Parliamentary questions
Susan Deacon
240 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
16 Mar 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many primary schoolchildren have completed the Cycling Scotland training programme, Ready Steady Bike.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Cycling Scotland hasdistributed over 1,500 sets of its Ready Steady Bike course materials, includingto school travel co-ordinators in each local authority. Cycling Scotland doesnot have a central record of the number of children who have been trained throughu…
16 Mar 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with First ScotRail about improving staffing levels and appropriate provision when schoolchildren are travelling by train to and from school.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has regular contact with First ScotRail on a variety of issues including staffing levels and their planned improvements.</p> <p>The franchise agreement requires First ScotRail to increase staffing levels, so that there should be a condu…
16 Mar 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all local authorities employ school travel co-ordinators and how it is envisaged that school travel needs will be incorporated in regional transport strategies.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Every local authority in Scotland now has at least one school travel plan co-ordinator in post.</p> <p> The Transport (Scotland) Bill currently being considered by Parliament includes provisions for the drawing up of regional transport strategies. Each strate…
16 Mar 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many safer routes to school schemes have been established in each local authority area.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following table gives the information provided by local authorities in 2004. However it should be noted that safer routes to school is a generic term and some activities were reported under a school travel plan banner. One authority stated that whilst a c…
26 Jan 2005 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to modernise Scotland's water and sewage infrastructure.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Scottish Water is currently delivering a £1.8 billion investment programme, one of the largest in the UK, involving a higher level of investment than that currently being delivered by the private water companies in England and Wales. </p><p>We consulted recen…
18 Jan 2005 · SPCB Oral Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether the SPCB has any plans to commission research to monitor the levels of public contact and other activity undertaken by MSPs.
Answer · Andrew Welsh: The SPCB has no current plans do so. In December 2004 the SPCB agreed to buy a module of questions in the MORI Social Attitudes Survey which began on 20 January. This will cover public awareness levels of the role and work of the Parliament, their attitudes…
12 Jan 2005 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is improving the health of children.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive is committedto giving every child the best possible start in life. Improving child health hasbenefits which last into adulthood, and our health improvement challenge focuseson the early years. We have already achieved a lot. </p><p>This…
8 Dec 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote and support employers in the development of flexible working practices.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Employment issues are reserved and most schemes of promotion and support are run on a UK-wide basis. But there are things which the Executive has been doing including:</p><p>· funding to Fair Play through the Enterprise Networks to promote equal opportunities…
8 Sep 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in addressing the issue of overcrowding and increasing the supply of affordable housing to those affected.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Household Survey shows that the percentage of households who are overcrowded in Scotland fell by a quarter since 1999-2000 to stand at 3% in 2003.</p><p>We legislated in the 2001 Housing Act to ensure all social landlords give reasonable preferen…
8 Sep 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve procedures for dealing with complaints against lawyers.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: We are developing a reform agenda which builds on the recommendations of the former Justice 1 Committee.</p><p>We will issue a public consultation paper, by the end of the year, on our firm proposals to improve the complaints handling system.</p>
27 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to be able to implement the recommendations of the recent NHS Quality Improvement Scotland report, Routine ultrasound scanning before 24 weeks of pregnancy, which would provide for all pregnant women to be offered routine ultrasound scanning at 20 weeks.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive awaits advice from the UK National Screening Committee on anomaly scanning during pregnancy which is expected later this year. </p><p>In anticipation of the advice we may receive from the National Screening Committee the Scottish Execut…
25 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership will be of the group established to undertake the review of the early years and child care workforce and how members of the group will be appointed.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The first meeting of the Steering Group of the Review of the Early Years and Childcare Workforce took place on 2 July 2004. Most members were appointed by inviting stakeholder organisations to nominate a representative. Others were invited in their own right …
25 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to support the effective sharing of data between different agencies.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive recognises that effective data sharing is an important factor in delivering more effective, customer focused public services - and in particular in improving child protection services. The need for public sector staff to understand when…
14 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps schools are taking to raise awareness of the prevention and treatment of head lice infection, in light of the advice contained in National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children, which recommends that alert letters are no longer issued to parents.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We do not hold this information, but the <i>National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children</i> recommends that schools, working with their school nurse, should provide parents with information about the detection and treatment of head lice infe…
14 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to encourage NHS boards and education authorities to distribute “bug buster” kits to tackle head lice infection.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The <i>National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children</i> and the <i>Head Lice Information for Parents</i> leaflet both advise that “bug buster” kits are available on prescription and are therefore freely available to all children. </p><p>We ha…
14 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to encourage a “whole school” approach, where all parents check their children and family members on the same evening and treat them as necessary, as suggested in the Department of Health guidance, The prevention and treatment of head lice.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Department of Health leaflet for parents on the prevention and treatment of head lice suggests a whole school approach, and it would be for individual schools to decide whether they wanted to promote a whole school approach.</p><p>The <i>National Guidance…
14 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in addition to the leaflet Head Lice Information for Parents, it has any plans to support further promotional materials or campaigns to raise awareness of the prevention and treatment of head lice infection.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Neither the Executive nor NHS Health Scotland have any plans to support further promotional materials or campaigns to raise awareness on the prevention and treatment of head lice infection at present.</p>
14 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to obtain feedback from schools, health professionals and parents on National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children and on its Head Lice Information for Parents leaflet.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We undertook a full consultation in the development of the <i>National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children</i> and we have received feedback from schools, health professionals and parents since publication of the guidance. </p><p>NHS Health S…
14 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place to evaluate the effectiveness of National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-9007 on 5 July 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/weba…
14 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place to monitor the implementation of National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We plan to write to NHS boards and local authorities next year, two years after publication of the <i>National Guidance on Managing Head Lice Infection in Children</i>, to monitor implementation of the guidance.</p><p>In the meantime, we intend to write to ed…
1 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government regarding any concerns over the impact of forthcoming changes in child tax credit arrangements for student parents in Scotland in 2004-05.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the interface between student support and the benefits system.</p>
27 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to monitor the number of hospital transfers of expectant mothers and the reasons for such transfers.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards do, from time to time,need to consider transferring a patient should there be an unexpected demand ona particular service. Boards rely on clinical judgement in such cases and decisionsare taken in the best interests of patients.</p><p>The Informati…
26 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in discussions with Her Majesty's Government on returning any postal services to rail.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the United Kingdom Government on a wide rangeof issues including Royal Mail’s decision to end the delivery of mail by rail.</p><p>I understand that Royal Mailare in on-going discussions with GB Railfreight and…
5 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its proposals for the voluntary code of practice dealing with odour problems at waste water treatment plants.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The proposals for a code arebeing developed by an expert working party on which both Scottish Water and the Scottish Executive sit. It is envisaged that the draft code will be issued for consultationlater this year.</p>
28 Apr 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the external evaluation of the Starting Well health demonstration project will be available.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I anticipate being able to letthe project have the final report by the middle of June, at which time it will alsobe publicly available.</p>
28 Apr 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the publication of the report on the consultation on Towards Better Oral Health in Children.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-5804 on 9 February2004. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/weba…
19 Apr 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many safer routes to school schemes have been established in each local authority area.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: This information is not held centrally at present, but will be obtained from Executive-funded School Travel Co-ordinatorswho are now in place in most local authorities in Scotland. I expect the informationto be available by the end of July.</p>
19 Apr 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place for monitoring and promoting implementation of Guidance - How to run a successful Safer Routes to School, published in December 1999.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The guidance is a toolkit resourcefor use at a local level by organisers of Safer Routes to School (SRTS) schemes.Information on the number of such schemes now in place in Scotland is expectedto be available centrally by the end of July.</p><p>In addition to …
19 Apr 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to support or encourage the use of “yellow school buses” by local authorities.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-7604 on 4 May 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/s…
19 Apr 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to evaluate the use of “yellow school buses”.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The Department for Transportpublished an evaluation pilot schemes in November 2003. The report, <i>Evaluation of First Yellow Bus Pilots Schemes</i>, can be accessed via the Department for Transport’s website<ahref="http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_l…