particular, what role he has in relation to the called-in Trump planning application.
Answer
Planning DecisionsDivision’s primary purpose is to consider planning applications and otherplanning cases notified or referred to Scottish ministers, advising ministers asappropriate. It is the role of the Head of Planning Decisions Division to leadand oversee the work of the whole division. As such in relation to the calledin planning application for the Menie Estate, he is responsible for the division’swork in considering the application and advising ministers.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth had any conversations about the Trump planning application with the First Minister on 2, 3 or 4 December 2007 prior to the application being called in and, if so, what the timing was of each conversation.
Answer
No such discussions tookplace.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Planner has ever held meetings with developers after a planning application had been called in since May 2007.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive why the minute of the meeting between Scottish Government planning officials and the Trump Organization does not record the fact or detail of the telephone call to the Chief Executive of Aberdeenshire Council.
Answer
The minute of the meetingrecords the main points discussed by the participants. It was not necessary toproduce a verbatim record.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on who made the request that led to the meeting between the First Minister in his capacity as the MSP for Gordon and the Trump Organization on 3 December 2007 and on when and to whom this request was made.
Answer
Mr Salmond undertook thismeeting in his capacity as constituencymember for Gordon. It is not for the Scottish Government to comment on ministers’constituency business.
However, Mr Salmond has madeclear in earlier statements that the Trump Organization had called hisconstituency office on 3 December 2007 to request a meeting, which was held inAberdeen for convenience, as he was already due to be travelling to Aberdeen toconduct government business with his special adviser and prepare for governmentbusiness in Aberdeen the next day.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the advice provided by the Chief Planner and Head of Planning Decisions Division to the First Minister in his capacity as MSP for Gordon on 29 and 30 November 2007.
Answer
Officials offered verbaladvice to Mr Salmond, at his request, confirming that, as MSP for theconstituency where the development was proposed, he was entitled to representproperly the interests of his constituents and to speak to the developer and toany other relevant parties. They confirmed that his constituency interest meantthat Mr Salmond was debarred from any potential Scottish ministerial planningdecision. They also set out their understanding of the procedural implicationsof the resolution of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the statement by the First Minister that the MSP for Gordon did not discuss the Trump planning application at his meeting with representatives of the Trump Organization on 3 December 2007 is accurate, given that he placed a call to the Chief Planner about this subject on the same day as the meeting.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-7663 on 20 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether members of the Trump Organization were with the First Minister when he called the Chief Planner on 3 December 2007.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-7663 on 20 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Planner contacted the First Minister on 4 December 2007 about the Trump planning application and, if so, when.
Answer
The Chief Planner metrepresentatives of the Trump Organization on 4 December 2007.At the close of the meeting the Chief Planner telephoned Mr Salmond, in hiscapacity as MSP for Gordon, as a courtesy to say the meeting had taken placeand said that all discussion of potential ministerial action would be passed tome in line with proper procedure. The First Minister was not party to thedecision to call in the application.
