Parliamentary questions
Dr Sylvia Jackson
415 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of educational maintenance allowances is expected to be in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Education Maintenance Allowances over the three years in question are estimated to cost:</p><p>(a) 2003-04 £7.2 million (actual)</p><p>(b) 2004-05 £16.6 million (estimated)</p><p>(c) 2005-06 £28.4 million (estimated).</p>
21 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in reducing the misuse of fireworks.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Fireworks (Scotland) Regulations 2004 came into force on 7 October. These will prohibit the use of fireworks between 11.00 pm and 7.00 am, with exceptions for 5 November, 31 December, Chinese New Year and Diwali when modest extensions are permitted. Local…
21 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils are benefiting from educational maintenance allowances, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Jim Wallace: This information is not currently available. Arrangements are in place with the Executive’s delivery partners to collect management information on the Educational Maintenance Allowance (EMA) national rollout. Provisional information on the number of students …
30 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the waiting time and waiting list figures will be published for each service provider involved in drug treatment in each NHS board area.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Under the Waiting Times Framework,local service providers will submit waiting times information on a monthlybasis to Drug Action Teams. This information will be used to identify localpressures and blockages, and as a basis for action to improve the effectiven…
30 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of money collected in Scotland from drug sei'ures and the assets of drug dealers is given to the appropriate ministerial portfolios to assist in the fight against drugs.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Under current arrangements,50% of recovered assets are retained for allocation to good causes. However,this arrangement is under review for 2004-05 onwards.</p><p>Previous awards have gone tosupport additional addictions services for homeless people in Glasgo…
16 Jun 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service is taking to address delays in the High Court.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has increased the number of prosecutors in the High Court and built in additional preparation time for Advocate Deputes to engage proactively with the defence to resolve potential difficulties in advance …
16 Jun 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the inspection process of local authority education functions is successful.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The inspection process is subject to an annual review by a panel comprising a wide range of external stakeholders. The 2003 review panel report provided a very strong endorsement from authorities of the soundness and rigour of the inspection process.</p>
12 May 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive by how much it expects school rolls in secondary schools to fall by 2010.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Schoolrolls in publicly funded secondary schools are projected to decline by 10%between 2003 and 2010.</p>
12 May 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the community ownership housing programme.
Answer · Margaret Curran: Five councils,Western Isles, Argyll and Bute, Stirling, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire havedeclared their intention to transfer their housing stock, subject of course tothe wishes of tenants. If these transfers proceed, around 40,000 more houseswill move into co…
16 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will include a specific question with regard to shoeing horses in its forthcoming consultation on animal welfare.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The forthcoming consultationon animal welfare has still to be finalised but it is our intentionspecifically to seek views on the shoeing of horses.</p>
16 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been under the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Act 1912 with regard to the incorrect shoeing of horses in each of the last five years.
Answer · Elish Angiolini: Section 1 of the Protectionof Animals (Scotland) Act 1912 specifies numerous offences of crueltytowards animals. None of these offences relate specifically to the incorrectshoeing of horses. While such a procedure may, in certain circumstances, fallwithin the…
14 Jan 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what further steps it will take to increase the availability of affordable housing, particularly in rural areas.
Answer · Margaret Curran: Asannounced at the end of last year, the Executive is engaging key stakeholders -local authorities, house builders, lenders, social landlords and other housinginterests - in a new dialogue about affordable housing. This dialogue willconsider over the next few…
7 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how community investment in wind farms projects is being encouraged.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We are keen to see optionsfor communities securing a financial stake in renewables developments fullyexplored. To that end, we are discussing with Highlands and Islands Enterprisea possible scheme they are considering for their area; and we will considerwheth…
12 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will publish its annual report for 2002-03.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish EnvironmentProtection Agency (SEPA) is due to publish its seventh annual report and accountson 18 December. The report contains details of SEPA’s achievements andactivities during the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003, the agency’sseventh year…
2 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has published, and made available on its website, responses received to the consultation exercise on the introduction of horse passports.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Responses to consultationexercises are placed in the Scottish Executive library for public access.</p>
26 Nov 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to support carers.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Carers play a vital role inproviding services for those they care for. They receive support from varioussources, including local authorities, the NHS, and voluntary bodies. the Executive is providing £21 million this year to local authorities for thebenefit o…
17 Nov 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what provision is made in the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill to prevent the human disturbance of the communal, non-breeding roosts of species that are listed on schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Annexe 1 of the EU Birds Directive 79/409/EEC such as white-tailed …
Answer · Allan Wilson: White-tailed eagles, redkites, hen harriers and marsh harriers are all specially protected under theWildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The act implements the United Kingdom’sprincipal obligations under the birds directive.</p><p>It is an offence tointentional…
11 Nov 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to prevent the illegal persecution of protected species on grouse moors, in particular the golden eagle, in light of the findings of research by Scottish Natural Heritage published in Biological Conservation.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive has already taken tough action to clamp down on wildlife crime whereverit occurs. The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2003 came into force on 26 March and introducedcustodial sentences and new police powers to tackle wildlife crime.</p>…
11 Nov 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has identified any marine and coastal areas that are of international importance for seabirds and, if so, what measures it is taking to protect such areas from inappropriate development and commercial exploitation.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Forty-eight sites have beenclassified by the Scottish Executive as special protection areas (SPA) under the EC BirdsDirective (79/409/EEC) which have one or more species of seabird as aqualifying interest. Eight of these are also designated as wetlands ofinte…
11 Nov 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will declare more capercaillie habitats as special protection areas and what further action it will take to protect the species.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive has classified eight sites in Scotland as special protection areas for Capercaillie andthese contain approximately 36% of the British breeding population. ScottishNatural Heritage recently provided new data to the Scottish Executive on …
30 Oct 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Superfast Ferries with regard to providing a pet passport scheme for the Rosyth ferry port.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Officials from my departmenthave been in discussion with Superfast Ferries since January 2001 regarding theimplementation of Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) on the Rosyth to Zeebruggee ferryroute; the latest communication with them being on the 9 October. We awaitpr…
30 Oct 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Ebixa (memantine) is being routinely prescribed for the treatment of moderately severe to severe Al'heimer's disease.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: In August 2003, the ScottishMedicines Consortium (SMC) considered memantine (Ebixa) and on the evidencesubmitted by the manufacturer did not recommend it for use in NHSScotland. Weunderstand from the SMC that they have been in touch with the manufacturer ande…
30 Oct 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31164 by Allan Wilson on 14 November 2002, what progress has been made on improving access for anglers to rivers and lochs.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Further to my answer of 14 November 2002,an initial review of the system of Protection Orders has now been completed. Ihave recently received an analysis of the responses made. Once I have had timeto consider these, I will discuss next steps with my officials…
1 Oct 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to encourage young people and the long-term unemployed to enter retraining opportunities as a means of combating the skills shortage.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: CareersScotland provides a range of impartial information, advice and guidance on employmentand training opportunities to help people of all ages enter and re-enter the labourmarket. Advice reflects the labour market information provided on skills shortagesby…
24 Sep 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is tackling noise pollution.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Pollution, Prevention andControl (Scotland) Regulations 2000 introduced stringent controls specificallyto regulate noise from relevant industrial installations.</p><p>In addition, the Scottish Executive is preparing to implement, by July 2004, Council Dir…
16 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been put on bail supervision schemes.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The number of cases dealt withby local authorities requiring bail supervision in 2002-03 was 646.</p>
16 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many bail supervision schemes have been set up.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Bail supervision schemes areoperated by local authority criminal justice social work teams, which are organisedon a grouping/unitary authority basis. Schemes are currently available to sheriffcourts in the following areas:</p><p>Ayrshire (confined to solemnca…
29 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce civil partnerships.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: We note the UK Government's consultation on civil partnership registration for same-sex couples and are considering how to proceed on this matter.
18 Jun 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the implementation of the pet passport scheme on the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry route.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Pet Travel Scheme (Scotland) Order 2003 was made by the Scottish ministers on 31 March and came into force in Scotland on 8 April 2003. Superfast Ferries the company which operates the route indicated to my officials in April that they planned to put any …
4 Jun 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what contribution Scotland is making to the genetic modification national public debate.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The GM Public Debate is being organised at arms length from Government by an independent steering board. It features a series of conferences, debates and meetings across the UK during June and July. <P>The first event in Scotland took place in Glasgow yesterd…