Parliamentary questions

Jackie Baillie

9,397 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

17 May 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which executive agencies and quangos it intends to abolish or otherwise change in this session of the Parliament.

Answer · John Swinney: As I announced during thedebate on our Approach to Government, a criticalelement of our approach to simpler, smaller government is to declutter thelandscape, in particular with reference to executive agencies and non-departmentalpublic bodies. I plan to discu…

19 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that Argyll and Bute Council will not be installing a sprinkler system in the new Hermitage Academy.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Executive does not collect information on the specificationof individual school buildings.

19 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it issues guidance to local authorities on the installation of sprinkler systems in schools.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Executives booklet Fire Safety in Schools Building our Future: Scotland’s School Estate published in November 2003 suggests that the provisionof sprinklers should be considered for new schools and for existing high risk schools.The decision on installati…

19 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects local authorities to have sprinkler systems installed in newly built schools as a matter of best practice.

Answer · Hugh Henry: These are decisions for local authorities and others involvedin the detailed building specification. Executive guidance emphasises the importanceof considering all aspects of fire safety planning in the context of thorough riskand security assessments.

14 Mar 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on the action being taken to improve care services for elderly people in Argyll and Bute.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Joint Improvement Team hasbeen working with Argyll and Bute Council and NHS Highland to address high levelsof delayed discharge from hospital and implementation issues around free personalcare. Some improvements have been made in these areas, but more rem…

9 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what patronage assumptions were made by Transport Scotland in respect of the procurement of rolling stock for the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link project.

Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-32316 on 22 March2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.…

9 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the original patronage projections were for the Larkhall to Milngavie railway line and what the current patronage level is, expressed in passenger journey numbers and showing the percentage difference.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The original patronageprojections for the Larkhall – Milngavie service, as worked up in the business caseby Strathclyde Passenger Transport in 2001, shows 225,060 passenger journeysper annum. The current patronage level is 343,766 passenger journeys per annum…

9 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the patronage projections are for the Helensburgh to Waverley railway line following the completion of the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link.

Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-32317 on 22 March 2007. Allanswers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at:

9 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Transport Scotland is taking account of the 3% per annum passenger growth identified in Network Rail’s Network Utilisation Strategy in the procurement of rolling stock for the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link project.

Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-32316 on 22 March 2007. All answersto written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, thesearch facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.…

9 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current patronage projections are for the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link project.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The patronage projections forthe Airdrie to Bathgate Rail Link project, developed using the base case assumptionfrom Helensburgh to Waverley, show an additional 13,350 boardings daily resultingin an annual increase of 4.1 million. The daily boarding projectio…

9 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Transport Scotland has taken account of the general increase in rail usage, alongside existing demand projections for the Airdrie to Bathgate rail link project, in the procurement of rolling stock.

Answer · Tavish Scott: A rolling stock procurement planis being developed by Transport Scotland alongside the wider rolling stock procurement plan toaddress the requirements of both major projects and the increasing demand for railservices.In planning the procurement of roll…

1 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-31669 by Lewis Macdonald on 20 February 2007, when, and in what circumstances, the powers of direction under to the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 were last used.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The powers of directionunder the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 were last used in March 1997, whendirections on the information to be included in Community Care Plans wereissued.

1 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-31669 by Lewis Macdonald on 20 February 2007, whether it will provide information on the powers of direction in relation to the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, in respect of the circumstances that would trigger their use and what measures may be tak…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Scottish ministers have thepower to issue directions to local authorities (either individually orcollectively) under section 5(1A) of the Social Work (Scotland)Act 1968 as to the manner in which they are to exercise their functions underthe 1968 act. A range …

1 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-31673 by Robert Brown on 19 February 2007, whether it will provide the annual local financial returns for social work expenditure and income in respect of services for older people in Argyll and Bute from 1999-2000.

Answer · Robert Brown: The main breakdown of socialwork expenditure and income in respect of services for older people in Argyll andBute obtained from the annual local financial returns is detailed in the followingtables.Argyll and Bute Council -LFR 3 (Social Work) Older Per…

6 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the social work inspection of Argyll and Bute Council.

Answer · Robert Brown: The Chief Executive of the SocialWork Services Inspection Agency has indicated that the performance inspection ofArgyll and Bute Council social work services began in November 2006 with file readingof older people’s cases. Arrangements are now in place for fu…

6 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it takes to monitor the spending of local authorities in relation to social work Grant Aided Expenditure.

Answer · Robert Brown: The Executive uses the informationprovided by local authorities in the annual Local Financial Returns to monitor expenditureon social work. The returns collect expenditure and income on social work services.

6 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take if there is an increased level of delayed discharge in the Argyll and Bute local authority area compared to rates for previous years.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: All NHS/local authoritypartnerships have agreed new targets that will eliminate delayed dischargesover six weeks by April 2008. Argyll and Bute are committed to achieving thisand the joint improvement team will continue to work with them to secure a satisfact…

6 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of delayed discharge was for residents in the Argyll and Bute local authority area and what the target discharge rate was in each year since 1999.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The following table shows thenumbers of patients ready for discharge at April each year since the first Aprilcensus in 2001.NHS – Patients ready for discharge– Argyll and Bute local authority area.Total Number and Number OverSix Weeks for each E…

6 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address any failure of Argyll and Bute Council to provide for the needs of elderly residents.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-31669 on 20 February 2007. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…

6 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any powers to intervene in respect of any underfunding of care services for the elderly by Argyll and Bute Council.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The joint improvement team hasbeen working with Argyll and Bute Council and NHS Highland on developing theirstrategic governance and local management arrangements to help address thechallenges of providing for the needs of elderly residents. In addition, the …

6 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the current underspend in relation to Grant Aided Expenditure by Argyll and Bute Council in respect of care services and what its position is on any further reductions in such services in the area.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive isaware of Argyll and Bute Council’s expenditure on community care services. Grant AidedExpenditure is neither a budget nor aspending target but a needs based method for apportioning funding to localauthorities. It is for Argyll and But…

9 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that Disclosure Scotland should amend the existing disclosure application form without adequate consultation with service users, given the cost of amending the form and its possible obsolescence should the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Bill be enacted.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The new Disclosure Scotland applicationform is set out in the Schedule to Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) 2006 No 521.The SSI came into force on 15 December 2006 after completing the normal Parliamentaryprocess for Instruments that are subject to negative…

9 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for general practitioner referred physiotherapy appointments in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Information on physiotherapywaiting times is not routinely collected nationally.Aone-off census of Allied Health Professional (AHP) services was carried out on 14 September 2005 to help ascertain the magnitude, variety and diversityo…

8 Nov 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been committed to local authorities to improve recycling.

Answer · Ross Finnie: We have committed over £339 millionfrom 2000-01 to 2007-08 under the Strategic Waste Fund and made indicative awardsof over £720 million from 2008-09 onwards. This totals over £1 billion to localauthorities to improve recycling and divert waste from landfill.…

2 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many student bursaries were awarded in the (a) Argyll and Bute and (b) West Dunbartonshire local authority area in each year since 2003-04 and what the total value was of these bursaries.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following table highlightsthe number of bursaries awarded by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland to studentswho were domiciled in the (a) Argyll and Bute and (b) West Dunbartonshire local authority area in eachyear since academic year 2003-04 and the t…