Parliamentary questions

Irene Oldfather

1,035 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

20 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in expanding the engineering skills base in North Ayrshire.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire is currently supporting the training of 208 young people within 44 engineering companies based in North Ayrshire, 152 of whom are Modern Apprentices. SEn Ayrshire also works in partnership with local education and training provide…

20 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-3083 by Angus MacKay on 8 March 2001, what progress it is making in its policy of public sector jobs dispersal.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive has made progress in locating public sector jobs around Scotland. The Education and Lifelong Learning Department is now wholly located in Glasgow; the Food Standards Agency has been set up in Aberdeen and the Public Guardian's Office ha…

19 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce a location for the Scottish Public Pensions Agency.

Answer · Angus MacKay: An announcement will be made shortly.

19 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking regarding the recently announced redundancies at the USI plant in Irvine.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive very much regrets the job losses resulting from USI's decision to downsize its plant at Irvine. Our main concern is to ensure that everything possible is done to assist those affected find alternative employment. Local agencies are awar…

19 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to support the electronics industry.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The electronics sector is experiencing global restructuring. The Scottish Executive is presently working closely with the industry and enterprise network to address the economic development and skills issues which will enable the industry to compete for high-…

12 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received or made any representations on the comprehensiveness of the public consultation undertaken by Ayrshire & Arran Health Board on the report of the Maternity Services Option Appraisal Group.

Answer · Susan Deacon: A number of representations have been received. The matter has been under discussion between the Health Department and Ayrshire and Arran Health Board.I regard proper public consultation as an essential aspect of any proposal for significant change to the …

12 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14907 by Susan Deacon on 19 April 2001, whether all areas with over 3,000 births per year are served by a consultant-led specialist maternity unit with access to neonatal intensive care and access to neonatal surgery and adult intensive care.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland was published in February 2001 and this recommended certain levels of provision of maternity care based on the birth rate within a location. NHS boards have been asked to work towards implementing the re…

12 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what days, at what times and how often Amey Highways Ltd is required to cut the grass verges of the A78 trunk road at Stevenston.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The contract specification for cutting the grass verges of the A78 trunk road at Stevenston requires that, following the first cut in spring, the grass should be maintained at a height of between 50 mm to 70 mm during the growing season. It is normal for the …

6 Jun 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in improving education in Scotland's schools.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Our latest Programme for Government sets out the significant progress we have made in improving education in Scotland's schools. In addition, we have achieved an agreement which will improve teachers' pay and modernise their conditions, and established…

23 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11646 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 January 2001, whether it will make any independent research on the law of boundary walls initiated by the Scottish Law Commission publicly available.

Answer · Jim Wallace: No independent research on this subject was initiated by the Scottish Law Commission.

23 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11646 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 January 2001 and with reference to a letter of 16 October 1990 from the Chairman of the Scottish Law Commission to Mr David Lambie MP, whether it is aware of any independent research on the law of boundary walls initiate…

Answer · Jim Wallace: The research referred to in the letter of 16 October 1990 was conducted "in-house" by the Scottish Law Commission and covered the exposition of the existing law. This research was taken into account when the Commission issued its consultation paper and reach…

25 Apr 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in improving the teaching of modern languages in schools.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Representatives of the Scottish Prison Service and the Prison Officers’ Association attended a conciliation hearing on 1 May 2001 which was chaired by the Director of ACAS for Scotland.As a result, the dispute about staff attendance patterns has been refer…

5 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take with regard to any change in maternity provision proposed by a health board which does not fulfil the levels of care model for childbirth set out in the Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: NHS boards have been asked to test their strategies against the Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland and a National Group will be set up to implement the framework, and this will include developing a performance management framework to be used in asse…

5 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, under the Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland, areas with more than approximately 3,000 births per year should be served by more than a consultant led maternity unit with a full range of services and a tertiary location consultant-led specialist maternity unit.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland recommends that areas with more than approximately 3,000 births per year should be served by a consultant-led specialist maternity unit with access to neonatal intensive care and access to neonatal surgery and …

5 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many births in Ayrshire and Arran in each of the last five years followed complex or high-risk pregnancies.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested is not available centrally as there is no formal definition of pregnancies which are classed as complex or high risk.

5 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many births there were in Ayrshire and Arran in each of the last five years, broken down by location of delivery.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested is shown in the table.Maternities 1,2 delivered in NHS Hospitals in Ayrshire & Arran, 1995-96 to 1999-2000<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=643><TR><TD WIDTH="48%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="52…

28 Mar 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making towards meeting its priorities on education.

Answer · Jack McConnell: We have made major progress in delivering our priorities in education as set out in the Working together for Scotland document. We have also achieved a stable agreement to improve teachers' pay and modernise their conditions, while we have established …

23 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12357 by Mr Jim Wallace on 23 January 2001, what related work is being taken forward by the Lord President's Advisory Committee regarding the revised Small Claims (Scotland) Amendment Order and the revised Sheriff Court (Scotland) Act 1971 (Private J…

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive will fix the date to lay these Orders once the current review of the Summary Cause and Small Claim Rules and the consequential review of the Table of Fees for Solicitors in Summary Cause actions is completed. The review of the Rules is …

23 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why support tights are available only through the hospital service and not on prescription, when elastic hosiery is available on prescription.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14468.

23 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make support tights available on prescription.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Support stockings have been available from NHSScotland through GP prescribing for some years whilst support tights have only been available through the hospital service. Consideration is currently under way both at UK and Scottish level regarding whether supp…

14 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current position is regarding implementation of EC Directive 98/9 relating to the marketing of biocidal products.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Directive concerns the placing of biocidal products in the market. It brings in an approval system for four categories of biocidal product - disinfectants and general biocides, preservatives, pest control agents and other biocides, such as anti-fouling ag…

14 Mar 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in providing pre-school education for three- and four-year-olds.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: We have already achieved our target of a free, quality part-time pre-school education place for every 4 year old whose parents want it.By the end of the school year we expect participation to rise to approximately 80% of eligible 3 year olds and to complet…

12 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11646 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 January 2001, whether, in the course of concluding that it supports the view that it is not necessary to introduce legislation either to reform or restate the existing law on boundary walls, any consideration was given t…

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Executive considers recommendations made to it by the Scottish Law Commission, as with recommendations that it receives from other bodies, on their merits.

12 Mar 2001 · Written Question

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Commission considered the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches before reaching the conclusion in its report that legislation was not required. The Commission's consultation paper and its report were considered in detail by the Scottish Executive…

7 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in its consultation on the use of children in test purchases of age restricted products.

Answer · Neil Davidson: The Crown Office is consulting widely among children's welfare organisations, local authorities, health professionals, retail organisations, voluntary organisations and the police, in order to inform the Lord Advocate's review of prosecution policy in relatio…

7 Mar 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the results of its consultation on allowing all nicotine replacement therapy products to be prescribed on the NHS by GPs.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I was pleased to announce yesterday that as from next month nicotine replacement therapy will be available on prescription from the NHS.

1 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown by police force of the capital consent distribution in (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01, showing the population served by each force.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The information requested is set out in the table<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="30%" VALIGN="TOP">Force</TD><TD WIDTH="43%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN=2>Capital allocation1£000</T…

1 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration will be given in the future, when awarding grant allocations to police forces, to the effect on operational policing of capital projects being funded other than by capital consents.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Police grant represents Scottish Ministers' view of the total level of funding required to maintain an effective police service throughout Scotland. It is for chief constables, in consultation with police authorities, to decide how to apply the resources avai…

1 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used in 2001-02 to determine the capital consents for police forces.

Answer · Jim Wallace: New, more transparent, arrangements were used to determine capital consents for police forces for 2001-02 following recommendations in a report by the Accounts Commission and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. Under the new arrangements, three quarte…

1 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations were made to it regarding an application for capital consent in 2001-02 for a new police station in Irvine and why it did not give such consent.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Under new arrangements used to determine capital consents for police forces for 2001-02, three quarters of the total available was allocated according to an agreed formula based on population. The balance was set aside for projects costing over £1 million.…