Parliamentary questions

Maureen Macmillan

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

15 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Scottish Legal Aid Board will handle any increased workload flowing from recent and anticipated policy developments, while maintaining and improving its standards.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The board recently submitted a bid for additional resources to allow them to modernise their infrastructure and systems; to deal with a significant increase in workload, and to improve the speed and accuracy of its decision making. Separately, the board ha…

9 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the conclusions were of the quinquennial review of the Forest Enterprise executive agency.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The first stage of the review of Forest Enterprise has concluded that the agency has put in a strong performance on the sustainability of its forest management, has successfully involved communities and other stakeholders in its decision-taking and has respon…

23 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to secure the future of the Kirkwall-Invergordon ferry either under the present or a new operator.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The present operator decided to withdraw from this freight shipping route with effect from 30 April. The Scottish Executive has recognised the contribution of the route for the export of livestock from Orkney. The Executive allocated £200,000 under the Tariff…

11 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to strengthen the law in order to enable stray animals to be disposed of more quickly during the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

Answer · Ross Finnie: New legislation came into force on 21 April 2001 (The Foot and Mouth Disease (Scotland) (Declaratory and Controlled Area) Amendment (No.4) Order 2001). This allows an inspector, on finding a stray animal, to detain it and if the owner cannot be ascertained af…

4 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Dunoon Pier Project Group.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Scottish Executive officials met representatives of the Dunoon Pier Project Group on 15 March 2001 to discuss the pier's condition and the measures needed to ensure its continued long-term availability as a berth for ferry services. The Executive agreed to pr…

22 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what response it will make to the recent report of the Scottish Fish Processors' Working Group.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: I have today written to the group with the Executive's formal response. Copies of that response have been lodged in the Scottish Parliament's Reference Centre. I am pleased to be able to report to Parliament that the Executive has broadly endorsed much of the…

15 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to what tests produce from recently announced farm-scale genetically modified crop trials will be subjected in order to establish their safety for human consumption or for livestock fodder.

Answer · Ross Finnie: None. The GM crop will be destroyed after harvest and will not enter the human or animal food chain. The farm-scale evaluations are designed to test whether the agricultural practices associated with growing a GM crop have an impact upon farmland biodi…

15 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any public consultation meetings about genetically modified crop trials will be cancelled given the current outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

Answer · Ross Finnie: No. Although there is no statutory public consultation as part of the approval process for the deliberate release of GM crops, the importance of making factual information available in the vicinity of the trials is fully recognised and it was my intention to …

15 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether monitoring of genetically modified (GM) crop trials included measurement of the dispersal of pollen from the GM crop by airborne flow, bee transfer or other means.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Pollen flow from genetically modified crops being grown as part of the farm-scale evaluations is being monitored at every site in Scotland. The monitoring is taking place within the adjacent "control" crop and at sampling points in the surrounding a…

5 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made regarding the promotion of the Highlands and Islands tourist information brochure since the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning met tourist operators in Fort William on 10 February 2001.

Answer · Alasdair Morrison: Visitscotland are currently considering proposals from Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board for increased destination marketing for the Highlands and Islands.

5 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it proposes to take to strengthen the existing provisions on the confiscation and recovery of the proceeds of crime.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The UK Government and the Scottish Executive are today issuing proposals to unify the powers of criminal confiscation, create new powers of civil recovery, strengthen existing money laundering powers, and introduce new arrangements to enable tax to be levied …

21 Feb 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence exists on the importance of early years education.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: A wide range of international research evidence shows that high quality pre-school provision can benefit children not only in their early school learning but also in later life, contributing significantly to wider social and economic gains.

8 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in responding to the BSE Inquiry Report.

Answer · Susan Deacon: A Command Paper was laid at the Westminster Parliament today setting out the Government's interim response to the BSE Inquiry Report. The interim response considers the Inquiry's findings and conclusions along with the major themes which emerge from these suc…

6 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the rail sleeper service to Fort William will be restored.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I understand that ScotRail will make a decision on the reinstatement of sleeper services north of Edinburgh after consideration of a report recently submitted by Railtrack Midland Zone concerning a programme of necessary repairs to track between Crewe and Lon…

29 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many course places were available to train occupational therapists in each of the last five years and how many will be available in 2001-02.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: This information is not held centrally. The allocation of places to particular courses or institutions is a matter for the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council taking into account advice on workforce needs identified. The detailed allocation for 2001-02 …

19 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to take forward the future delivery of ferry services in the Highlands and Islands to bring these into compliance with European Community Law.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: In April 2000, I announced publication of the consultation document Delivering Lifeline Ferry Services which sought views on options for putting our subsidised lifeline services out to tender in order that they can continue under European Community rul…

21 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what response it will make to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's Strategic Review of Organic Waste Spread on Land.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency's (SEPA) Strategic Review of Organic Waste Spread on Land was commissioned by the Scottish Office in 1998. The report provides a comprehensive and useful assessment of the practices, impacts and risks of spreading or…

21 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in addressing the lessons from the Report of the Inquiry into BSE and variant CJD.

Answer · Susan Deacon: It is the intention to publish at the end of January the UK Government's interim response to the report. The findings of the report raise many important issues, including: properly informed policy-making; joined-up government; best use of advisory committees …

15 Nov 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being introduced to improve the childcare sector.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive is to improve the accessibility, affordability and quality of childcare provision through a range of initiatives. These include: pre-school education with investment of over £130 million a year providing places for all four-year-olds and over tw…

12 Nov 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons' report on HM Prison Inverness.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Chief Inspector’s report pays tribute to the quality of the work being done by the staff at HM Prison Inverness and he recognises that much has been done since the previous inspection. The Scottish Prison Service understands his concern atthe high prisone…

9 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications will be for pre-school provision when the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 is extended to education.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Disability issues are reserved. The UK Government's forthcoming Disability Bill will impose new duties upon local authorities, independent schools and grant-aided schools in relation to the provision of nursery, primary and secondary education. This will incl…

9 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision it has made to ensure that children with disabilities can attend private or voluntary pre-school education.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Children with disabilities have the same entitlement to pre-school education as other eligible children. Education Authorities are responsible for ensuring that the places provided for all children meet their individual needs. Authorities may provide p…

8 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it proposes to publish proposals to prevent an accused person charged with a sex offence from cross-examining a victim personally and to strengthen the provisions restricting cross-examination on sexual history.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The consultation document Redressing the Balance: Cross-Examination in Rape and Sexual Offence Trials is being published today. A copy is being placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre and additional copies will be made available in the Docum…

7 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it intends to undertake in the light of the publication of the Scottish Law Commission's Report on Real Burdens with its accompanying draft Bill on Title Conditions.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Executive intends to write to interested parties to urge them to familiarise themselves with the Scottish Law Commission's Report on Real Burdens. We hope that if individuals and organisations take time to read and evaluate the…

14 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an estimate of the cost of ancillary works adjacent to the new Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Davis, Langdon and Everest, the cost consultants for the Parliament Building project were asked to provide cost estimates for ancillary works. The works covered are: the roadworks within Holyrood Park, the landscaping of the Royal High Playing Fields (includi…

12 Sep 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in implementing the proposals in Aiming for Excellence and how this progress is being communicated to the social services workforce.

Answer · Iain Gray: We have made significant progress. Following consultation early in the year we published our detailed proposals for legislation in July. These proposals form the basis for the Regulation of Care Bill which we will be bringing before Parliament later this year…

29 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the consultation process which took place between its Rural Affairs Department and groups and organisations affected by the decision to site a trial of genetically modified oil seed rape at Rosskill by Munlochy.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer Ms Macmillan to the answer I gave today to her question S1W-9461.

29 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what groups and organisations were consulted over the decision to site a trial of genetically modified oil seed rape at Rosskill by Munlochy.

Answer · Ross Finnie: SCIMAC (the Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural Crops) took responsibility for liaising with farmers to locate potential sites. The independent Scientific Steering Committee, which oversees the programme of farm scale evaluations, then selected, …

16 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many men requested screening by prostate specific antigen test in the most recent year for which figures are available and how many medical practices actively offered such screening in that year.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Information in the form requested is not held centrally.The Scottish Executive is committed to tackling cancer in the most effective ways possible, including screening programmes.The current advice from the UK National Sc…

16 Aug 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in the last year for which figures are available, how many deaths from prostate cancer there were in that year and what percentage changes these figures represent compared with previous years.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Scottish Cancer Registry data for 1997 - the most recent year for which completed information is available - show that 1,781 new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed and 708 men died from the disease.Figures for the period 1993 to 1997, including percen…