Margaret Jamieson

11 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is continuing to fund health bodies which operate in reserved areas by virtue of the Scotland Act 1998.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive has now concluded discussions with the Department of Health and the Scotland Office about arrangements for the funding of five bodies in the health field, which deal with reserved matters. The bodies are the Human Fertilisation and Embr…

3 Jan 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to bring forward legislation to require sprinklers to be installed in all new and refurbished homes.

Answer · Allan Wilson: No.

14 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it is making available and how it plans to provide for the development of home-based athletes in preparation for the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and the Olympic Games in 2004 and what discussions have taken place with Her Majesty's Government and Scottish and UK spo…

Answer · Allan Wilson: Under the<B> </B>Lottery Sports Fund, £2.2 million per year is committed to the Talented Athlete Programme and £1.75 million to the Junior Groups Programme. The former currently supports some 450 athletes in 39 sports. The latter is designed to develop emergi…

27 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what targets are set for Reporters in relation to completing reports into local planning matters.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Given the scale and complexity of the issues that can be raised, there are no set targets for Reporters completing reports.

27 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports from public local inquiries are outstanding by more than (a) three months, (b) six months, (c) nine months and (d) one year.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: None.

27 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports from public local inquiries into planning matters are awaiting a ministerial decision.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: One case currently awaits ministerial decision. This relates to a proposal for a golf course and holiday home development on the Rowallan Castle estate in East Ayrshire.

27 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports are awaited from public local inquiries into planning matters.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Two reports are awaited. In both cases the public local inquiry concluded on 24&nbsp;October 2000.

27 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10064 by Mr Frank McAveety on 9 October 2000, whether the observer at the Dog Identification Working Group took any part in the group's deliberations and whether the observer provided the group with the views of the Scottish Executive.

Answer · Peter Peacock: No. The working group was set up by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions and comprised of representatives of various animal and dog welfare groups. Our observer status was given on the basis that it would assist the Executive's considerati…

27 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10065 by Mr Frank McAveety on 9 October 2000, what the extent will be of any consultation on any proposals for change and, in particular, what groups would be involved and whether the general public will be able to comment.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Our intention is for any future consultation resulting from the working group's report to be extensive with all interested groups, as well as the general public, being given the opportunity to comment.

27 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10065 by Mr Frank McAveety on 9 October 2000, whether it will make available in SPICe a copy of the report of the Dog Identification Working Group.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Our consideration of the working group's report is almost complete and an announcement as to how we intend to proceed, including its availability, will be made in the near future.

27 Sep 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its announcement on 19 September 2000 of free central heating for pensioners and families, how many private pensioner homes will have central heating installed over the next five years.

Answer · Frank McAveety: We estimate that 40,000 pensioners who are owner-occupiers or private renters will have central heating systems installed.

25 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received a copy of the report of the Dog Identification Working Group and, if so, what action it plans to take in the light of the report and what consultations it intends to hold prior to taking any such action.

Answer · Frank McAveety: I have received a copy of the Dog Identification Working Group's report and am currently considering the implications for Scotland. Any proposals for change will be subject to public consultation.

25 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what input it has had into the report of the Dog Identification Working Group set up by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

Answer · Frank McAveety: None. The issues covered by the Dog Identification Working Group are devolved to the Scottish Parliament but we had observer status on the Group.

31 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that no delays occur to the extension of the M77 as a result of the Glasgow southern orbital inquiry.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Executive is ensuring that the powers for the extension of the M77 will allow it to be taken forward separately should the two councils be unable to obtain approval to construct the Glasgow Southern Orbital.

31 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescales are for all preparatory survey works prior to the commencement of the M77 extension.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: A ground investigation survey will be undertaken before the end of this year and an archaeological survey is programmed for next spring.

1 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to authorise a seal cull on the west coast of Scotland.

Answer · John Home Robertson: There are no plans to authorise such a cull in Scottish waters. Powers to take appropriate action against seals to protect fisheries vel are already available under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970.

1 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what change there has been in the seal population on the west coast of Scotland over the last 10 years.

Answer · John Home Robertson: Estimates suggest that the west coast grey seal population increased by around 34% between the surveys undertaken in 1989 and 1998. The last two surveys of the west coast common seal population were carried out during 1988-1994 and 1996-97. In the intervening…

1 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the impact of drift netting on salmon stocks in Scottish waters.

Answer · John Home Robertson: The use of drift nets was prohibited in Scotland in 1962. Drift nets continue to be used off the West Coast of Ireland and off the North East Coast of England. It is estimated that of fish caught by the latter, 80% would have been destined for Scottish rivers…

1 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to phase out salmon netting stations.

Answer · John Home Robertson: Salmon netting rights are private heritable titles. In recent years exploitation by nets has markedly decreased. For example, netting effort decreased by 83% between 1975 and 1999.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Scottish Executive has no plans to phase out these nets.

1 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fish and of what species have been taken by salmon netting stations in each of the last five years.

Answer · John Home Robertson: The number of salmon and sea trout taken in nets is recorded in the annual Statistical Bulletin prepared by the Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory, copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Small quantities of flounders and pla…

1 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many salmon netting stations are currently in operation.

Answer · John Home Robertson: I refer to the answer to question S1W-8696 which set out this information in detail.

28 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent research has been completed, is ongoing or is proposed into the role and responsibilities of nursery nurses in pre-school education.

Answer · Peter Peacock: <I><FONT FACE="Arial">Meeting Children's Education Needs: The Role of Staff and Staff Development</I> by Christine Stephen, Sally Brown, Peter Cope and Steve Watherhouse of Stirling University was commissioned by the Scottish Office Education and Industry Dep…

28 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional training and responsibilities will be required for nursery nurses in deregulated nursery classes and schools in the light of the policy position paper The Way Forward for Care.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive intends that the proposed Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care will regulate all providers of early education and childcare and that Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools will continue to inspect on a periodic basis.<P ALIGN="JU…

28 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to develop a national career structure for nursery nurses.

Answer · Peter Peacock: <I><FONT FACE="Arial">Working with Children: A Guide to Qualifications, and Careers in Early Education, Childcare and Playwork</I> published by the Scottish Executive Education Department in January 2000, describes different occupations, including that of nur…

28 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to enshrine minimum standards of nursery nurse provision in the revised Schools (Scotland) Code in the light of the policy position paper The Way Forward for Care.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive set out its proposals for the regulation of early education and childcare in <I>Regulation of Early Education and Childcare: The Way Ahead</I> published in May. Providers will have to meet National Care Standards focusing on the quality…

28 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the child:nursery nurse ratio is in each local authority.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive does not currently collect comprehensive data on local authority staff by occupational group and qualification. It is not therefore possible to derive a child:nursery nurse ratio for all early education and childcare services. It is, ho…

28 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many nursery nurses are employed by each local authority.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Department does not collect data on the number of early education and childcare workers (often termed &quot;nursery nurses&quot;) employed across the full range of local authority services. At September 1999, there were 4,103 full-time equivalent qualifie…

19 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was consulted by the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food regarding the organic livestock products regulations, (EC) 1804/1999, or by the United Kingdom Register of Organic Food Standards regarding its further consultation on this issue in April and May 2000.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive and other UK administrations were a party to the negotiations in Brussels leading to the introduction of Council Regulation (EC) No 1804/1999 which concerns organic livestock production. Following on from the adoption of the regulation,…

18 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce measures to give consumers more information about chicken and egg products such as (a) the country of origin, (b) a traceable source, (c) a recognised mark of quality assurance and (d) confirmation that they have been produced in accordance with animal welfare re…

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has no plans to require information which is additional to the existing statutory requirements to be provided on food labels.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">European legislation prohibits member states insisting on country of origin labelling on pro…

21 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a system is in place to record side effects experienced by patients from prescribed drugs.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Yes. The Yellow Card Scheme underpins drug safety monitoring in the UK. Under the scheme, doctors, pharmacists, dentists and coroners are encouraged to report any suspected adverse drug reactions to the Committee on Safety of Medicines and the Medicines Contr…