Parliamentary questions

Jackie Baillie

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

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the red kite population has been killed illegally in each of the last five years.

Answer · Allan Wilson: There are difficulties in identifying the scale of illegal killing. Data published by the RSPB suggests that about 36% of red kites may have been killed illegally since their re-introduction to Scotland in 1989.

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many red kites have been killed illegally in each of the last five years.

Answer · Allan Wilson: There are difficulties in identifying with certainty where illegal poisoning has taken place. The RSPB has, however, supplied the following statistics, based on information collated by them.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=143><TR><TD WIDTH="34…

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports NHS boards in prescribing Cox-2 in accordance with existing guidelines from the Health Technology Board for Scotland.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive welcomes the Health Technology Board for Scotland's Comment on the use of Cox II selective inhibitors. NHSScotland should take account of this advice and ensure that these treatments are made available to meet clinical need.

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support NHS boards in prescribing anti-TNF (tumour necrosis factor) for children and adults, following the National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommendations, prior to the Health Technology Board for Scotland issuing its own guidance.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Health Technology Board for Scotland's Comment on the anti-TNF drugs etanercept and infliximab issued on 17 May. The comment can be accessed on the board's website:<A HREF="http://www.htbs.co.uk">www.htbs.co.uk</A>NHSScotland should take account of …

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to meet the target level of rheumatologists per head of the population recommended by the British Society for Rheumatology.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26210.

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the number of rheumatologists per head of population is at the level recommended by the British Society for Rheumatology.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The number of rheumatologists per head of the population is less than the level recommended by the British Society for Rheumatology. The staffing establishment in NHSScotland is decided by the local NHS board, in consultation with the trusts in its area, in o…

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed Professor Arthur Midwinter's report Grant Distribution and the Mismatch Effect: An Assessment of its Impact on Councils since Reorganisation with COSLA and what the outcome of any such decision was.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I am due to meet with COSLA again in the next month to talk about the spending review and the distribution of resources for all local authorities. This will be the forum to discuss such matters.

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to discuss Professor Arthur Midwinter's report Grant Distribution and the Mismatch Effect: An Assessment of its Impact on Councils since Reorganisation with COSLA as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make supplementary grants to the six local authorities identified in Professor Arthur Midwinter's report Grant Distribution and the Mismatch Effect: An Assessment of its Impact on Councils since Reorganisation in 2003-04 and in future financial years.

14 May 2002 · Written Question

Answer · Margaret Curran: The first full year in which data was collected on the performance of local authorities against each relevant performance indicator was 2000-01. The average times were as follows:<DIR><DIR>average time for processing new claims - 48 daysaverage time for…

14 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in order to assist local authorities in improving the processing of housing benefit claims.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Housing benefit administration is a matter for the UK Government. Local authorities in Scotland have a statutory duty to administer housing benefit and council tax benefit under social security legislation and are funded by the UK Government for doing this.<P…

13 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to record the (a) level of evictions for all types of tenure and (b) grounds for each eviction in order to facilitate policy analysis and whether any information so recorded will be published on an annual basis.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The following information is collected about evictions in each of the two main social rented tenures:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=604><TR><TD WIDTH="14%" VALIGN="TOP">Tenure</TD><TD WIDTH="34%" VALIGN="TOP">Information Collected </TD>…

13 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24819 by Colin Boyd QC on 3 May 2002, whether the Victim Liaison Office in Glasgow provides a service to individuals covered by Dumbarton Sheriff Court in respect of each category of service.

Answer · Colin Boyd: The Victim Liaison Office based at the Procurator Fiscal's Office in Glasgow deals only with cases which occur in the Glasgow area and which fall within the categories dealt with by the Victim Liaison Office, as referred to in the answer to question S1W-24819…

13 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24821 by Colin Boyd QC on 3 May 2002, when the evaluation of the operation of the pilot victim liaison offices in Aberdeen and Hamilton will be completed and when the implementation of the management review of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal S…

Answer · Elish Angiolini: The evaluation of the operation of the pilot projects of the Victim Liaison Offices in Aberdeen and Hamilton is planned to proceed in the period from June to December 2002. An interim report is expected in September 2002.The management review of the Crown …

1 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24446 by Wendy Alexander on 16 April 2002 and with regard to its news release SE0645/2000 of 8 March 2000, why the microcredit programme is no longer targeted solely at women given that there have been no substantive changes to sex discrimination leg…

Answer · Iain Gray: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25548.

1 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24446 by Wendy Alexander on 16 April 2002, what particular aspect of sex discrimination legislation would specifically be contravened by targeting the microcredit programme exclusively at women.

Answer · Iain Gray: The original announcement was predicated on the programme being operated by Wellpark Enterprise Centre, in collaboration with Scottish Enterprise. Under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Wellpark Enterprise Centre would have been covered by an exception under …

1 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24458 by Andy Kerr on 23 April 2002, what role civil service trade unions have in implementing the Diversity Strategy.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive Trade Union Side have and are continuing to play a full and active part in helping to implement the Diversity Strategy. Indeed, as the Executive's Partnership Agreement intended they are represented and engaged with management on a numb…

1 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24458 by Mr Andy Kerr on 23 April 2002, whether it will make annual reports to the Parliament about progress on the implementation of its Diversity Strategy.

Answer · Andy Kerr: We report to the Parliament's Finance Committee on a wide range of organisational issues, including progress against our diversity strategy, on an annual basis, or more frequently at its request.

1 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24458 by Mr Andy Kerr on 23 April 2002, how effective efforts have been to (a) raise awareness within the organisation, (b) diversity proof personnel processes and (c) undertake outreach work with under represented groups.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive appreciates that some aspects of effectiveness are difficult to evaluate. However:(a) its staff survey indicates that the percentage of staff who agreed that the Scottish Executive "values its staff" increased from 38% to 49%…

19 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the annual accident figures for roads where route accident reduction plans have been implemented within the past three years.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: At least three year's accident figures are required in order to see how well a route accident reduction plan (RARP) is performing. An analysis of the accident figures for pre-1999 RARPs has been prepared to illustrate the reduction, or otherwise, of injury ac…

17 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce which local authority bids for revenue support for Public/Private Partnership in respect of school buildings projects have been successful.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Nicol Stephen and Peter Peacock have recently met all the authorities who have submitted bids for support for school Public/Private Partnership projects to assist in informing decisions on the bids. They indicated to the authorities that further consideration…

15 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with plans to review the location of sportscotland's headquarters as part of its general relocation policy.

Answer · Elaine Murray: As recommended in last year's organisational review of sportscotland and following the development of a remit with the Executive, sportscotland has appointed PMP Consultancy to carry out a property review and facilities strategy study. A key par…

10 Apr 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it is providing to the Scottish Maritime Museum in 2002-03.

Answer · Mike Watson: The Scottish Maritime Museum is receiving resources of £160,000 in 2002-03 as their share of the funding injection package of £1.26 million over three years announced in December 2000 for the three main industrial museums - the Scottish Fisheries Museum, the …

5 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when a victim liaison service will be established alongside the procurator fiscal service in Dumbarton.

Answer · Colin Boyd: A Victim Liaison Office will be operational in each region of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service by summer 2002. At present there is no target date to establish a Victim Liaison Office in Dumbarton. However, further expansion of the Victim Liaison…

5 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will complete the roll out of victim liaison services across Scotland.

Answer · Colin Boyd: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Action Plan on the Scottish Strategy for Victims contains a commitment to have a Victim Liaison Office operational in each region of the service by summer 2002. Offices have already been established in Abe…

5 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what role is envisaged for victim liaison services following the pilots in Hamilton and Aberdeen.

Answer · Colin Boyd: The Victim Liaison Office is a major strand of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Action Plan on the Scottish Strategy for Victims. I have already given a commitment that there would be a Victim Liaison Office within each region of the Crow…

5 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage people to register as childminders.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive is providing £16.75 million of Childcare Strategy funding in the current year to local authorities to deliver affordable, accessible, good quality childcare, including childminding provision, to meet the local childcare needs of working…

5 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many childminders are currently registered and how many childminders were registered in (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Information on the number of childminders registered in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 was collected by each local authority and was not held centrally. From 1 April 2002, the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care has had responsibility for registering c…

5 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time nursery places currently exist for the children of working parents and how many such places there were in (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The total number of children aged three to four in 10 half day sessions of pre-school education a week was 5,683 in 1999-2000 and 12,782 in January 2001. The data collected does not take account of the employment status of the parents.

5 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in order to encourage the provision of full-time nursery places for the children of working parents.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive is providing £16.75 million of Childcare Strategy funding, in the current year, to local authorities to deliver affordable, accessible, good quality childcare, including full-time nursery places, to meet the local childcare needs of wor…