Parliamentary questions

Margaret Jamieson

534 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

24 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what planning is in place to implement the provisions of the Regulation of Care Act 2001 in relation to pre-five education.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Planning is well in hand to set up the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (The Care Commission) with effect from 1 April. It will regulate all care services, including those in pre-five education. Following consultation we issued a plan to all loc…

24 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that staffing levels are keeping pace with the expansion of pre-five education.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Guidance for Local Authorities issued in June 1991 under The Children Act 1989 sets out the current minimum staff:child ratios in early years settings. From 1 April 2002, the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care will take over responsibility for…

24 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many universities offer BA courses in childhood studies and how many students applied to each university to undertake this course in each academic year from 1997 to date.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: This information is not held centrally.

23 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take in order to mitigate any distress and injury caused to animals during the prolonged period of firework use on and around 5 November.

Answer · Richard Simpson: The sale, supply and safety of fireworks are consumer protection matters and, as such, are reserved. The Scottish Executive and the Scottish Fire Service fully support the DTI's annual Firework Safety Campaign. In 2001, the DTI's Firework Safety Toolkit was i…

18 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it can ensure that local authorities enforce the Weeds Act 1959 with regard to ragwort.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Weeds Act 1959 does not confer any powers on local authorities to act in relation to ragwort. The Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department investigates all written complaints received about the presence of ragwort on land. The act pl…

18 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to conduct a review of animal welfare legislation similar to that announced by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 2 January 2002.

Answer · Jim Wallace: We have no plans to conduct a separate review, since the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) consultation will include a number of animal welfare bodies that are organised on a GB rather than English or Scottish basis and a number o…

18 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to allocate an animal welfare portfolio to a specific minister.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The Minister for Environment and Rural Development has specific responsibility for animal health and welfare.

16 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the project to extend the M77 remains on target and whether a timetable for the completion of the road will be published.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The project to extend the M77 between Fenwick and Malletsheugh is being taken forward jointly with the Glasgow Southern Orbital and is on target for opening in early 2005. This is in line with the timetable set out following the Strategic Roads Review.

6 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place to measure compliance by NHS Trusts in the labelling of medicinal products and associated package leaflets as required by Council Directive 92/27/EEC.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Requirements for the provision of drug information leaflets to patients are reserved matters which come under the remit of the Medicines Control Agency. Directive 92/27/EEC was incorporated into UK law by the Medicines (Marketing Authorisations etc) Regulatio…

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time permanent jobs have been advertised for secondary school teachers in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) subject and (b) local authority area.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Advertising of jobs for school teachers is a matter for local authorities. The information requested on advertised posts is not held centrally.

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives it is undertaking in order to enhance capacity-building and self-sufficiency in rural communities in Ayrshire and improve social inclusion in such communities.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive has a range of activities, over and above local initiatives by its partners, to address social injustice wherever it occurs in Scotland. In Ayrshire there are four Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIP), with the East Ayrshire Coalfields Area SIP i…

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to maintain the status of small farms in Ayrshire as sustainable businesses.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Farms in Ayrshire, as elsewhere in Scotland, benefit from public support through a wide range of schemes funded by the Scottish Executive and the European Commission. The Farm Business Development Scheme, for example, supports farmers with the development …

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to provide farmers and agricultural workers in Ayrshire with greater access to funding for (a) skills training and support and (b) business advice and support.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Farmers and agricultural workers in Ayrshire have access to free business advice through the Small Business Gateway operated by Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire. The Scottish Executive also funds the Scottish Agricultural College and LANTR…

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage diversification in the rural economy of Ayrshire particularly with regard to employment opportunities other than on farms.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is keen to support diversification within the rural economy. I launched the Farm Business Development Scheme (FBDS) in July, an innovative business support scheme which provides financial assistance to farmers and their immediate famili…

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people arrested in each local authority area in the Strathclyde police force area for contravening local byelaws banning drinking in public places had previously been arrested for the same offence.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people (a) in total and (b) in each local authority area were arrested in the Strathclyde police force area in each of the last three years for contravening local byelaws banning drinking in public places.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Information on the number of people arrested for contravening byelaws banning drinking in designated places is not centrally collected. The available information on the numbers of such offences recorded by the police is given in the table. In general, an offe…

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of the outcome of the recent criminal proceedings against Andrew Aspinall, what measures it plans to take to avoid any repetition of the circumstances that led to this outcome in future cases involving abused young people.

Answer · Colin Boyd: I have now received a report from the Procurator Fiscal at Linlithgow into the circumstances of this case. Having considered this report I have decided to refer the case to the High Court of Justiciary in terms of section 123 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotla…

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce legislation on the prevention of cruelty to animals.

Answer · Jim Wallace: There is already extensive legislation dealing with animal welfare. We will keep that under review.

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to take any particular measures in respect of aggressive or violent adults who abuse both their families and their animals.

Answer · Margaret Curran: There are currently no plans for measures in this area.

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has conducted any research into links between domestic violence, child abuse and animal abuse.

Answer · Margaret Curran: No. Some relevant research has, however, been carried out in the USA and, to a lesser extent, in the UK.

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will be carrying out any random foot-and-mouth disease testing on sheep flocks over the winter period in order to protect against any re-emergence of the disease.

Answer · Ross Finnie: We have conducted extensive testing for foot-and-mouth disease of sheep flocks in all parts of Scotland, concentrating on Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders. All tests were negative and all of Scotland has been declared foot-and-mouth disease free…

3 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations have received funding for animal welfare purposes over the last three years, how much such funding each organisation received and how the funding was spent in each case.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive has not provided funding to organisations for animal welfare purposes.

1 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to establish a "Staff Charter" for NHS staff.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Our National Health announced our intention to prepare a "Staff Governance Standard" and I launched this at the Scottish Partnership Conference on 25 January 2002. Under the Standard, NHS employees are entitled to be:well informed;appropriately t…

25 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the NHS Complaints Procedure, set out in Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, is applied to general practitioners and any out-of-hours services that they provide.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change commits the Scottish Executive to developing a complaints process which is "credible, easy to use, demonstrably independent and effective".The revised NHS complaints procedure will continue t…

25 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs have been created in the Kilmarnock and Loudoun parliamentary constituency since May 1999, broken down by employing organisation.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The information requested is not held centrally.

24 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to consult on the regulations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 which will require taxi drivers to carry assistance dogs and to do so without charge.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Executive is today going out to consultation on the terms of The Taxi Drivers' Licences (Carrying of Guide and Hearing Dogs) (Scotland) Regulations. Copies will be available from the Parliament's Reference Centre and can be accessed on the Scottish Execut…

17 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce its proposals for new mental health legislation following the Millan Committee's Report on the Review of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Our policy statement, "Renewing Mental Health Law" is being published today and copies have been placed in SPICe. The statement sets out our proposals for a new legislative framework, designed to respond to the needs, rights and aspirations of peopl…

20 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Scottish Agricultural College plays in advising farmers on quota applications and whether the college acts as an agent of its Environment and Rural Affairs Department or on a commercial basis when providing such advice.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Many producers choose to use the services of agricultural consultants on a variety of business matters, including the claiming of EU subsidies. The Scottish Agricultural College offers a full range of such services for which they charge fees. When offering ad…

20 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak will have on the availability of quotas from the suckler cow premium scheme quota national reserve in 2002.

Answer · Ross Finnie: It is thought unlikely that the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak will have any serious impact on the availability of quota from the 2002 suckler cow premium national reserve.

20 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what rules apply in relation to the transfer of suckler cow premium scheme quotas to the national reserve and, in particular, what percentage of quota is returned to the national reserve when quotas are sold.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The suckler cow premium scheme national reserve has to be created from existing quota and is supplied by quota siphoned from quota sold on the open market. In addition to siphons of quota, the reserve normally also receives quota removed from producers who ha…