Christine Grahame

1 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive with regard to comments made by Sheriff Principal Nicholson in the case Thomson v Thomson at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on 10 June 2002, whether it plans to amend the Ordinary Cause Rules to facilitate the attachment of a power of arrest to common law interdicts that pre-date the coming into…

Answer · Jim Wallace: I understand that Sheriff Principal Nicholson's comments in <I>Thomson</I> v <I>Thomson</I> have been considered by the Sheriff Court Rules Council, the statutory body responsible for proposing rules on civil procedure in the sheriff court, and that a change …

23 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the absence of third party rights of appeal in relation to planning issues is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive undertook a review of existing planning legislation and concluded that the current planning system, with its inbuilt checks and safeguards, is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) without further amendment.<P>However, w…

23 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Parkinson's disease nurses there are, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The information requested is not held centrally.

23 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many GPs have accredited training in Parkinson's disease, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are no central records kept of courses attended by individual GPs. However, GPs are encouraged to look at their own personal learning needs (based on the principles of adult learning), and the needs of their patients. Each GP receives an annual Postgrad…

23 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases initiated under the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 have proceeded to a power of arrest.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27839.

23 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases have been initiated using the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27839.

23 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on publicising the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27839.

23 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to increase public awareness of the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 and, if so, what form publicity to this end will take.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27839.

23 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has published regarding the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 offers an additional, and important, form of protection for individuals at risk of abuse. We issued press releases at the passing of the bill and the coming into force of the act, so as to give widespread publicit…

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any sheriff courthouses have been built since May 1999 and what the cost of any such developments has been.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service that no new sheriff courthouses have been built since May 1999, but a number have been extensively refurbished.

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which sheriff courthouses have had renovation work carried out on them since May 1999 and what the cost has been of such works.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service that the sheriff courthouses which have been the subject of substantial renovation works since May 1999 and the cost spent on each is as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7…

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has identified any issues in respect of there being no practitioner of civil legal aid in Peebles.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Ministers have no powers to direct that private solicitors undertake legal aid work; this is a commercial decision by solicitors. I understand that a legal aid practitioner in Peebles, which undertook 15 cases in 2000-01, has decided not to undertake new civi…

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what figures it holds on additional costs to the public purse of implementing each of its proposals for court business in Peebles.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The consultation exercise by the Scottish Court Service on the alternative proposals for the delivery of court business in Peebles will provide an opportunity for any additional costs or savings to be identified. At present, while it is recognised that there …

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected population is of the Peebles area for each of the next 10 years and whether such projections were taken into account when considering renovation or new build of the Peebles courthouse.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Population projections for areas smaller than council areas are not available. The latest, 2000 based, population projections up to the year 2016 for council areas within Scotland is published by the Registrar General in Table 1 of the booklet <I>Population P…

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the council offices at Rosetta Road, Peebles, would provide suitable alternative accommodation for a sheriff courthouse.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service that the council offices at Rosetta Road do not at present have sufficient available ancillary accommodation suitable for the sheriff, procurator fiscal, solicitors, witnesses and to hol…

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on the refurbishment of Jedburgh Sheriff Court in each of the last five years.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service that it is not possible to provide a separate figure for refurbishment since some of the general maintenance expenditure on the court can include an element of refurbishment. The total s…

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual running costs have been, excluding capital costs, for (a) Lochmaddy, (b) Tain, (c) Dingwall, (d) Portree and (e) Peebles sheriff courts in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01, (iii) 2001-02 and (iv) 2002 to date.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service (SCS) has provided information on the running and general maintenance costs for each court. This information is set out in the following table. It excludes capital expenditure and staff-related costs. Informat…

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil cases have been initiated at (a) Lochmaddy, (b) Tain, (c) Dingwall, (d) Portree and (e) Peebles sheriff courts in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01, (iii) 2001-02 and (iv) 2002-03, broken down by type of case.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The information provided by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service for each of the courts is set out in the following table:<P>Sheriff Court Civil<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=618><TR><TD WIDTH="44%" VALIGN="TOP">&nbsp;</TD><TD WI…

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many summary complaints have been dealt with at (a) Lochmaddy, (b) Tain, (c) Dingwall, and (d) Portree sheriff courts, whether proceeding to trial or otherwise, in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01, (iii) 2001-02 and (iv) 2002-03.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The information provided by the Scottish Court Service for the number of summary complaints dealt with at each of the courts requested is set out in the following table:<P>Sheriff Court - Summary Criminal<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR…

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many summary complaints have been dealt with at Peebles Sheriff Court , whether proceeding to trial or otherwise, in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02 and (d) 2002 -2003.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The information provided by the Scottish Court Service for the number of summary complaints dealt with at Peebles Sheriff Court is set out in the following table. The table includes those summary complaints registered under the jurisdiction of Peebles Sheriff…

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any policy within the children's hearings system in respect of cases not being brought to a panel hearing because the means of disposal, such as secure accommodation or fostering provision, is not available.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Principal Reporter will refer to a children's hearing any child considered to be in need of compulsory measures of care. The decision is not influenced by availability of resources available to local authorities to implement disposals from a hearing. Chil…

9 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26764 by Cathy Jamieson on 27 June 2002, how many secure accommodation places for (a) boys and (b) girls with (i) a physical disability and (ii) mental health problems there have been in (1) 1997-98, (2) 1998-99, (3) 1999-2000, (4) 2000-01 and (5) 20…

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: There are no secure places designed specifically for young people with a physical disability or who are have a clinical diagnosis of a mental health disorder. As part of the Executive's implementation of the 10-point youth crime action plan, I am currently ex…

8 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26388 by Mr Jim Wallace on 2 July 2002, whether it provided any advice to the operators of HM Prison Kilmarnock on drafting (a) the submission by Premier Custodial Group to the Justice 1 Committee of 26 October 2001, (b) the letter sent by Elaine Bai…

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:<P>SPS gave advice in respect of (a) and (d). No advice was given in respect of the letters referred to in (b) and (c).

5 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any problems arising from the Data Protection Acts with regard to providing papers to approved youth workers and criminal justice social workers in respect of young offenders referred to them by the diversion from prosecution programmes.

Answer · Richard Simpson: The Executive has not been made aware of any such problems.

1 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what degree of overcrowding there was in Scottish prisons in total and broken down by prison, also expressed as a percentage of the capacity of prisons, on 31 January, 31 March and 30 June 2002.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The available information is in the following tables:<P>Position at Friday 1 February 2002<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=453><…

1 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, applications which have qualified under its central heating installation programme have not yet had central heating installed, categorised by the month in which the application qualified in each of the last six months and broken down by local authority a…

Answer · Hugh Henry: In the period 1 January to 1 July 2002 there were a total of 5,301 applications for the central heating programme, as administered by Eaga. Four thousand, six hundred and fifty-nine of those applicants, or 88<B>%</B> of the total, are eligible for the program…

1 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time was under its central heating installation programme (a) between an application qualifying and being passed to the surveyor; (b) for an application being passed from the surveyor to the heating company and (c) from an application reaching the heating company to comp…

Answer · Hugh Henry: The terms of the question do not reflect the procedures under the central heating programme, as administered by Eaga. An application does not qualify until after a surveyor has visited the home to verify that the terms and conditions of the programme are met.…

28 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21063 by Mr Jim Wallace on 7 January 2002, what the estimated annual cost is of providing night-time sanitation to those 1,905 prisoners.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The cost of providing night-time sanitation is not separately identifiable from the other necessary improvements in living conditions in the prison service. The independently verified costs of improving the estate were set out in the Executive's consultation …

20 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide funding for a feasibility study into the possibility of re-opening Reston railway station.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The reopening of a railway passenger station at Reston is a local transport issue. As such we would expect the relevant local authority to take such a project forward.<P>Local authorities may apply for funding of feasibility studies for public transport impro…

20 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the consultation documents on Edinburgh's new transport initiative and copies of the Have Your Say leaflet have made available to the public in the Scottish Borders area.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26947.