Parliamentary questions
Margaret Smith
931 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
1 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or Transport Scotland has met TIE Limited to seek its views on the feasibility and deliverability of the proposal for an airport station at Gogar since the decision on 27 September 2007 on plans for the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link and, if so, how often such meetings have taken …
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland has met Tie Ltd to discuss options for the proposal to build a new station in the Gogar area to integrate with the Tram for onward connection to Edinburgh airport.</p> <p >Transport Scotland has put in place a series of regular progress me…
1 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or Transport Scotland has instructed TIE Limited to alter the plan for the Gogar depot tram stop, in light of the Scottish Government’s alternative plans for the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link, or whether TIE Limited is progressing with a staff-only tram depot stop.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland has not requested City of Edinburgh Council to instruct Tie Limited to take any action to alter the plans for the Gogar Tram Depot.</p>
1 Feb 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or Transport Scotland has commissioned any consultants’ reports on the feasibility and deliverability of a tram-train interchange at Gogar since the decision on 27 September 2007 on plans for the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link and, if so, when such reports were commissioned.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland is developing plans to build a new Railway Station in the Gogar area of Edinburgh which will provide connection with the tram network for travel to Edinburgh airport. This scheme is at an early stage of development.</p> <p >Transport Scot…
31 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale is for examining the design of health checks.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government remains committed to the application of anticipatory care, including appropriate screening and health checks, across Scotland. We are currently exploring a range of options for health checks through the Life Begins programme. The timet…
31 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which stakeholders are being consulted on the design of health checks.
Answer · Shona Robison: Proposals on health checks under the Life Begins programme, have been the subject of initial consultation through the <i >Better Health, Better Care</i> consultation document. This was an open consultation document which was made available to all members of t…
31 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of a recent Blood Pressure Association report which found that 39% of adults in Scotland have high blood pressure, what action it intends to take to tackle the issue and whether it will consider introducing a more extensive screening programme as promised in Better Health, Bette…
Answer · Shona Robison: <i >SIGN Guideline 97</i> on risk estimation and the prevention of cardiovascular disease (February 2007) highlights blood pressure as one of the key clinical measurements in assessing cardiovascular risk. This will form part of the evidence base for the clin…
31 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been recovered by the Scottish Legal Aid Board for false or non-declaration of assets in relation to legal aid claims since 1999.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The following table provides information on the potential recoveries or savings made by the Scottish Legal Aid Board since 1999 where legal aid applicants have made an untrue statement as to their income and/or capital assets or have failed to disclose a mate…
31 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals have been prosecuted for false or non-declaration of assets in relation to legal aid claims since 1999.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The following table provides information on the number of cases referred to the procurator fiscal by the Scottish Legal Aid Board since 1999 because a legal aid recipient has made an untrue statement about his income and/or capital assets. Only the most serio…
31 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals have been charged with false or non-declaration of assets in relation to legal aid claims since 1999.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-9257 on 22 February 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/weba…
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a list of all schools that have been (a) built and (b) refurbished since 1999, detailing when the work was (i) started and (ii) completed and broken down by funding stream.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The following tables list the new build and refurbished schools completed which were counted as falling within the school building commitments of the former Scottish Executive administrations. Comprehensive information is not yet available for the period sinc…
30 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to support the introduction of bicycle rental schemes in Scotland's major cities, similar to the Vélib’ schemes in Lyon and Paris.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government will support in principle any local authority which plans to introduce a bicycle rental scheme into its town or city, similar to that run by both Paris and Lyon City Councils.</p> <p >In 2008-09, Scottish local authorities will receiv…
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any prisoners were held in non-legalised police cells in 2006-07 and, if so, how many and for what length of time each was held.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information relating to non-legalised police cells is not held centrally. Section 14 of the Prisons (Scotland) Act 1989 provides that Scottish ministers may, at the request of a police authority, declare a police cell to be a legal prison for the detentio…
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is per night of holding a prisoner in a police cell.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.</p>
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is per night of holding a prisoner in prison.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >The average cost of a prisoner place per night is £111, based on the most recent estimate of the average cost of a prisoner place in the S…
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the minimum time was for a prisoner to be held in a police cell in 2006-07.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.</p>
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the maximum time was for a prisoner to be held in a police cell in 2006-07.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.</p>
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were held in police cells in 2006-07.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.</p>
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the maximum length of a fatal accident inquiry has been since 1999.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Statistics are not collected on the length of time of fatal accident inquiries.</p>
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the minimum length of a fatal accident inquiry has been since 1999.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Statistics are not collected on the length of time of fatal accident inquiries.</p>
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of fatal accident inquiries.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Average costs for fatal accident inquiries are not kept. The average cost per sitting day for civil business in the sheriff courts is £2,048.</p>
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many fatal accident inquiries have taken place in each year since 1999.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The number of fatal accident inquiries (FAIs) recorded as completed in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service''s case management database in each sheriffdom for each of the last five financial years is shown in the following table.</p> <p align=left…
28 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following recent discussions with the UK Government, it is persuaded of the need for fatal accident inquiries for investigating the deaths of Scottish military personnel killed overseas.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Discussions are still continuing with the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Defence and the Scotland Office on how the investigations into the deaths of Scottish-based service personnel can be dealt with closer to home and in a way which minimises the distress…
25 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who decided the membership of the Scottish Prison Commission.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Cabinet Secretary for Justice appointed the members of the commission on the use of prisons in October 2007.</p>
25 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it still expects to receive the report of the Scottish Prison Commission by the end of June 2008 and, if so, whether the report will be published by the end of June 2008.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The commission on the use ofprisons is expected to report to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice by the end ofJune 2008 and the report will be published shortly thereafter.</p>
25 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Prison Commission intends to launch a public consultation on the purpose and impact of imprisonment in contemporary Scotland.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: One of the commission’s objectivesis to raise public awareness of the useof prisons in contemporary Scotland by providing better information to allow a deeperunderstanding of the options, outcomes and costs. As part of its work plan, the commission intends to…
25 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Prison Commission has commissioned any external research and, if so, on what issues and from whom.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The commission hascommissioned no external research to date.</p>
25 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Prison Commission has taken evidence from individuals or organisations, other than the members of the commission, and, if so, from whom.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The commission has so fartaken evidence from Jason McDonald, COSLA, Chris Hawkes, Lothian and BordersCommunity Justice Authority, Susan Matheson, SACRO, Alexander Cameron, Parole Boardfor Scotland, Mike Ewart, Scottish Prison Service, David McKenna, VictimSup…
25 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of Scottish Prison Commission costs, including (a) staffing, (b) office and administration, (c) travel expenses for members, (d) other expenses for members, (e) consultation and advertising and (f) commissioning of research.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-8947 on 8 February 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
25 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has cost to establish the Scottish Prison Commission and what it expects the final cost of the commission to be.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: £0.25 million has been madeavailable from existing Scottish Government resources to cover the Commission’sremit. Given the fluid nature of the Commission’s work plan it is not possibleat this stage to accurately forecast all likely costs. However, a breakdown…
25 Jan 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the minutes of the meetings of the Scottish Prison Commission and, if so, when it will do so.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The minutes of meetings of the commission on the Use of Prisons in Scotland are published on its website <a href="http://www.scottishprisonscommission.info/">www.scottishprisonscommission.info</a>.</p>