Parliamentary questions
Christine Grahame
3,532 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the meeting scheduled with Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) officials on 16 May 2006, in what format the SCRA is to report to ministers regarding youth justice reporting.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-27270 on 2 August 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
5 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the meeting scheduled with Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) officials on 16 May 2006, what new measures the SCRA is required to report on to ministers regarding youth justice reporting.
Answer · Hugh Henry: No meeting took placebetween Scottish Executive officials and Scottish Children’s ReporterAdministration (SCRA) staff on 16 May 2006.</p><p>With regard to youth justicereporting, no further requirements have been placed on SCRA in respect of newmeasures on wh…
5 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agreed with and supported the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA) view that it should not issue the Q4 Youth Justice Report prepared by SCRA in April 2006.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The first run of the 2005-06data (including data on the final quarter of 2005-06) was undertaken by the ScottishChildren’s Reporter Administration on 1 and 2 June 2006in accordance with agreed reporting timelines.</p><p>This reflects the processadopted in res…
5 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings ministers or their officials have held with officials from the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration at which the issue of persistent young offenders was discussed or formed part of the agenda since July 2005, also broken down by month.
Answer · Hugh Henry: According to Scottish ExecutiveEducation Department staff calendar archives, persistent young offenders or youthjustice data issues were due to be discussed at eight meetings in the relevant timeperiod.</p><p>The relevant meetings are recordedas follows:</p><…
4 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings have ministers or their officials held with officials from the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) at which the SCRA’s annual report for 2005/06 was discussed since May 2006.
Answer · Robert Brown: Scottish Executive officialshave held one meeting with the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration(SCRA) since May 2006 at which SCRA’s Annual Report 2005-06 was discussed.</p><p>Separately I have establisheda “task group” with representatives of SCRA, th…
4 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many updates highlighting the number of persistent young offenders, compared to the total number of young offenders, have ministers or their officials received from the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration which have shown a drop in the number of persistent young offenders for …
Answer · Hugh Henry: Quarterly updates on youth justiceare laid in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, covering the period of interestto the member.</p><p><i>Scottish Youth Justice Data– Quarterly Performance Monitoring Reports</i> have the following references - Quarter …
4 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates its provisional media lines were prepared in relation to feedback and provisional figures being provided by the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration to ministers or their officials related to persistent young offenders.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Scottish Executive officialscontinuously update and revise briefing and advice to ministers in the light ofnew evidence and emerging trends.</p><p>Provisional media lines wereprepared for the publication of <i>Quarter 3 2005-06 data</i> on 31 March 2006 and t…
4 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates in this year did the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration provide ministers or their officials with provisional statistics showing national and local authority data on youth justice, including figures on persistent young offenders.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The Scottish Children’s ReporterAdministration (SCRA) does not provide “provisional statistics” to the ScottishExecutive on youth justice. Officials and partners in other agencies regularly receivedata pre-publication. Quarterly and annual youth justice data …
4 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has provided to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration since March 2005 in relation to the provision of information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Answer · Robert Brown: The Scottish Executive has notprovided any specific guidance to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration(SCRA) since March 2005 in relation to the provision of information under the Freedomof Information (Scotland) Act 2002.</p><p>Internal guidance pro…
4 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26585 by Cathy Jamieson, what the total cost was of employing PA Consulting from April 2004 and May 2006.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The total cost to the ScottishExecutive of employing PA Consulting Group between April 2004 and May 2006 to providesupport and advice to local and national partners on youth justice issues was £1,744,256.31.</p>
4 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive in how many fatal and serious road accidents were heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) involved in (a) total and (b) the South of Scotland parliamentary region, in each year from 1999.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The following table gives thenumbers of fatal and serious injury road accidents involving heavy goods vehiclesin (a) Scotland and (b) the South of Scotland Scottish Parliament regionin each of the years from 1999 to 2005. Some accidents involved more than one…
4 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-14076 by Nicol Stephen on 22 March 2005, in how many fatal and serious road accidents were (a) exceeding the speed limit and (b) travelling too fast for the conditions contributory factors, from January 2005.
Answer · Tavish Scott: Data about injury road accidentsare collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the Stats19 statistical report form.</p><p>Statistical information aboutthe factors which may have contributed to the occurrence of an injury road acciden…
4 Jul 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many fatal and serious road accidents there have been in the South of Scotland parliamentary region in each year from 1999 to date, broken down by road class and number.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The following table gives thenumber of fatal and serious road accidents by road class and number in the Southof Scotland Scottish Parliament Region in each of the years from 2002 to 2005. Asregards figures for the years from 1999 to 2001, I refer the member t…
30 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make representations to Her Majesty’s Government to enable Scottish-registered charities to fundraise across the United Kingdom.
Answer · Johann Lamont: Scottish-registeredcharities can fundraise outside Scotland provided they comply with any relevant legislationin the jurisdiction in which they plan to fundraise. The Scottish Executive isliaising with officials in Whitehall over the development of a UK wides…
30 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many English-based registered charities have carried out fundraising in Scotland using the designation “UK national” but have not provided any service or support in Scotland in each year since 2001.
Answer · Johann Lamont: The Scottish Executive doesnot hold this information. However, under the <i>Charities and TrusteeInvestment (</i><i>Scotland</i><i>) Act 2005</i>if the body is not registered as a charity in Scotland, but recognised as a charityunder another jurisdiction, suc…
28 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects HM Treasury to come to a view on the implementation of planning-gain supplement in Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The HM Treasury consultationpublished alongside the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s 2005 Pre-Budget Reportindicated that the Planning-gain supplement would not be implemented prior to2008.</p><p>Executive officials willcontinue to keep in close touch with HMT o…
28 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any meetings between HM Treasury officials and Scottish ministers or officials about the implementation of planning-gain supplement in Scotland and, if so, how many meetings there have been and when they took place.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Scottish Executive officialshave met with HM Treasury representatives on four separate occasions to discussthe possible introduction of a planning-gain supplement. Specifically, ScottishExecutive officials met with Treasury officials in Edinburgh on18 April 2…
28 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which ministers have been consulted by HM Treasury in respect of the implementation of planning-gain supplement in Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Ministers issueda collective response to the HM Treasury consultation on planning-gainsupplement. The response is available on the Scottish Executive website at: <ahref="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/05/24153534/0">http://www.scotl…
28 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to develop and maintain the www.scotlandistheplace.com website since its launch.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.
28 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many unique visits there have been to www.scotlandistheplace.com in each month since its launch.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Data on the number of uniquevisits to www.scotlandistheplace.com each month since its launch in May 2004 isset out in the following table.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width=95 valign=top> <p>2004</p> </td> <td wi…
23 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many referrals there have been to the Reporter to the Children’s Panel regarding children with personal drug problems in each year since 1999.
Answer · Robert Brown: The Scottish Children’s ReporterAdministration holds information relating to the number of referrals to the Children’sReporter under section 52(2)(j) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (i.e. “has misusedalcohol or any drug, whether or not a controlled drug w…
23 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18056 by Robert Brown on 10 August 2005, how many referrals there have been to the Reporter to the Children’s Panel regarding children with personal alcohol problems in each year since 2004.
Answer · Robert Brown: The Scottish Children’s ReporterAdministration holds information relating to the number of referrals to the Children’sReporter under section 52(2)(j) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (i.e. “has misusedalcohol or any drug, whether or not a controlled drug w…
13 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it provides to Planning Aid for Scotland.
Answer · Johann Lamont: In the financial year2006-07, Planning Aid for Scotland will receive up to £225,283 from the ScottishExecutive. This is made up of the following four streams:</p><p>Core funding - £100,000from the Scottish Executive Planning Division;</p><p>Funding for a Volu…
8 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff at the Social Work Services Inspectorate were disciplined following allegations of staff misuse of resources in 2004-05.
Answer · Tom McCabe: There were no staff directlyemployed by the Scottish Executive at the Social Work Inspectorate disciplined followingallegations of staff misuse of resources in 2004-05.</p><p>There was, however, a temporaryworker supplied by an employment agency who was found…
8 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff at Historic Scotland were disciplined following allegations of staff purchasing irregularities in 2004-05.
Answer · Tom McCabe: No staff at Historic Scotlandwere disciplined following allegations of staff purchasing irregularities in 2004-05,because the individual concerned resigned. Subsequent to that, however, the individualwas subject to the appropriate legal process, resulting in …
8 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff were disciplined following investigation into the fraudulent manipulation of witness expense claim forms at the Procurator Fiscal’s Office in Glasgow in 2004-05.
Answer · Colin Boyd: One member of Crown Officeand Procurator Fiscal Service staff was suspended from duty during theinvestigation into the allegations and has since been successfully prosecuted. Theformer member of staff resigned before being dismissed.</p>
8 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff have been disciplined as a result of alleged procurement irregularities at the Scottish Court Service headquarters in Edinburgh since 2004.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: No instances of procurement irregularityhave occurred at the Scottish Court Service Headquarters since 2004.</p><p>Since the agency was establishedin 1995 there have only been two allegations of procurement irregularities in theSCS. Both occurred in 2003. The…
8 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff were disciplined as a result of alleged (a) misconduct, (b) expenses irregularities and (c) travel and related expenses irregularities in each year from 1999-2000 to 2005-06, broken down by department.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The following table showsnumber of Scottish Executive staff who have been disciplined as a result ofmisconduct broken down by year and core department.</p><p>Department NumberPer Year</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td valign=…
8 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what concerns it has expressed to Scottish Borders Council regarding the proposal to demolish the historic Government Buildings in Galashiels as part of a proposed supermarket development.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Historic Scotland, a ScottishExecutive agency, sought to recognise the historic merit of the Government Buildings(former Textile College) in Galashiels by listing the property as a buildingof special architectural and historic interest in 2004. In doing this,…
8 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish Borders Council and local agencies, such as Scottish Enterprise, with regard to the proposals to develop two large supermarkets in Galashiels.
Answer · Johann Lamont: The Scottish Executive has discussednature conservation issues with Scottish Natural Heritage and Historic Scotlandhave had contact with the council both over the proposed demolition of the GovernmentBuildings in relation to the planning application by Tesco …