Parliamentary questions
Karen Whitefield
555 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
20 Mar 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following recent comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Justice that “our prisons are going to burst”, what steps it has taken to ensure the security of HM Prison Shotts.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >There are no plans to increase prisoner numbers or to do anything which might impact adversely on the level of security there.</p>
14 Mar 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9803 by Michael Russell on 29 February 2008, what steps it will take to support communities in the immediate vicinity of quarries who are affected by the impact of aggregates extraction.
Answer · Michael Russell: As I said in my previous answer, the government''s plan for spending on Sustainable Development and Climate Change includes a new Climate Challenge Fund, which will launch later this year. Through this Climate Challenge Fund, the government will support all c…
3 Mar 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients who were treated for myocardial infarction in each accident and emergency department in Lanarkshire in 2006-07 would have been suitable for referral to the planned percutaneous coronary intervention unit at Hairmyres Hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-10634 on 12 March 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/webap…
3 Mar 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who will be responsible for deciding whether a patient should be sent to their local accident and emergency department or to the planned percutaneous coronary intervention unit at Hairmyres Hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-10634 on 12 March 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/webap…
3 Mar 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria will be for referral to the planned percutaneous coronary intervention unit at Hairmyres Hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-10634 on 12 March 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/webap…
3 Mar 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients it anticipates will be treated annually by the planned percutaneous coronary intervention unit at Hairmyres Hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-10634 on 12 March 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/webap…
3 Mar 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what modelling it has carried out in relation to the numbers of patients who will be treated by the planned percutaneous coronary intervention unit at Hairmyres Hospital.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-10634 on 12 March 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/webap…
3 Mar 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were treated for myocardial infarction in each accident and emergency department in Lanarkshire in 2006-07.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: These are matters for NHS Lanarkshire and neighbouring NHS boards because specialist services are being planned and developed on a regional basis.</p> <p >I have given in principle approval<i> </i>for further work to be carried out on providing specialist pr…
15 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of Not Seen. Not Heard. Not Guilty: The Rights and Status of the Children of Prisoners in Scotland by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland, whether it plans to review prison rules with the Scottish Prison Service to raise the basic minimum entitlement to vi…
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond.</p> <p >His response is as follows:</p> <p >The Scottish Prison Service will consider the implications of the recommendations from the report as part of future reviews…
15 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of Not Seen. Not Heard. Not Guilty: The Rights and Status of the Children of Prisoners in Scotland by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland, how it intends to ensure that childcare responsibilities are not a barrier to an individual undertaking community ser…
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: In preparing a Social Enquiry Report for the court, the existing National Objectives and Standards for Criminal Justice Social Work require the report writer to consider the suitability of the full range of community disposals in making recommendations to the…
15 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of Not Seen. Not Heard. Not Guilty: The Rights and Status of the Children of Prisoners in Scotland by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland, how it plans to ensure that Scottish prisons offer appropriate facilities for child visitors and that prison visiting…
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond.</p> <p >His response is as follows:</p> <p >The Scottish Prison Service welcomes the report by the Commissioner for Children and Young people in Scotland. The prison s…
15 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of Not Seen. Not Heard. Not Guilty: The Rights and Status of the Children of Prisoners in Scotland by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland, how it plans to ensure that children’s views, interests and concerns are better taken into account when decisions are…
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-9918 on 4 March 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/Apps2/Bu…
15 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of Not Seen. Not Heard. Not Guilty: The Rights and Status of the Children of Prisoners in Scotland by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland, how it plans to ensure that children’s rights are taken into account when decisions are made about releasing or taggi…
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Reports prepared by the relevant local authorities include information on family circumstances. This forms part of the material that informs decisions about all types of release. It is taken into account when setting licence conditions attached to release lic…
15 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of Not Seen. Not Heard. Not Guilty: The Rights and Status of the Children of Prisoners in Scotland by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland, what plans it has to ensure better support for the estimated 13,500 children affected by the imprisonment of a parent…
Answer · Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government and its related agency, the Scottish Prison Service, provides financial support to Families Outside, a Scottish charity which helps families each year through the Scottish Prisoner''s Family Helpline. Through research, training and par…
15 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of Not Seen. Not Heard. Not Guilty: The Rights and Status of the Children of Prisoners in Scotland by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland, how it will ensure that courts fully take into account the rights of children when sentencing and that appropriate co…
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Decisions on sentencing are entirely a matter for the sentencing judge, who hears all the facts and circumstances surrounding the offence and the offender, and is able to take into account any factors which he or she considers to be relevant.</p> <p >Backgr…
13 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to distribute its share of the money raised by the UK Government from the aggregates tax.
Answer · John Swinney: Scotland''s share of the money raised by the UK Government from the aggregates tax is indirectly reflected in our overall spending review settlement. Environmental spending is a devolved matter and the Scottish Government''s plans for environmental spending a…
13 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many secure accommodation places are (a) provided and (b) vacant in North Lanarkshire and what the cost is of each such place.
Answer · Adam Ingram: St Philip''s secure accommodation unit is situated in North Lanarkshire and it contains 24 secure beds. It is a national resource. The number of vacancies varies daily and we do not gather this information centrally.</p>
13 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will cost to (a) refurbish Monklands District General Hospital, (b) establish a Lanarkshire cancer centre at Monklands, (c) develop in-house mental health and learning disability facilities and (d) develop Airdrie Health Centre and whether the finance for these improvements wa…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Lanarkshire are due to consider their 2008-09 Local Delivery Plan in March 2008, agreeing the board''s priorities for the next five years “ until the board do this the estimated costs of the above projects cannot be confirmed.</p> <p >The board will be …
13 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies for doctors there are in (a) Monklands, (b) Wishaw and (c) Hairmyres hospitals, broken down by grade, and for how long each position has been vacant.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The specific information requested is not centrally available. However, details of vacant consultant posts are published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics at <a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/workforce">www.isdscotland.org…
13 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many doctors in (a) Monklands, (b) Wishaw and (c) Hairmyres hospitals are due to retire in the next (i) year and (ii) four years.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The specific information requested is not centrally available. However, the following table shows the number of doctors in NHS Lanarkshire who will reach the age of 65 in each year from 2008 to 2012. Please note also that there are five doctors in NHS Lanarks…
13 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many doctors are employed in (a) Monklands, (b) Wishaw and (c) Hairmyres hospitals, broken down by grade.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Staff in post information for doctors employed in individual hospitals is not available centrally. However, figures on doctors employed in NHS Lanarkshire are available. These can be found in the table HCHS medical and dental staff by gender, contract type, g…
13 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers employed by Strathclyde Police and deployed in the North Lanarkshire division are projected to retire during the next four years.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.</p>
13 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional officers will be recruited by Strathclyde Police for deployment in the North Lanarkshire division in 2008-09 and over the third session of the Parliament.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The operational deployment of resources is a matter for chief constables, and no information is held centrally on the number of officers deployed in specific local authority areas.</p>
13 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executivehow many officers are employed by Strathclyde Police and deployed in the North Lanarkshire division.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The operational deployment of resources is a matter for chief constables, and no information is held centrally on the number of officers deployed in specific local authority areas.</p> <p >Figures on the number of police officers employed in Strathclyde as a…
5 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has met the General Teaching Council Scotland to discuss the findings of its 2006-07 employment survey of probationer teachers.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The findings have been discussed by officials.</p> <p >The General Teaching Council Scotland have indicated that they intend to carry out a follow up survey in May 2008.</p>
5 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage Scottish teachers employed outside Scotland to return to teach in Scottish schools.
Answer · Maureen Watt: We have no such plans.</p>
5 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of research by the General Teaching Council Scotland indicating that 30.5% of newly qualified primary teachers secured permanent posts by October 2007, what plans it has to tackle the lack of permanent positions available in the primary sector.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The form of contract under which primary teachers are employed is a matter for local authorities as employers. We have signed a concordat with local government that commits local authorities to broadly maintain teacher numbers when pupil rolls are falling. Th…
5 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the findings of the General Teaching Council Scotland’s 2006-07 employment survey of probationer teachers, whether it plans to allocate additional funding to enable local authorities to employ additional teachers.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government has already allocated an additional £9 million to enable local authorities to employ additional teachers in the academic year 2007-08 in order to alleviate a situation we inherited. The funding was baselined and forms part of the recen…
5 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to tackle the falling employment rate among newly qualified teachers.
Answer · Maureen Watt: We have signed a concordat with local government that commits local authorities to broadly maintain teacher numbers against a backdrop of falling school rolls. This will provide additional employment opportunities for new teachers.</p>
5 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the findings of the General Teaching Council Scotland’s 2006-07 employment survey of probationer teachers, what plans it has to ensure that a higher percentage of newly qualified teachers can secure permanent teaching posts.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The contractual arrangements for teachers are matters for local authorities as employers. However, the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers has agreed a code of practice which states that while recognising service needs local authorities should be prov…