Karen Whitefield

10 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the Supporting People Initiative.

Answer · Des McNulty: The Supporting People Initiative, which is a new funding and policy framework for the provision of housing support services, is on target for implementation on 1 April 2003. We have today written to local authorities with provisional grant allocations to enab…

5 Mar 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will assist the families of those suffering from substance abuse.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: We issued on 26 February Getting Our Priorities Right - Good Practice Guidelines for working with Children and Families Affected by Substance Misuse. This guidance, coupled with the resources already provided through initiatives such as the Changing Children'…

26 Feb 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that people feel safe on the streets of their communities.

Answer · Hugh Henry: We have put record resources into policing. As a result police numbers are at an all time high.<P>We are giving all council-led Community Safety Partnerships a share of £12 million over three years to identify and address local community safety priorities.<P>…

24 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards achieving its target that no-one need sleep rough.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Current monitoring of the Rough Sleepers Initiative target involves a three-stage assessment, which is repeated annually. Full details of the methodology being employed are contained in the reply given to question on 11 September 2001. <P>The report of the f…

22 Jan 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how businesses will benefit from recent Regional Selective Assistance grant offers.

Answer · Iain Gray: Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) helps businesses to grow and develop by supporting investment projects that might otherwise not have proceeded as envisaged.<P>The RSA quarterly report, published on 22 January, showed that in the three months to December 2…

20 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of recent incidents at HM Prison Shotts and what action it will take as a result.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:<P>On 2 January at HM Prison Shotts, a large number of prisoners in A Hall and some in B Hall were involved in concerted indiscipline. The S…

15 Jan 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it offers lower income homeowners.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive provides direct support to lower income homeowners in a number of ways including the central heating installaton and Warm Deal Programmes and low-cost home ownership schemes within Communities Scotland's housing investment programme. It…

8 Jan 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to prevent youth crime.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Significant progress continues to be made. We have launched national standards for the youth justice system; announced a planned increase of 25% in secure places; amended the Criminal Justice Bill to allow more information and support to victims; provided an …

7 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to extend the consultation period on Towards Better Oral Health in Children.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: In response to representations that more time is needed to consider the full range of issues, and extend the opportunity to comment, I am pleased to announce that the consultation period for <I>Towards Better Oral Health in Children</I> is being extended to 2…

20 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any events taking place overseas in celebration of St Andrew's Day.

Answer · Jack McConnell: St Andrew's Day events are taking place across the globe - from Lima to Luanda, and from The Hague to Ho Chi Min City. There are thousands of Scots and people of Scottish ancestry around the world who will celebrate St Andrew's Day with us. Therefore, through…

29 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Registrar General for Scotland will publish his Annual Report for 2001.

Answer · Richard Simpson: <I>Scotland's Population 2001: the Registrar General's Annual Review of Demographic Trends</I> is published today. The format of the report has been changed from previous annual reports to bring out key trends and issues more clearly for a wider audience. A c…

7 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish Closing the Opportunity Gap, as referred to by the Minister for Social Justice in her speech at the Scottish Centre for Research on Social Justice on 13 September 2002.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive today published <I>Closing the Opportunity Gap: Scottish Budget for 2003-2006</I>, copies of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

24 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what local health care co-operatives are located in each parliamentary constituency.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on local health care co-operatives is available on the SHOW website (<A HREF="http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk">www.show.scot.nhs.uk</A>) and from NHS boards.

15 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the Youth Courts Feasibility Project, announced on 27 June 2002, to report.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I can today announce that Sheriff Principal John McInnes QC has agreed to chair a project group examining the feasibility of a youth court covering Hamilton and Airdrie. The project group will include representatives from the lead agencies with an interest in…

19 Jul 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what role the voluntary sector can play in delivering public services.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The voluntary sector plays an important role in the delivery of public services. <P>The Executive's review of its policies to promote the social economy, which was published on 27 January, sets out how the Executive and other public sector and independent age…

26 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the expert group on local service reconfiguration, referred to on page 26 of Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, will be appointed.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Since the publication of <I>Our National Health</I> there has been a significant shift in the focus on developing a range of initiatives to support Patient Focus and Public Involvement. These policies are being developed to ensure that there is full and meani…

26 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will present the directions and guidance for the next Scottish passenger rail franchise to the Parliament before it sends them to the Strategic Rail Authority (SRA).

Answer · Iain Gray: I am happy to be able to make the Directions and Guidance for the next Scottish passenger rail franchise available to the Scottish Parliament today, in advance of delivering them to the SRA. A copy of my Directions and Guidance to the SRA for the next Scottis…

12 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make available the reports on the central Scotland transport corridor studies.

Answer · Iain Gray: I received the consultants' reports yesterday. I have asked the consultants to make their report available today on their website at:<P><A HREF="http://www.cstcs.co.uk">www.cstcs.co.uk</A>.<P>I have also arranged for copies of the Executive Summary to be plac…

5 Jun 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in order to encourage more children to walk to school.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Between 2000 and 2004 over £21 million will have been made available by the Scottish Executive to local authorities to take forward work on walking, cycling and safer streets projects. These resources can be used to implement measures which will encourage mor…

5 Jun 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to upgrade school playgrounds and community play areas.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: While I support the principle that such facilities should be in good condition, decisions on plans to upgrade them are matters for the local authorities who are responsible for their management.

1 May 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that older people are aware of the free personal and nursing care scheme commencing on 1 July 2002.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has launched an extensive public information campaign which will inform older people, their families and carers of what the policy will deliver from 1 July.

19 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the consultation paper on the review of the law of diligence will be published.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I am publishing today a consultation paper which contains proposals for wide ranging reforms to the diligence system. The consultation period will run until 16 July 2002.<P>The paper is available on the Scottish Executive website at: <P>www.scotland.gsi.gov.u…

25 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to prevent and tackle homelessness.

Answer · Iain Gray: The Homelessness Task Force has undertaken a major review of the causes and nature of homelessness in Scotland. The Task Force's final report, which makes wide-ranging recommendations on how homelessness can best be prevented and, where it does occur, tackled…

20 Feb 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to support survivors of sexual abuse.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We have just issued <I>Beyond Trauma: Mental Health Care Needs Of Women Who Survived Childhood Sexual Abuse</I> to the health and social care agencies, asking them to respond positively to its recommendations for service improvements. It is a research report …

30 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the report of the Chief Medical Officer's Expert Group on the Healthcare of Older People.

Answer · Hugh Henry: I am pleased to be able to announce that the expert group's report, entitled <I>Adding Life to Years</I>, is published today. We are also publishing in association with it the results of a specially-commissioned MORI survey on public attitudes to the healthca…

9 Jan 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in improving adoption services.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: We started a review of domestic adoption and fostering policy and legislation in April last year. Just before Christmas, I received the report of the working group undertaking phase one, which was looking, amongst other matters, at the place of adoption in lo…

5 Dec 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives are being taken to tackle drink-driving during the festive season.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is conducting an enforcement campaign, focussing on drink-driving, from 10 December to 7 January. The Scottish Road Safety Campaign has arranged complementary publicity. Research, commissioned by the Scotti…

29 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the membership of the Summary Justice Review Committee and when the committee will begin its work.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The first meeting of the committee took place today. The membership of the committee is:<U><P>Chairman</U><P>Sheriff Principal John McInnes<P>Members<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=550><TR><TD WIDTH="33%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16><FONT FACE="Ari…

28 Nov 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in reducing the incidence of road accidents.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Significant progress has been made. Figures relating to injury road accidents and casualties in Scotland in 2000 were published on 22 November in <I>Road Accidents Scotland 2000</I>, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. numb…

15 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities currently ensure that community care assessments of deafblind children and adults are carried out by specialists in dual-sensory impairment.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally. However, one of the recommendations in the <I>Sensing Progress</I> report was that local authorities should review their assessment arrangements for people who have a sensory impairment to ensure that assessmen…