- 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 any special adviser has made telephone or email contact with representatives from the Trump Organization since May 2007 and, if so, who.
Answer
We are giving considerationto the publication of information under Freedom of Information legislation thatrelates to this question. I will write to advise when this procedure has beencompleted.
- 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 been placed under any pressure by ministers or MSPs in relation to calling in the Trump planning application.
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 what car journeys were made using the Government Car Service to and from the Marcliffe Hotel on 3 December 2007, showing who the passengers were and the timetable of all movements of the car involved on that day.
Answer
The information requested islisted as follows.
| Time | Pick Up | Via | Drop Off | Passengers |
| 1145 | Strichen | | Inverurie | Alex Salmond |
| 1700 | Inverurie | Special Adviser’s Home, Aberdeen (Geoff Aberdein dropped off) | Marcliffe Hotel | Alex Salmond Geoff Aberdein Hannah Bardell (Constituency Assistant) |
| 1825 | Marcliffe Hotel | | Strichen | Alex Salmond |
No otherjourneys were made on this day.
As a result of the unusualamount of public interest in the First Minister’s travel to this meeting, thePermanent Secretary has considered what use was made of the Government CarService on this occasion. He has noted that it is commonplace for civilservants, including special advisers, to travel with ministers in governmentcars, in order to assist ministers to use time spent travelling to progressgovernment business. He is satisfied that the use made of the Government CarService in this case was consistent with such general practice and was bothappropriate and pragmatic.
- 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 discussions with the First Minister on 3 December 2007 about the Trump planning application.
Answer
I had no such discussionswith the First Minister.
- 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 there is a formal record of the telephone call of 4 December 2007 between the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and the Chief Planner about the call-in of the Trump planning application.
Answer
The phone call was notformally minuted, a record is kept on file showing that the Cabinet Secretaryfor Finance and Sustainable Growth had agreed to call in the application.
- 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 when on 4 December 2007 the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth spoke to the First Minister about the Trump planning application.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-8107 on 22 January 2008. 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 Executivewhen it intends to respond to all freedom of information requests in relation to the Trump planning application.
Answer
Freedom of Informationresponses will be published as soon as possible. Priority has been given toanswering parliamentary questions and to supporting relevant appearances at theLocal Government and Communities 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 when it ceased to record telephone calls between ministers, civil servants and special advisers about matters of substance.
Answer
There has never been acorporate policy in the Scottish Government advising staff that a formal minutemust be produced for particular telephone calls.
- 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 how many backbench MSPs have had meetings arranged for developers with the Chief Planner 24 hours after making telephone contact since May 2007.
Answer
Information in the formrequested is not held by the Scottish Government.
- 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 when the First Minister first became aware that the Trump planning application was being called in, by what means and from whom.
Answer
I informed Mr Salmond afterI had made the decision to call in the planning application.
