Parliamentary questions

Alex Neil

3,059 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current design capacity is of each Scottish prison and what the average daily prisoner population was in each prison in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The information for 2000-01 is given in the table:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=604><TR><TD WIDTH="33%" VALIG…

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many whole-time equivalent nursing posts there currently are in each Scottish prison, including HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=257><TR><TD WIDTH="71%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16>Establishment</TD><TD WIDTH=…

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the period of appointment is of the chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The period of appointment is from 1 October 2001 to 30 September 2005.

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what requirements are placed on chairpersons of the Health Education Board for Scotland with regard to attendance at meetings and other official engagements.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The chairperson is responsible for representing the board's activities in an open and positive way to the public, local authorities, professional and advisory bodies, the media and all other interested parties and for ensuring that there is an effective dialo…

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the remuneration package is of the post of chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: £15,708 per annum (currently under review).

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of the chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: As set out in the information provided to all applicants, the chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland has the following personal responsibilities:<UL><LI>providing leadership to the board</LI><LI>working wi…

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when and where the vacancy for a chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland was advertised.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The vacancy was advertised from 20 April 2001 in The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday, the Aberdeen Press and Journal, The Herald and the Dundee Courier and Advertiser.

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications were received for the recent vacancy of chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: 13 applications were received.

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland declared any interests on being appointed and, if so, what those interests were.

Answer · Susan Deacon: In line with relevant guidance issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA), all applicants for public appointments are required to declare any interests and to complete a question on their political activity. Neither activity nor a…

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what special expertise, knowledge and experience in relation to health education the chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland is required to have.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18191.

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used to select candidates for (a) an initial shortlist and (b) a final shortlist for the post of chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18191.

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used to select the successful candidate for the recent vacancy for chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) and who carried out the interview.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The following criteria were used to select candidates for interview and to determine their suitability for appointment. Copies of the criteria were provided to all applicants in advance of their application.Core criteria were that candidate…

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what codes governed the procedures used in the recent appointment of a chairperson of the Health Education Board for Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The procedures governing the appointment were those set out in The Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies. This is available from the website at: http://…

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the social work cost per prisoner was in each Scottish prison, including HM Prison Kilmarnock, in each of the last three years.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:The social work cost per prisoner is not a figure that is kept by SPS because the needs of individual prisoners and…

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were detained in HM Prison Dungavel during each of the five years preceding its closure.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The available information is given in table 4 of Prisons Statistics Scotland, 1997; 1998 and 1999 published by the …

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times in each of the last three years the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council has taken back resources from a higher education institute because the quality of provision was unsatisfactory.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: None. The first round of quality assessments ended in 1997-99, and the second began in 2000-01. No quality assessment reports have been produced in the last three years.

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council uses in deciding whether the quality of provision in higher education institutions is not satisfactory.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) has undertaken assessment of teaching quality on behalf of the SHEFC since the start of academic year 2000-01. Details of the new system can be found on the QAA website (www.qaa.ac.uk).<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY"…

14 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money each higher education institution received from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland in each of the last three years.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The following table shows the amount of tuition fees paid by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland to each Scottish Higher Education Institution for the academic years 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=576><TR><TD…

12 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the official definition of a sport is.

Answer · Allan Wilson: For the purposes of recognition as a sport, the UK Sports Councils define sport as an activity which requires physical skills, physical effort and physical challenge.

12 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the role of sportscotland is in designating an activity as a sport.

Answer · Allan Wilson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18092.

12 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16576 by Allan Wilson on 24 August 2001, what criteria were used to determine that pigeon racing is not a sport.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Recognition of sport is a matter for the home country Sports Councils using agreed criteria. These criteria are employed when a formal application for recognition as a sport is received. No formal application has been received by sportscotland in respe…

12 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16576 by Allan Wilson on 24 August 2001, what consultation sportscotland had with outside organisations before deciding not to make representations on recognising pigeon racing as a sport.

Answer · Allan Wilson: sportscotland, in line with the other home country Sports Councils, responds to formal applications for recognition of sports. To date no formal application has been received by sportscotland in respect of pigeon racing. Conse…

12 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all officially recognised sports and recreations.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Sports which are officially recognised by the home country Sports Councils are listed in the following table. There is no official list of recreations. Recreation is an activity that promotes the refreshment of health or spirits by relaxation and enjoyment. B…

12 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what process is followed designating an activity as a sport or a recreation.

Answer · Allan Wilson: A formal recognition process is employed to identify those activities with which the Sports Councils wish to be associated and which, particularly given the finite resources available, the councils think should be developed by them. It does not determine an a…

12 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the roles and responsibilities of it and Her Majesty's Government are in deciding what is a sport or recreation.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive and the UK Government have delegated the responsibility of deciding what is a sport to their respective sports councils. By its definition, recreation is an activity that promotes the refreshment of health or spirits by relaxation and e…

12 Sep 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its contractual arrangements with Premier Prison Service with regard to the running of HM Prison Kilmarnock in light of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland's Report for 2000-01.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Executive sees no need to do so.

11 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government in support of changing the threshold at which graduates start repaying their student loans and when it will make an announcement on the outcome of any negotiations with Her Majesty's Government on this matter.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the United Kingdom Government on a wide range of issues, including the repayment threshold for student loans.

7 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio of hospital cleaners to patients has been in (a) Scotland as a whole and (b) each health board area in each of the past 10 years.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information is not available in the form requested.

7 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many accidents took place at the Holmston roundabout in Ayr in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The number of personal injury accidents in each of the last 10 years (1991-2000) on the A77 trunk road at Holmston Roundabout, Ayr is as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=604><TR><TD WIDTH="19%" VALIGN="TOP">Year</TD><T…

7 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the fire brigade has been called out to each Scottish prison, including HM Prison Kilmarnock, during (a) daytime and (b) night-time in each of the last three years.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Comprehensive information is not recorded centrally and could not be assembled except at disproportionate cost.