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Showing 27 of 2,354,908 contributions. Latest 30 days: 0. Coverage: 12 May 1999 — 25 Mar 2026.
George Foulkes Lab Committee
27 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
The letter from the permanent secretary Sir Peter Housden states that Councillor Cardownie was involved in the meeting on 12 October to try to find a solution. He was one of the masterminds behind the plan to save the gathering, which he was keen to do from an Edinburgh point ...
George Foulkes Lab Chamber
03 Mar 2011
“Session 3 reports of the Public Audit Committee—key themes”
No.That is a looming fiasco, which a future Public Audit Committee will have to look at.The third is the unacceptable and unexpected cost increases for electronic ticketing machine technology on buses to calculate the use of buses by elderly and disabled people, which Hugh Hen...
George Foulkes Lab Committee
06 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
Does it seem to you that Councillor Cardownie, who is a Scottish National Party councillor, the First Minister and Mr Russell might have come to an agreement of which Councillor Dawe was not aware?
George Foulkes Lab Committee
06 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
So Councillor Cardownie was the senior person representing the council at that meeting.
George Foulkes Lab Committee
06 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
You understood from Councillor Cardownie and Jim Inch that the council was going to take on the liabilities.
George Foulkes Lab Committee
06 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
After the meeting with Councillor Cardownie and Mr Inch, did you get anything in writing from the council? Did you seek confirmation in a letter, minute or memorandum?
George Foulkes Lab Committee
06 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
Were you surprised to find out that Jenny Dawe and the council as a whole had not agreed to what appeared to have been agreed at the meeting that was attended by Councillor Cardownie?
George Foulkes Lab Committee
27 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
At any point, did you discuss the issue with Councillor Cardownie, the deputy leader of the council?
George Foulkes Lab Committee
27 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
You had said that the press release was wrong and that DEMA was not taking on the responsibilities, so Councillor Cardownie was annoyed with you. What was the dinner?
George Foulkes Lab Committee
27 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
And on 5 November you got called in and shown the draft letter. Do you think that there was any connection between your upsetting Councillor Cardownie and the letter being drafted and shown to you?
George Foulkes Lab Committee
27 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
Surely you can guess. Was it Councillor Cardownie or someone else?
George Foulkes Lab Committee
27 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
But when you spoke to Councillor Cardownie at that dinner you did not discuss, say, prospects at Tynecastle the next day; you talked about this issue.
George Foulkes Lab Committee
27 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
He is a Hearts supporter, allegedly.Do you remember what Councillor Cardownie said to you?
George Foulkes: Lab Chamber
05 Sep 2007
Scottish Government's Programme
No; I have only four minutes. I will give a particularly powerful local example, about which I think that Margo MacDonald will agree with me.The SNP manifesto's rhetoric promised a reduction in class sizes in primary 1 to primary 3 to 18 pupils or fewer and an increase in nurs...
George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): Lab Chamber
06 Sep 2007
First Minister's Question Time · School Accommodation
Further to my friend Malcolm Chisholm's question, what assurances has the First Minister had from Steve Cardownie that the SNP group will not do yet another U-turn and propose further school closures, which would make implementation of the SNP manifesto impossible?
George Foulkes Lab Chamber
10 Mar 2011
Local Services
Och—in a moment.At no point during the 13 years of the Labour Government did I ever hear a Liberal Democrat or, indeed, a Tory say, “Spend less,” “Don’t spend as much, Gordon,” or “Don’t spend all that, Alistair.” It was quite the reverse. They wanted more to be spent on the h...
George Foulkes Lab Chamber
10 Mar 2011
Local Services
The only way to learn is to listen, not to talk, and Rumbles never listens.I am talking about localism and the funding cuts that have been led by Councillor Dawe. The most recent cuts, to the disabled workforce, have put people’s lives at risk. The work that is being done by d...
George Foulkes: Lab Committee
23 Jan 2008
“Dealing with offending by young people”
That enriched national data set sounds a bit like form filling to me, but I will let that pass.Faith is an admirable quality, but it does not answer the question of how you will find out whether each council is delivering on tackling youth offending. In their meetings every tw...
George Foulkes: Lab Chamber
07 Jun 2007
Sustainable Public Transport
Wait for it. I am coming to his lot later. I am really proud to be a member of the Scottish Parliament, for which I campaigned for more than three decades. I would have stood in 1999, but I was busy helping to set up the new Department for International Development. I am proud...
George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): Lab Chamber
13 Dec 2007
Local Government Finance Settlement 2008 to 2011
I have been a councillor and I agree absolutely that power should be given to elected representatives on councils. Does the member agree that that includes the power to decide what level the council tax should be, so that a council can be accountable to its electorate for the ...
George Foulkes: Lab Chamber
05 Jun 2008
Remote and Rural Health Care
I thank the cabinet secretary very much, but I hope that she will also take account of what Richard Simpson said.The Audit Committee also looked at the 999 service, and suggested that the Government should consider a non-emergency service because more than 80 per cent of 999 c...
George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): Lab Chamber
02 Sep 2009
Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
I, too, am pleased to contribute to what I consider to be an important debate. I mean no disrespect to the important matter that we considered this morning, but the present issue will have a much more direct effect on all our constituents.I say to the cabinet secretary that al...
George Foulkes Lab Committee
06 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
Councillor Jenny Dawe was not there.
George Foulkes Lab Committee
06 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
We have an exchange of correspondence that shows that in—I think—December, Councillor Dawe, who is the leader of the council, indicated that the council was not willing to take on the responsibilities.
George Foulkes Lab Committee
27 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
Is it possible that Councillor Buchanan might have agreed it on behalf of DEMA?
George Foulkes Lab Committee
27 Oct 2010
Section 23 Reports
Has any other councillor, MSP or anyone else expressed to you concern over your disavowal of that press release or your resignation?
George Foulkes Lab Chamber
10 Mar 2011
Local Services
This is all about localism. Mr Brown might have a desire to take over from you as Deputy Presiding Officer, but I hope that in May the electorate will ensure that that is not possible.Councillor Dawe could have held up her hands and accepted the conclusions in the Public Audit...
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Committee

Public Audit Committee 27 October 2010

27 Oct 2010 · S3 · Public Audit Committee
Item of business
Section 23 Reports
"The Gathering 2009"
Foulkes, George Lab Lothians Watch on SPTV
The letter from the permanent secretary Sir Peter Housden states that Councillor Cardownie was involved in the meeting on 12 October to try to find a solution. He was one of the masterminds behind the plan to save the gathering, which he was keen to do from an Edinburgh point of view.So the press release went out on 15 October, and then you resigned and you disavowed the press release. You then went to the dinner on the Friday, and Councillor Buchanan said that Councillor Cardownie was out to get you or was looking out for you. What was the phrase that you used?

In the same item of business

The Convener Lab
Agenda item 2 is the section 23 report, “The Gathering 2009”. I remind members that the liquidation procedures are still on-going and that the points that we...
Norman Springford (Former Chair, Destination Edinburgh Marketing Alliance Ltd)
No, there is nothing yet. I await questions with interest.
The Convener Lab
Concern has been expressed about the way in which the matter has developed. I do not know whether you have followed any of the evidence that has been given t...
Norman Springford
It is a two-part answer. First, about a day before the press release, I received a call from Dave Anderson, the director of economic development at the City ...
The Convener Lab
So you became aware of what was emerging only the day before the press release came out.
Norman Springford
As far as I am aware, it happened reasonably quickly. The approach was possibly made at a late date. As I say, I received a telephone call. I cannot recollec...
The Convener Lab
And at that point there were no discussions about the council or DEMA taking responsibility for the creditors.
Norman Springford
None at all. The only condition or caveat that was put upon it was that DEMA may need to be aware of the obligations for the running of the future event and ...
The Convener Lab
And, to the best of your recollection, Mr Anderson similarly was of a view that there would be no responsibility for the creditors.
Norman Springford
Nothing came up in the conversation, which would indicate to me that Dave Anderson was not aware of it. Otherwise, he would have mentioned it.
The Convener Lab
When the press release was issued the following day, what was your reaction when you saw the terms?
Norman Springford
I have had the opportunity to look at the notes that I made at the time of the press release. A copy of the press release was sent to me by e-mail at about 2...
The Convener Lab
So, subsequently, when the City of Edinburgh Council decided not to proceed, it was a further surprise to you that the council seemed to have agreed but had ...
Norman Springford
My view was quite clear. DEMA Ltd has a separate legal persona and we had a fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of the company. My immediate reaction...
The Convener Lab
You attempted to speak to other members of DEMA to ascertain their views.
Norman Springford
Yes. I did a ring round and spoke to every director bar one, who was on holiday, and the chief executive of DEMA, Kenneth Wardrop, who was on holiday in Moro...
The Convener Lab
You are quite clear that at no point had there been any discussion of DEMA taking on any of the responsibility for the creditors of the company.
Norman Springford
Not with me, if I can put it that way. I had no knowledge of that. My position was immediately stated and became a subject of perhaps some annoyance or embar...
The Convener Lab
Who were the officials who supported you in your work at DEMA?
Norman Springford
You will appreciate that DEMA was a public-private sector corporation—quite a laudable one, I might add—and the City of Edinburgh Council had decided to put ...
The Convener Lab
He was on holiday in Morocco.
Norman Springford
He was in Morocco at the time and was, therefore, I presume, not consulted on the content of the press release.
The Convener Lab
I presume that, had he been consulted on something so significant as taking on substantial liabilities, he would have spoken to you. As well as Mr Wardrop, w...
Norman Springford
Not at that particular time. We are talking about the immediate time up to the issuing of the press release, and the only people who were likely to have been...
The Convener Lab
Was Councillor Buchanan one of the people to whom you spoke?
Norman Springford
I did not need to, since Mr Anderson reports to Mr Buchanan. It seemed logical that the approach was made through Councillor Tom Buchanan, from the Scottish ...
The Convener Lab
So a public statement was made about a substantial commitment, but neither the chair of DEMA nor the senior officers who support the board members were aware...
Norman Springford
I was faced with the difficulty that DEMA was a public-private corporation. It was a separate legal entity, and I was the chair, but—without being too rude a...
The Convener Lab
If Edinburgh wanted to take on the responsibility, that was a matter for the City of Edinburgh Council, but you were clear that, as chairman of DEMA, there w...
Norman Springford
We could not do so; there were insufficient funds. We would have been happy to make the payments or whatever, but we were in a position in which assurances o...