Parliamentary questions

Brian Adam

1,580 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

10 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Muslim community regarding access to Islamic mortgages in Scotland.

Answer · Johann Lamont: The Executive has had nodiscussions, to date, with either the Muslim community or with banks on Islamicmortgages for house purchase. the Executive has, however, had informal discussions on Islamic finance with theCouncil of Mortgage Lenders in relation to the…

10 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has bought land intended to be used for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route under sections 103 and 104 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and, if so, which plots were purchased, what price was paid for each plot, who the payee was and what the date of entry is in each case.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: No land has been bought for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

9 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much VisitScotland has spent on marketing Scotland abroad in the last three years, broken down by country.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: VisitScotland’s overseas marketing strategy shows clear benefits to the tourism industry in Scotland, with an increase of 20% in the number of visitors from overseas last year compared with 2003. The amount of funding that VisitScotland invests in marketing S…

9 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to advertise the dangers of mini moto motorbikes or to highlight that their use in public places is illegal.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive currentlyhas no such plans.

9 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to construct new suburban railway stations in Aberdeen.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to answerto question S2W-16355 on 23 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forwhich can be found at: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament/webapp/wa.search">…

9 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reopen suburban railway stations in Aberdeen.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive issupporting feasibility studies into the reopening of Laurencekirk Station and stationsrelating to the Aberdeen Crossrail Project.

9 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the Aberdeen Crossrail project to be completed.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: We expect to receive part 1of the final Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance report from Aberdeenshire/AberdeenCity Council shortly. This will put forward a number of options, andrecommendations for taking these forward.

9 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Secretary of State for Productivity, Energy and Industry seeking the transfer of energy-related civil service jobs from London to Aberdeen.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-13284 on 19 January 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/…

27 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider allocating funding nationally for family mediation and couple counselling services.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive already provides core and training grant funding for Couple Counselling Scotland, Scottish Marriage Care, Family Mediation Scotland and Stepfamily Scotland under the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund. The…

27 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to provide change funding for the development of family mediation and couple counselling services.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive provides core and training grant under the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund to four national family support organisations - Couple Counselling Scotland, Family Mediation Scotland, Scottish Marriage Care …

26 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider provision of a national family support service.

Answer · Hugh Henry: At national level, the Scottish Executive provides grant assistance under the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund to four family relationship support organisations in the voluntary sector - Family Mediation Scotland, Couple Couns…

26 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with COSLA about future funding of family mediation and couple counselling services.

Answer · Hugh Henry: None as yet. Our goal is to secure an integrated approach to the needs of families in transition. We want to see family relationship support services more closely aligned with other important services to children and families provided or secured by local gove…

22 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support moves to prevent the alcohol industry targeting sales of alcohol to children through its sponsorship of sport.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Alcohol advertising is a reserved matter. However, the Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems published in January 2002 committed the Executive to raising such issues with the UK Government and alcohol industry. The forthcoming update to the Plan for Acti…

22 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will increase the support it provides to local alcohol counselling agencies.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive allocated direct funding to NHS Boards of £3 million in 2004-5 and £5 million in 2005-6 to support the provision of alcohol treatment services. It is for the local NHS Board, in consultation with their partners on the localAlcohol Action Tea…

22 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the laws concerning prosecutions for the sale of alcohol to under-age children and drunk persons are being adequately enforced.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The police and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service treat all such incidents seriously, and will take action where it is in the public interest to do so.

7 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a policy on introducing charges for NHS patients, such as car parking and Patientline TV; whether it supports individual NHS boards levying such charges, and whether it has a position on further extension of charges within the NHS.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to my answer to question S2O-6031 on 14 April 2005. I also refer the member to the answer my colleague, Malcolm Chisholm, gave to question S2W-7206 on 28 April 2004. Decisions on whether to charge for car parking facilities or the in…

6 Apr 2005 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a policy on charges for NHS patients, such as for car parking and Patientline TV.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive issued revised guidance on hospital car park charging to NHSScotland on 1 April 2004. There are currently no plans to issue guidance on other charges to patients for facilities, such as Patientline TV.

23 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish Natural Heritage and the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) on the future of NTS properties.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive has regular contact with Scottish Natural Heritage and, usually through Historic Scotland, with the National Trust for Scotland to discuss a broad range of issues affecting the natural and cultural heritage of Scotland. The National Tru…

22 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners there are in Scotland and where they are located.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Currently there is one PET scanner sited in the John Mallard PET Centre in Aberdeen. In March 2003, the Scottish Executive announced £5 million capital investment from 2004-05 to support the development of PET services in Scotland. The three Regional C…

17 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Ministry of Defence and the National Archives about the transfer to Scotland of Scottish military records from the First World War, in particular those currently held at Hayes which are being considered for destruction.

Answer · Margaret Curran: No. Military records areentirely a matter for the UK Government.

11 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what statutory authority the Registrar General for Scotland had to state that personal information from the 2001 decennial population census will be treated as confidential for a period of 100 years.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The assurances about the confidentiality of personal information rested on Section 8 of the Census Act 1920 as amended by the Census Confidentiality Act 1991. The 100 year duration of that confidentiality rested on administrative decisions, underpinned by min…

11 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what statutory authority the Registrar General for Scotland had to state that personal information from the 1991 decennial population census will be kept securely in his office and treated as confidential for 100 years.

11 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what statutory authority the Registrar General for Scotland had to state that no personal information from the 1971 or 1981 decennial population censuses will be passed to any government department or person.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The assurances given to census respondents on the 1971 and 1981 census schedules as to the confidentiality of the individual information they provided rested on section 8(2)(a) and (b) of the Census Act 1920. This provided that any person employed in taking a…

11 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what statutory authority the Secretary of State for Scotland had in 1974 to state that Scottish decennial population census returns would not be made available until 100 years after the census to which they relate.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The statement made by the Secretary of State to Parliament on 23 May 1974 rested on administrative decisions, underpinned by the undertakings given by the Registrar General to respondents to successive censuses. There was no specific statutory authority for t…