Elaine Murray

20 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the £600,000 included in the revenue support grant to local authorities for family mediation services will be allocated to each local authority.

Answer · Hugh Henry: No decisions have yet been reached on the distribution of the resources which we plan to channel through local authorities as from April 2007. Discussions continue with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. Our aim in transferring grant support to loc…

17 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will issue its response to the consultation on its review of the Trunk Road and Motorway Tourist Signposting policy and when it expects any changes in policy to come into effect.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The need to await formal councilresponses has delayed the end of the consultation process until 21 March 2006 whenthe last local authority committee approved response is expected. ThereafterTransport Scotland will publish the results and response to theconsul…

16 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the request from the Scottish Legal Aid Board to enable it to extend the number of instalments for payment of an applicant’s assessed contribution beyond 20.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The recent consultationpaper on Advice for All: <i>Publicly Funded Legal Assistance in Scotland – The Way</i>Forward specifically raised the question of whether, in cases where personsin receipt of civil legal aid are required to make a contribution towards t…

16 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what sources of funding might be available to assist with the development of local services for people with hearing impairment.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive allocatesfunding under Grant Aided Expenditure to allow local authorities to provideservices to meet the needs of people with sensory impairment in their area, forensuring that information is widely available and easily accessible, and fordecidi…

16 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it is giving to the report entitled “Review of First Impressions of Scotland” and when it expects to respond to the report.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The Executive will publish areport of the progress made on addressing the recommendations of the FirstImpressions of Scotland Report during the summer 2006.</p>

16 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the renewal date for applications for Organic Maintenance Payments in 2005 was set at 31 March and what information regarding this closing date it provided to those farmers whose renewal dates were later than 31 March 2005.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: There is no “renewal date” forOrganic Maintenance payments. The Organic Aid Scheme offers farmers five-year agreementsto convert to or maintain organic production. It is a discretionary scheme underwhich all applications are considered together on their merit…

16 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many organic farmers have not had their applications for the Organic Aid Scheme renewed in 2005 and what the main reasons were for non-renewal.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: There is no provision for “renewal”of Organic Aid Scheme applications. Farmers and crofters may apply for five-yearagreements under the scheme, at the end of which they are eligible to apply fora further, organic maintenance agreement. All applications are co…

9 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how the funding available to NHS boards to improve sexual health compares with that available to health authorities in England.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive is making available an extra £15 million over the next three financial years, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 to help implement the national sexual health strategy Respect and Responsibility. This money is additional to the resources already being …

9 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been, or will be, made available to each NHS board from 2005-06 to 2007-08 to improve sexual health and to tackle sexual health problems.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive is making available an additional £15 million over the next three years to help implement the national sexual health strategy Respect and Responsibility. Most of the extra resources, £4.5 million per year will be spent on front line services. Th…

9 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the delay in progressing Dumfries and Galloway Council's PPP application for the improvement of its schools estate.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive made an offer of financial support in June 2002 to Dumfries and Galloway Council for a schools PPP project. The council took a decision in May 2005 to rescope their project, following which the Executive confirmed that its offer of fina…

9 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have modernised their school estates using public private partnerships in each of the last five years and how many schools each authority has rebuilt or refurbished.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Ten local authorities entered into school public private partnership (PPP) projects following Scottish Office offers of financial support in 1998. The number of schools involved is set out in the table. Work on the schools was completed over the period 2000 t…

8 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration is being given to establishing a process for the resolution of claims for negligence without the need to go to court.

Answer · Hugh Henry: We support and encourage the use of alternative methods of dispute resolution where appropriate. We have published guidance for the public on resolving disputes without going to court and we are providing support and funding for a range of mediation and advic…

2 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the funding redistributed from the confiscated assets of drug dealers under the Proceeds of Crime Act (2002) was allocated to projects in Dumfries and Galloway in 2003-04 and 2004-05.

Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22922 on 23 February 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/weba…

2 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the monetary value of the assets confiscated from drug dealers in Scotland under the Proceeds of Crime Act (2002) was redistributed to communities and community projects in 2003-04 and 2004-05.

Answer · Hugh Henry: None of the Scottish Recovered Assets Fund was reinvested in community projects in 2003-04 and 2004-05. The funding available in 2003-04 and 2004-05 was used for a national campaign in early 2005 to encourage communities to report drug dealers to the police t…

2 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the value was of (a) illegal drugs seized, (b) property recovered through the powers of civil recovery under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act (2002) and (c) cash seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act (2002), in the area where Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary is the reporting fo…

Answer · Colin Boyd: (a) This information is not held centrally.</p> <p> (b) The value of property recovered under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, using civil recovery powers in the Court of Session, in the area where Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary is the reporting …

1 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what budget each local authority will receive from the Executive for private sector housing grants under the Care and Repair Scheme in this and the next financial year.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p> <p>In the current year approx £2.335 million Care and Repair funding has been provided to local authorities through Private Sector Housing Gran…

1 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much each local authority has received from the Executive for private sector housing grants under the Care and Repair Scheme in each of the last three years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p> <p>In the current year approx £2.335 million Care and Repair funding has been provided to local authorities through Private Sector Housing Gran…

1 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding supplied to local authorities for private sector housing grants under the Care and Repair Scheme is ring-fenced.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p> <p>Funding supplied for Care and Repair schemes through the Private Sector Housing Grant Scheme is currently ring fenced.</p>

20 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it imposes any conditions on local authorities regarding the provision of grants for roof repairs for privately owned houses and, if so, what these conditions are.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive does not impose on local authorities any conditions that are specifically concerned with the provision of repairs or improvement grants for roof repairs. It is for the local authority to decide whether to make such a grant, except where…

19 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21968 by Rhona Brankin on 18 January 2006, what information it has in respect of the successful application for flood prevention measures from Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Further to my answer to question S2W-21968 on 18 January 2006, an offer of flood prevention grant funding to Dumfries and Galloway Council was made in June 2004 for the Portpatrick Flood Prevention Scheme amounting to some £638,000. This was spread over the y…

19 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21968 by Rhona Brankin on 18 January 2006, during which financial year funding was made available to each of the local authorities cited as making successful applications for flood prevention schemes.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Further to my answer to question S2W-21968 on 18 January 2006, the funding made available each financial year to each local authority for flood prevention schemes is tabulated below.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <t…

19 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21968 by Rhona Brankin on 18 January 2006, what funding was made available to each of the local authorities cited as making successful applications for flood prevention schemes.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Further to my answer to your question S2W-21968 answered on 18 January 2006, the following funding was made available to each local authority for flood prevention schemes.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=218> <thead> <tr> <td…

17 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether an offence relating to fishing without a licence to fish in that part of the Solway Firth defined as “Scottish waters” can be prosecuted through the English courts and, if so, why this is permissible.

Answer · Ross Finnie: It would be possible to prosecute an offence relating to fishing without a licence in the Scottish side of the Solway Estuary in an English Court. Fishing licensing arrangements are set up on a UK basis. The only licensing regime that applies exclusively at p…

16 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the community of Ewes, near Langholm, will be broadband-enabled by Spring 2006.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: We are aware there are still households within some communities that are out of reach of broadband, such as those in Ewes. With the help of independent technical advice, we are currently considering potential solutions. We will first outline our approach to t…

16 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the provisions of the Family Law (Scotland) Bill will come into effect.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The provisions of the Family Law (Scotland) Bill will come into effect in the late spring or early summer of 2006.</p>

22 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have applied for funding from it for flood prevention schemes in the last five years and which applications have been successful.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The undernoted local authorities have applied for funding for flood prevention schemes in the last five years. All were successful.</p> <p>Local Authority</p><p>Aberdeenshire</p><p>Aberdeen City</p><p>Argyll and Bute</p><p>Dumfries and Galloway</p><p>City of …

16 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the levels of Cs-137 contamination from the Chernobyl accident were last measured and what the results were for the Eskdalemuir, Langholm and Lockerbie areas of Dumfries and Galloway.

Answer · Ross Finnie: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, which regularly monitors environmental radioactivity in Scotland, including Caesium-137 derived from Chernobyl fall-out. Its results are published annually, in the joint publication…

15 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the results of the three pilot projects in Fife, Highland and North Lanarkshire schools on restorative practices following pupil exclusion will be disseminated.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive will use a range of methods to disseminate the findings of the pilot projects on restorative practices as follows:</p> <p>A section of the website <a href="http://www.betterbehaviourscotland.gov.uk/">www.betterbehaviourscotland.gov.uk</…

15 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is helping local authorities to implement the recommendations of Better Behaviour - Better Learning.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has taken a number of steps to help local authorities to implement the recommendations of <i>Better Behaviour - Better Learning</i> including the following:</p> <p>The Scottish Executive has provided education authorities with funding, …

15 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities are taking part in the modelling exercise exploring the potential for integrated service delivery within local areas, commissioned by the Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform, and when the outcome of the exercise will be made public.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The Integrated Services Delivery and Governance Modelling Project currently involves the 27 local authorities set out in the list below. A wide range of their principal community planning partners and other public service organisations are also involved in th…