Parliamentary questions

Fiona McLeod

516 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

11 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to news release SE 1166/1999, how the Football Partnership will determine who "our best young football players" are and how these players will access the facilities of the football academies if they have no links with current Premier League clubs.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The identification of talent will be a matter for individual football clubs. Access to the facilities will not be the exclusive right of the owner or operator of the facility. Conditions attached to contributions from public funding will ensure opportunities …

11 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why Scottish Football league clubs with a commitment to youth development have been excluded from the network of football academies to be established under the Football Partnership.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Scottish Football League clubs have not been excluded from the proposed network. The Scottish Football League is a member of the Football Partnership and the Partnership anticipates that SFL clubs will be included in the development of the academies.

11 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of the membership and remit of the Football Partnership; how the Scottish Executive's contribution of £1 million will be spent and how that expenditure will be monitored.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Membership of the Football Partnership, which is chaired by Rhona Brankin, includes the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Football Association, the Scottish Premier League, the Scottish Football League, the Scottish Professional Footballers Association, spo…

11 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Football Task Force will issue its report; whether the report will be made available to members of the Scottish Parliament and whether it will make a statement in response to the Task Force's recommendations.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Taskforce produced a report for the Football Partnership which it considered at its meeting on Tuesday 18 January. The report provides a sound basis for further consideration and members of the Partnership were invited to use the document to consult withi…

11 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives to the Scottish Professional Youth Initiative; whether it will detail the nature of that support and what support will be given to the initiative in the next financial year.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive has received no approach for support from any organisation of that name.

31 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is issued to local health boards and health trust boards on filling board vacancies and whether a standard application form for board membership is used by all health boards and trusts.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The appointment of members to the boards of Health Boards and Trusts are made by me on behalf of Scottish Ministers. These appointments are made on merit, by fair and open process and are subject to independent assessment. When making appointments we consult …

31 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funds have been allocated to the Millennium Volunteers programme since its launch, how long the programme will continue and with what funding, and what organisations have received grants through the programme and for what purpose.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Millennium Volunteers programme was launched in December 1998, with £1.5 million for 1998-99 to 2000-01. The aim of the programme is for 1,000 young people each to undertake 200 hours of voluntary service by 2001. Grant offers made under the pro…

31 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people appointed to non-departmental public bodies since May 1997, are (a) under the age of 26 and (b) under the age of 30.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Statistical information on the age profiles of appointees since May 1997 is not available as appointments to Advisory NDPBs, Public Corporations and Nationalised Industries only came under the remit of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in October 1998.…

31 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether age restrictions apply to membership of non-departmental public bodies and, if so, what age restrictions apply to which bodies.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Age restrictions apply to the following public bodies:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP">Body</TD><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP">Age Restriction</TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP"><P…

31 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people who have been appointed to government or ministerial advisory groups or task forces since May 1997 are (a) under the age of 26 and (b) under the age of 30, and to which groups or task forces these appointments have been made.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Appointments to task forces are made on the basis of relevant experience, knowledge and ability. Information on the age of appointees is not held centrally, although I am considering a register of younger appointees within the current consultation on modernis…

18 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how local people can apply to become members of their local Health Board or local Health Trust Board and what measures it is taking to monitor how accessible the application process is to local people.

Answer · Susan Deacon: People can apply at any time for appointment to their local Health Board and Trusts and their application will be considered when vacancies arise on the boards. Applications can be obtained from the NHS Public Appointments Branch in the Scottish Executive. So…

8 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue new guidance to local authorities on the interpretation of the Carers Act 1995 and Age of Legal Capacity (Scotland) Act 1991 when applied to young carers to ensure that they can ask for an assessment of their needs.

Answer · Iain Gray: To give young carers a statutory entitlement to a direct assessment of their care needs requires primary legislation. Under the Scottish Executive's Strategy for Carers in Scotland, approved by Parliament on 24 November 1999, a Carers' Legislation Working Gro…

8 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue guidance asserting that young people aged 16 to 18 years be referred routinely to Children's Panel Hearings when their actions meet the criteria for such referrals.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Existing legislation and guidance keeps many children aged between 16 and 18 years within the Children's Hearings system. How best we deal with this age group will form part of our Review of Youth Crime.

6 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to ensure that Part V of the Police Act 1997 covers all football clubs which are members of or are affiliated to the Scottish Football Association and, in particular, to ensure that such football clubs must obtain enhanced criminal record certificates for all Directors,…

Answer · Jim Wallace: Under Part V of the Police Act 1997, enhanced criminal record certificates will be available for those involved in regularly caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of children. The checks are not mandatory and it will it be for organisation…

24 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has or will have to enforce implementation on Scotland's railways of the safety initiatives announced as a result of the UK rail safety summit.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Under Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998, the provision and regulation of railway services, which includes rail safety, is a reserved matter. These are the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE…

8 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question number S1W-553 by Susan Deacon on 29 July 1999, what constitutes a "significant change of use of a hospital".

Answer · Susan Deacon: There is no hard and fast rule about what constitutes a significant change of use of a hospital. However, The Scottish Executive has made it clear that we expect Health Boards and Trusts to engage and consult with the public in the planning and delivery of se…

8 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any contribution to the rescue package on offer to Hampden Football Stadium from sportscotland will come from its existing budget or from new money.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: I refer the Member to PQ S1W-1963.

8 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive from which budget and under which budget heading any contribution it is making to the rescue package on offer to Hampden Football Stadium is being made, and whether new money has been found for this purpose.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive's contribution, as was our original contribution, will be channelled through sportscotland and is additional to existing provision. Sportscotland's contribution will come from the Lottery Sports Fund through savings achiev…

8 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much is being paid by each of the co-funders to the rescue package on offer to Hampden Football Stadium, and to provide details of any conditions relating to the current or future operational arrangements which have been attached to the rescue package.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: I refer the Member to S1W-1960

8 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish interim and full reports from the consultants employed by the co-funders of Hampden Football Stadium's redevelopment.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: No. The consultants' reports contain commercially sensitive material. It would not be appropriate to publish them.

8 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the operation of Hampden Football Stadium is now financially and managerially secure.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The £4.4m rescue package recently announced means that the future for Hampden Park now looks much more secure. The Scottish Executive is contributing £2m, the Millenium Commission £1.2m, the Glasgow Development Agency and sportscotland £500,000 each a…

8 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the funding and future operation of the Scottish Football Museum has been made secure by the rescue package on offer to Hampden Football Stadium.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The £4.4m package represents the amount required to pay outstanding debts to the main contractor, McAlpines, and to complete essential works so that the stadium can operate fully to generate the maximum possible revenue. The National Museum of Football is a s…

8 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports of offences were referred to the Scottish Children's Reporter Agency from Procurators Fiscal in Scotland in the last three years for which information is available broken down by Procurator Fiscal area, and what were the offences.

Answer · Colin Boyd: Figures for cases originally reported to Procurator Fiscal and referred to Reporters are given in the following table. It should be noted that these figures do not include cases in which there are multiple accused, some of whom were dealt with by the Procurat…

16 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it is giving to Scottish League football clubs to build new or redevelop existing stadia.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Assistance is available from the Football Trust and sportscotland for work to meet Taylor Report and other essential safety requirements. Some £1.1million is available for such projects in the current financial year.

16 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why a decision on the award of a contract to provide a training programme for social work residential workers was delayed from August to October of this year.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The contract to provide a training programme for residential child care staff requires that the successful bidder provides or facilitates a full range of education and training for all residential child care staff, including induction, vocational and professi…

15 Sep 1999 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it is giving to Scottish League football clubs to build new or redevelop existing stadia.

25 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to the question S1W-759 by Susan Deacon on 23 August 1999, how it will ensure that the maximum waiting time guarantees correlate with the actual waiting times for outpatient appointments.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The local waiting time guarantees for a first outpatient appointment following General Medical Practitioner/General Dental Practitioner referral are set and monitored by Health Boards taking account of local needs.The Scottish Exe…

2 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-415 by Susan Deacon on 20 July, whether the current local outpatient waiting time guarantees for a first outpatient appointment following a general medical practitioner referral, are minimum, maximum or average times.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The local waiting time guarantees for a first outpatient appointment are the maximum length of time that a patient should expect to wait for an appointment with a Consultant following referral by a General Medical Practitioner.

2 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1W-355 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 15 July, by what date will all primary and secondary schools have access to the internet.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Government's target date for connecting all schools to the Internet is 2002. The Schools Census in September 1999 will provide updated figures for connections to the Internet.

2 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1W-355 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 15 July, what is the ratio of pupils to computers with access to the internet in these 1204 primary and 320 secondary schools.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The information given in the Improvement Plans prepared by local authorities under the Excellence Fund arrangements was presented at authority level. There is insufficient detail at school level to give a separate answer for the schools currently linked to t…