Parliamentary questions
Christine Grahame
3,532 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed reduction or removal of funding to Borderline by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22571.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed reduction or removal of funding to the First Step Trust by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22571.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed reduction or removal of funding to Who Cares? Scotland by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I hope that it will be possible for Borders Council to resolve its budget difficulties without reducing funding to voluntary bodies carrying out important work. However, it is entirely a matter for each local authority to establish its expenditure priorities …
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed reduction or removal of funding to the Scottish Childminding Association by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22569.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed reduction or removal of funding to the Scottish Pre-school Playgroup Association by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: It is entirely a matter for each local authority to establish its expenditure priorities within the budget available to it. It would not be appropriate for ministers to intervene in the individual spending decisions of a council.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed reduction or removal of funding to the Gala Youth Project by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22328 on 7 February 2002.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed reduction or removal of funding to Borders Women's Aid by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22325.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed increase in meals on wheels charges from #2.12 to #2.85 per meal by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22560.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposal by Scottish Borders Council to introduce charges for adaptations to the property of people with a disability based on an assessment of ability to contribute to the costs.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22560.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposal by Scottish Borders Council to introduce means-testing for adaptations to the property of people with a disability.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22560.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed reductions in nursing home provision by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22560.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed reductions in the hearing impairment service by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22560.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed service reductions in supported employment by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22560.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed reductions in drug and alcohol residential services by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Peter Peacock: It is a matter for each local authority to establish its expenditure priorities within the budget available to it. It would not be appropriate for ministers to intervene in the individual spending decisions of a council.
30 Jan 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns regarding the provision of public services in the Scottish Borders.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Public Services in the Scottish Borders are subject to scrutiny through<P>inspection and audit and other performance review mechanisms. <P>The Executive has not been invited to date to take any actions with regard to any public service failures but will consi…
29 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22102 by Mr Jim Wallace on 21 January 2002, whether the contracting out to a specialist provider of the escorting of prisoners will result in reduction in the staffing levels of prison officers and, if so, what the projected reduction is.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The restructuring of prisoner escort arrangements will mean that the SPS will, over time, need about 200 fewer prison officer posts, but…
29 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21536 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 21 January 2002, when an offer of Regional Selective Assistance was made to Manpower plc, Selkirk; when that offer was accepted; what the total amount of the offer was, and to what conditions any payments will be subjec…
Answer · Wendy Alexander: An offer of Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) was made to Manpower in November 2000. The company has still to formally accept this offer. Details of the amount of RSA offers is made public in Labour Market Trends when the first instalment has been paid to a…
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on planned cuts to the continuing education program in the Scottish Borders Council area, reported in The Southern Reporter on 24 January 2002, and what action it will take on this matter.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22560.
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the planned withdrawal of core funding for the Gala Youth Project, reported in The Southern Reporter on 24 January 2002, and, in light of the number of young people in difficulty supported by the project, the support for the project of educationalists and the polic…
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: It is for each council to establish its expenditure priorities within unhypothecated resources available to it. It would not be appropriate for ministers to intervene in such circumstances.<P>However, I am aware that Gala Youth Project was part of the bid put…
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of any impact of funding cuts by Scottish Borders Council, reported in The Southern Reporter on 24 January 2002, on voluntary organisations that provide essential services throughout the council area and what action it plans to take in respect of such cuts.
Answer · Iain Gray: The funding of voluntary organisations by local authorities is a matter for individual local authorities to decide in light of local circumstances and priorities. However, the Executive has made a generous local authority settlement this year and our notifica…
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the planned closures of swimming pools in Jedburgh, Eyemouth and Selkirk following recently announced cuts by Scottish Borders Council, reported in The Southern Reporter on 24 January 2002, and what measures it will take to prevent these closures.
Answer · Andy Kerr: It is entirely a matter for each local authority to establish its expenditure priorities within the budget available to it. It would not be appropriate for ministers to intervene in the individual spending decisions of a council.
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the planned withdrawal of core funding for Borders Women's Aid, reported in The Southern Reporter on 24 January 2002, and, in light of the service this group provides to women and children who are victims of domestic violence in the Scottish Borders Council area, …
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Local Government Spending Review 2000 provides an extra £1.2 billion in support for local government over three years - an increase in real terms of 10.5%. It is the Scottish Executive's view that this should enable all local authorities to provide the ne…
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds the Young People's Unit in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital has; how many of these are currently available; what criteria are used in allocating the beds, and how the beds are currently allocated, broken down by each parliamentary constituency within the area covered by the unit.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As at 28 January 2002, there were 12 beds in the Young People's Unit in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. Of these, nine are currently occupied (five by patients from NHS Lothian's area, three from NHS Forth Valley and one from NHS Borders). The beds are allocate…
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds for young people with mental health problems are currently available, broken down by NHS and health board areas.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of available staffed beds for child and adolescent psychiatry is shown in the following tables. Table 1 provides numbers by NHS board of treatment and Table 2 provides numbers by NHS trust. <P>Table 1<P>NHS Average Available staffed …
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people are currently on the waiting list for the Young People's Unit in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are 88 young people currently on the Young People's Unit waiting list.
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies for positions in the Young People's unit in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital there currently are, broken down by post.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The information requested is not held centrally. Information on vacancies for consultant and staff grade posts is collected at board and trust level only.
21 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education will make an assessment into the impact of the cuts made on the provision of education in the Scottish Borders by the Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: It is a matter for Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) to determine the timing of inspections, including the inspection of the education functions of local councils. HMIE notified Scottish Borders Council on 28 January that it would be conducting a…
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its news release SE 4012/2001 of 19 September 2001, whether it will allocate any of the #101.9 million end-year flexibility award for education to the Scottish Borders Council education budget, in light of any further cuts to that budget being considered by the council.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: All of this funding has been allocated, as indicated in the answer given to question S1W-21939.
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its news release SE 4012/2001 of 19 September 2001, (a) how much of the #101.9 million end-year flexibility award for education has been allocated, (b) to whom or to what organisations or projects it has been allocated and (c) whether local authorities may apply for fundin…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: All of this funding has now been allocated. A significant proportion of EYF funding comprised a managed underspend to be set against the additional costs to local authorities arising from the teachers' pay and conditions settlement. Substantial additional res…
11 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20998 by Iain Gray on 8 January 2002, why 43 of the 116 applications made for free central heating in the Scottish Borders area were found to be ineligible.
Answer · Iain Gray: Nineteen applicants were ineligible because they had a working central heating system and one applicant had not occupied the house for the required 12 months. The remaining 23 was made up of those who had not returned their application forms to EAGA at the ti…