Parliamentary questions
Elaine Murray
2,411 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any discussions have taken place, or are planned, with visitscotland regarding the promotion of tourism in rural areas and, in particular, in those areas affected by the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: We are in close contact with visitscotland, which is finalising, in partnership with Area Tourist Boards, a recovery plan for the tourism industry. This will include launching the postponed £2 million spring campaign and specific help for Dumfries and Gallowa…
12 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make any statutory instruments which will allow the transport of uninfected animals to slaughterhouses in areas in which foot-and-mouth disease has been identified.
Answer · Ross Finnie: A Statutory Instrument, The Foot and Mouth Declaratory (Controlled Area) (Scotland) (No 2) Order 2001, was introduced on Friday 2 March 2001. This provides the legislative framework for a licensing scheme for movement of livestock from farm direct to slaughte…
12 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the proposals put forward by the Federation of Small Businesses regarding actions which might be taken by financial institutions and central and local government to help businesses in Dumfries and Galloway affected by the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and wheth…
Answer · Ross Finnie: I am aware of the work that the Federation of Small Businesses is doing in the Dumfries and Galloway area. It is feeding into the impact assessment currently being co-ordinated by Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway which is itself feeding into the Scot…
12 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the surveys being undertaken by the Federation of Small Businesses and the area tourist board in Dumfries and Galloway on the economic effects of the foot and mouth outbreak in the region and whether it will receive copies of the results of the surveys.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I am fully aware of the work being done in the Dumfries and Galloway area. The Federation of Small Businesses survey is contributing to a wider partnership of local organisations, led by Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway, looking at the impact the foo…
8 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in relation to Common Agricultural Policy subsidy payments during the current foot and mouth outbreak.
Answer · Ross Finnie: We will be implementing the CAP subsidy rules as flexibly as possible where producers have been unable to comply with these due to the foot and mouth disease restrictions. We will also be making balance and other payments under the schemes as early as possibl…
1 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what further progress has been made in implementing the Land Reform Action Plan published in August 1999.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I am pleased to announce that the latest progress report of action to implement our wide-ranging <I>Land Reform Action Plan</I> is published today. All MSPs are receiving copies, and the report is also available on the Scottish Executive website and in the Pa…
28 Feb 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been treated by the NHS to date in 2000-01 compared to 1996-97.
Answer · Susan Deacon: People are treated in a variety of settings by the NHS, for example as inpatients to hospital, through outpatient clinics (consultant and nurse led), by their GP and by community health visitor or other community health teams contacts. Although information on…
26 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what contact it has made with agencies involved in determining the school curriculum with regard to the inclusion of antenatal health promotion in personal and social development studies, as suggested in its report A Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Authorities are encouraged to address health education within a comprehensive programme of personal and social education. This approach is designed to ensure that information is given, not in isolation, but as part of a programme aimed at helping young people…
26 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the public will be made aware of the changes to service delivery proposed in its report A Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland and whether it will undertake a public education programme in relation to these changes.
Answer · Susan Deacon: A leaflet on the <I>Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland</I> has been produced and widely distributed for the public particularly in places where women access health information and advice.
26 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether maternity services will be considered as a special project under the Scottish Telemedicine Initiative and whether financing of such a project would come from the #5 million which the Executive is investing in telemedicine.
Answer · Susan Deacon: In <I>A Framework for maternity services in Scotland</I>, published in February the need for consideration to be given to the inclusion of maternity services as a specific project under the Scottish Telemedicine Initiative was recognised in the implementation…
26 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide additional funding to support the recommendations in its report A Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive allocates substantial resources to the NHS throughout Scotland, with every health board receiving at least 5.5% more this year. The NHS locally is best placed to decide how to use these resources most effectively to support national pri…
26 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what further steps it will be taking to assist local authorities develop Public/Private Partnerships (PPP) to rebuild and repair school buildings and, in particular, whether assistance will be available to them to bridge revenue gaps in PPP repayments.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I have recently announced the allocation of £5 million amongst a number of authorities to take forward work on feasibility studies into possible further school Public/Private Partnership projects. We are currently giving consideration to the possibility of ap…
26 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it consults with tourist businesses which are not members of their area tourist board and, if so, how.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: Yes. We consult with businesses through their representative organisations, either by correspondence or through meetings.
26 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making regarding the development of a science strategy.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Scotland's first integrated Science Strategy will be published soon.
26 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote the early detection of dyslexia and other similar conditions.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive is providing over £5 million per year to local authorities for the development and training of classroom-based staff and trainee educational psychologists working with children with special educational needs, including dyslexia and othe…
26 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place a statutory duty on local authorities to control seagulls in urban environments.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: Local authorities already have full discretionary powers to control seagulls where necessary. The Executive has no plans to impose a statutory duty on councils.
26 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it applies current legislation on the control of seagulls in urban environments.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: It is for local authorities to take appropriate measures to control seagulls should this become necessary. Councils have full discretionary powers to do so. Licences are issued by the Scottish Executive to cover situations where lethal control is the only sat…
26 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to assist people with mental health problems gain employment.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Employment is a matter reserved to the UK Government. The New Deal is delivered in Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Executive and other Scottish organisations. The New Deal for Disabled People, which will be extended nationally from July 2001, will o…
19 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give details of any allocations of grants to education authorities to support the development of public private partnership projects for school buildings.
Answer · Jack McConnell: Following consideration of applications from some authorities, I am able to announce the following allocations which will enable the authorities to take forward work on feasibility studies into possible further school Public private partnership projects:<TABL…
7 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to act upon the recommendations in the Report of the Deferrals Working Group and, if so, whether new arrangements will come into force at the beginning of the 2001-02 school year as proposed in the report.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-13189.
7 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the five recommendations in the Report of the Deferrals Working Group, presented to the Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs on 10 November 2000.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I am currently consulting CoSLA on the recommendations of the Working Group (including the resource implications and the implementation timetable). This process should be completed by the end of March and I will make a full response as soon as possible after …
7 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Registrar General for Scotland will publish a policy statement about marriages at Gretna.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I understand that the Registrar General is today issuing a policy statement on marriages at Gretna in the light of recent concerns. His statement outlines the legal background to the solemnisation of marriages in Scotland, summarises recent marriage trends at…
16 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by the European Commission on proposals on the presence of GM seeds in the seed of conventional species.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Commission has recently published a working paper on the presence of GM seeds in seeds of conventional varieties and this is being made available for consultation among interested organisations. I have arranged for copies of the Commission proposals to be…
11 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current arrangements for the registration and ringing of birds under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 are to be reviewed.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: Action is being taken on a number of fronts. A review of registration charges has already been conducted and the proposals subjected to public consultation. I expect to announce a new charging regime in the near future.<P>A review of Schedule 4 to the Wildlif…
3 Jan 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to improve the fabric of schools.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I recently announced an additional £17.2 million in the current financial year to assist authorities in dealing with immediate repairs, maintenance and equipment problems in schools. In addition, by 2003-04 capital allocations for local authority investment i…
20 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer by Rhona Brankin to my supplementary question to S1O-2259 on 20 September 2000 and the answer to question S1W-11344 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 18 December 2000, when it intends to discuss with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities the impact of the non-payment …
Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Executive corresponded on this subject with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities in December last year. The payment of discretionary bursaries remains a matter for each local authority. Although CoSLA offered to re-issue its existing guidance on d…
19 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current funding settlement for further education colleges includes an element for increasing salaries and wages in line with inflation and, if so, what percentage increase is assumed.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The resources for further education announced in the Spending Review 2000 contain no such specific element. Salaries and wages in further education colleges are a matter for individual Boards of Management to determine.
6 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to measure the quality of drinking water.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: The quality of drinking water is monitored in accordance with the Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 1990 and the findings are published each year in <I>Drinking Water Quality in Scotland</I>. The latest edition of this report is <I>Drinking …
30 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support its Rural Affairs Department provided or plans to provide in revenue and capital support for each Scottish Agricultural and Biological Research Institute in 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 and how many personnel were, are and will be employed at each institute in each…
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Revenue support for current expenditure at the five Scottish Agricultural and Biological Research Institutes is provided through the payment of grant-in-aid. Support for capital expenditure is provided by means of grant. The sums actually paid to the institut…
30 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why, given reports that Dumfries Young Offenders Institution may close, an assurance was recently given to me by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service that it would not be closed.
Answer · Iain Gray: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">I refer the member to the answer to question S1W-11672. I repeat the assurance given previously, namely that the Scottish Priso…