Parliamentary questions
Pauline McNeill
2,367 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
27 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what recourse the Children's Panel has to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated to the required areas to ensure that Panel decisions are implemented.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The statutory duty to give effect to hearings' decisions rests with the relevant local authority in terms of section 71 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. The allocation of resources to comply with this duty is for the local authority to determine. Panel me…
27 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to monitor the action actually taken as a result of Children's Panel Decisions and compare such action with the action recommended by the Panel.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has commissioned research into home supervision requirements made by hearings. This research compares between the decision of the hearing with the action undertaken by the local authority.
27 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether resource issues are taking precedence over decisions of the Children's Panel in any local authority areas.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Any decision of a Children's Hearing is taken in the best interests of the child. Implementation is a matter for the relevant local authority.
27 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to appoint new Children's Panel area chairpersons.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Chairmen of Children's Panels are appointed to 15 May of any given year. New or further appointments will, where appropriate, be made to take effect from 16 May. Appointment letters are issued once advice from the relevant Children's Panel Advisory Committee …
27 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current tenure of office is for Children's Panel area chairpersons.
Answer · Peter Peacock: There is no set term for the appointment of Children's Panel Chairmen. They may be appointed from one to five years with further periods of appointment as an option. The Scottish Executive takes advice from the relevant Children's Panel Advisory Committee on …
22 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken in order to develop an understanding of both the organic and psychological factors affecting myalgic encephalomyelitis sufferers.
Answer · Susan Deacon: A major research project associated with the Working Group established by the English Chief Medical Officer to devise good practice guidance is studying the causes and effects of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. The Scottish Executive Healt…
22 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why Scotland only has observer status on the Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Working Group was set up by the English Chief Medical Officer, and its remit extends only to producing good practice guidelines for England. It would not be appropriate for Scottish representatives to take a direct part in this. However, we wanted to moni…
22 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to tackle poverty and social exclusion in areas not covered by a Social Inclusion Partnership, such as Glasgow Kelvin.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Glasgow Alliance is the over-arching body responsible for the regeneration agenda in the city. Its partners are Glasgow City Council, Glasgow Development Agency, Greater Glasgow Health Board, Scottish Homes, Scottish Executive, Glasgow Council for the Vol…
22 Mar 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to assist local authorities and owner-occupiers to tackle disrepair of older tenement properties.
Answer · Frank McAveety: The improvement and repairs grant system will be reformed by introducing a test of resources to decide the amount of grant. Assistance will be available at rates up to 100% for households on the lowest incomes. All those taking part in common repairs will rec…
10 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to issue statutory guidelines for housing associations dealing with women who suffer from domestic violence.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive has no such plans. However, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations published Guidance Booklet 10 <I>Good Practice in dealing with Domestic Abuse</I> on 10 March 1999 and this Guidance Booklet was drawn up with the assistance of…
10 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the police will still be responsible for assisting traffic wardens in issuing notices to illegally parked vehicles following the transfer of powers to issue such notices from the police to Glasgow City Council.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Most parking offences for most roads in the City of Glasgow area were decriminalised with effect from 4 October 1999. As a result, the relevant parking rules on these roads are now enforced solely by parking attendants employed by Glasgow City Council rather …
10 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans exist to monitor and review the effectiveness of the transfer of powers in relation to traffic wardens from the police to Glasgow City Council.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Glasgow City Council will submit regular reports to Scottish Ministers on decriminalised parking enforcement in its area. The report will include, among other things, details of Penalty Charge Notices issued and when they were paid, details of cases going to …
21 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage the development of a Scottish and international centre of excellence of ECMO treatment at Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Yorkhill Hospital provides Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) for children from Scotland and other countries within the European Union. In keeping with the delivery of NHS services in general, the Scottish Executive encourages the delivery of high…
21 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2316 by Susan Deacon on 25 November 1999, in what way the cost to health boards of care provided under the negotiated reciprocal agreement is recognised within the total resources allocated to each health board each year.
Answer · Susan Deacon: A calculation was made in 1989-90 of the costs incurred on an all-Scotland basis for the care of those overseas visitors referred here for specific treatment or who fall ill while here on a visit. A similar calculation was carried out for Scottish residents t…
16 Feb 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider undertaking a detailed appraisal of cable companies operating 999 emergency services with particular regard to the safe provision of ambulance, police and fire services.
Answer · Susan Deacon: This is a matter reserved to the Department of Trade and Industry and Oftel within the UK Government.<P>If, however, you have any information that calls into question the integrity of the services provided to our emergency services, I am more than happy to pa…
9 Feb 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many secondary schools in (a) Glasgow and (b) Scotland currently have a pupil council.
Answer · Peter Peacock: This information is not collected centrally.
8 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements are being made in breast cancer care in Scotland.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Cancer services are one of the three top clinical priorities for the NHS in Scotland. The Scottish Executive is committed to reducing the incidence of all forms of cancer, including breast cancer, and we have set a challenging target of reducing the incidence…
8 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on breast cancer services in 1999 and how much is allocated to be spent on this area in 2000.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer to my answer to question S1W-4236.
8 Feb 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2173 by Susan Deacon on 10 November 1999, whether it has considered any recommendations received from the Scottish Breast Screening National Advisory Group yet and whether there are now any plans to extend breast screening to include women over the a…
Answer · Susan Deacon: I understand that the results of the Scottish study aimed at assessing the implications of extending the upper age limit of routine invitation for breast screening were considered by the Scottish Breast Screening National Advisory Group at their meeting on 16…
19 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposals on the right to buy for housing association tenants will be modified to take into account particular problems in areas in which social housing is in a minority.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: In the Scottish Executive paper <I>A New Single Social Tenancy for Scotland: Rights, Obligations and Opportunities</I> we made it clear that our aim is to create more mixed communities in all parts of Scotland. To achieve this objective, we will ensure that S…
19 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans regarding the right to buy and housing associations with charitable status.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: There are no plans to change the current provisions which exclude, from the right to buy, tenants of housing associations that are registered charities.
19 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposals on the right to buy for housing association tenants will affect all current housing association tenants.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: In my answer to Karen Whitefield on 15 June (question S1W-7983) I set out the conclusions reached by the Executive following consultation on the paper <I>A New Single Tenancy for Scotland: Rights, Obligations and Opportunities</I>. This confirmed that the Exe…
13 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is planned to reduce the incidence of cancer in the Glasgow area.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer to my answer to question S1W-3720.
9 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Legal Aid Board will report on its pilot project to increase the number of repayment months in contributions of #500 or over.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Legal Aid Board has been undertaking an internal pilot study to assess the likely impact on legal aid expenditure of an extended regime of payments of contribution. Whilst decisions on the length of the repayment period for contributions are enti…
8 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to amend the legal aid restrictions so that the receipt of incapacity benefit and other benefits is not taken into account when calculating income in applications for legal aid funding.
Answer · Jim Wallace: An applicant for advice and assistance who is in receipt of income support, income-based jobseekers allowance, Disabled Person's Tax Credit (previously Disability Working Allowance) and Working Families Tax Credit (previously Family Credit) <I>and</I> has dis…
6 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive Scottish Executive what importance it attaches to the family mediation service, and what funding it currently gives to it.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive places great importance on the work of organisations offering family mediation in Scotland. Grants for the current financial year are detailed in the table below.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=390><TR><TD WIDTH="76%" VA…
6 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it currently gives to the Scottish film industry, and whether there are any plans for future funding.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive is providing £2.225 million in 1999-2000 to Scottish Screen to carry out a range of activities which are of assistance to the Scottish film industry. In addition, the Scottish Enterprise Network and Highlands and Islands Enterprise prov…
6 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit of the Glasgow Film fund is.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The business of Glasgow Film Fund Limited (GFF) is to make commercial equity or loan investments in films made by Glasgow-based companies or by companies using Glasgow as a substantive production location.
24 Nov 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to publish further bilateral concordats between departments of Her Majesty's Government and UK agencies and their counterparts or contacts in the Scottish Executive.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The following bilateral Concordats are being published today:<P>Health and Safety Executive<P>Department of Trade and Industry<P>Office for National Statistics<P>Department of Culture, Media and Sport<P>A Concordat will also be published today covering Public…
3 Nov 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider issuing guidance to Scottish Trusts to ensure that NHS workers employed by contractors are paid promptly after a national settlement is reached.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Staff who work for contractors are not employed directly by Scottish NHS Trusts. Their terms and conditions of service are a matter for individual contractors to determine.