Christine Grahame

5 Aug 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider amending Regulation 7 (2) (d) of the Public Services Reform (Social Services Inspections) (Scotland) Regulations 2011 (SSI 2011/185) regarding interviewing employees to include former employees who were employed at the premises during the period to which a compla…

Answer · Shona Robison: Regulation seven of SSI 2011/185 does not prevent former employees from being interviewed as part of an investigation into the provision of care standards, should they consent to doing so. Regulation seven (1) confers broad powers in relation to interviews wh…

25 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to review the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.

Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Scottish Government has no plans at present to review the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.

22 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on expanding the use of the “Solitaire” stent in people who have had an ischaemic stroke.

Answer · Maureen Watt: New treatments which may increase positive outcomes for people who have suffered an ischaemic stroke are to be welcomed. Trials in clot retrieval are important in order to build a strong evidence base to ascertain whether this treatment is safe and effective.…

16 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-20420 by Kenny MacAskill on 10 June 2014, what the most recent information is that it has on how many dog wardens there are, also broken down by local authority.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The most recent figures provided by local authorities are contained in the following table: Local Authority Number of Dog Wardens Aberdeen City 2 Aberdeenshire 3 Angus 1 Argyll and Bute 8 Clackmannanshire 2 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 0 Dumfries …

15 Jun 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Government will introduce cervical screening for women over 60.

27 Apr 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what recent communications there have been between the Scottish Government and the Home Office regarding an independent inspection of Dungavel detention centre.

19 Mar 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has had discussions with the Lord Advocate with a view to prosecuting the sale of new psychoactive substances, or so-called legal highs, following the precedent of Khaliq and Anor v HMA 1983 SCCR 483 (CCA); 1984 JC 23; 1984 SLT 137, in which the High Court on appeal refused to…

Answer · Lesley Thomson: In a previous answer to Parliament (S4O-04048) on 25 February 2015, I referred to the work that had already been undertaken by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) in this area. I attach a link to the Official Report: http://www.scottish.par…

13 Mar 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on Scottish Borders Council's implementation of self-directed support as, according to its website, support is only available for needs identified as “critical” and “substantial” and resources are not available to meet “moderate” and “low” needs, and whether it consi…

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: The Scottish Government expect all local authorities to comply with their duty of care under Section 12A of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. They must be sure that the resources they allocate to a person are sufficient to meet their needs and any provisio…

13 Mar 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that the MOD-operated Castlelaw ranges in the Pentland Hills have been contaminated with heavy metals that could contaminate the Glencorse reservoir and, in light of the potential health risks to the public and animals, what discussions it has had with (a)…

Answer · Aileen McLeod: Following representations to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) as to suggestions of contamination issues at the MOD-operated range at Castlelaw, the agency engaged with the operators to understand what issues, if any, existed and any associate…

25 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the number of serving police officers reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in 2013-14, in light of a reported 6.7% of cases leading to proceedings, and what percentage of these proceedings (a) remain current and (b) led to a (i) guilty and (i…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The vast majority of police officers act with integrity but on the on the rare occasions when those standards may have fallen below those expected and criminality is inferred it is proper that there are independent and transparent processes in place to consid…

24 Feb 2015 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body for what reason there has been no uplift in capped postage provision since 2009 given the increase of 59% and 77% in stamp costs, and whether it considers that this reduces members’ ability to correspond with their constituents.

23 Feb 2015 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister, in light of the recent report of three Muslim girls being encouraged to travel to Syria following apparent contact with Aqsa Mahmood, what action the Scottish Government can take to monitor and intercept any communications aimed at encouraging Scottish Muslim girls to travel to Syria.

5 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it would cost to terminate each private contract for the provision of parking at hospitals.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally.

5 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which hospitals charge for parking and for what reason these charges cannot be prohibited.

Answer · Shona Robison: There are charges for parking at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Ninewells Hospital, Dundee. These charges cannot be prohibited due to the respective health boards being committed into long-term private finance initiative contracts.…

5 Feb 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of each PPP/PFI contract that was in place in each parliamentary constituency in May 2007, also broken down by information regarding (a) annual interest payments and (b) the (i) duration and (ii) total cost of each project.

Answer · Keith Brown: Information relating to both ongoing and expired PPP/PFI contracts is available from the Scottish Government website under ‘unitary payment charges’ by way of the following link: www.scotland.gov.uk

15 Dec 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is on a judicial inquiry being held regarding any part that Scotland might have had in respect of possible UK involvement with rendition flights at Scottish airports.

24 Nov 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many public inquiries there have been from 1999, broken down by (a) completed and (b) ongoing inquiries, showing the (i) cost and (ii) duration of each.

Answer · Michael Matheson: There have been five statutory public inquiries established since 1999, all under the Inquiries Act 2005 and Inquiries (Scotland) Rules 2007. Details of the cost and duration of each inquiry are in the following table, including whether it is completed or ong…

24 Nov 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it (a) has taken and (b) plans to take as a result of its consultation on the Draft Inquiries (Scotland) Rules 2011, which closed on 8 June 2012.

Answer · Michael Matheson: (a) Submissions to the consultation on the Draft Inquiries (Scotland) Rules 2011 were received but no steps have been taken to amend the existing rules. (b) The Scottish Government will keep the matter under review.

12 Nov 2014 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how the costs of non-MSP-sponsored events is met.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: All non-MSP sponsored events supported and delivered by the Events and Exhibitions Team in support of the Parliament include events approved annually by the SPCB as part of the Major Events and Exhibitions Programme aimed at engaging with the public and Scotl…

12 Nov 2014 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many non-MSP-sponsored events have been held in the Parliament in each year since 1999.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: No centralised record of events held exists prior to the Events and Exhibitions Team being established in 2007.For the last full year, 2013/14, the total number of events managed, organised and delivered by the Team was 370, of which 347 were Member-sponsored…

12 Nov 2014 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many full-time or full-time equivalent staff have been employed in the Events and Exhibitions Team in each year since 1999.

Answer · Linda Fabiani : A dedicated Events and Exhibitions Team was established in 2007 to support all events and exhibitions in the Parliament. The figures broken down by year are as follows: Year Staff Numbers 2007-08 7 2008-09 7 2009-10 10 2010-11 10 2011-12 10 2012-…

4 Nov 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure the welfare of lions and tigers being kept at the Circus High School in Aberdeenshire, and whether the animals remain exempt from the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government is in close contact with Aberdeenshire Council, the local authority responsible. Both the welfare of the big cats and public safety have been considered and continue to be of paramount importance. A number of visits have been made by t…

4 Nov 2014 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what consideration it has given to commemorating and celebrating the contribution of Margo MacDonald to the Parliament.

3 Nov 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-19276 by Paul Wheelhouse on 30 January 2014, how many snare users, having attended the required training, had obtained an identification number from their local police force or from Police Scotland by 1 October 2014.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: By 1 October 2014, 1131 snare users, having attended the required training had obtained their snaring identification number from the chief constable of their local police force or, since 1 April 2013 when Police Scotland was formally established, from the Chi…

27 Oct 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what resources the Scottish Government has in place to assist service personnel and their families who have been affected by the conflict in Afghanistan.

13 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17160 by Kenny MacAskill on 25 September 2013, how many (a) investigations have been carried out and (b) control notices have been issued by each local authority under the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 since 26 February 2013.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information is contained in the following table: Investigations Dog control notices Local authority 27 Feb 2011 to 26 Feb 2012 27 Feb 2012 to 26 Feb 2013 27 Feb 2013 to 26 Feb 2014 27 Feb 2011 to 26 Feb 2012 27 Feb 2012 to 26 Feb 2013 27 Feb 2…

6 Oct 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on Police Scotland's National Child Abuse Investigation Unit.

2 Oct 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications have been (a) made and (b) granted each year under the community sex offender disclosure scheme, Keeping Children Safe.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is a matter for Police Scotland. I have alerted the Chief Constable to your question and I have asked him to reply to you direct.

20 Aug 2014 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S4W-22188 by Linda Fabiani on 20 August 2014, what legal advice permitted that the definition of parliamentary complex as “the place where the parliament or any of its committees or subcommittees meets" could, without amendment to that…

Answer · Linda Fabiani: The information referred to by the Member was general guidance for the public which has now been updated, whereas the policy issued to Members was as a result of the commitment given to the Parliament by the SPCB that all SPCB resources and facilities are use…

11 Aug 2014 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to reports that an independent Scotland will not be able to support the state pension.