Parliamentary questions

Linda Fabiani

2,507 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

11 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1578 by Ms Margaret Curran on 18 August 2003, whether discussions between it, the two local authorities, Communities Scotland and the enterprise network have now been completed.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive is continuing to consider the allocation of resources for vacant and derelictland and the process for considering proposals for expenditure and an announcementwill be made in due course.

11 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1625 by Ms Margaret Curran on 19 August 2003, whether it will now seek a meeting with the Home Office regarding the fingerprinting and photographing of visitors to the Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive regularlymeets with the Home Office and raises a number of issues at these times.

11 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1925 by Mr Tom McCabe on 1 September 2003, whether the Care Commission will be responsible for ensuring that the European Convention of Human Rights is complied with at the Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre in all areas within its responsibil…

Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1626 on 12 September 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk…

11 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1960 by Ms Margaret Curran on 3 September 2003, on what specific practical issues relating to the dispersal of asylum seekers ministers have written to the Home Office.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive has written tothe Home Office about the discontinuation of a pilot scheme of holding asylum interviewsin Glasgow and the work of the Scottish Refugee Integration Forum.

11 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-358 by Ms Margaret Curran on 4 September 2003, whether it is satisfied with the treatment of children of asylum seekers in areas within its responsibility.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive’s responsibilities are to children of asylum seekers dispersed into communities.Implementation of the Scottish Refugee Integration Forum Action Plan is ensuringimprovements for children of asylum seekers. A report on progress being made…

11 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1922 by Peter Peacock on 5 September 2003, what provisions of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 disapply provisions of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Section 122 of the Immigrationand Asylum Act 1999 disapplies provisions of the Children (Scotland) Act1995.

11 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1922 by Peter Peacock on 5 September 2003, under what circumstances provisions of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 are disapplied.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Section 22 of the Children (Scotland) Act1995 is disapplied where section 122 of the Immigration and Asylum 1999 Act applies.

11 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1922 by Peter Peacock on 5 September 2003, what provisions of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 are disapplied by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The child welfare provisions in section 22 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 are disapplied where section 122 of the Immigrationand Asylum Act 1999 applies.

11 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1921 by Peter Peacock on 5 September 2003, what provisions of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 have been disapplied by UK legislation.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Nationality, immigrationand asylum are matters for the Home Office. In respect of asylum seekers, the child welfare provisions at section 22 of the Children(Scotland) Act 1995 are disapplied where the provisions in section 122 of the Immigrationand Asylum Act…

11 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1879 by Mr Tom McCabe on 1 September 2003, where the Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability will be located.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The address of the Scottish Consortiumfor Learning Disability (SCLD) is Unit 16, Adelphi Centre, 12 Commercial Road, Glasgowand has been there for two and a half years. Information about the work of SCLDcan be found on their website at <a href="http://www.scl…

11 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1885 by Mr Tom McCabe on 1 September 2003, what additional resources it has provided to schools to allow them to comply with legislation providing for the inclusion of all children in mainstream schools.

Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1447 on 6 August 2003, which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:<ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">http://www.scottish.…

11 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1884 by Mr Tom McCabe on 2 September 2003, when the report of the employment sub-group of the national The Same as you? Implementation Group will be published.

Answer · Tom McCabe: We currently expect to publishthe report of the employment sub-group around the end of October.

28 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the current round of negotiations on environmental services under the General Agreement on Trade in Services will have on public services if the United States of America's proposal to liberalise sewage, refuse, sanitation and similar services and, in particular, the proposed e…

Answer · Jim Wallace: The regulation of internationaltrade is a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Executive continues to be in regular contactwith the Department of Trade and Industry and other government departments on tradeissues, including the General Agreement on Trade in…

28 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact Japan's communication to the Council for Trade in Services would have on Scottish tertiary education institutions should the proposals be accepted and qualifications in the General Agreement on Trade in Services signatory countries become equivalised.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Department for Trade andIndustry (DTI) has lead responsibility for all matters related to the General Agreementon Trade in Services (GATS) on behalf of all UK stakeholders as the regulationof international trade is a reserved area. The DTI representatives…

28 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any autonomous liberalisation measures to facilitate Her Majesty's Government negotiations on further liberalisation under the General Agreement on Trade in Services.

28 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Bologna Agreement of 29 July 1999 will affect the autonomy of Scottish universities.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2259 today, which is available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa" target="_blank">http://www.scottish.par…

28 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Bologna Agreement of 29 July 1999 obliges Scottish universities to accede to a common European system.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-2259 today, which is available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa" target="_blank">http://www.scottish.parl…

28 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many students on Erasmus programmes at Scottish universities receive exemption from tuition fees.

Answer · Jim Wallace: For the academic year 2001-02, approximately 2,130 students on Erasmus programmes attended Scottish higher education institutions. It is a condition of the Erasmus programme that, where students are studying on courses which last for a full academic year (nin…

28 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the autonomy of universities will be protected in any movement towards harmonisation, as outlined in the Sorbonne Agreement of 25 May 1998.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-2259 today, which is availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/searc…

28 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken towards harmonisation to create a European area of education, as outlined in the Sorbonne Agreement of 25 May 1998.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-2259 today, which isavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be foundat <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp…

28 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the Sorbonne Agreement of 25 May 1998 has had on tertiary education and the international mobility of Scottish students.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Sorbonne Agreement, andits successor the Bologna Declaration, aim to strengthen collaboration betweenhigher education institutions across Europe and to enhance levels of mobility for staff andstudents by 2010. It is an inter-governmental process, dependen…

27 Aug 2003 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what proportion of staff employed by (a) the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) and (b) MSPs and party central units participate in a company pension scheme.

Answer · Duncan McNeil: All staff currently employedby the SPCB participate in an occupational pension scheme. There is no occupationalpension scheme available to MSPs staff in their employment with Members of the Scottish Parliament.

27 Aug 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what areas within its responsibilities concerning the children of asylum seekers it has made representations to Her Majesty's Government following the case of the Ay children.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive has made no representations to Her Majesty’s Government following the case of the Ay children.

11 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the provisions of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Act 2000 are overridden by the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Section 40 of Nationality,Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 allows the Secretary of State to make an orderin relation to the education of residents of accommodation centres, were one tobe set up in Scotland. Such an order could apply, disapply or modify theeffe…

11 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the provision of specialist or supported homes for adults with learning difficulties.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Provision of such homes is a matter for local decision, to meet the needs of people living in the area concerned. In addition, Supporting People came into effect on 1 April 2003 with £200 million of funding during the first year of the programme, a pro…

11 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist or supported homes are available for adults with learning difficulties in each local authority area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: This information is not heldcentrally, although work to collate this data is on-going.

11 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many respite care places are available for adults with learning difficulties in each local authority area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The following table shows thenumber of registered residential care respite places in residential care homes foradults with learning disabilities; in the local authority, private andvoluntary sectors. (The figures do not include places within the new Supportin…

11 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many adults with learning difficulties live in the family home in each local authority area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: This information is not held centrally.

11 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the provision of respite care for adults with learning difficulties.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Providing short breaks for people with learning disabilities is a matter for local authorities and NHS boards. The same as you? recommended a range of flexible short breaks that meet the needs of people with learning disabilities and their carers.Infor…

11 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what respite care is available for adults with learning difficulties.

Answer · Tom McCabe: There were 302 respite placesin residential care homes for adults with learning disabilities at 31 March 2002. During2001-02, there were 12,123 short-stay admissions to residential care homes for adultswith learning disabilities. Information on other t…