Parliamentary questions
Christine Grahame
3,532 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-25923 and S1W-25919 by Mrs Elish Angiolini on 5 June 2002, what specific steps the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is taking to address timeliness of reporting with (a) the police and (b) other agencies.
Answer · Elish Angiolini: We are at the early stages of discussion of service level agreements or protocols with the police, which will build upon less formal discussions which have taken place over many years. Timeliness of reporting is discussed where appropriate with other reportin…
7 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25928 by Mrs Elish Angiolini on 5 June 2002, what estimate it has made of wasted expenditure in respect of staff time in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service owing to adjournment of trials on the date of trial in each of the last five years…
Answer · Elish Angiolini: This information is not available.
7 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25928 by Mrs Elish Angiolini on 5 June 2002, what expenses have been paid to witnesses inconvenienced by an adjournment of trial in (a) the High Court of Justiciary, (b) the sheriff court in each sheriff court district and (c) each district court in …
Answer · Elish Angiolini: This information is not available.
24 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to harmonise the basis upon which domestic and commercial surface water drainage charges are calculated for metered users.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26315.
24 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the surface water drainage charges made to commercial premises with metered water.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26315.
24 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the basis upon which metered water charges are calculated.
Answer · Ross Finnie: This is a matter for Scottish Water. The Chief Executive's response is:<P>Scottish Water is currently undertaking a review of tariff structures for all the services it provides to its customers. The review will seek to establish: <P>the most appropriate tarif…
24 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the basis upon which metered water charges are calculated was formulated.
Answer · Ross Finnie: This is a matter for Scottish Water. The Chief Executive's response is:<P>Charges for metered customers have always been based on a combination of fixed and volumetric elements. The proportion of the charge represented by the fixed element is being increased …
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the letter from the Minister for Social Justice dated 22 February 2002 regarding Mrs Richardson of Bavelaw, Galashiels, whether it will reconsider its decision and award a retrospective grant under its central heating programme on the basis of the following exceptional cir…
Answer · Hugh Henry: The central heating programme has been widely publicised. That is why more than 12,000 applications have been received over the last year from households in the private sector.<P>The programme is targeted at households most at risk from the effects of cold an…
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for grants under the central heating installation programme have been rejected on the basis that (a) failed heating systems required to be replaced immediately before any grant could be approved and (b) applicants had not been aware of their eligibility for the cent…
Answer · Hugh Henry: The information requested is not collected.
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who prepared the report on the refurbishment of Peebles Sheriff Court.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The report on the refurbishment of Peebles Sheriff Court was prepared for the Scottish Court Service by Keppie Design, Architects, in partnership with Currie & Brown, Quantity Surveyors, White Young Green Consulting Engineers and Melville Dundas, Contract…
22 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the cost of repair and refurbishment of Peebles Sheriff Court is in the order of #1 million and, if not, what the figure is.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Yes, the cost of repair and refurbishment of Peebles Sheriff Court is estimated to be in the order of £1 million.
22 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the report into the refurbishment of Peebles Sheriff Court.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The report into the refurbishment of Peebles Sheriff Court will be available to interested parties once a conclusion on this matter has been reached.
22 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has reached any agreement with regard to a loan to Scottish Borders Council and, if so, whether it will detail the amount of the loan and any conditions attached to it.
Answer · Peter Peacock: No request for a loan has been received from Scottish Borders Council, and no loan has been agreed.
22 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25671 by Cathy Jamieson on 21 May 2002, what the criteria were for accessing the Special Educational Needs Innovation Grants Programme funding and in what ways Independent Special Education Advice failed to meet those criteria.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The following criteria and priorities were set out in the grant application pack:<UL><LI>promoting inclusive policies in mainstream and special schools</LI><LI>approaches to improving links, and sharing skills/expertise between special and mainstream schools<…
21 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to waive prescription charges for people with chronic disabling illnesses such as Parkinson's disease.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We have no plans to do so.
21 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the revised guidance issued to Historic Scotland on the flying of the Saltire on St. Andrew's Day will include the flying of the Saltire from Edinburgh Castle in substitution for the Union flag, given that the castle is run by Historic Scotland on its behalf.
Answer · Jim Wallace: No revision is required for flag flying at Edinburgh Castle. The Saltire is flown every day at the Half Moon Battery within Edinburgh Castle by Historic Scotland. The Union flag is flown every day at the Clock Tower by the army. Historic Scotland's house flag…
21 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to (a) ensure that the rules and applications for 50% rates relief for rural post offices are uniformly applied across Scotland and (b) establish a uniform definition of what constitutes a rural post office for the purposes of the scheme.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Responsibility for interpreting the legislative framework within which local authorities are required to operate rests with the individual authority and subsequently, where a ratepayer disagrees with that interpretation, the Courts.<P>The Non Domestic Rating …
21 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to extend the 50% rates relief scheme available to post offices in rural areas to those in deprived urban areas and which local authorities currently operate an additional 50% relief scheme for post offices in rural areas.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has no plans to extend the scope of the existing rural (village shop) rate relief scheme to post offices in deprived urban areas. Post offices in deprived urban areas may be eligible for rate relief under the small business rate relief …
21 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what figures are available regarding the number of threats, assaults and other criminal activity involving sub-postmasters.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.
21 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure that there is a secure environment for sub-postmasters in deprived urban areas where they are liable to threats and assault.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Post offices are a reserved issue. However, as part of a broad strategy aimed at providing support for communities in deprived urban areas Scottish ministers are currently considering ways in which post offices located in these areas might be assisted. If fin…
21 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to develop and the role and functions of sub-post offices in rural and deprived urban areas.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Consignia, post offices and postal services are reserved matters. The Executive can only assist post offices to achieve devolved purposes.<P>The Scottish National Rural Partnership's Report <I>Services in Rural Scotland </I>identified innovative approaches to…
21 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered, or will consider, making business advisers available to sub-postmasters in rural and deprived urban areas, on a similar basis to the use of the #700,000 spent under the Phoenix Fund for such a scheme in England.
Answer · Iain Gray: Responsibility for business support services in Scotland rests largely with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) networks. Access to business advisers for small businesses in Scotland, including sub-postmasters, is already available.…
21 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many speech therapists there have been in each NHS board area in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01, (c) 2001-02 and (d) 2002-03 to date.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the latest centrally available data for headcount and whole-time equivalent of speech therapists by NHS board in Scotland:<P>Speech Therapists in Scotland by NHS Board at 30 September<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 WIDTH=536><TR><TD WIDT…
21 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average time is from GP referral to the first consultation with a neurologist in respect of a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease in each NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally. Data on waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant is collected at speciality level only. <P>The median waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant in Neurology,…
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the reports prepared for HM Prisons Barlinnie and Peterhead as part of the estates review and submitted to the Scottish Prison Service at the same time as the report Constructing the Future was submitted will be placed in the Scottish Parliament's Information Centre, detailing th…
Answer · Jim Wallace: refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25721.
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25236 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 May 2002, how it reconciles the answer with the evidence given by Michael Crossan, former deputy governor of Low Moss to the Justice 1 Committee on 14 May 2002 (Official Report col. 3544), that Eric Murch had prepared the…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>The <I>Constructing the Future</I> report bore the name of Eric Murch as he was governor of Low Moss at the time, but as stated by Mike Crossan…
16 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to establish in full a scheme in Scotland similar to the Phoenix Fund which operates in England to encourage entrepreneurship in disadvantaged areas.
Answer · Iain Gray: We have no plans to do so. The Enterprise Networks already target entrepreneurship in disadvantaged areas through a range of measures - including the holding of Personal Enterprise Shows in such areas. We have also introduced recently a specific Scottish Ente…
15 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24826 by Mr Jim Wallace on 13 May 2002, in relation to paragraph 2.3.2 of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Review of Scottish Prison Service Estates Review, why it considers the annual cost per prisoner place for the public sector comparator comparable wit…
Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25935.
15 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to paragraph 2.3.2 of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Review of Scottish Prison Service Estates Review, why the site cost is included in the capital and development costs for the public sector comparator.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The cost of acquiring a site is not included in any option as is made clear in Paragraph 1.3. Actual design and subsequent costs are dependent on the shape and size of site. For the purposes of the Public Sector Comparator, the locationally dependent costs we…
15 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the number of summary criminal trials adjourned in advance of the trial date due to the unavailability of police officers.
Answer · Elish Angiolini: Police officers inform the procurator fiscal, in the report which they submit, of any dates on which they will not be available. Procurators Fiscal take that information into account in accepting suggested trial diets. Lothian and Borders Police are, with the…