- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when the tenure of the present Chairman of Caledonian MacBrayne expires; whether the post will be publicly advertised; whether there will be an opportunity for the users of Caledonian MacBrayne services to participate in any selection process for the appointment of a new chairman; what selection process will be used to decide which candidates will be interviewed for the post of chairman; what criteria will be employed to ensure that the selection process for an appointment is fair and impartial, and whether the criticism expressed by Dame Rennie Fritchie, the Commissioner for Public Appointments, regarding the appointment process of the present chairman will be taken into account in any new selection process.
Answer
The present Chairman of Caledonian MacBrayne was appointed for a three-year term from 1 August 1999. An announcement relating to the future arrangements for this post will be made in due course. The processes and procedures for public appointments, including the involvement of independent advisers, are set out in the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) Code of Practice. These procedures are strictly followed for all appointments to Caledonian MacBrayne. They were introduced to ensure the selection process for public appointments is fair, impartial and transparent. The commissioner's comments in relation to the 1999 appointment process have been borne in mind in all subsequent appointment processes, including those relating to Caledonian MacBrayne. One of the main conclusions of the commissioner's report was that the present chairman was appointed on merit.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the passing of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill, whether it will act as if the provisions of the bill were in force from 25 April 2002.
Answer
It will not be possible for the Executive to operate as if the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Bill were in force from 25 April 2002 because many aspects of the Freedom of Information regime to be established by the bill are not yet in place. Most notably, the Scottish Information Commissioner is yet to be appointed and will need to be in place before certain preparations begin, for example, the development of publication schemes.In the meantime, the Executive will continue to consider the disclosure of information in accordance with the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Scottish Water and the former North of Scotland Water Authority in connection with the provision of the public water supply for Glenborrodale.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has had no contacts with Scottish Water or North of Scotland Water Authority on the specific issue of a public water supply for Glenborrodale.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Elaine Murray on 7 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it will have in respect of the appointment of members to the Independent Advisory Panel which will scrutinise the bids from the United Kingdom to be European Capital of Culture in 2008.
Answer
The Independent Advisory Panel which will consider the UK's nomination for the European Capital of Culture 2008 competition is to be appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. At least one person from each of the four countries of the UK will be included on the panel. The Executive, like all of the devolved administrations, has been invited to make suggestions of possible panel members to the Secretary of State, and we have done so.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 7 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any additional element of surplus in the Scottish Transport Group pension funds which accrues in the current financial year will be made over in full to the members of the funds or whether any such sum will be paid to other persons or bodies.
Answer
The audited report and accounts for the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes in respect of the final accounting period are due to be received by the Executive shortly. The position as regards distribution of the surplus remains as I announced to Parliament on 29 November 2001 (motion S1M-2486).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 3 May 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his answer to question S1W-20304 on 6 March 2002, what trading was being carried out by the parent company of Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Limited as at 1 March 2002; with whom the parent company was trading; from what source the information about the trading position of the parent company was obtained, and whether any documents relating to the conclusion that the parent company was still trading as at 1 March 2002 will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
As at 1 March 2002, the shares of Flour City International were listed for trading on the National Association of Security Dealers Automated Quotations (NASDQ.) The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has no further information about the scale and nature of the company's trading at that time.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 3 May 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his answers to questions S1W-19876, S1W-19886, S1W-20304 and S1W-21037 on 6 March 2002, whether the process of the evaluation of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body's rights and entitlements has been completed, or when it is anticipated that the process will be completed; against whom any litigation may be raised, and whether any of the parties against whom any litigation may be raised have had sight of any of the documents mentioned in questions S1W-19876, S1W-19886, S1W-20304 and S1W-21037.
Answer
The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has confirmed that the process is still under way and is being conducted in a manner consistent with achieving the key objective of the Holyrood construction programme. At this stage and subject to the evaluation of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body's rights and entitlements, litigation may be raised against the parent company. Parties to the contractual arrangements should be aware of relevant documents.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the case for road equivalent tariff to be applied to the costs of travel by ferry; whether it has considered the cost of implementing such a policy and, if so, what the estimated cost would be, and whether it has estimated what the additional traffic would be through a reduction in the ferry fares by the application of a road equivalent tariff policy.
Answer
We have no plans to implement a road equivalent tariff (RET) approach to setting fares for ferry services which the Executive subsidises, nor do we intend to conduct research into the cost of implementing such a policy. As I have indicated in previous answers, it is clear that RET would require substantial alteration in the fares structure of Caledonian MacBrayne at a time when it and the people whom it serves most require stability and security of service. Our efforts must be focused on securing continuity of services and protection of fares through the future tendering exercise relating to the company's services.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre a copy of the consultants report commissioned by Caledonian MacBrayne as part of its fares review in which it considered whether a road equivalent tariff fare structure should be implemented on the Clyde and Western Isles ferry services.
Answer
I have asked Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd to place a copy of the report in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 20611).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support and promote a pilot scheme for the introduction of road equivalent tariff on one of the ferry routes to the Western Isles.
Answer
We have no plans to support such a scheme.
