Parliamentary questions

Elaine Murray

2,411 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

2 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take action to ensure that sex offenders in prison who have been convicted of serious offences such as rape and have failed to participate in programmes that address their offending behaviour are not released into the community without completing their sentence.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Offenders who are convicted of an offence that requires them to register under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and sentenced to imprisonment for 6 months or more are on licence for the entire portion of their sentence that is served in the community. Su…

2 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that all sex offenders in prison who have been convicted of serious offences such as rape are involved in programmes that address their offending behaviour.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows: The SPS is currently developing a national strategy for the management of sex offenders. The strategy will set out how the SPS inten…

2 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what sanctions can be taken against managers of off-sales premises and their employees who sell alcohol to individuals who are inebriated.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Under section 76 of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976, it is an offence for a licence-holder or his employee or agent to sell or supply in licensed premises any alcoholic liqueur to a drunken person. The maximum penalty is a fine of level 5 with the licence-h…

2 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what sanctions can be taken against managers of licensed premises and their employees who sell alcohol to individuals who are inebriated.

2 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects responsibility for development of crofting to transfer from the Crofters Commission to Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Answer · Michael Russell: Discussions are under way between the Scottish Government, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Crofters Commission about arrangements for the transfer of crofting community development. A transfer date has yet to be confirmed.

2 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what annual funding is provided to the Crofters Commission to enable it to undertake its role of developing crofting.

Answer · Michael Russell: The planned administrative budget for the Crofters Commission for 2008-09 amounted to some £3.5 million. It is estimated that around £250,000 of this annual budget will be available for the purpose of crofting community development. The Scottish Government ha…

26 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what changes there have been to the eligibility criteria for a free bus pass for people suffering from epilepsy since the free bus travel scheme for older and disabled people was introduced.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There have been no changes to the eligibility criteria for people suffering from epilepsy. However, the application process has been made easier for epilepsy sufferers applying on the grounds that, for medical reasons, they have been refused a driving licence…

25 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has published, or intends to publish, the responses to its consultation on the use of electric shock collars.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The responses to the Scottish Government consultation on The Use, Sale, Distribution and Possession of Electronic Training Aids have, where the respondents have agreed to their responses being made public, been placed in the Scottish Government library. A sum…

8 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any statutory reason why deliveries of less than 500 litres of oil to residential homes are not permitted.

Answer · Jim Mather: The minimum volume of heating oil that can legally be delivered by road tanker, using a mechanical meter, is 500 litres. This is specified by national weights and measures regulations in Statutory Instrument No. 1269:2006. The Measuring Instruments (Liquid Fu…

20 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what checks are made on horses travelling between Scotland and Northern Ireland to ensure that they have been issued with equine passports.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Animal Health carry out random checks on all livestock moving from Scotland to Northern Ireland through the port at Stranraer. When these involve horses, transporters are asked to produce the passports. On occasions when the passport has not accompanied the h…

12 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the eligibility criteria for an Education Maintenance Allowance.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government keeps matters such as future eligibility for the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) scheme under regular consideration in light of the evidence that is collected on the effectiveness of EMA.

12 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the number of dependent children in the household is not included in assessing eligibility for an Education Maintenance Allowance.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The income assessment being used for the national programme of EMAs in Scotland is based on that used by HM Revenue and Customs in their Tax Credit Awards. The household income assessment takes account of the income of those adults who have a caring responsib…

28 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to deter motorists from speeding on the M74.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Under the Scottish Safety Camera Programme six mobile camera sites, five within Dumfries and Galloway and one within Strathclyde, have been successfully established on the M74 and the A74 (M). Since the cameras have been deployed the average speed of the traf…

28 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide additional funding for Dumfries and Galloway Council to assist with the control of gulls and, if so, how much will be provided.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government announced on 22 August 2008 that it would be working with Dumfries and Galloway Council to help develop a joint pilot project. The aim of this project is to identify and implement measures which will reduce the problems caused by breed…

28 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it intends to provide to local authorities as a result of the seagull summit in Dumfries on 24 June 2008.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government fully appreciates that urban gull colonies can cause problems for residents and businesses in Scottish towns and together with its agencies is committed to providing information and expert advice to support local management action. The…

28 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it provided for the seagull summit in Dumfries on 24 June 2008.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Gull Summit held on 24 June 2008 was self-financing, delegates paid an attendance fee which covered the direct costs of the event. The Scottish Government and its agencies did however contribute significantly to the organisation of the event and officials…

28 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many delegates attended the seagull summit in Dumfries on 24 June 2008.

Answer · Michael Russell: A total of 64 delegates attended the gull summit held on 24 June 2008.

28 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what conclusions were reached at the seagull summit in Dumfries on 24 June 2008 on the best methods of controlling gulls and whether these conclusions will be published.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Gull Summit in Dumfries on 24 June 2008 concluded that the implementation of preventative measures such as gull proofing and nest destruction is the most effective way to reduce the size of urban gull colonies and to limit nesting success. Implementation …

28 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times ministers have met the Scottish Kennel Club since May 2007 to discuss electric shock collars and similar training devices.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: None.

21 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it will offer to the employees of Langholm Dyeing Company who are being made redundant due to the company going into administration.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government''s Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) initiative has been triggered and the local PACE team met with employees of Langholm Dyeing Company on Monday 4 August and Thursday 7 August. The meetings provided an opportunity f…