Parliamentary questions
Mary Mulligan
707 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce its proposals following the recommendations in the report of the MacLean Committee on Serious Violent and Sexual Offenders.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Scottish Ministers welcomed the MacLean Report when it was published in June 2000. I said then that we would consult on the recommendations and, in the light of the responses received, bring forward proposals for the sentencing, management and treatment of th…
16 May 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to extend the powers of local authorities.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Yes. We are committed to introducing a power of community initiative for local authorities - a measure designed to facilitate community leadership, partnership working and innovation in Scottish local authorities.
2 May 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to set national targets for the Scottish Police Service.
Answer · Jim Wallace: A range of targets, arrived at following detailed consultation with the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and with the Conveners of police authorities, are being set for the Scottish police to achieve by the year 2003-04.<P>The targets are inte…
24 Apr 2001 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer what steps the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body has taken to ensure that the Parliament's website and all its computer based communication is fully accessible to people with disabilities.
Answer · David Steel: An accessibility audit of the website was commissioned from the Digital Media Access Group at the University of Dundee in January of this year. The audit applied the international standards as formulated by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility In…
24 Apr 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that its and other public bodies' official websites and computer-based communication are fully accessible to people with disabilities.
Answer · Angus MacKay: Through its Information Age Government in Scotland draft common framework, the Executive promotes the delivery of services through multiple methods which are appropriate to the customers of those services, and which meet the needs of excluded groups.<B><P>In …
24 Apr 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that deafblind people have access to the services they require throughout Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-15107.
21 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with the production of the new sex education materials recommended by the Working Group on Sex Education.
Answer · Jack McConnell: Prior to parliamentary approval of the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc (Scotland) Act 2000, Ministers undertook, before commencing the repeal of S.2A of the Local Government Act 1986, to publish the new materials on sex education. I am pleased to be able…
14 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that the specific needs of children with acquired brain injury are met across the education, health and social work sectors.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The specific care and support needs of children with acquired brain injury will be met from a range of primary, secondary and specialist services, including health professionals, rehabilitation specialists and learning disability specialists.<P>Education auth…
9 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve and extend the provision of advice, information and advocacy services.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have set up a working group, involving a wide range of interested organisations, to develop proposals for a community legal service to provide a user-friendly network of high-quality legal information, advice and assistance on legal problems right across Sc…
7 Feb 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage women drug users to access counselling and rehabilitation services.
Answer · Iain Gray: Last week I announced a £100 million package on drugs. Within this total, substantial sums will be spent on prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and community education. Services for children and parents in drug misusing families will be one of the priority …
2 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will announce the final outcome of the tendering exercise for the maintenance of trunk roads.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I confirm the award today of contracts for the maintenance of trunk roads in Scotland from 1 April 2001.<P>As provisionally indicated in my response to Des McNulty on 23 January 2001 (question S1W-12726), the successful bidders in the competitions held for th…
30 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to set up its freedom of information working group.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I can announce today the establishment of an Interdepartmental Working Group on Freedom of Information. This fulfils a commitment made in the Executive's consultation document on freedom of information, <I>An Open Scotland</I>. The group's first meeting will …
10 Jan 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to encourage individuals to train as physiotherapists.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: Applications to Higher Education Institutions in Scotland for pre-registration physiotherapy courses remain buoyant and are not a cause for concern.
16 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to expand and develop the provision of teachers of English to speakers of other languages teaching.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The provision of the teaching of English to speakers of other languages is offered by a number of different institutions and in a wide range of courses. The provision of these courses and the level of provision is a matter for the institutions concerned. Some…
8 Nov 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the training given to nursery nurses.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: In January of this year we published <I>Working with Children: A Guide to Qualifications and Careers in Early Education, Childcare and Playwork.</I> The follow-up Action Plan, published in July, describes how we want to work with other bodies to expand the wo…
25 Oct 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the provision of specialist nurses and other services for people affected by Parkinson's disease and their carers.
Answer · Susan Deacon: It is for local NHS Trusts to determine the number of specialist nurses required to meet the locally identified clinical needs of their patients, and to recruit the appropriately qualified nurses.<P>Information on the current number of such specialist nurses …
23 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements it has put in place to monitor and report on progress towards the implementation of the key challenges and targets of Sport 21, the national strategy for sport in Scotland.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: A Review Group comprising representatives from various bodies with an interest in sport and chaired by me was established earlier this year to consider Scotland's progress in implementing <I>Sport 21</I>. This first review of <I>Sport 21</I> has now been…
6 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to give any further powers to local authorities who have to deal with repeated planning applications, following refusals, where no conditions have changed.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has no proposals for giving local authorities further powers in this area.
6 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to extend the powers of local authorities to take action on vacant or derelict properties.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: There are no plans at present to do so.
4 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce universal pre-natal hearing screening or any alternative services.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive has no plans to introduce pre-natal hearing screening.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Following the recommendation from the UK National Screening Committee on Neonatal Hearing Screening, I have commissioned a comprehensive review of the implications…
12 Sep 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is being given to organisations which support families affected by separation and divorce.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive greatly values the work of organisations supporting families in transition, and is giving a total of £718,395 in the current year to a range of bodies offering mediation and counselling. This is an increase of 40% on the previous year.
11 Aug 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to alter the way training is provided for children's panel members.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The duty to train panel members lies with local authorities. Scottish Ministers have discretion to assist and in March this year, announced the conclusions of a review of their support for the training of panel members. In the current year £428,000 is allocat…
11 Aug 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it provides directly to the children's panel service.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Direct funding of children's panels is the responsibility of local authorities. However, The Scottish Executive contributes funding to support the operation of the hearings system.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">In 1999-2000, £211 million was provided for children's servi…
11 Aug 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what allocations were made available for the operation of children's panels in each local authority in the financial years 1998-99 and 1999-2000.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive made available £199.1 million of Grant Aided Expenditure in 1998-99 and £211 million in 1999-2000 for children's services within social work. The allocation of a proportion of these resources to the operation of children's panels is a m…
19 Jun 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to provide education and advice on prevention to young people about hepatitis C infection.
Answer · Susan Deacon: It is expected that the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme report on hepatitis C, including prevention, will be published in the summer, when the Executive will give its conclusions urgent consideration.
29 Mar 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what provision is made to support children diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis with their schoolwork.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Local authorities have a duty to secure an adequate and efficient education for all children, including those with significant health difficulties. Provision will vary according to the assessed needs of the individual child.
21 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to appoint a national trainer to co-ordinate training for District Court members.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The running of the District Courts is a matter for the local authorities. Every local authority has a Justices Committee for the purpose of arranging adequate training. The Central Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace also has an interest in the traini…
21 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to allow district courts to use community service as part of their sentencing regime.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Community Service Orders, which are an alternative to a custodial sentence, are available in the Stipendiary Magistrates Court in Glasgow. They remain available in the district courts of the former Tayside Region where they were introduced on a pilot basis so…
21 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the future operation of the Procurator Fiscal's Office.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The Strategic Plan for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for 2000 to 2003 is at an advanced stage of drafting and was considered by the Law Officers, Crown Office Senior Management and Regional Procurators Fiscal at a meeting on 22 March. The str…
25 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any information regarding the subjects for which schools have the most difficulty obtaining supply teaching cover.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Around half of all education authorities have reported difficulties in maintaining supply cover in a range of subjects. However, no authority specified the deficit in numerical terms.