Parliamentary questions
Pauline McNeill
2,367 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
30 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the effect on the shipbuilding industry on the River Clyde of either continuing to support the securing of government defence contracts or increasing the number of commercial contracts secured.
Answer · Iain Gray: The issue of the balance between naval and commercial contracts was considered by the Clyde Shipyards Task Force which my predecessor, Ms Wendy Alexander, chaired. <P>The task force recognises, in its report published in February 2002, that "BAE SYSTEMS …
30 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any input into the Scottish Affairs Committee inquiry into employment in shipbuilding on the Clyde.
Answer · Iain Gray: My predecessor, Ms Wendy Alexander, was unable to give evidence at the committee due to Cabinet business. However, she provided the committee with comprehensive and relevant evidence in the form of the recently published report of the Clyde Shipyards Task For…
24 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding is available to conduct nerve conduction tests in the west of Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26348.
24 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in the development of a plan for the funding of neurosciences.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26348.
24 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what neurosurgical services are currently available in the (a) west and (b) east of Scotland and (c) nationally.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Adult neurosurgical services are currently provided at four centres in Scotland: Grampian University Hospital NHS Trust, Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust, Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust and the Institute of Neurological Sciences, South Glasgow U…
24 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients from outside the Greater Glasgow NHS Board area are treated within the board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is shown for financial years April 1997 to March 2001.<P>Number of Patients Resident Outside the Greater Glasgow NHS Board Area Treated as an In-Patient or Daycase within the Board Area, April 1997 to March 2001.<P><TABLE BORDER CELL…
24 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the regional planning of services will impact on neurosciences in the Greater Glasgow NHS Board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The West of Scotland Chief Executives Group is currently considering a proposal for the regional planning and funding of neurosciences.
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on its guidance on pressurised market status in relation to the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001.
Answer · Margaret Curran: Draft guidance dealing with the right to buy changes contained in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 - including the provisions pertaining to pressured areas - was issued for consultation in December 2001. Twenty-six responses from interested bodies were receive…
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in regard to any undersupply of affordable houses for rent.
Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Mr Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:<P>Consistent with the priority to be given to the provision of affordable rented housing, planned expenditure by Communities Scotland in 2002-03 on new…
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what processes are in place to allow security-tagged offenders to move home.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Section 245E of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 allows for an offender to apply to the court for a review of a Restriction of Liberty Order. In considering an application for review the court will take into account any information about the propose…
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what form of housing tenancy a security-tagged offender would be entitled to.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Electronic monitoring does not have a direct effect on an offender's housing entitlement. The court is required to request a social work assessment of the suitability of the place of restriction and information as to the attitude of persons likely to be affec…
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what input it has had to the report of the Commission on the Private Rented Sector Private Renting: A New Settlement and whether it will consider any of the report's recommendations for private rented sector accommodation in Scotland.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Commission on the Private Rented Sector was set up by Shelter and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation as an independent body to look at issues in respect of the private rented sector. The commission's remit did not extend to Scotland and the Scottish Executive…
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, how many overseas students, other than asylum seekers and refugees, undertake English language courses and what further information is available on such students in regard to (a) how many studied (i) part-time and (ii) full-time, (b) their country of origin, (c) their length of stay, (d)…
Answer · Iain Gray: The information requested is not held centrally.
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it makes available to provide English language classes to overseas students other than those students who are asylum seekers and refugees.
Answer · Iain Gray: Further education students must meet the residency criteria set out in the Further Education Bursaries (Scotland) Direction 1997 before further education colleges can consider them for course support. This support consists of maintenance and travel and study …
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement made by the Minister for Health and Community Care at the Diet and Cancer Conference in Glasgow on 14 May 2002, what (a) advice is given to the public on improving diet, (b) overall funding is allocated to improving the Scottish diet, (c) proportion of overall fu…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: <I>Eating for Health</I>, the Scottish Diet Action Plan, set out dietary targets and recommended that accurate consistent healthy eating messages should be based on these. The dietary action recommended in <I>Eating for Health </I>is aimed at improving overal…
22 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what further targets have been set in respect of reducing waiting times at North Glasgow and Yorkhill NHS Trusts.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The national waiting time standards for NHSScotland are set out in <I>Our National Health</I> which was published in December 2000. It includes a commitment to reduce the national maximum waiting time for in-patient/day case treatment to nine months, from the…
22 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the #1.5 million Strategic Change Fund for museums has been allocated to assist Glasgow museums.
Answer · Mike Watson: The Executive has awarded one-off funding of £1 million to the Kelvingrove Refurbishment Appeal Trust and £2 million towards Glasgow's Museums and Galleries Service. This funding has not been taken from the Strategic Change Fund.<P>Applications have now been …
20 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken on its National Cultural Strategy commitment to work with Glasgow City Council to examine the circumstances of museums and galleries in the city.
Answer · Mike Watson: The National Cultural Strategy recognised the particular position of Glasgow and committed the Executive to work with Glasgow City Council to examine the circumstances of the museums and galleries in the city. Ministers have had a series of meetings with Glas…
14 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role the contemporary music industry will play in its recently announced cultural co-ordinators programme.
Answer · Elaine Murray: The schools cultural co-ordinators pilot programme will seek to maximise the contribution to children and young people's education of the full range of arts and cultural activities. The pilot programme will allow the local authorities participating to determi…
17 Apr 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been regarding time out centres and other alternatives to custody for women offenders.
Answer · Richard Simpson: A draft specification for the Time Out project is currently being drawn up. This work is near completion and will be followed by a formal tendering exercise.<P>Work is also under way on progressing the other conclusions in respect of alternatives to custody f…
15 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the Scottish Ambulance Service's proposals for modernising its operations (control) rooms functions and for implementing priority-based dispatch.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Yes. The Executive supports these proposals and has today advised the Scottish Ambulance Service that it should proceed with the operations rooms changes and with the implementation of priority based dispatch. I, alongside the Chairman and Chief Executive of …
10 Apr 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made at the Beatson Oncology Centre.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: On-going recruitment of consultants has resulted in two further recent appointments. An additional £2 million ring-fenced investment will see the recruitment of up to 35 more nurses and other clinical support posts, additional and replacement equipment and th…
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-23664 and S1W-23665 by Ms Margaret Curran on 18 March 2002, what resource implications prevent planning authority officials from informing MSPs representing constituencies contained within a planning authority area that a planning application from …
Answer · Margaret Curran: This is a matter for each individual local authority.
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-23664 and S1W-23665 by Ms Margaret Curran on 18 March 2002, what access planning authority officials have to the Scottish Parliament website MSP list and postcode search facility.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The website can be accessed by any party.
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-23664 and S1W-23665 by Ms Margaret Curran on 18 March 2002, what information is required on planning application forms relating to the address and location of the site of the planning proposal.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The statutory requirement in this regard is set out in The Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) (Scotland) Order 1992, which requires that "the application shall be accompanied by a plan sufficient to identify the land to which it relates…
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-23664 and S1W-23665 by Ms Margaret Curran on 18 March 2002, whether it will give a breakdown by planning authority area of the 830 planning applications that have been referred to Scottish Ministers since May 1999.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The breakdown by planning authority area of the 830 planning applications referred to the Scottish ministers since May 1999 is as follows: <P>Cases Notified to the Scottish Ministers since May 1999 by Council<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=349…
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what timescale has been set for its stage two proposals referred to in Issues in Improving Quality in Private Houses: The first report of the Housing Improvement Task Force.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The task force has been asked to complete its work and make its final report and recommendations early in 2003.
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale is for consideration of the need for revised local authority legislative powers to ensure that buildings are properly maintained as highlighted in Issues in Improving Quality in Private Houses: The first report of the Housing Improvement Task Force.
Answer · Iain Gray: The Housing Improvement Task Force has already begun the work of considering the options for revising local authority powers, as part of the second stage of its work which is due for completion in early 2003. The Scottish Executive will give careful considera…
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial incentives and support will be made available to private house owners to assist with repairs in the light of Issues in Improving Quality in Private Houses: The first report of the Housing Improvement Task Force.
Answer · Margaret Curran: <I>Improving Quality in Private Housing</I> set out the views of the Housing Improvement Task Force on the main strengths and weaknesses in the way private houses are maintained and repaired as well as the house buying and selling process. It makes no recomme…
5 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial resources have been allocated to improve private sector housing in the light of Issues in Improving Quality in Private Houses: The first report of the Housing Improvement Task Force.
Answer · Iain Gray: <I>Issues in Improving Quality in Private Houses: The first report of the Housing Improvement Task Force</I> makes no specific recommendations for action by the Executive and is intended to inform the second stage of the work of the Housing Improvement Task F…