Fiona McLeod

3 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance the Scottish Ten Pin Bowling Association has received from sportscotland.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Apart from an unsuccessful lottery application to send two teams to an international competition in November 1999, <B>sport</B>scotland has received no request for assistance from the Scottish Ten Pin Bowling Association.

2 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for a non-emergency pelvic ultrasound for Scotland as a whole.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-15521.

2 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for a non-emergency pelvic ultrasound in each health board area.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested is not held centrally.

2 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to promote women's pelvic health issues and, in particular, whether it is planning an awareness campaign on ovarian cysts.

Answer · Susan Deacon: There are no such plans at present. Any woman or girl who has a specific health worry about her pelvis or the possibility of ovarian cysts will be able to discuss this, either with her GP or Practice Nurse or through a Well Woman Clinic.

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 1,000 reforming drug users assisted by the #6.5 million given to Scottish Drugs Forum have (a) gained employment and (b) stayed in the employment gained.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The funding commenced on 1 April 2001 and will be channelled through Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what alternative activities it has funded to divert young people into positive, drug-free lifestyles.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: In addition to existing expenditure by local authorities and other agencies, we are making available an extra £21 million over the next three years specifically for services to combat the risks of drug misuse by children and young people. This includes preven…

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new rehabilitation services have been established with the #21 million given to the Scottish Drugs Forum for this purpose, whether any of these are aimed at young people and, if so, where these are located.

Answer · Iain Gray: No funds have been provided to the Scottish Drugs Forum to establish drug rehabilitation services.

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the plans for the proposed improvements to the A82 Dumbuck junction will be made available for public inspection.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The A82 Dumbuck Junction scheme is programmed for design in 2002-03. Plans will be subject to public consultation prior to construction in 2003-04.

29 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will clarify the criteria to be used by local authorities in applying their discretion to the award of rates relief to businesses affected by the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

Answer · Angus MacKay: Guidance on the rate relief available for businesses affected by foot-and-mouth disease has been issued to local authorities. A copy is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. no. 12527).

23 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the #21 million given for young people and families to the Scottish Drugs Forum has been utilised.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive's extra investment of £21 million over the next three years will target areas of work with young people at risk of misusing drugs and forms part of the £100 million Spending Review package in support of our anti-drugs strategy. £3 million will b…

27 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on school meals and schoolchildren's nutrition.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Diet Action Plan, <I>Eating for Health</I>, made a number of recommendations, including the nutritional guidelines for catering specifications for the public sector, which are specifically aimed at schools and local authorities.<P>In recent month…

27 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much capital funding it will be giving to East Dunbartonshire Council to accelerate the implementation of "Ed's Diners" in its schools.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The annual allocation to local authorities of consent to incur capital expenditure is a general consent for expenditure on their non-housing capital programmes, including education. The consent is distributed amongst authorities on the basis of a formula agre…

9 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the revised guidelines for Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Schools came into use, how widely these have been published, and who it consulted regarding the new section on school libraries.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools (HMI) inspection guidelines are reviewed annually. The most recent version has been in use since August 2000. Summaries of HMI inspection guidelines, referred to as National Briefing Documents, are available on the HMI webs…

1 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12247 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 24 January 2001, who made the representations referred to; whether it will provide more details of the nature of the representations, and why the Scottish Ministers did not to give the directions requested in the represen…

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The representations were made by the manufacturers of emamectin benzoate, who asked the Scottish Ministers to direct the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to determine applications for consents to discharge under the Control of Pollution Act 1974 within …

1 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-2815 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 25 January 2001, where the mobile telephone masts and aerials from which it receives income are located.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: <B><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><OL></B><LI>Edinburgh Castle</LI><LI>Scottish Fire Services Training School, Gullane </LI></OL>3. South Duntulm Common Grazing, Kilmuir Estate, Skye (2 mobile phone masts)<P>4. Cnoc Heilla, Bracadale Estate, Skye<P>5. Strathy Poin…

1 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the concord for metadata in education and other IT data input standards are applied when public bodies seek funds from it for projects.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The concord drafted by the UK Metatagging in Education Group (MEG) is not a data input standard. It is a series of principles underpinning the work of the group in developing and promoting guidance on the use of descriptive standards, or &quot;metadata&quot;,…

24 Jan 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering establishing a national youth strategy.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Yes. We are considering how best to give young people and youth issues a stronger profile at national and local level.

18 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11372 by Susan Deacon on 17 January 2001, why information on the number of hospitals with mobile phone masts attached to their buildings is not held centrally and where this information is held.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Information on the number of hospitals with mobile phone masts attached to their buildings is not held centrally as this is an operational matter, with this information being held by individual Trusts.

18 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much each Water Authority paid in interest on debt in each of the last three years.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The amounts paid in interest by each water authority are:<P ALIGN="RIGHT">£millions<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="25%" VALIGN="TOP">&nbsp;</TD><TD WIDTH="25%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P ALIGN="CENTER">1997-98…

12 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on the distribution of documents in the course of consultation exercises.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive is continually looking at ways to develop and enhance its consultation procedures including distribution in line with its commitments to Civic Participation. <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Good Practice Guidance on Consultation has recently been ma…

3 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received representations from any other body, including Her Majesty's Government, requesting it to give directions to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency under section 40(1) of the Environment Act 1995 and what action resulted from any such representations.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Ministers have received several representations arising from the same issue, asking them to direct SEPA in terms of section 40(1) of the 1995 Act to speed up determination of applications for consent to discharge chemicals, in particular emamecti…

3 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what directions have been given to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) under section 40(1) of the Environment Act 1995 (a) in connection with the Safety Audit of Dounreay conducted by the Health and Safety Executive and SEPA in 1998 and (b) on any other matter.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive has issued no directions to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) under section 40(1) of the Environment Act 1995 in connection with the Safety Audit of Dounreay or on any other matter.

3 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken or intends to take to speed up completion of the recommendations contained in the Safety Audit of Dounreay conducted by the Health and Safety Executive and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in 1998.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Implementation of the recommendations in the report of the 1998 Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) Safety Audit of Dounreay is the responsibility of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), which is …

3 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Environment, Sport and Culture has visited or intends to visit the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority facility at Dounreay.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: I have not yet visited the site, but plan to do so in due course.

21 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why it is paying #26.1 million in the current financial year as a service charge for the M6 which does not start or finish in Scotland and who this money is being paid to.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The sum of £26.1 million is the estimated payment to Autolink Concessionaires (M6) Ltd, which maintains and operates the M74 on behalf of the Executive under a 30-year DBFO contract.

13 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the different types of structure covered by the term "mobile phone masts" and how many such masts there are in Scotland, in total and broken down by type of structure.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: There is no definitive list of structures which would constitute &quot;mobile phone masts&quot;. Anything which supports antennas for the operation of mobile phone systems could be described as a &quot;mobile phone mast&quot;, from purpose built masts to lamp…

30 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made regarding the publication of an action plan on "through ticketing", scheduled for completion by March 2000, as referred to in Making it Work Together.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I announced a five-point Action Plan on Through Ticketing at the Scottish Association for Public Transport AGM in Edinburgh on 18 March. The Action Plan charted the way ahead by building on the joint ticketing arrangements included in the Transport Bill and t…

30 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made regarding the establishment of a framework for a national transport timetable system by the end of 1999 and its implementation by the end of 2000, as referred to in Making it Work Together.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is working in partnership with local authorities and transport operators to implement a multi-modal public transport information system covering the whole of Scotland, and with connections to other GB services, by 31 December 2000. The …

30 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made towards providing locational guidance on renewable energy development by summer 2000, as referred to in Making it Work Together.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The revised <I>National Planning Policy Guideline 6: Renewable Energy Developments</I> was published on 30 November.

30 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in reviewing building standards relating to the conservation of fuel and power by the end of 2000, as referred to in Making it Work Together.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Building standards have been reviewed and proposals for improved standards to conserve fuel and power were set out in a consultation paper issued on 24 July 2000. Responses were requested by 27 October 2000. Over 60 responses have now been received and are to…