Parliamentary questions
Christine Grahame
3,532 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13134 by Nicol Stephen on 12 March 2001, what the provision is by Scottish Borders Council of internet access in primary and secondary schools and what percentage of staff and secondary school pupils have internet access.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Provision of Internet access by Scottish Borders Council is shown in the tables:<P><P>Percentage of schools with Internet access<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=403><TR><TD WIDTH="49%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="51%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE=…
26 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13134 by Nicol Stephen on 12 March 2001, what the provision is by Scottish Borders Council of (a) primary school e-mail addresses and (b) secondary school e-mail addresses, given as a percentage of staff and secondary school pupils who have internet …
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Provision of e-mail addresses by Scottish Borders Council is shown in the tables:<P>Teachers and pupils with e-mail addresses - as a percentage of teachers and pupils in all Scottish Borders Council Schools.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=383>…
26 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils in the Scottish Borders region are to be removed from computer courses and transferred to courses in other departments as a result of the cancellation of the National Grid for Learning cabling and computer requisition.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16559.
26 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact of the cancellation of the National Grid for Learning cabling and computer requisition will be on the delivery of courses for pupils in the Scottish Borders.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I understand that Scottish Borders Council is considering a range of measures to deal with the deficit identified in its education budget. Until this process is complete it will not be possible for the council to state for certain what the impact will be on a…
26 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the projected education overspend at Scottish Borders Council will have on the implementation of the National Grid for Learning in schools across the region.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The detailed implementation of the National Grid for Learning is the responsibility of individual local authorities, working under a broad framework set out by the Scottish Executive. Scottish Borders Council is considering measures to address the deficit it …
25 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the treatment of the #416,000 additional funding allocation to Scottish Borders Council complied with paragraph 5 of Circular 5/2000, Pre-Budget Statement - Additional Financial Resources for School, given the #350,000 reduction made by the council to their schools budget earlier this…
Answer · Jack McConnell: I am still waiting for Scottish Borders Council to publish their allocations from the £416,000, which was designed to benefit all schools in the Borders.
21 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what penalties would be incurred by a local authority should they breach the conditions set out in Circular 5/2000, Pre-Budget Statement - Additional Financial Resources for Schools.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The circular does not identify specific penalties.
21 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Borders Council has complied with the requirement in paragraph 8 of Circular 5/2000, Pre-Budget Statement - Additional Financial Resources for Schools, and published locally information on what has been achieved through the allocation of its additional #416,000.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The council have not published the necessary information by 29 June 2001, the date mentioned in Circular 5/2000 as the latest date by which information should be published. I expect that information to be made available as soon as possible.
21 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has appointed an external auditor to report on the current situation with the education budget of Scottish Borders Council; if so, what the remit for the auditor is, when the auditor will report and to whom, whether the report will be made public, and whether the audit will be …
Answer · Jack McConnell: The Accounts Commission for Scotland has the overall responsibility for issues concerning the accounts of local authorities in Scotland, including the responsibility for the appointment of auditors. The Controller of Audit may decide to make a report to the A…
21 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16177 by Peter Peacock on 19 June 2001, whether the #27.5 million for flood prevention and coastal protection schemes allocated to local authorities under section 94 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 is additional money to that which was to…
Answer · Peter Peacock: Since 1999-2000, £4 million has been earmarked each year within the total provision for local authority non-housing capital for these schemes. An additional £15.5 million was secured for the Spending Review period, bringing the total available for 2001-04 to …
20 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that Scottish Borders Council is considering (a) cutting #65,000 from its footwear and clothing grant fund, (b) cutting #40,000 from its further education bursaries budget, (c) cutting #10,000 from its budget for grants to village halls and (d) substituting sandwich lu…
Answer · Jack McConnell: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16415 on 3 July 2001.
20 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16178 by Jackie Baillie on 14 June 2001 and with reference to The Housing Needs of Elderly People in Scotland by Hart and Chalmers and published in 1990, whether it will provide details of any more recently commissioned reports on such needs and, if …
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive has not published any further research on very sheltered housing since its 1991 report entitled <I>The Housing Needs of Elderly</I> <I>People in Scotland</I> and is not aware of any other research on this specific area of housing. There…
20 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16185 by Mr Jim Wallace on 19 June 2001, what issues of concern the Criminal Justice Forum has raised to date.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The forum has discussed or is continuing to discuss the Report of the McLean Committee on Serious Violent and Sexual Offenders, fines enforcement, the implications of the European Convention on Human Rights on the criminal justice system, the use of short sen…
20 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-15933 and S1W-16185 by Mr Jim Wallace on 5 and 19 June 2001 respectively, why budgetary issues do not fall within the scope of those parts of the remit of the Criminal Justice Forum which require it to take an overall view of the issues facing the …
Answer · Jim Wallace: While there is no bar to members of the Criminal Justice Forum expressing views on resource aspects of issues affecting the criminal justice system, the main purpose of the forum is to consider general issues of criminal justice but not the budgets of Scottis…
20 Jun 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of recent difficulties facing the electronics industry in the Scottish Borders, it will address the state of the area's economy as a matter of urgency.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Scottish Enterprise Borders have been awarded an additional £6.096 million for the period 1999-2002 to support economic development in the area and the Scottish Executive is continuing to work closely with local agencies to secure sustainable economic develop…
19 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether additional funding will be made available to Scottish Borders Council if the consequence of the projected #3.9 million overspend in their education budget were to be cuts in staffing, school closures and cuts in the provision of other education services.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16415.
19 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what duties, within its social justice policy, are required of local authorities with regard to the provision of mainstream education for children with disabilities.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Duties imposed on education authorities for the provision of mainstream education for children with disabilities stem from education legislation, in particular the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 and the Standards in Scotland's Schools Etc Act 2000. When commen…
19 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria have to be met for children with cerebral palsy to participate in mainstream education.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: No specific criteria are set for children with special educational needs (SEN) to be included in mainstream. Under section 15 of the Standards in Scotland's Schools Etc Act 2000, education authorities will be required to include all pupils with special educat…
19 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any cuts in the provision of education services by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16415.
19 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring it is undertaking of the current situation with the education budget of Scottish Borders Council.
Answer · Jack McConnell: Councils are independent of central Government control and are locally accountable.<P>The Scottish Executive expects local authorities to manage their budgets on the resources available to them.<P>The Accounts Commission for Scotland has the overall responsib…
13 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people suffering from sleep apnoea in the Borders and East Lothian are currently receiving treatment by way of a continuous positive airway pressure machine.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16253.
13 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the Borders and East Lothian currently suffer from sleep apnoea.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16253.
13 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people suffering from sleep apnoea in the Borders and East Lothian are on a waiting list for a continuous positive airway pressure machine.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16253.
13 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make funding available to Lothian Health Board and Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust for the provision of continuous positive airway pressure treatment to relieve sleep apnoea.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The allocation of funding to Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust for the provision of sleep disorder services is a matter for the health boards that commission such services from the Trust. I understand, however, that Lothian Health Board and Lothian Unive…
12 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or Amey Highways Ltd is responsible for any consents or guidance on the placing of bunting, banners and flags across and alongside trunk roads during common ridings and gala weeks.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Amey Highways Ltd, as agent for the Scottish Executive, is responsible for consents and providing guidance to those wishing to place bunting, banners and flags across and alongside trunk roads.
6 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will establish a commission to examine policy and practice on all flood-related issues.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Ministers place great importance on flood prevention and in ensuring that robust arrangements are in place to address flooding.<P>The Executive keeps the overall position on flood-related issues under review to ensure that policy and practice is relevant and …
6 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15933 by Mr Jim Wallace on 5 June 2001, what the Criminal Justice Forum's remit is and who its members are.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The remit of the Criminal Justice Forum is: "To enable the Scottish Executive and those involved in the provision of criminal justice in Scotland to take an overall view of the issues facing the criminal justice system as a whole; to provide a regular op…
6 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what respite facilities are currently available to those caring for dementia sufferers, broken down by health board area.
Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.
5 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which health boards currently operate memory clinics for dementia sufferers.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Memory clinics are provided in the following health board areas:<P>Ayrshire and Arran<P>Dumfries and Galloway<P>Fife<P>Forth valley<P>Grampian<P>Greater Glasgow<P>Lothian<P>Western Isles<P>Some other health board areas provide memory loss services as part of …
5 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has conducted or plans to conduct an audit of respite facilities.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We have not conducted a specific audit of respite facilities. However, our policies on a number of fronts emphasise the importance of improving the quality and availability of respite care (or short break services), including our Carers Strategy for Scotland,…