Parliamentary questions
Margaret Jamieson
534 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why producers moving from one constituent part of the UK to another take quota obtained from the suckler cow premium scheme quota national reserve with them.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Since the introduction of livestock quotas in 1993, a system of ring fencing has been in place to protect the movement of quota away from sensitive areas. It is therefore not possible for producers taking a business decision to move from one constituent part …
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a husband and wife who jointly own a farm are treated as a partnership for the purposes of the eligibility rules governing applications to livestock quota reserves.
Answer · Ross Finnie: It is up to the individuals involved to decide on how they wish to trade. It is true that, in Scotland, most husband and wife teams will form a partnership for the purposes of claiming subsidy. However, many prefer to trade as a sole producer with only the hu…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the suckler cow premium scheme quota national reserve eligibility rules regarding partnerships differ from rules on partnerships applied in relation to other quota reserves.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The eligibility criteria for allocations of livestock quota from both the suckler cow premium scheme and the sheep annual premium scheme are identical and partnerships applying to either reserve are treated in exactly the same way.
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the eligibility rules governing applications to the sheep annual premium scheme quota national reserve and the suckler cow premium scheme quota national reserve are a reserved or a devolved matter and, if devolved, what plans it has to review the operation of these rules.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Agriculture, as a whole, is a devolved matter. However, there are currently no plans to review either the eligibility criteria or the categories of the national reserves.
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how a partnership is defined for the purpose of applications to the suckler cow premium scheme quota national reserve.
Answer · Ross Finnie: A partnership is not specifically defined in the legislation governing suckler cow quota. The definition used is that given in section 1(1) of the Partnership Act 1890.
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will play in any consultation on the disbursement of funds to local authorities for the development of proposals designed to ensure compliance with the terms of the EU landfill directive.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is being consulted on the development of a guidance document for local authorities on the operation of the Strategic Waste Fund. This is in its role as co-ordinator of the National Waste Strategy and constituent Area…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued a consultation paper on the disbursement of funds to local authorities for the development of proposals designed to ensure compliance with the terms of the EU landfill directive; if so, to whom this paper has been issued, and, if this does not include local authoriti…
Answer · Rhona Brankin: A guidance document for local authorities on the operation of the Strategic Waste Fund (SWF) is currently being prepared. The SWF is for local authorities to implement the findings of Area Waste Plans which are being developed as part of the <I>National Waste…
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the impact that the recommendations of the recent review of tribunals by Sir Andrew Leggatt would have on the operation of tribunals in Scotland if implemented.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Leggatt Report concerned tribunals operating in reserved areas including some which have jurisdiction in Scotland. Assessment of the impact of the recommendations is primarily a matter for the Lord Chancellor's Department and other Whitehall Departments. …
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the impact of the current eligibility rules on civil legal aid in cases arising from the breakdown of marital or cohabitation relationships.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Legal Aid Board has been carrying out research on civil legal aid, including issues of eligibility. We await the results shortly.
7 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to carry out a review of Scottish tribunals which operate in devolved areas.
Answer · Jim Wallace: There are at present no plans to conduct such a review.
7 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to respond to the consultation paper Tribunals for Users published by the Lord Chancellor's Department on 16 August 2001.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Executive does not plan to issue a formal response to the consultation paper. Officials will, however, continue to discuss with relevant officials in the Lord Chancellor's Department, arrangements for taking forward consideration of the policy options and…
7 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what input it had to the review of tribunals recently undertaken by Sir Andrew Leggett.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The review undertaken by Sir Andrew Leggatt dealt primarily with Tribunals operating in reserved areas. Officials of the Scottish Executive maintained contact with the Lord Chancellor's Department throughout the review process. They contributed information an…
7 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review civil legal aid remuneration rates for solicitors.
Answer · Iain Gray: My officials are presently in preliminary discussions with the Law Society of Scotland about civil legal aid remuneration.
7 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications there were for civil legal aid in each of the last five years and how many applications were granted in each of these years.
Answer · Jim Wallace: A detailed analysis of the applications for civil legal aid in each year is set out in the Annual Report of the Scottish Legal Aid Board. The board's report for 2000-01 was laid before the Parliament on 18 July.
7 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the eligibility rules for civil legal aid.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have no plans to change the three tests set out in the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986, namely <I>probabilis causa</I>, financial eligibility and reasonableness. The detailed financial tests are generally uprated annually in line with changes in social securi…
7 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the operation of civil legal aid.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The operation of civil legal aid and its interaction with other parts of the justice system are kept under constant review. Necessary changes to the scheme, whether by primary or subordinate legislation, are presented to the Scottish Parliament for considerat…
20 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been given to local authorities on the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in relation to school building.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Disability Rights Commission is currently consulting on a Code of Practice about the implementation in schools of the provisions in the Act. <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The duty in Part IV of the Act (as amended) on education providers to plan for increased access…
20 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice is available to parents of a disabled child in relation to the choice of a mainstream school for their child.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Parents of disabled children can obtain advice in relation to the choice of a school primarily from their education authority. Parents and children can also obtain independent advice from the Enquire helpline, from the Disability Rights Commission, from the o…
20 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact that the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 has had or will have in relation to parents' ability to choose which mainstream school they wish their disabled child to attend.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The application of the Disability Discrimination Act to education does not take effect until September 2002. The Act will increase the availability of educational opportunities and the choices for parents of school age children.
20 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support is available to local authorities to assist them in ensuring effective access to school buildings for people with disabilities.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: From April 2000, the Scottish Executive Inclusion Programme is providing an additional £19 million over two years to assist education authorities in making schools more accessible to children with special educational needs. This funding can be used to ensure …
20 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been given to local authorities about the extent to which parents of a disabled child may choose the mainstream school that they wish their child to attend.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has not issued any specific guidance on the extent to which parents of a disabled child may choose the mainstream school that they wish their child to attend. Parents of any child are entitled to make a placing request to their educatio…
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to publish information about individual learning accounts in formats other than text.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish University for Industry (SUfI) is working with the Royal National Institute for the Blind to improve accessibility for prospective Individual Learning Account users. SUfI is developing audio tapes and braille packs of selected documents. It is al…
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to publish information about individual learning accounts in languages other than English.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish University for Industry (SUfI) is currently evaluating the need for support in languages other than English for Individual Learning Accounts and other aspects of its business. If justified it will introduce such support as and when required.
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive in what formats other than text is information about individual learning accounts available to the general public.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The national marketing of Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs) is the responsibility of the Scottish University for Industry (SUfI), who took on this role when it came into being in October 2000. It initially concentrated on providing the required marketing ma…
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive in what languages other than English information about individual learning accounts is available to the general public.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The national marketing of Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs) is the responsibility of the Scottish University for Industry (SUfI), who took on this role when it came into being in October 2000. It initially concentrated on providing the required marketing ma…
30 May 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions for each year since 1997 in (a) Scotland and (b) each police force area for the contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1967 were preceded by predictive tests for the presence of drugs carried out by the police.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The information is not held centrally.
30 May 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many police investigations involving the use of predictive tests in (a) Scotland and (b) each police force area regarding alleged contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1967 were carried out by the police in each year since 1997.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The information is not held centrally.
21 May 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets are set for further education colleges with regard to students with special educational needs.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Through the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992, further education colleges are required to have regard to the requirements of persons over school age with learning difficulties. Scottish Ministers provide guidance to the Scottish Further Educati…
21 May 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the performance of further education colleges is monitored with regard to students with special educational needs.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive holds regular meetings with the Scottish Further Education Funding Council, to monitor its performance in taking forward Executive priorities, as set out in Ministerial Guidance. This includes the support colleges give to students with …
21 May 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is given to further education colleges regarding support for students with special educational needs.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive provides guidance to the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC) on the strategic priorities for the further education sector, including support for students with special educational needs. Specific guidance was recently issu…