Parliamentary questions
Brian Fitzpatrick
529 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements have been made or are being considered to safeguard the independence of all categories of appointment as High Court prosecutors, in the light of the arrangements for the prosecution of serious crime in the High Court set out in Modernising the Effective Prosecution of S…
Answer · Colin Boyd: The paper <I>Modernising the Effective Prosecution of Serious Crime - Appointment and Role of Advocate Deputes: Proposals for Change</I> published in September 2002 made clear my commitment to the independence of Crown Counsel. I confirmed in <I>Modernising t…
18 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements are being considered in the time to be made available to advocates depute for the preparation of trials allocated or to be allocated to them, in the light of the arrangements for the prosecution of serious crime in the High Court set out in Modernising the Effective Pro…
Answer · Colin Boyd: The proposals announced in the paper <I>Modernising the Effective Prosecution of Serious Crime - Appointment and Role of Advocate Deputes: The Way Forward</I> are intended to improve the preparation of High Court cases, particularly those which are serious an…
18 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements in the management of circuits of the High Court are being considered and what the responsibilities will be for the oversight of circuit managers of each of the three categories of High Court prosecutor, in the light of the arrangements for the prosecution of serious cri…
Answer · Colin Boyd: Steps are being taken to improve the management of High Court Sittings, by integrating those involved in Sitting management into the Crown Office High Court Unit and by increasing the number of support staff. The relationship between Sitting managers and Crow…
18 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements in meeting targets and overall performance are being considered in respect of the conduct of sittings of the High Court, in the light of the arrangements for the prosecution of serious crime in the High Court set out in Modernising the Effective Prosecution of Serious C…
Answer · Colin Boyd: The widening of the pool of eligible candidates from which Advocate Deputes may be selected, the provision of additional preparation time, improvements in training and the arrangements to ensure that the most senior Advocate Deputes prosecute the most serious…
17 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds, or is planning to obtain, on the (a) number of start-up companies created since 1997 supported by the commercialisation of research conducted in universities and research institutions, (b) sectoral range of start-up companies created since 1997 supported by suc…
Answer · Iain Gray: At present, comprehensive information in the form requested in this question, and questions S1W-32711, S1W-32712 and S1W-32713, is not available. <P>Information on commercialisation of university research is available from the UK Higher Education-Business Int…
17 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what target-setting and performance evaluation it has commissioned, or is planning to commission, on the commercialisation of research in universities and research institutions.
Answer · Iain Gray: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32714 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/searc…
17 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds, or is planning to obtain, on the commercial outputs being generated from research conducted in universities and research institutions.
Answer · Iain Gray: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32714 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/searc…
17 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what benchmarking data it holds, or is planning to obtain, on the commercialisation of research in universities and research institutions.
Answer · Iain Gray: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32714 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/searc…
17 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32216 by Iain Gray on 13 December 2002, how many clients of the Dumbarton and Lomond Inclusiveness Project are resident at addresses in the East Dunbartonshire Council area.
Answer · Iain Gray: Twenty clients, resident in the East Dunbartonshire Council area, are receiving Key Worker support (as at December 2002).<P>Forty-three East Dunbartonshire young people are engaged in an On-Track programme.
13 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned, or plans to commission, on the skills base that might be available amongst refugees currently residing in Scotland.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive, in partnership with the Scottish Refugee Council, will be conducting an audit of asylum seekers' and refugees' skills early next year, with results due to be published in the summer.
11 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, or plans to take, to identify milestones and goals that will mark progress with the implementation of national standards of care for preventing and treating coronary heart disease.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32506 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/sear…
11 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, or plans to take, to identify early priorities in the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32506 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/sear…
11 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, or plans to take, to suggest indicators and clinical audit criteria that can be used to assess the quality of prevention measures and treatments of coronary heart disease.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32506 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/sear…
11 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, or plans to take, to recommend service models enabling the efficient delivery of any national standards of care for preventing and treating coronary heart disease.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32506 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/sear…
11 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, or plans to take, to set national standards of care for preventing and treating coronary heart disease.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke Strategy for Scotland provides the framework for the future organisation and delivery of services. Services should be developed in line with all relevant NHS Quality Improvement Scotland Standards and SIGN Guidelines. The…
6 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the bid document forming the basis for the sums allocated to East Dunbartonshire Council under the Public Transport Fund, announced on 14 November 2002, included any submission for expenditure on Kirkintilloch town centre.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: No.
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of recipients of an access bursary have been domiciled in (a) East Dunbartonshire, (b) Kirkintilloch, (c) Lennoxtown, (d) Twechar, (e) Auchinairn, (f) Bishopbriggs, (g) Bearsden, (h) Milngavie and (i) Milton of Campsie since the bursaries were introduced.
Answer · Iain Gray: The Young Students' Bursary is provided as entitlement based on the level of parental income. Eligibility for the bursary is assessed as part of the overall assessment of eligibility for student support.<P>In academic year 2001-02, there were 13,579 recipient…
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what applications it has received for additional funding within the current financial year from East Dunbartonshire Council to extend, improve, integrate and modernise existing CCTV systems.
Answer · Hugh Henry: We recently announced to local authorities that, in addition to the Community Safety Partnership Award Programme funding for Community Safety Partnerships to address local priorities, £2 million would be available to upgrade existing CCTV systems and to assis…
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures have been introduced for the population of the East Dunbartonshire Council area to (a) ensure a reduction in (i) the proportion of women smoking during pregnancy, (ii) the percentage of low birth-weight babies and (iii) dental decay among five-year-olds and (b) increase the …
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: In respect of national initiatives to promote improvement in these aspects of child and maternal health, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31706 on 27 November 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parl…
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the unemployment rates have been in East Dunbartonshire in each year since 1997.
Answer · Iain Gray: The annual average residence based claimant count unemployment rates for East Dunbartonshire from 1997 to 2001 and the latest monthly data for October 2002 are shown in the following table.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=132><TR><TD WIDTH="59%…
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which of the 62 New Community School projects are located in East Dunbartonshire.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Two of the New Community Schools pilot projects are located in East Dunbartonshire. One project covers St Ninian's High School, Kirkintilloch High School, Hillhead Primary School, St Flannan's Primary School and Meiklehill Nursery School. The other focuses on…
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of older people in East Dunbartonshire received intensive home care in each year since 1996.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The proportion of older people in East Dunbartonshire who receive intensive home care is shown in the following table.<P>East Dunbartonshire Home Care Clients<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=489><TR><TD WIDTH="12%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Year</TD><TD …
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to increase the proportion of older people in East Dunbartonshire that are able to live independently by increasing home care opportunities since 1997.
Answer · Frank McAveety: Councils' expenditure on home care services is funded through the general local government settlement. Between 1997-98 and 2001-02, East Dunbartonshire Council's net expenditure on home care services increased 7.8% to £2.9 million. <P>The table shows the numb…
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the #0/15/15 million to be invested in tackling anti-social behaviour and other local initiatives, as referred to in Building a Better Scotland: Spending Proposals 2003-2006: What the money buys, will be allocated to East Dunbartonshire in each year and to what projects it wil…
Answer · Margaret Curran: The programmes to be supported under this package of funding are still being developed. Further announcements will be made shortly.
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 42,000 young people in Scotland that have gone into jobs from the New Deal were from East Dunbartonshire.
Answer · Iain Gray: New figures to the end of September 2002 were released on 28 November. These indicate that 47,000 young people in Scotland have now gone into jobs from the New Deal, of which 668 were from East Dunbartonshire.
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to achieve targets to shorten (a) treatment times and (b) waiting times in the North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: While it is for NHS boards and trusts to effectively manage local services, the Scottish Executive remains committed to putting the policy frameworks in place and providing the resources to ensure that waiting times are kept to a minimum at each stage of the …
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to improve the health of families in East Dunbartonshire since 1997 by reducing (a) the incidence of (i) smoking, (ii) alcohol misuse and (iii) poor diet and (b) mortality rates from coronary heart disease.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: (a)(i) Following publication of the White Paper "Smoking Kills" in 1998 the Scottish Executive allocated £1 million pounds per year to health boards across Scotland to provide smoking cessation support to priority groups. Additional Health Improveme…
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what form of support is available to East Dunbartonshire Council for public private partnership projects.
Answer · Andy Kerr: East Dunbartonshire Council was awarded £125,000 in February 2001 to assist them with the cost of early investigation and feasibility study of a possible future schools public private partnership (PPP) development. The council has submitted an Outline Busines…
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to reduce the proportion of unemployed people of working age in the East Dunbartonshire Council area.
Answer · Iain Gray: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on the funding and delivery of New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing partner organisations. <P>There are a range of New Deal progr…
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to reduce the number of 16- to 19-year-olds that are not in education, training, or employment in the East Dunbartonshire Council area.
Answer · Iain Gray: A range of action is in hand:<UL><P><LI>Dunbarton and Lomond Inclusiveness Project;</LI><LI>Pre-vocational programmes;</LI><LI>Get Ready for Work;</LI><LI>New Deal, and</LI><LI>New Futures Fund projects</LI></UL><P>The Dunbarton and Lomond Inclusiveness proje…