Questions · Christine Grahame

27 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1933 by Iain Gray on 7 October 1999, how many elderly and frail people are currently in day care centres in East Lothian and the Borders, how many applications for such facilities have been refused over the past twelve months, how many are pending, a…

Answer · Iain Gray: The following two tables show (a) the number of elderly and frail people in day care centres, and (b) the number of clients on waiting lists for day care centre facilities for East Lothian and Scottish Borders. These tables relate to March 1998. Information r…

15 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the upgrading of the A1 trunk route from Berwick to Edinburgh.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Construction of a new stretch of dual carriageway on the A1 between Spott Road and Oswald Dean in East Lothian is currently underway and this scheme is expected to be open to traffic next month. A proposed upgrading t…

5 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it will make to ensure payment is made immediately to the 60 students at the Galashiels Heriot-Watt campus who have not yet received their loan cheques.

Answer · Henry McLeish: The Student Awards Agency for Scotland is currently processing the vast majority of properly completed applications within its target of 28 days from the date of receipt and is passing the necessary information on loans to the Student Loans Company Limited. N…

30 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make provision of day care for elderly and frail people a statutory requirement.

Answer · Iain Gray: Local Authorities are required under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to make provision for such facilities as they consider appropriate to meet the needs of people in their area.

29 Sep 1999 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make provision of day care for elderly and frail people a statutory requirement.

Answer · Iain Gray: Local Authorities are required under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to make provision for such facilities as they consider appropriate to meet the needs of people in their area.

23 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what stage the report into the reinstatement of the Waverley Line from Galashiels to Edinburgh has reached.

Answer · Alasdair Morrison: The Scottish Borders Railway Feasibility Study started in April and is due to be completed in December. The consultants are currently conducting detailed economic, social and environmental analyses of a number of selected options for reinstatement.

22 Sep 1999 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what stage the report into the reinstatement of the Waverley Line from Galashiels to Edinburgh has reached.

Answer · Alasdair Morrison: The Scottish Borders Railway Feasibility Study started in April and is due to be completed in December. The consultants are currently conducting detailed economic, social and environmental analyses of a number of selected options for reinstatement.

16 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Department of Trade and Industry regarding Regional Selective Assistance.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Regional Selective Assistance is a GB-wide scheme run to common guidelines in England, Scotland and Wales. The Scottish Executive has frequent discussions with the Department of Trade and Industry on various aspects of the scheme.

15 Sep 1999 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Department of Trade and Industry regarding Regional Selective Assistance.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Regional Selective Assistance is a GB-wide scheme run to common guidelines in England, Scotland and Wales. The Scottish Executive has frequent discussions with the Department of Trade and Industry on various aspects of the scheme.

14 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government to ascertain exactly when they had information which indicated that Viasystems intended closing its Borders operations and whether it can confirm that members of Scottish Borders Enterprise board of directors knew of the clo…

Answer · Henry McLeish: Officials in the then Scottish Office, in Locate in Scotland, and from Scottish Borders Enterprise maintained close contact both with Exacta Systems, and with Viasystems after their acquisition of the company. I understand that the Scottish Office w…

8 Sep 1999 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1049 by Henry McLeish on 6 September, whether the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in providing assurances regarding the grant award position at Viasystems, has at any time provided it with a copy of the DTI report of the investigation into th…

Answer · Henry McLeish: I have asked my Officials to arrange a meeting with Ms Grahame, to give her a fuller understanding of the background to this case.

3 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was on legal advice from the Scottish Office that the responsible medical officer reviewed his opinion that Noel Ruddle should not be discharged and, if so, who gave this advice, and what was the nature of it.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer to the answer given to question S1W-1354.

3 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review or conduct an inquiry into the actions and advice of the Lord Advocate's office from 19 March 1998 to date and, if so, whether the outcomes will be made available to the Parliament.

Answer · Donald Dewar: I have no such plans.

3 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what was the nature of the legal advice, given on or around 19 March 1998, which led to the transfer of Noel Ruddle to Broadmoor not proceeding and who gave that advice.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer to the answer given to question S1W-1356.

3 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, when in March 1998 Noel Ruddle announced his intention to appeal his detention, what legal advice was taken with regard to resisting his appeal, when was it sought, by whom and from whom.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer to the answer given to question S1W-1356.

3 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when on 9 April 1998 the Carstairs medical subcommittee told Noel Ruddle and the appropriate Scottish Office departments that it was recommending discharge, further legal advice was sought with regard to Mr Ruddle's appeal and, if so, what advice was received.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive cannot provide information about the actions of the previous administration.

3 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, once the Noel Ruddle hearing was in progress, what legal advice was received on the prospects of resisting the application for discharge, in particular given that the responsible medical officer had changed his views to support those of the Carstairs medical subcommittee.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Mr Ruddle's appeal was heard in April and May 1999. The Scottish Executive cannot provide information about the actions of the previous administration.On 2 September the Lord Advocate and I gave Parliament a full account of the si…

3 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether during the appeal proceedings any offer was made by Noel Ruddle's legal advisers to settle the appeal by agreeing to a conditional discharge, and if such an offer was made, what were the grounds for refusing it.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer to the Lord Advocate's letter of 10 September 1999 to Mrs Graham which addressed this point. A copy of that letter was placed at the time in SPICe.

24 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will propose to Her Majesty's Government that the appraisal methodology for Regional Selective Assistance be jointly reviewed in order to address the issues arising from the Viasystems case.

Answer · Henry McLeish: The Department of Trade and Industry, the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive administer Regional Selective Assistance to common guidelines. As part of the liaison between these Departments issues arising from unusual individual cases …

23 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government requesting that the Department of Trade and Industry reopen its investigation into the closure of the Viasystems plant in the Scottish Borders in order to investigate whether any Viasystems actions were in breach of the reg…

Answer · Henry McLeish: I refer Ms Grahame to my answer to question S1W-1049.

23 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is in possession of a copy of the Department of Trade and Industry's report of its investigation into the closure of the Viasystems plant in the Scottish Borders and, if so, whether it will make a copy of this report available.

Answer · Henry McLeish: This is a matter for the Department of Trade and Industry. DTI assures us that they have been monitoring the grant award position at Viasystems, that they will continue to do so and that there has been no breach of the grant conditions.

21 Jul 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to increase the level of average gross weekly earnings in the Scottish Borders Council area from #346.20, as referred to in Scottish Economic Statistics 2003, to the national average

Answer · Jim Wallace: Scottish Enterprise is charged with pursing the strategic priorities for economic development contained in A Smart, Successful Scotland. These priorities include improving productivity and competitiveness to enhance the long-term growth rate of the eco…