Sandra White

12 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8294 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 11 July 2000, how many people are qualified to train others to teach sign language.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: This information is not held centrally.

7 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with the various transport authorities concerning the establishment of a north/south Glasgow crossrail service.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer Ms White to my answer to question S1O-2132 and the subsequent supplementary questions.

7 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support and investment it intends to provide for the establishment of a north/south Glasgow crossrail service.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer Ms White to my answer to question S1W-7899.

7 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with the various transport authorities concerning the establishment of a direct rail link to Glasgow Airport.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer Ms White to my answer to question S1O-1648.

7 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support and investment it intends to provide for the establishment of a Glasgow Airport direct rail link.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer Ms White to my answer to question S1O-1648.

7 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to deal with any irregularities in relation to Social Inclusion Partnership funding.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: Grant payments made by the Scottish Executive in respect of expenditure by Social Inclusion Partnerships are governed by standard conditions of grant. It is for grant recipients to ensure that they comply with the conditions of grant, which include a requirem…

30 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any shortage of professional archives and conservation staff and, if so, how it intends to address the situation.

Answer · Jim Wallace: It has not on the whole been difficult to fill the archivist and conservator posts that have been advertised. The Scottish Executive expects that the obligations likely to be imposed on public bodies by forthcoming Freedom of Information legislation will enco…

30 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any lack of professional training for archivists or conservators and, if so, how it intends to address the situation.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Conservation and archive courses are available in England, Ireland and Wales. A distance learning course is also provided by the Society of Archivists.<P>The Keeper of the Records of Scotland is currently involved in a joint investigation with Glasgow Univer…

30 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will examine ways of supporting archivists in continuing the acquisition and preservation of archives and in widening the use of archives in all sectors of the community.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive will continue to support the work of the National Archives of Scotland, and to encourage local councils and other public bodies to make proper arrangements for their records.

30 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what recognition it gives to the contribution made by national and local archives repositories to lifelong learning through the provision of source material for the study and teaching of family and community history and for responding to the range of personal and community interests.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive recognises the importance of archives to lifelong learning and to community interests in general. The National Archives of Scotland is fully funded by government, and in addition to providing a public service, and to mounting exhibition…

30 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will expedite the preparation of an Archives Bill to establish a responsibility on public bodies to preserve and manage their records and to enshrine the rights of individuals to access archives and records of their community.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has received valuable recommendations from the Scottish Records Advisory Council for modern archives legislation, though it has not yet been possible to allocate a place for an Archives Bill in the legislative timetable in view of the l…

30 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what importance it places on proper archiving and records management in public bodies in the delivery of freedom of information policies.

Answer · Jim Wallace: As was stated in our consultation document <I>An Open Scotland</I> we consider that good practice by public bodies in archiving and record keeping will be an essential part of an effective freedom of information regime.

30 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications would be for communities' awareness of their local history and for cultural heritage, democratic accountability and freedom of information of any lack of resources for archives.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive fully recognises the importance of archives for all these purposes and will do all it can within available resources to encourage local councils and other public bodies to meet their responsibilities in this area.

30 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take concerning any lack of resources for the preservation and access of archives as highlighted in the report An Archival Account of Scotland.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The National Archives of Scotland itself is appropriately funded. The Scottish Executive has made available additional resources to allow the National Archives of Scotland to fulfil the extended responsibilities that fall to it under the new constitutional ar…

30 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what response it will make to the report, An Archival Account of Scotland, by the Archive Services in Scotland Mapping Project Board.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has taken note of the report, <I>An Archival Account of Scotland</I>. The summary of responses to the consultation paper on freedom of information, <I>An Open Scotland, </I>published in May, noted that Scottish public authorities would …

28 Jun 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to develop transport infrastructure in the Glasgow area.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: We plan to spend around £31 million on motorways and trunk roads in Glasgow in the period to 31 March 2002, and £17.5 million, via the Public Transport Fund, on bus priority measures, the Partick Interchange and improved train rolling stock.

27 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered deaf people there are in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland.

Answer · Iain Gray: Records of the number of deaf people in each parliamentary constituency in Scotland are not held by the Scottish Executive and there is no requirement for deaf people to be registered. Local authorities are required to assess the needs of people who are deaf …

27 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive,further to the answer to question S1W-3149 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 11 February 2000, how long the course which leads to a hearing impairment teaching qualification lasts.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Students for the Diploma in Deaf Education are required to undertake 8 modules. The course is likely to take a minimum of 2 years, and must be completed within 5 years.

27 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive,further to the answer to question S1W-3149 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 11 February 2000, how much it costs to train each teacher and interpreter for deaf people.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The cost of the Diploma in Deaf Education, the teaching qualification, is £1,400. The British Sign Language course for interpreters costs £3,400.

27 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers of sign language there are in Scotland.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: At September 1998, there were an estimated 164 full-time equivalent teachers who had a hearing impairment teaching qualification in publicly funded schools in Scotland.

23 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many crimes against the elderly took place in each of the past five years broken down by police force.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Information at the level of detail requested is not available centrally.

23 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many digital hearing aid trials are currently taking place.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Six different types of digital hearing aid are already available to all NHS Trusts in Scotland through central contracts. Fife Health Board, Fife Acute Hospitals NHS Trust and the Scottish Section of the Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research …

23 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to deal with crimes against the elderly.

Answer · Angus MacKay: Crime and the fear of crime reduce the quality of life for many older people although they are less likely to be victims. We have established partnerships led by local authorities and the police to tackle crime and community safety at local level and we encou…

23 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines are currently followed by the Blood Transfusion Service concerning the donation of blood by sufferers of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/ME.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) adheres to the Guidelines for the Medical Selection of Blood Donors. These evidence-based guidelines are frequently reviewed and revised by the Standing Advisory Committee on Donor Selection using the mo…

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, whether it will list the members of the Scottish Social Inclusion Network.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The current membership of the Scottish Social Inclusion Network is set out in the table below. It is chaired by Ms Wendy Alexander.<P ALIGN="CENTER"><CENTER><TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=425><TR><TD WIDTH="40%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial…

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7257 by Jackie Baillie on 8 June 2000, who currently serves on the Social Inclusion Partnership Advisory Group.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Social Inclusion Partnerships Advisory Group no longer exists. It was set up to advise on the designation of new Social Inclusion Partnerships and last met in March 1999.

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the training being undertaken by the three heart surgeons will affect the operation of the cardiac transplant unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The three surgeons will be released for training in a way that does not disrupt the work of the unit. Their training is an integral part of the strategy for resumption in full of the Scottish heart transplant programme.

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the training being undertaken by nursing staff will affect the operation of the cardiac transplant unit at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

Answer · Susan Deacon: This is an integral part of the strategy for resumption in full of the Scottish heart transplant programme. The nurses' training will be undertaken in a way which does not disrupt the work of the unit.

13 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are applied by Ministers in deciding who should reply to official correspondence from their own constituents and other members' constituents.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Ministers will normally reply direct to correspondence from their own constituents where the subject matter of the correspondence falls within their ministerial portfolio.

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to which part of the prisons budget the profit made from the manufacture of goods in prisons for commercial enterprises goes.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">In accordance with Government Accounting, the income from the sale of prison manufactured products is classified as Appropriati…