Parliamentary questions
Rhona Brankin
707 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role is envisaged for artists and performers in fostering creativity within education.
Answer · Mike Watson: Arts organisations which receive core funding from the Scottish Arts Council are expected, wherever appropriate, to undertake education and outreach work to a high standard within their programmes of activity. Examples of this work by Scottish companies are m…
23 Dec 2002 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer what the total cost is of the building and facilities that are being provided for the press and media in Holyrood; whether any contribution is being made by media companies towards that capital cost, and whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has any plans to charge commercial r…
Answer · David Steel: A rough estimate of the cost of the accommodation that the media will occupy in the new building at Holyrood amounts to approximately £9.7 million. I understand from the Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group that media companies are not presently contributi…
4 Dec 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to extend access to broadband services for communities.
Answer · Iain Gray: Last week, I published an update to our broadband strategy, which details all the actions we are taking to increase the availability of broadband throughout Scotland. I also announced a new initiative, worth up to £24 million, aimed at accelerating and extend…
27 Nov 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place for monitoring the quality of educational provision in the pre-fives sector.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Under the terms of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act, 2001, the Care Commission have joint responsibility with Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HIME) for the inspection of day care of children which includes an educational activity. <P>A very exte…
30 Oct 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in closing the poverty gap.
Answer · Hugh Henry: <I>Closing the Opportunity Gap: Scottish Budget 2003-2006</I> was published last month. It sets out, by ministerial portfolio, what the Executive has achieved to date and how the recent spending plans and associated objectives and targets will sharpen the att…
2 Oct 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the take-up rate has been for the new concessionary bus fares scheme.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Free local off-peak bus travel for elderly and disabled people has been delivered through enhancements to the 16 existing concessionary fares schemes operated by local authorities in Scotland. <P>A research project has been commissioned by the Scottish Execut…
11 Sep 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is making the public aware of the free off-peak travel scheme for older people and people with disabilities.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I launched a nationwide advertising campaign at Stirling Bus Station on 10 September to publicise the introduction of free local off-peak concessionary bus travel for elderly and disabled people from 30 September 2002. Posters will appear in and on buses thro…
28 Aug 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in liaising with Her Majesty's Government to implement new powers to sei'e the assets of drug dealers.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 received Royal Assent on 24 July. The act enhances the powers to confiscate assets following conviction, strengthens police powers of investigation, introduces new powers of civil recovery and cash seizure, and allows for the ta…
5 Jun 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to support the groups identified in the HM Inspectorate of Education report Moving on from School to College: Helping young people with additional support needs to make a successful transition.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Young people with additional support needs are being helped in a number of ways:<P>£22.6 million has been allocated by the Executive to implement some of the key recommendations of the Beattie Committee;<P>13 Inclusiveness projects, managed by Careers Scotlan…
16 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund will benefit the people of Midlothian.
Answer · Margaret Curran: Midlothian is not part of the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund. Although the Executive recognised that all authorities have disadvantaged communities, in order to maximise the impact of the fund, resources were distributed amongst local authorities with abo…
15 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of supply teachers are women.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The last information gathered from the Teacher Census in 1998 recorded that approximately 86% of supply teachers were women.
15 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the decision to employ probationer teachers will affect the employment of current supply teachers.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Deployment of staff is a matter for local authorities and information on the use of temporary contracts is not held centrally. <P>It is clear from our general discussions with local authorities that a large number of temporary contracts have always come to an…
15 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many former coal-mining areas are covered by Social Inclusion Partnerships.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The Coalfield Regeneration Trust has defined four coalfield sub regions, namely Fife/Central, Ayrshire, Lothians, and Clydesdale and Strathkelvin.<P>There are eight Social Inclusion Partnerships within these sub-regions, these being; (1) Alloa South and East,…
15 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the National Physical Activity Taskforce has examined the health and physical activity of older women.
Answer · Frank McAveety: The Physical Activity Task Force has produced a draft strategy that will be issued for consultation in June 2002. Included within the report are recommendations dealing specifically with the physical activity needs of older adults.<P>NHS Board Health Promotio…
8 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether research shows that Scotland's wind energy potential can be developed without affecting environmentally designated areas.
Answer · Ross Finnie: <I>Scotland's Renewable Resource 2001</I>, the study carried out for us last year by Garrad Hassan, identified a potential onshore wind resource of 11.5 gigawatts of capacity which could be developed at a relatively competitive cost, and all of which is avail…
8 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any currently environmentally designated areas are affected by planning applications for wind farms.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Planning applications for windfarms of 50MW and under, would fall to be considered by local authorities and information on such applications is not collated centrally. Any proposal for a wind powered electricity generating station with a capacity in excess of…
7 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make funding available in order to ensure that a Scottish ladies' open golf championship will take place in 2002.
Answer · Mike Watson: The Scottish Executive supported the Ladies' European Tour Matchplay event last year on a one-off basis in association with our bid to host the Ryder Cup in Scotland. It has no plans to support the event or any other golf event this year and presently has no …
26 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cultural co-ordinators have been appointed.
Answer · Elaine Murray: The School Cultural Co-ordinators pilot programme was launched by Mike Watson on 2 May. All local authorities have been invited to apply for funding of £1.75 million available over this year and the next. The pilot will identify ways of maximising the potenti…
26 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the National Audit of Collections will be completed in time to feed into the next spending review.
Answer · Elaine Murray: Yes, the National Audit will be completed in time to feed into the next spending review.
26 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the National Audit of Collections will be complete.
Answer · Elaine Murray: The data collection for the National Audit has been completed and the Scottish Museums Council plan to launch the final report in July.
26 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether heather moorland qualifies for support under agri-environment schemes.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Yes. Support for heather moorland management is available through the Argyll Islands, Cairngorms Straths, Shetland Islands, Stewartry, Breadalbane, Loch Lomond, Central and Western Southern Uplands Environmentally Sensitive Area Schemes (ESAs), which were ope…
26 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings it has had with COSLA to discuss the implementation of the National Cultural Strategy.
Answer · Elaine Murray: A Joint Implementation Group, chaired by Mike Watson, has been set up with representatives from COSLA and other key agencies to review progress on the strategy and inform the development of policy in this area. This group meets on a six-monthly basis and has …
26 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to develop a national strategy for archives.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive will be developing a national strategy for public records by building on work conducted already by the Keeper of the Records of Scotland and the Scottish Records Advisory Council. The strategy will also be informed by the Freedom of Inf…
26 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to deliver high quality building design in Public/Private Partnership projects in line with the national policy on architecture.
Answer · Andy Kerr: It is the Executive's aim to act as an exemplar client in its procurement of buildings, whether through Private Finance Initiative or traditional means, and we recognise that good building design is a key to obtaining value for money. The policy on architectu…
19 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring has taken place of the effectiveness of National Planning Policy Guideline 5 and Planning Advice Note 42 and whether it will publish any statistics that it has gathered in this respect over the last three years.
Answer · Margaret Curran: No such monitoring has taken place.
19 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken in each of the last three years in order to encourage any local authorities that do not have a professional archaeology service in line with National Planning Policy Guideline 5 to establish such a service.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive, through Historic Scotland (HS), takes every appropriate opportunity to encourage local authorities to provide a professional archaeology service.<P>Historic Scotland has given financial support to a number of councils over recent years…
19 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring has taken place over the last three years of resources devoted by local authorities to the provision of an archaeological service in line with the National Planning Policy Guideline 5 and whether such resources are adequate, given the remit of local authorities in respect …
Answer · Margaret Curran: No formal monitoring has taken place. However, the Scottish Executive, through Historic Scotland, is aware of the range of provision made for archaeological services by Scottish local authorities. It is for each local authority to allocate its resources acros…
18 Apr 2002 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer what the planned budget is for the arts strategy for the new Parliament buildings at Holyrood.
Answer · David Steel: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has recently initiated the implementation of the first phase of an art programme for the Holyrood building based on the agreed overall Parliament Art Strategy. The SPCB has earmarked £250,000 for this first pha…
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a list of works of art from the national collections currently on loan both within and outwith Scotland.
Answer · Elaine Murray: The information requested is not held centrally.
18 Apr 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which major women's golfing events will be included in the major events strategy.
Answer · Mike Watson: I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-25219.