Karen Whitefield

10 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any local authorities have raised the issue of insufficient funding as a reason for not placing young people in secure accommodation.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Local authorities place young people in secure accommodation in line with the criteria set out in legislation. Funding for the placement of young people in secure accommodation is included in the overall local government finance settlement. It is for local au…

10 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to be able to take action to address the overcapacity of secure accommodation for young people.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government and COSLA has already acted to establish a short-life working group, Securing Our Future Initiative, and will consider, in discussion with other stakeholders including the providers of secure accommodation, further action in light of i…

10 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to address the overcapacity in secure accommodation for young people.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: A short-life working group, Securing our Future Initiative, has been tasked by the Scottish Government and COSLA with considering how best to meet Scotland''s need for secure accommodation, including how to address issues of capacity. The group will produce r…

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what work will be undertaken by Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council in relation to developing a structure to support skills and training for the broadcasting industry.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: All of our skills delivery bodies such as Skills Development Scotland and the Scottish Funding Council will work together in partnership with industry and Skillset to better meet the skills needs of Scottish broadcasting. We will look to Skillset to engage fu…

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which agency will have responsibility for broadcasting in the absence of Creative Scotland.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: There are several agencies involved in supporting the broadcasting industry in Scotland, including Scottish Screen and the enterprise bodies. The Scottish Government is establishing Creative Scotland as a publicly owned limited company early in 2009 to progre…

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Enterprise will be given additional resources to underpin the proposed broadcasting strategy.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: Scottish Enterprise will deliver its strategy within its existing resources.</p>

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Enterprise will be required to consult with stakeholders in the process of producing a broadcasting strategy and, if so, when.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: Scottish Enterprise will develop this strategy alongside other relevant public bodies and with the support of the industry.</p>

8 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many whole-time equivalent nursery teachers there have been in each of the last three years, also broken down by local authority.

Answer · Adam Ingram: This information can be found in the <i >Pre-School and Childcare Census</i> publications for 2006, 2007 and 2008. These can be found on the Scottish Government''s website at the address shown below.</p> <p ><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statist…

3 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of additional funding will be provided to North Lanarkshire Council for the provision of free school meals to all P1 to P3 pupils.

Answer · Adam Ingram: The additional funding to enable North Lanarkshire Council to provide free school meals to all P1 to P3 pupils from August 2010 has already been provided in the local government settlement provided to North Lanarkshire Council.</p> <p >I also refer the membe…

3 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the draft order to ensure that college assets when disposed of are used for charitable purposes will be laid before the Parliament.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We plan to lay a draft order before the end of the year. The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator has asked that action to safeguard the charitable status of colleges should be completed by the end of July 2009.</p>

3 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation was undertaken with stakeholders when drafting the forthcoming supplementary order relating to the Charity Test (Specified Bodies) (Scotland) Order 2008 to ensure that college assets, when disposed of, are used for charitable purposes.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We have worked with a range of stakeholders, both formally and informally, regarding the action necessary to safeguard the charitable status of colleges. These have included the Association of Scotland''s Colleges, NUS Scotland, STUC, SCVO and the Scottish Fu…

3 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that any outstanding parliamentary and legal issues relating to the charitable status of further education institutions will have been completed by 31 July 2009.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Yes. We have now removed the main barrier to the continued charitable status of colleges. This was achieved through the Charity Test (Specified Bodies) (Scotland) Order 2008, approved by Parliament on 25 June 2008, which exempted colleges from the standard re…

15 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the minutes of the meetings of the recently announced school estate working group will be made available to the public.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Action points from each meeting of the School Estate Strategy Working Group will be published on the Scottish Government website.</p>

15 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the findings from the recently announced school estate working group are expected.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The intention is to publish a new school estate strategy in spring 2009.</p>

15 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership will be of the recently announced school estate working group.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The current membership of the joint Scottish Government / COSLA School Estate Strategy Working Group is comprised as follows: Robert Nicol, COSLA, co-chair; Eileen Gill, Scottish Government, co-chair; Laura Jamieson, COSLA; Dave Jones, Society of Local Author…

15 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how often the recently announced school estate working group will meet.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The intention is that the School Estate Strategy Working Group will meet at least monthly.</p>

15 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of the recently announced school estate working group.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The remit of the joint Scottish Government / COSLA School Estate Strategy Working Group is to develop a new school estate strategy, as recommended in the Audit Scotland report, <i >Improving the school estate</i>.</p>

11 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the recent closure of the Big Lottery Fund’s Investing in Communities funding portfolio, whether it intends to consult on future spending priorities in Scotland of the Big Lottery Fund and, if so, what form the consultation will take, who the lead organisation will be and whe…

Answer · John Swinney: Priorities for distribution of lottery funding in Scotland by the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) are set by Scottish ministers in policy directions made with the consent of the Secretary of State. It is the intention to review the policy directions to align more clos…

19 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm its policy in relation to class sizes for S1 and S2 English and mathematics.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Guidance on class sizes in S1 and S2 mathematics and English classes was issued in Circular 1/2007 on 2 April 2007. That guidance is still extant.</p>

19 Jun 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve investment in prison education.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government is currently undertaking work to look at the broad spectrum of learning provision to offenders, from those on community sentences as well as for those in custody.</b></p> <p >The aim of this work is to consider where we could improve…

5 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13536 by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 June 2008, whether it has any future plans to collect information centrally on the number of operations cancelled in each NHS board due to a lack of beds.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are currently no plans to collect this information centrally. Some NHS boards will be able to provide reasons for cancellations from their own local systems.</p>

29 May 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve passenger access to railway stations.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Disabled access is a matter which is reserved to Westminster. The Department for Transport''s Access for All programme is investing £370 million in stations throughout the UK over a 10 year period. Scotland''s share of this investment is £39 million.</p> <p …

27 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many operations have been cancelled in Lanarkshire in the last 12 months due to lack of beds, broken down by hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The specific information requested is not available centrally.</p> <p >ISD Scotland collect some information on the number of in-patient/day case episodes where operations/procedures were cancelled following admission to hospital. However, it is not possible…

27 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulance crew positions are currently vacant due to secondment, maternity leave or sickness, broken down by NHS board area and ambulance station.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held in the format requested.</p>

27 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many two-man vehicles have been removed or reduced to one-man by the Scottish Ambulance Service over the last 12 months, broken down by NHS board area and ambulance station.

Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held in the format requested. However, the Scottish Ambulance Service has advised that in the last 12 months, three two-man vehicles have been removed from the fleet.</p>

27 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many rapid response vehicles the Scottish Ambulance Service have introduced over the last 12 months, broken down by NHS board area and ambulance station.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information is not held in the format requested. However, the Scottish Ambulance Service has advised that a total of eight additional rapid response vehicles have been introduced in the last 12 months, seven of which are either being trialled in some area…

20 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the draft charging statement on the water services charges exemption scheme.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13133 on 30 May 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

9 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which consultants were used during the Scotrail franchise extension negotiation process and how much they were paid.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Ernst and Young LLP and Brodies LLP carried out relevant financial and legal consultancy work during the ScotRail franchise extension negotiation process. The total cost for this work was £192,908.</p>

7 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all additional income from increased revenue on rail services, identified in the Scotrail franchise amendment agreement, will be invested in rail services.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The £70 million secured from First ScotRail under the amended franchise agreement will be invested in rail services in Scotland. Any additional revenue, such as from profit share, will likewise be invested in rail services.</p>

7 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the £70 million identified as additional investment in the Scotrail franchise amendment agreement, effectively reduces the public subsidy to rail services.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: As stated in the amendment agreement, the £70 million secured through the ScotRail franchise extension can be used either to reduce subsidy payments or to pay for further initiatives.</p>