Parliamentary questions
Alex Neil
3,059 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the pupil/teacher ratio in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools is in each local authority area and whether it holds any similar information in relation to independent schools.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The following table shows the pupil/teacher ratios calculated from the September 1999 School Census.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">I have recently sent a report on the supply of teachers to the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee detailing the backgrou…
18 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current status is of the Youth Training Guarantee.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Young people across the UK who are under 18 and not in full-time education or employment are guaranteed an offer of suitable training. The guarantee is delivered in Scotland by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise as a key element of the S…
18 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to stop publishing league tables of school examination results.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive does not publish league tables of school examination results.
17 Jan 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether responsibility for national training organisations in Scotland, in particular their funding, rests with it or Her Majesty's Government.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: National Training Organisations (NTOs) are employer-led sectoral bodies which operate across the UK as the bridge between employers and those involved in the policy and provision of education, training and developing employability. At government level, policy…
11 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is funding, or has any plans to fund, any medical research into illnesses suffered by soldiers who served in the Balkans.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is not directly funding any research into illnesses suffered by soldiers who served in the Balkans, nor has it plans to do so.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>However, the Executive in collaboration with UK Departments provides funding for …
11 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was made available to its Government Modernisation Fund in 2000-01 and how much has been allocated from it to date.
Answer · Angus MacKay: The £26 million Modernising Government Fund covers a two-year period and is part of the wider drive to modernise government.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>In December the Minister for Finance and Local Government announced the allocation of all of the funding t…
11 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12110 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 4 January 2001, what direct powers it has with regard to the Dounreay site restoration plan.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: Under sections 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 of the Radioactive Substances Act 1993, the Scottish Ministers have powers with regard to existing discharge authorisations and any which might flow from the implementation of the Dounreay Site Restoration Plan.<FONT FACE=…
11 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote the European Year of Languages in schools.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I will launch the European Year of Languages in Scotland on Monday 22 January at Stirling University. A Scottish committee has been established to promote Scottish involvement in the year through education, business and cultural networks, and a series of even…
3 Jan 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding disciplinary action against the Permanent Secretary, Muir Russell, in relation to any adverse impact of his actions on the Holyrood Project.
Answer · Tom McCabe: No. We see no need to make any representations.
19 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has taken part in regarding the Dounreay site restoration plan.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Site Restoration Plan is a living document which will evolve over time to reflect the views and requirements of stakeholders. It is essentially a programme for the decommissioning of Dounreay. As such it is an operational matter, responsibility for which …
19 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to page 12 of Our National Health - A Plan for Action, A Plan for Change published on 14 December 2000, whether NHS Trusts will be replaced by a single unified board, as stated in paragraph one, or whether NHS Trusts will remain and will retain their operational responsibi…
Answer · Susan Deacon: <I><FONT FACE="Arial">Our National Health</I> signals a reduction in bureaucracy in the NHS in Scotland. It makes it clear on page 30 that Trusts will remain and will retain their existing operational and legal responsibilities but with streamlined management…
19 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-11158 and S1O-2694 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 24 November and 14 December 2000, whether representatives of the Executive were part of the UK delegation to the UN Climate Change Summit in The Hague or whether Scotland was represented at The Hague by Mr …
Answer · Sam Galbraith: As I stated in my answer to question S1O-2964, Scotland, and the rest of the UK, was represented at The Hague by John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister, and Michael Meacher. Two officials from the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department were part of the UK …
19 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11612 by Mr Alasdair Morrison on 13 December 2000, whether it will make an estimate of the cost of changing the name of the Scottish Tourist Board to Visitscotland and place a copy of the estimate in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Tourist Board. I will ask the Chairman to write to you.
19 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11611 by Mr Alasdair Morrison on 13 December 2000, what evidence it has that the change of name of the Scottish Tourist Board to Visitscotland will have a positive impact.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: An independent review of the STB found that there would be benefit in changing its name to Visitscotland. This proposal provides an opportunity to re-brand the public sector bodies that support the tourism industry. The STB believes that consistency of brandi…
19 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the #5 million to support the development of PPP projects for school buildings announced on 23 August 2000, (a) how much has been allocated, (b) to whom the money has been allocated, (c) how much money remains in the fund and (d) who has applied for funding to date.
Answer · Jack McConnell: Authorities' bids for support under these arrangements are under consideration. I expect to announce details of our decisions early in January 2001.
18 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost of the imprisonment of Tommy Sheridan MSP will be.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>The precise cost for each of our 5,700 prisoners is not calculated. The published SPS target average cost per prisone…
14 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost of a liver transplant was in 1999-2000.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The average cost associated with carrying out a liver transplant was £20,930. This figure does not include the costs incurred by the other NHS Scotland<B> </B>agencies which have a part to play in transplantation, such as the Scottish National Blood Transfusi…
14 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent in 1999-2000 on (a) education about, (b) screening for and (c) treatment of hepatitis C.
Answer · Susan Deacon: There is no national screening programme in Scotland for hepatitis C. Information about the cost of preventive health education and treatment provided by individual NHS Trusts and health boards is not collected centrally.
14 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average annual cost is of treatment of a hepatitis C victim.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Information about the total cost to the NHS of treating patients with hepatitis C infection is not collected centrally.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Combination antiviral therapy using interferon alpha and ribavirin is proving a successful treatment in certain cases of …
12 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on the New Deal for Young People in Scotland to date and what proportion of the entire New Deal for Young People budget this figure represents.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing organisations.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The expenditure on the New Deal 18-24 programme in S…
12 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people to date have entered into the (a) voluntary, (b) environmental task force and (c) full-time education/training options in the New Deal for Young People and how many did not complete their chosen option.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing organisations.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Figures to end-October show that 5,050 young people …
12 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost per participant in the New Deal for Young People has been to date.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing organisations.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The average cost per participant in the New Deal for…
12 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-2657 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 7 December 2000, how many of the 21,800 sustained jobs secured through the New Deal for Young People were secured through the Gateway stage.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing organisations.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Figures to end-October show that 14,300 (66%) of the…
12 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made since 1 July 1999 of the impact on Scottish exports of the value of pound sterling.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: We fully recognise that trading conditions have been difficult, and applaud the efforts of our exporters to stay competitive. Growth in the euro area has been picking up and overall macroeconomic conditions continue to be positive for our businesses: inflatio…
12 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to discipline civil service staff.
Answer · Henry McLeish: Disciplinary arrangements are a matter for the Scottish Executive within the framework set out in the Civil Service Management Code. The code is available at www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/civilservice/managementcode/csmc.pdf.
12 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many representatives it had in the UK delegation to the recent EU Inter-Governmental Conference in Nice.
Answer · Jack McConnell: Scottish Ministers and officials were party to the formulation of the UK lines for the summit and although not present at Nice were able then to ensure that devolved interests were represented by the UK delegation. Scotland, of course, was represented by the …
8 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it means by "the income arising from the graduate endowment" in section 2 of the Education (Graduate Endowment and Student Support) (Scotland) (No.2) Bill, and whether this includes the extra revenue that will arise from the collection of the endowment.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: Under Section 2 of the Education (Graduate Endowment and Student Support) (Scotland) (No.2) Bill, the income arising from the graduate endowment means the full amount payable by each liable graduate in the Spring following the completion of their course. For …
7 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the names are of all those who have served as independent assessors in relation to public appointments in Scotland since 1 July 1999, specifying in each case whether the person currently remains an independent assessor and the process by which they were appointed as an independent a…
Answer · Angus MacKay: Details of those who have held positions as Independent Assessors since 1 July 1999 are as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN=2><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Assessors currently in post</TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="50%" V…
30 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the interest collected on student endowment payments to the Inland Revenue (IR) will be included in the amount repaid to the Scottish Executive by the IR, or whether this extra revenue will remain with Her Majesty's Treasury.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: Graduates who wish to take out an income contingent loan to discharge their liability for the Graduate Endowment will do so on the same terms and conditions as loans for living costs. The Inland Revenue pay quarterly in advance for collected student loans, ba…
30 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Education (Graduate Endowment and Student Support) (Scotland) Bill will include a separate, Scottish mechanism for collecting endowment payments from EU students who studied in Scotland.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: We expect that EU nationals will be treated in the same way as graduates who were domiciled in Scotland at the time they studied.