Parliamentary questions
Pauline McNeill
2,367 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
28 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the proposal that reporters for local plan inquiries be appointed independently by its Inquiry Reporters Unit, as identified in Your place, your plan, its proposals for public involvement in the planning system.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-2229 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search…
28 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on working with local authorities to produce guidance on neighbour notification, as identified in Your place, your plan, its proposals for public involvement in the planning system.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-2229 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search…
28 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the proposals for (a) a national consultative group on planning and (b) local planning forums, as identified in Your place, your plan, its proposals for public involvement in the planning system.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: TheExecutive is committed to bringing forward the measures contained in <i>Your place,your plan </i>as time and resources permit. The timetable for taking this workforward has yet to be finalised.</p>
28 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in examining, along with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, ways to ensure that MSPs are fully informed about the progression of planning cases and appeals within their constituencies and regions, as identified in Your place, your plan, its proposals for…
Answer · Mary Mulligan: A planning web page is available on the internet at <ahref="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/planning/pc/pc.asp">www.scotland.gov.uk/planning/pc/pc.asp</a>.This provides information on planning applications that come before the Scottishministers showing, on a weekl…
28 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what developments are being pursued on the interface between planning and transport, as identified in Your place, your plan, its proposals for public involvement in the planning system.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: Ministers and officials are inregular contact on a range of issues where there is an interface between planningand transport.</p>
28 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the consultation timetable is in respect of Your place, your plan, its proposals for public involvement in the planning system.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The Executive's white paper onpublic involvement, <i>Your place, your plan</i> is not a consultation paper. Itsets out the Executive's measures to strengthen and enhance public involvement atall stages in the land-use planning system. We will take these measu…
28 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether eradication of prostitution will form part of the strategy of the Ministerial Working Group on Prostitution.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answergiven to S2W-2216 today, which is available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_w…
27 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact technological advances in neonatal patient care have had on the survival rate of babies born in Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I am not aware of any evidencewhich would determine the impact that technological advances in neonatal patientcare have had on the survival rate of babies born in Scotland. Otherfactors, such as developments in obstetric care and prenatal diagnosis of congeni…
27 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the 70% increase in investment in public transport over the next three years, announced by the Minister for Transport on 25 August 2003, will be allocated to bus services.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: There is currently no proportionalsplit of resources between different public transport modes.</p>
27 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Ministerial Working Group on Prostitution will be involved in the development of its proposal to introduce an offence of kerb crawling.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer given to S2W-2216 today. All answers to written parliamentary questionsare available on the Parliaments website, the search facility for which can befound at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">http://w…
27 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will define “kerb crawling” in the development of its proposal to introduce such an offence.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The definition of “kerb crawling”will be a matter for consideration in the discussions of the Expert Group on Prostitution.</p>
27 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration the Ministerial Working Group on Prostitution will give to an exit strategy for prostitutes.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the Member to the answergiven to S2W-2216 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliaments website, the search facility for which can be found at<ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">http://ww…
27 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the announcement on the Ministerial Working Group on Prostitution, what the remit and timetable of the group will be.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The Expert Group on Prostitution,chaired by Sandra Hood OBE, will report to ministers on the first stage of theirwork in autumn 2004. </p><p>The remit of the group is toreview the legal, policing, health and social justice issues surrounding prostitutionin Sc…
27 Aug 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will encourage an upturn in bus passenger journeys.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: A range of Executive funded initiatives is in place to encourage more people to travel by bus. These initiatives include:</p><p>bus service operators grant; </p><p>free local off-peak bus travel for people aged 60 and over and those with disabilities; </p><p>…
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how will to support overseas students affected by the introduction of new charges from November 2003 for such students seeking an extension of their stay in the United Kingdom.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive does not provide support for overseas students, with the exception of studentsfrom EU member states who are entitled to the same tuition fee support as Scottishdomiciled students. The Executive has no plans to review the position in thi…
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Home Office regarding the new charges to overseas students seeking to extend their stay in the United Kingdom, which come into force from November 2003.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Home Office on matters related to UK immigrationpolicy, including the recent introduction of charges for applications to extendleave to remain in the UK.</p>
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many overseas students completed their studies at Scottish universities in six months or less in each of the last five years.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The following table shows thenumber of overseas graduates and diplomates completing courses lasting sixmonths or less at Scottish higher education institutions in academic years1997-98 to 2001-02 inclusive.</p><table class=MsoTableGrid border=1 cellspacing=0 …
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many overseas students extended their stay beyond six months to complete their studies in each of the last five years.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The following table showsthe number of overseas graduates and diplomates completing courses lastinglonger than six months, at higher education institutions and further educationcolleges in Scotland for the period from 1997-98 to 2001-02 inclusive.</p><table c…
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of overseas students returned home on completion of their studies in each of the last five years.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Executive does not hold dataon the number of overseas students who returned to their home countries on completionof studies at Scottish institutions.</p><p>First Destination Surveys, conductedby the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and the Scotti…
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many overseas students are currently studying in Scotland.
Answer · Jim Wallace: In session 2001-02 thenumber of overseas students studying at higher education (HE) level in Scotlandstood at 20,482 and the number of overseas enrolments in<b> </b>furthereducation (FE) stood at 4,241. </p><p>Notes:</p><p>1. Overseas is defined hereas non-UK…
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage overseas students to study in Scotland.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Prime Minister's Initiative(PMI), launched in June 1999, aims to attract more overseas students to the UK. The Scottish Executive is involved with the funding and development of this strategy in partnershipwith other devolved administrations, UK governmen…
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce legislation on household waste recycling, similar to the Household Waste Recycling Bill in England and Wales.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Local Government inScotland Act 2003, Part 6, includes a duty on local authorities to prepareIntegrated Waste Management Plans. These plans will set out performance targetswhich the local authority shall, in performing its waste management functions,endea…
5 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on proposals to allow registered social landlords to self-certify houses in multiple occupation and when it will report on these proposals.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: A working group is currently being convened to consider a number of issues arising from the review of mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation(HMOs), including the development of a self-certification framework for publicly accountable HMO landlord…
5 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will assist local authorities to meet the target in A Partnership for a Better Scotland of recycling 25% of waste by 2006.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive will continue to work in partnership with individual local authorities, the COSLA and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency to implement the National Waste Plan.</p><p>We have allocated £230 million over this and the next two fin…
5 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in increasing, and encouraging the enforcement of, penalties in respect of litter, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The level of fixed penalty fine for littering was increased from £25 to £50 on 1 July 2003. We are currently consulting in Putting our communities first: A Strategyfor tackling Anti-Social Behaviour</i> on means of improving the enforcement ofpenalties for li…
5 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will create opportunities for new products manufactured from waste, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive provides funding to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP)and REMADE Scotland that aim todevelop and expand markets for recycled products and materials. We will work in partnership with these bodies and the Enterprise Network to ensure …
29 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its strategy is to reduce NHS waiting times.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Our strategy for ensuring that sustained reductions in waiting times are delivered for patients across Scotland was set out in <i>Partnership for Care - Scotland's Health</i> <i>White Paper</i>, which was published on 27 February 2003. We have made clear in o…
29 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the rise in the number of people experiencing waiting times of 26 weeks or more and 52 weeks or more in clinics in the Greater Glasgow NHS Board area over the last three years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We are determined to address rising out-patient waiting times which are a stubborn problem for a number of reasons, including implementation of the New Deal for Junior Doctors and the European Working Time Directive. The Executive has included a commitment in…
29 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how any reduction in NHS waiting lists in Scotland compares to any reduction in NHS waiting lists in England and Wales.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on NHS waiting lists is compiled and recorded on different bases in England and Wales and in Scotland, and the two sets of information are therefore not comparable.</p><p>Waiting list figures for Scotland are published on a quarterly basis on the …
29 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-236 by Jim Wallace on 19 June 2003, how the #2 million to encourage articulation between the further and higher education sectors will be used.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The£2 million which the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) have allocated for 2003-04 to encourage articulation between further education andhigher education has a number of aims. It will help institutions themselves to improve articulation arr…