Parliamentary questions

Brian Adam

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

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has assessed the impact of the European Working Time Directive on the voluntary sector's ability to delivery care.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The voluntary sector is animportant partner in the delivery of health and social care. The Working TimeRegulations currently apply to almost all employees in the UK and, fromAugust 2004 will have a significant impact on doctors in training. Work isunder way b…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to review the operation of the Care Commission and whether it will consider directly funding the commission as part of such a review.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Ministers regularly reviewthe Care Commission’s performance against the targets in its corporate plan, inaccordance with its management statement and financial memorandum. Thatdocument also requires the Health Department to conduct a financial managementand p…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether costs of regulation of care were included in its allocation to local authorities and, if so, whether it has monitored how much of this money has been transferred to the voluntary sector.

Answer · Tom McCabe: When the Care Commission wasestablished, resources were left with local authorities to allow them to payfor residual work and accommodation related to their previous regulatory role,and to meet the cost of paying registration fees for their own serviceprovisi…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many care workers are awaiting a response from Disclosure Scotland with regard to registration and what the average waiting time is for processing such applications.

Answer · Euan Robson: There are currently 66 applications awaiting Disclosure Scotland certificates. It takes an average of 21.6 working days for the return of a Disclosure Scotland certificate. This is an average figure based on the applications processed during September. Some w…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether employers are responsible for the cost of the registration of care workers.

Answer · Euan Robson: The cost of registration isthe responsibility of the individual in the same way that teachers, nurses anddoctors pay their own registration fees. The register will help raise theprofile of social service workers and increase public confidence in theservices p…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received, and from whom, regarding the registration of care workers.

Answer · Euan Robson: Registration is based on aqualification criteria. The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) consultedon Phase 1 qualifications criteria and registration fees between June andSeptember 2002. One thousand copies of the consultation document weredistributed an…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it has made available to the voluntary sector to help it comply with the statutory requirement to register care workers.

Answer · Euan Robson: Social service workers whowill be required to register are expected to meet the criteria set by the Scottish Social Services Council. Part of the criteria for registration willinclude obtaining or working towards certain qualifications. The payment offees for…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many care workers have registered under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001, broken down by local authority area, and what measures are in place to ensure care workers register as required under the Act.

Answer · Euan Robson: Registration of the socialservice workforce began on 1 April 2003. It is being phased in on a geographical basis bylocal authority boundary. Large voluntary organisations that have projectsthroughout Scotland will be phased in on an organisational basis. So f…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many colorectal cancer surgeons there are per head of population, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Colorectal cancer surgery isnot a recognised clinical specialty. Workforce information, including thenumbers of consultants by clinical specialty are available from ISD Scotland at<a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/isd">www.isdscotland.org/isd</a>.

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to gather data on differential incidence rates of diseases such as colorectal cancer between all NHS board areas and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information and StatisticsDivision (ISD) Scotland holds epidemiological and other health-relatedinformation.Data on incidence rates betweenNHS board areas for all cancers including colorectal cancer is available at <ahref="http://www.isdscotland.org/ca…

19 Nov 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a national strategy for the delivery of services to multiple sclerosis (MS) patients.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The Executive’s preferred approach to the management of chronic conditions is the development of managed clinical or care networks. We are funding thedevelopment of a Managed Care Network in Forth Valley for people with MS, and hope to seesimilar networks dev…

18 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with teaching unions regarding flexibility in the use of teachers as part of the primary/secondary interface.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The partnership agreementfor a better Scotland contains a commitment to increase the number ofspecialists working across the primary secondary boundary by 2007. The Schools ScotlandCode 1956 sets out the qualifications required to teach in the primary andseco…

14 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the interest rates set for student loans were in each year since 2000; who sets the interest rates; whether it has the power to vary the rates, and how changes in the rates are announced.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The interest rates for eachyear since 2000 are as follows:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> 2000 </td> <td> 2.6% </td> </tr> <tr> <td> 2001 </td> <td> <p align=cen…

14 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what allowance is made within the teacher workforce planning model for relief staff.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The requirement for supplystaff is discussed with members of the Teacher Workforce Planning AdvisoryGroup which includes representatives of education authorities, teachers’organisations and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC). Thepurpose of …

14 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what incentive schemes there are, or are under consideration, for addressing any local teacher shortages.

Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-4155 on 1 December 2003.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.parliamen…

14 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would support the funding of initiatives such as golden hellos as a means to address any local teacher shortages.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Teachers in educationauthority schools are subject to national terms and conditions of serviceagreed within the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers. The national conditionscontain remote schools and distant islands allowances. There are no plans toint…

14 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what scope there is within the current national agreements for local flexibility in recruiting and training teachers.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Recruitment of teachers is amatter for education authorities as employers. Teachers in local authorityemployment are subject to national terms and conditions of service.It is open to the universitiesthat provide initial teacher education and local auth…

14 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council regarding the funding, and number, of teacher training places in areas of identified shortages.

Answer · Peter Peacock: As part of the annualteacher workforce planning exercise guidance is offered to the Scottish HigherEducation Funding Council (SHEFC) on priority subjects. The allocation of fundingfor teacher training places to higher education institutions is a matter forSHE…

14 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current method for assessing teacher staffing levels is adequate and whether it has any plans to review the assessment procedure.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Pupil:teacher ratios havedeclined in primary schools from 19.1 in 1999 to 18.0 in 2002. In secondaryschools they have declined from 12.9 to 12.7 over the same period. Therefore previouscirculars on staffing levels issued by the Scottish Office now have little…

13 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to offer additional funding to local authorities to support the homelessness strategies required under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Homelessness strategies havebeen developed by every Scottish local authority in partnership with serviceproviders and other stakeholders and in liaison with the Executive and COSLA. Homelessness strategies will form the cornerstoneof local authorities’ drive …

13 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is providing to local authorities to implement its policies on antisocial behaviour.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive has allocated £30 million, over 2004-06 to local authorities to fundcommunity wardens and other community based anti-social behaviour initiatives.In addition, we are making available a further £65 million, over the sameperiod, to tackle…

4 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has allocated in its forward plans for the replacement of information and communication technology within schools.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive is currently providing local authorities with support of £20 millionannually through the National Priorities Action Fund which may be used tomaintain and refresh information and communications technology (ICT) facilitiesin schools. This…

4 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has made available for early retirement and the winding-down scheme for teachers as part of the McCrone agreement and whether such funding provision is consistent with its position on retirement ages in the public sector.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has agreed to fund the implementation of the agreement A TeachingProfession for the 21st Century in full. However, it is for localauthorities to determine how they spend their allocated funding and how theyadminister early retire…

4 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to monitor any increase in the responsibility of non-promoted teaching posts for course and curricular development and whether it will publish the results of such monitoring.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Development of the schoolcurriculum forms part of all teachers’ duties, as outlined in Annex B of the agreementA Teaching Profession for the 21st Century. It is for individualheadteachers to determine and allocate specific duties at local level, in con…

4 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects changes in the numbers of promoted posts in teaching as a result of the McCrone agreement and, if so, how many posts will be involved and when the changes in numbers will be implemented.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The agreement A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century does not prescribe levels of staffing.Within the framework provided by the agreement, it is for local authorities to decide what levels of staffing best suits their local needs.

29 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many eviction orders were (a) sought and (b) granted to remove convicted illicit drug dealers from local authority tenancies in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executivecollects information on the number of eviction actions taken against counciltenants which proceeded to court, the number of cases which resulted in aneviction order and the number of cases which resulted in an eviction. Thenumbers of evi…

29 Oct 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the Aberdeen Crossrail project.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive continues to support the feasibility studies into the AberdeenCrossrail project, which are led by Aberdeenshire Council in partnership withAberdeen City Council.

27 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many students are enrolled at each Scottish Agricultural College campus, expressed also as whole-time equivalents.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The information requested isset out in the table. The information relates to the Scottish Agricultural College’s main education programmes as at 28 October 2003.<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> Campus </td> <td> <p align=…

22 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had, or plans to have, with Her Majesty's Government about the dispersal of civil service jobs from London to Scotland.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is working closely with the Secretary of State for Scotland’soffice to ensure that Scotland is well positioned to benefit from the outcome of the UK public sector relocation review.Officials in ScottishDevelopment International (…

17 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage competition in the waste disposal market.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Waste disposal is carried out by private waste management companies or local authorities in Scotland.Local authorities are under a duty to make arrangements which secure Best Value. Under the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003, guidance on Best Valu…