Parliamentary questions
Cathie Craigie
239 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
10 Mar 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will issue statutory guidance to local authorities in order to improve services for people with dual sensory impairment.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive is currently implementing the recommendations within the Sensory Impairment Action Plan in order to improve access to community services for sensory impaired people.</p> <p>The next meeting of the Action Plan Steering Group will be discussing th…
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the method of collecting outstanding fines.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: In addition to the wide range of existing measures available to the courts to enforce or encourage the payment of fines, the Executive is piloting new provisions in relation to Supervised Attendance Orders to encourage greater use of the order as an alternati…
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to the taxpayer was of imprisoning people for failing to pay fines in each of the last five years.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>No data is kept on the cost ofimprisoning persons in default of a finepayment as opposed to imprisoning other persons. </p><p>The ave…
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in employment were imprisoned in each of the last five years for failing to pay fines.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>The available information is given in the following table:</p><p>Fine Default Receptions by Employment Status 1999-2003</p><table border=1 …
4 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what specialist health services are available to deaf and deafblind people.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: I expect NHS boards to take account of the specialist needs of deaf and deafblind people in planning and providing services. All boards provide or arrange access to services such as sign language and other specialist means of communication and interpretation.…
4 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that deaf and deafblind people have access to mental health services.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: In January I announced a review of available guidance on the planning and delivery of improved access, services and better communications for people with a mental health problem who also have a sensory loss. The objective is to publish guidance for agencies t…
28 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the #2 million per annum for money advice announced earlier this year will be distributed and whether the #3 million existing funding will continue.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This funding will be distributed via local authorities who are best placed to deliver money advice. It will be weighted according to levels of deprivation, in consultation with voluntary sector providers and targeted towards low-income communities. This fundi…
28 Apr 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that adequate sports facilities are available in all Scotland's communities.
Answer · Frank McAveety: TheExecutive is committed to working with partners to ensure that target 8 ofSport 21 is achieved. This will ensure that 70% of Scots have access to asports hall within a 20 minute walk.</p><p>Localauthorities are the primary providers of sports and leisure f…
14 Apr 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to prevent people accumulating unmanageable debt and what support it is giving those who find themselves in that situation.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: TheExecutive continues to support credit unions as they have a vital role to playin providing access to small loans at affordable interest rates, while at thesame time encouraging a savings culture, which is a long-term way out of moneyproblems.</p><p>We also…
22 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what further support it will provide to the money advice sector in Scotland.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: As part of our Partnershipfor a Better Scotland, commitment to extend support for the money advice sectorin Scotland, I am announcing new additional funding of £4 millionover the next two years (£1 million in 2004-05 and £3 million in 2005-06). Thiswill be us…
7 Jan 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will promote healthy eating in a way that captures the imagination of Scottish people, particularly the young.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Promoting healthy eating is aresponsibility shared with a number of different partners. At a national level,NHS Health Scotland has developed Adventures In FoodLand specifically for the pre-school sector to promote healthy eating in a funway. At a local leve…
11 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people qualified as sign language interpreters in each of the last five years.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The register ofEnglish/British Sign Language interpreters is held by the Scottish Associationof Sign Language Interpreters (SASLI). SASLI have provided the followinginformation.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> <p>Year</p> </td> <…
11 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial resources are being made available to develop British Sign Language in this financial year, 2004-05 and 2005-06.
Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-4925 on 14 January 2004.All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/we…
11 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in promoting British Sign Language (BSL), following the recognition of BSL as a language in its own right by Her Majesty's Government on 18 March 2003.
Answer · Margaret Curran: Promotion of British SignLanguage (BSL) is being progressed in a number of different ways.</p><p>The First Minister made the following commitment on 27 March 2003 (S1F-2624):</p><p>“The First Minister (Mr Jack McConnell): As a start, I believe that we should …
11 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths have been caused by careless driving, excluding deaths of careless drivers, since May 2002.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally.
12 Feb 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in promoting patients' rights in the NHS.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Substantial progress is being made in promoting patients' rights. Further proposals will be detailed in the forthcoming health white paper and the consultation papers on the Patients' Charter and the Scottish Health Council.
29 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the law officers have reviewed prosecution policy for causing death by dangerous driving and, if so, what the results are of the review.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has reviewed the policy for prosecutions under sections 1 and 3A of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Having regard to the range of sentences currently being imposed by courts in Scotland for such offences, the Home Off…
4 Dec 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce guidance similar to that issued in England and Wales under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970, placing a duty on local authorities to be proactive in their efforts to serve deafblind people.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: There are no plans to issue similar guidance at present. The Executive is taking forward its own initiatives in Scotland. We are working together with the main organisations that provide community care services to adults with sensory impairments, including de…
27 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans for a recruitment drive, targeted at qualified teachers working in mainstream education, to increase the number of teachers with specialist training in teaching deaf children.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: It is a matter for local authorities to determine the number of appropriately qualified staff that they require. The Scottish Executive has increased its funding to local authorities for development and training of special educational needs staff, including t…
27 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase the number of staff with specialist training in educating deaf people working with deaf children.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32071 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/searc…
27 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what training for teachers of deaf pupils will be incorporated into the chartered teacher programme.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Standard for Chartered Teacher was developed, through consultation, as a generic, quality-based standard. Chartered Teacher programmes will be accredited if they enable candidates to meet that standard and impact positively on professional performance.<P>…
27 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified teachers of deaf pupils currently working in (a) mainstream schools and (b) specialist schools for the deaf are within five years of retirement age.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32067 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/searc…
27 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified teachers of deaf pupils currently work in (a) mainstream schools and (b) specialist schools for the deaf.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Information on the number of qualified teachers of deaf pupils currently working in schools is not held centrally. <P>However, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31265 on 19 November 2002, for the most recent centrally-held information on …
13 Nov 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the designation order for the Cairngorms National Park will adhere to the Sandford principles.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The issue of adhering to the Sandford Principles is dealt with in the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000. Section 9(6) of the act makes clear that, where it appears to the National Park Authority that there is conflict between the National Park aims, the auth…
5 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30094 by Lewis Macdonald on 14 October 2002, when it will respond to the consultation on the Central Scotland Transport Corridor studies into the A80 corridor.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive is considering the study recommendations carefully. We hope to be able to announce decisions on the way forward later this year, taking account of the consultants' recommendations and the subsequent comments we have received during the consultat…
5 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that a degree course based in Scotland for the education and training of audiologists will commence.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31280 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/sear…
5 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any proposals for a degree course based in Scotland for the education and training of audiologists have been delayed.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31280 on 18 November 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:<P><A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliamen…
5 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it has given to any proposals for a degree course based in Scotland for the education and training of audiologists.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: Following consideration of the preliminary staffing report, submitted by the Audiology Services Review Group, the Executive undertook to explore the development and establishment of a Scottish BSc in Audiology to commence in September 2003. <P>Business propos…
5 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19825 by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 December 2001, when the review of audiology services will be published.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31280 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/sear…
30 Oct 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that social housing meets acceptable standards.
Answer · Hugh Henry: As part of a package of housing measures, Margaret Curran announced earlier today that we intend to work with local authorities, registered social landlords and others to develop a national quality standard for social housing.