Parliamentary questions
Brian Fitzpatrick
529 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the (a) amount in real terms and (b) percentage of research and development budgets funded from public sources which has been allocated to renewable energy projects.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The research and development (R&D) funding programme for renewable energy is reserved; the budget is held by DTI and has been increased recently. Over this and the next two years there is £55 million available for renewable R&D projects across the UK. Scottis…
13 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to attract former teachers to return to teaching as a career.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The recent teacher recruitment advertising campaign had the twin objectives of improving the perception of teaching as a worthwhile and rewarding career and increasing the numbers of talented people entering the teaching profession.<P>All of the Scottish Exec…
13 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to attract mature new entrants to teaching as a career.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The recent teacher recruitment advertising campaign had the twin objectives of improving the perception of teaching as a worthwhile and rewarding career and increasing the numbers of talented people entering the teaching profession.<P>All of the Scottish Exec…
13 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote teaching as a career.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: This year the Scottish Executive mounted the first ever major national teacher recruitment advertising campaign, with the twin objectives of improving the public perception of teaching as a worthwhile and rewarding career and increasing the number of talented…
13 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the number and percentage of secondary school pupils who continued their education in state schools beyond the age of 16, broken down by education authority, in each year from 1994 to date.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The numbers and percentages of pupils staying on at school in S5 above school leaving age are given in the following tables.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=614><TR><TD WIDTH="24%" VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN=2 HEIGHT=14><P></TD><TD WIDTH="76%" VALIGN…
13 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many persons are currently classified as rough sleepers in (a) Scotland and (b) East Dunbartonshire and what steps are being taken to reduce these figures.
Answer · Iain Gray: I refer the member to the reply given to question S1W-18044 on 11 September 2001. The Rough Sleepers Initiative (RSI) has made £42 million available to local authorities over five years, 1997-98 to 2001-02 to tackle rough sleeping. Further funding has been ma…
13 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive by how much employment has risen since 1997.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The latest figures (August to October 2001) show the employment level for all people over 16 in Scotland to be 2,382,000. The equivalent figure in 1997 was 2,317,000. This is an increase of 65,000.
13 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many persons from ethnic minorities are employed by it and what percentage of its workforce they represent.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is currently involved in the development and implementation of improved ethnicity monitoring of staff. A comprehensive survey of ethnicity information for all staff has recently been undertaken, and information from that will be availab…
13 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many women are employed by it and what percentage of its workforce they represent.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive core departments employ 2,187 women, which represents 50% of the core workforce.<P>The Scottish Executive as a whole, including agencies and associated departments, employs 6,168 women. This represents 41% of the total workforce.
13 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) deaf, (b) blind and (c) deafblind persons are employed by it and what percentage of its workforce they represent.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive employs:<P>(a) 74 persons (0.5% of staff) with a self-declared hearing disability,<P>(b) 90 persons (0.6% of staff) with a self-declared visual disability and<P>(c) No figures are available on the number of deafblind staff employed.
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had, or intends to have, with Her Majesty's Government on European Union proposals for an EU standard for the construction of buses in so far as they relate to the numbers of persons permitted to stand on scheduled buses.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including European Union proposals.
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what provision is made in the current financial year for campaigns against drugged driving.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive provides funding to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign for the production of key road safety education materials and publicity campaigns. In the current financial year the campaign expects to spend about £180,000 on drug driving publicit…
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what provision is made in the current financial year for campaigns against drink driving.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive provides funding to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign for the production of key road safety education materials and publicity campaigns. In the current financial year the campaign expects to spend about £200,000 on drink drive publicity…
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it sets for local authorities in the determination of minor industrial, commercial and residential planning applications.
Answer · Iain Gray: No specific targets are set for minor applications. The general targets of 80% of all planning applications to be determined within two months, and 85% within three months, apply.
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it sets for local authorities in the determination of major industrial, commercial and residential planning applications.
Answer · Iain Gray: The performance targets targets set for planning authorities are detailed in <I>National Planning Policy Guideline No1: The Planning System. </I>They include the target of determining 80% of major applications within four months.
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that the views of businesses, local enterprise companies and other social partners are given due weight in decisions about the provision of new roads.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive actively seeks the views of business, local enterprise companies and other interests as part of the on-going process of consulting on major road projects. Recently there were public exhibitions of proposals for the Eastern Relief Road at Kincard…
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it is giving to fast-track road scheme procedures for areas affected by traffic congestion.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Action is taken to anticipate significant milestones in the progress of a road scheme and to accelerate processes, for example by identifying potential dates for a public inquiry. There are no plans to reduce rights of public, business or other interests to e…
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the length of time taken by the planning system to deliver improvement schemes for Scotland's motorways and other strategic roads.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The time taken to process motorways and strategic roads schemes from inception to delivery depends on a number of factors, including the complexity of the proposals, the number of objections received, the time taken at any public local inquiry and the need fo…
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to increase the number of people employed by it under the New Deal for Young People.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is keen to offer as many New Deal opportunities as possible and it meets with the Employment Service on a regular basis to promote its New Deal jobs. Recently the Executive held a very successful New Deal recruitment campaign in Edinbur…
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are employed by it under the New Deal for Young People.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive, its Agencies and Associated Departments currently employ 24 young people under the 18-24 element of the New Deal programme. A further 31 individuals are currently employed under the 25+, 50+ and Lone Parent elements of the programme.
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations have been made by it regarding participation in the scientific management committee assessing research proposals on the effects on health of mobile phone masts further to the Stewart Report.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20982.
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what specialisms in Scotland have been invited to participate in the scientific management committee assessing research proposals on the effects on health of mobile phone masts further to the Stewart Report.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20982.
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what further research has been commissioned, or is contemplated, on the effects on health of mobile phone masts further to the Stewart Report.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The research programme suggested by the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones will cost some £7 million, with £3.5 million coming from Government being matched by £3.5 million from the mobile phone industry. The Scottish Executive has agreed to contribute…
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have been held, or are planned, with the Strategic Rail Authority regarding its Strategic Plan in so far as it relates to rail services for Scotland.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Strategic Rail Authority on a wide range of issues, including the Strategic Plan in so far as it relates to rail services for Scotland.
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what input it is making to the work on knowledge pools undertaken by the Excellence in Policy Making Network.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Scottish Executive officials are working with the Cabinet Office Centre for Management and Policy Studies on a wide range of projects, including the Policy Makers' Knowledge Pool, to encourage exchange of best practice throughout the UK Government and devolve…
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what input it is making to the work on knowledge pools undertaken by the Social Exclusion Unit.
Answer · Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive is responsible for tackling social exclusion in Scotland. We understand that the knowledge pools being planned by the Social Exclusion Unit are still in development.
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what input it is making to the work on knowledge pools undertaken by the Performance and Innovation Unit's Strategic Futures Project.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive currently has no input to this work.
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what input it is making to the work on knowledge pools undertaken by the Centre for Management and Policy Studies.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Scottish Executive officials are working with the Cabinet Office Centre for Management and Policy Studies on a wide range of projects, including the Policy Makers' Knowledge Pool, to encourage exchange of best practice throughout the UK Government and devolve…
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on average class si'es in secondary schools in each education authority in each year since 1994.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The SEED annual School Census, conducted in September each year, is used to collect statistical information from schools. Summary class size information was collected from secondary schools every two years until 1997. Information on secondary school class siz…
12 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on average class si'es in primary schools in each education authority in each year since 1994.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The SEED annual School Census, conducted in September each year, is used to collect statistical information from schools. Class size information was collected from primary schools every two years until 1997. Since 1997, class size figures have been collected …