Brian Adam

28 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a genealogy product development strategy and how much funding has been allocated for this.

Answer · Mike Watson: On 24 January, I launched the genealogy tourism website ancestralscotland.com. This website will assist users from around the world to research their ancestry and also encourage them to visit those parts of Scotland where their ancestors lived. VisitScotland …

28 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address the economic needs of the north east.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive is committed to the north-east of Scotland and through its agencies, including Scottish Enterprise Grampian, has a series of programmes to address economic change in that area.<P>Following our meeting on 28 February on manufacturing bus…

22 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21592 by Ross Finnie on 22 January 2002, when the minutes of the meeting of the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment of 24 January 2002, including any report on the GM contamination discovered in Mexico, will be published.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23626 on 14 March 2002.

21 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much illegally imported meat was sei'ed at ports and airports in each of the last five years.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Figures on Scottish seizures are only available for the last three financial years and are as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=330><TR><TD WIDTH="29%" VALIGN="TOP">&nbsp;</TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>1999-2000</TD><TD WIDTH="20%"…

21 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to tighten the checks on the illegal importation of meat at ports and airports.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive is working closely with the UK Government and enforcement agencies, to produce a comprehensive action plan to help deter and detect illegal imports. Already, action has been taken to publicise UK import rules overseas, and more effective posters…

21 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has given to health boards about any alternative methods of carrying out tonsillectomies.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Methods of carrying out surgery are matters for individual surgeons.<P>In light of a number of reported cases of complications following surgery performed with single-use instruments, and in response to concerns over patient health and safety, the Chief Medic…

21 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has given to health boards about tackling the backlog of tonsillectomies.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Routine tonsil and adenoid surgery, performed with single-use instruments, re-commenced with effect from 11 March 2002.<P>The National Waiting Times Unit, which I established earlier this year, is working with NHSScotland to tackle the lengthy waits for routi…

21 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when permission will be given for tonsillectomies to be resumed.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Routine tonsil and adenoid surgery, performed with single-use instruments, re-commenced with effect from 11 March 2002.

20 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government about the Enterprise Bill and, in particular, the role of the Scottish courts in dealing with insolvency and what the outcome was of any such discussions.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Department of Trade and Industry, on the corporate insolvency aspects of this bill, to ensure that reserved matters affecting Scotland and devolved aspects of reserved matters are fully explored and handle…

31 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to protect jobs at Richards and the Caledonian Airborne Engineering Group in Aberdeen.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive and its agencies are monitoring the situation closely and stand ready to assist both companies and their workforce as appropriate.

31 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the British Airports Authority regarding passenger numbers and the number of direct routes from Aberdeen and the authority's other airports in Scotland and what the outcome was of any such discussions.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive meets BAA on a regular basis to discuss a range of aviation matters including passenger numbers and air links serving Scotland. The Executive, in partnership with the Enterprise Networks, VisitScotland and the airport operators, will co…

30 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households had insulation installed under the Warm Deal between 1 April and 31 December 2000, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Iain Gray: Information on the Warm Deal is published in the Scottish Executive's annual report, <I>Benefits from the Warm Deal in Scotland 2000-2001</I> (Bib. number 17363). Copies were placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre. Details are not collected by local auth…

30 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households had insulation installed under the Warm Deal between 1 April and 31 December 2001, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Iain Gray: Information on the Warm Deal will be published in the Scottish Executive's next annual report, "Benefits from the Warm Deal in Scotland 2001-2002". The report will be available later in the year and copies will be sent to all MSPs. Details are not collected b…

28 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards are unable to accommodate patients who are currently held inappropriately at the State Hospital, Carstairs and why.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As at 31 January 2002, there were 30 patients in the State Hospital who had been waiting for more than three months since clinical agreement was reached between the referring and the prospective receiving clinical teams that they could be safely treated and c…

28 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients from each NHS board are currently held inappropriately at the State Hospital, Carstairs.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22399.

25 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the implications of the judgement in the European Court of justice in the case of Gerat-Smits and Peerbooms for health services, including drug treatment, in Scotland.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive, in liaison with the other UK Health Departments, is keeping in close touch with developments on the European Court of Justice decisions in these two cases and further pending cases. The implications have not yet been fully evaluated.

25 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the contractors involved in work on the Holyrood building project face exclusion from applying for future contracts which the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body tenders as a result of poor performance.

Answer · David Steel: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21920 on 30 January 2002.

25 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the contractors involved in work on the Holyrood building project face exclusion from applying for future contracts which the Executive tenders as a result of poor performance.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Contractors are not excluded from applying for contracts with the Scottish Executive but may be excluded at an early stage of the selection process. A short-list of firms to be invited to tender is compiled on the basis of an assessment of their suitability (…

24 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the total amount of residential care costs relate to the cost of personal care in the current year.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The information requested is not held centrally.

24 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much the NHS has paid out in ex-gratia payments, compensation or other awards as a result of claims in each of the last five years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Over the last five years, NHSScotland reported the following losses in respect of ex-gratia payments, compensation or other rewards:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=595><TR><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="13%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT F…

16 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to his answer to question S1W-21305 on 15 January 2002, whether poor performance in previous contracts is one of the grounds for exclusion of potential tenderers from the tendering process for Parliament contracts.

Answer · David Steel: A potential tenderer's ability to meet the particular requirements of a contract is a key factor in the supplier selection procedure. Each contract opportunity is considered on its own merits and, where a potential tenderer's poor performance on previous cont…

10 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19176 by Mr Jack McConnell on 8 January 2002, whether it plans to include in the Scottish Ministerial Code provisions to restrain ministers from commenting on the conduct of those charged with offences whose cases have not been dealt with by the cour…

Answer · Jack McConnell: There are no plans to include such provisions in the Scottish Ministerial Code. The Scottish Ministerial Code gives overarching guidance to ministers. It does not give detailed advice on specific circumstances.

10 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make the 1901 Census freely available to the public.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) has been making the 1901 census returns available on microfilm to readers paying the standard daily search fee in its office at New Register House, Edinburgh since 3 December 2001. Copies of the microfilm are al…

8 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20906 by Ross Finnie on 3 January 2002, whether the priority it places on the protection of human health and the environment is greater than that accorded to the completion of the GM trials and whether this is consistent with precautionary principles.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive would not hesitate to halt the farm scale evaluation programme if any credible evidence of harm to human health or the environment was to be found.

8 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20906 by Ross Finnie on 3 January 2002, whether it will stop current and future field scale trials until it has received the report from the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) will consider the research concerning the presence of transgenic DNA in native maize in Mexico at their meeting on 24 January 2002.<P>The potential for cross-pollination is taken into account by ACR…

8 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20906 by Ross Finnie on 3 January 2002, when it expects the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment to report and when the report will be published.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment will consider this matter at their next meeting, to be held on 24 January. Any advice that the committee offers to the Scottish Executive will be made public.

3 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is with regard to further diagnostic tests and treatments as a consequence of positive results for individuals participating in the colorectal cancer screening project.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Any individual who, as a result of participating in the screening pilot, has an overall positive Faecal Occult Blood test result is referred to a Specialist Nurse for explanation of their test result, potential investigations and their consequences. <P>The pa…

3 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources have been allocated by health boards for further diagnostic testing and treatment as a consequence of positive results under the colorectal cancer screening project.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: This is a matter for Fife, Grampian and Tayside NHS Boards. The information requested is not held centrally.

3 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funds have been allocated to the colorectal cancer screening project.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21511.

3 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with the colorectal cancer screening project.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The Scottish arm of the UK Colorectal Cancer Screening Pilot, which commenced in March 2000 at a cost of approximately £2.672 million, is progressing well.<P>The final report of the independently commissioned Evaluation Group, which is evaluating the feasibil…