Parliamentary questions
Mr Brian Monteith
1,042 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents occurred on the (a) Carbeth to Blanefield stretch of the B821, (b) Craigmaddie to Bardowie road, near Milngavie, (c) Bardowie to Milngavie stretch of the A807, (d) Bardowie to Bearsden stretch of the B8049, (e) Craigmaddie to Baldernock to Milngavie Road and Mugdoc…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured; they do not cover damage only acc…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents occurred on the Baljaffrey to Carbeth stretches of the A809 in 2001.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured: they do not cover damage only acc…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make the reports by Greater Glasgow Health Board and Scottish Water into the cryptosporidium outbreak at Milngavie Reservoir publicly available.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Both NHS Greater Glasgow and Scottish Water were involved in the Incident Control Team (ICT) established to manage matters relating to the detection of cryptosporidium in mains water from Mugdock treatment works. The Chairman of the ICT has been asked to comp…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all those who have sat on the board of West of Scotland Water since the board's establishment.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Full details of water authority board members can be found in the annual reports and accounts which have been laid in Parliament. The full list of those who were members of West of Scotland Water Authority is:<P>Prof. Alan Alexander (Chair)<P>John Jamieson (C…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it retains a veto over possible changes to the local structure plan should the new treatment extension to the Milngavie Reservoir go ahead.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Any alteration to policies contained in the local plan would require to go through a public consultation exercise and possible public local inquiry before being submitted to the Scottish ministers for their consideration prior to adoption. The Scottish minist…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans for a new visitor carpark at the proposed new water treatment extension to the Milngavie Reservoir.
Answer · Ross Finnie: This is a matter for Scottish Water. The chief executive's response is:<P>There is no plan to incorporate visitor car parking at the proposed new water treatment plant. However, Scottish Water is committed to working with East Dunbartonshire Council and other…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to assess the role of classroom assistants in schools.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has commissioned the Scottish Council for Research in Education to evaluate the classroom assistant programme. An interim report was published in September 2001 and the final report is expected to be published by the end of September 20…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent classroom assistants have reduced teacher workloads.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has commissioned the Scottish Council for Research in Education to evaluate the Classroom Assistant Programme. An interim report published in September 2001 concluded that:<DIR><DIR><P>most teachers perceive a reduction in the time they…
7 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether information on children educated at home will be included in the Scottish Exchange for Educational Data.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) has no plans to collect information on children educated at home as part of the September 2002 phase of Scottish Exchange of Educational Data (ScotXed) project.<P>Consideration will be given as to whether any…
7 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24277 by Nicol Stephen on 10 April 2002, whether a decision has been taken on whether information on children educated in independent schools will be included in the Scottish Exchange for Educational Data.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Following discussions between the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) and the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), a decision has been taken not to include children educated in independent schools in the September 2002 phase of the Scott…
7 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns in 2003 and whether it has liased with Buckingham Palace on this matter.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Executive is in touch with Buckingham Palace about this anniversary but no plans have yet been made.
7 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's database of lottery awards in Scotland does not match the awards made to (a) the New Opportunities Fund in Scotland, (b) the Community Fund in Scotland, (c) the Scottish Arts Council, (d) the Heritage Fund and (f) Scottish Screen in 2001-0…
Answer · Elaine Murray: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) database of lottery awards is based solely on information provided by the lottery distributing bodies. The lottery distributors send their updates to DCMS at varying frequencies. DCMS update their database …
5 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its news release SE0412/2001 on 20 February 2001 on support for school Public Private Partnerships, which of the local authorities listed as having been given public money are still to submit their feasibility reports and when it expects them to do so.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The local authorities that received funding to develop their Outline Business Cases as announced in news release SE0412/2001 and have yet to submit these are: Angus, East Dunbartonshire, Glasgow, Midlothian, North Ayrshire, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire. <…
31 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues to local authorities on the use of weedkiller along kerbs and roadsides.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has issued no guidance to local road authorities on the use of weedkiller along kerbs and roadsides. Advice published in 1997 jointly by the Scottish Office and COSLA, <I>Rural Road Management and the Environment</I>, remains Scottish E…
31 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to create a tourist information stop for motor vehicles at the start of the A84, past the Craigforth roundabout.
Answer · Mike Watson: The Scottish Executive has no such plans. If the local authority or the new National Park Authority had proposals these would be subject to approval from the Scottish Executive.
30 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what food safety regulations, rules and legislation apply to mobile snack and burger vans.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: Mobile snack and burger vans are subject to the same regulations, rules and legislation as other retail and catering food businesses, the most important being the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995 which are made …
29 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents occurred on the B8075 between the A84 at Blairdrummond and the A811 at Gargunnock in each of the last five years.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured, they do not cover damage only acc…
29 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents occurred on the B822 between Fintry and the A811 junction near Kippen, in each of the last five years.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured, they do not cover damage only acc…
29 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents occurred on the B818 between Boquhan and Carron Valley in each of the last five years.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured, they do not cover damage only acc…
29 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents occurred on the Stirling to Ballat Cross stretch of the A811 in 2001.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured: they do not cover damage only acc…
19 Jul 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Health and Community Care retains the ultimate decision over the location of the proposed new single site hospital for the Forth Valley.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Decisions about the organisation and location of health services for an area, including hospital services, are matters for the relevant NHS board. Proposals for major changes to health services, such as those contemplated by Forth Valley NHS Board, require th…
16 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority will have responsibility over car parks, public toilets, roadside viewing points and lay-bys and signage within the park boundaries.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Discussions are presently taking place between the National Park Authority and the relevant local authorities to establish the allocation of responsibilities for these issues.
10 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations this year from local authorities regarding the re-regulation of the bus industry and, if so, from which local authorities such representations were received.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has not received any formal representations from local authorities about the re-regulation of the bus industry.
10 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce a regime to re-regulate the bus industry.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27512.
10 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have established quality partnership schemes with bus operators.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27513.
10 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by local authorities in establishing quality partnership and quality contract schemes with bus operators under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The development of Quality Partnership schemes under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 is a matter for individual local transport authorities. The Executive is not aware of any such schemes being introduced to date, nor has the necessary approval been sought …
10 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers and obligations local authorities have under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 in respect of buses and relations with bus operators.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 provides enabling powers for local transport authorities to make Quality Partnership schemes and, with the approval of Scottish ministers, Quality Contract schemes. The 2001 act also places a duty on local transport authoriti…
10 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the first supplementary question to S1O-5607 by Lewis Macdonald on 13 June 2002, when the surveys of the condition of non-trunk roads will begin; whether all local authority areas will be covered; which organisations will carry out such surveys; when the results …
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Responsibility for non-trunk roads, including the carrying out of a survey of the non-trunk road network, lies with each council as the local roads authority for its area. The Scottish Executive fully supports the Society of Chief Officers of Transport in Sco…
10 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what different currencies Historic Scotland's visitor attractions accept from paying customers.
Answer · Elaine Murray: I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to answer. His response is as follows:<P>Historic Scotland accepts Sterling and the Euro (notes only) at the properties where it charges for admission.
10 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether farms in Clackmannanshire, Fife or Stirling are being considered for GM crop trials.
Answer · Ross Finnie: On 8 July 2002 the Scottish Executive announced that it had been notified of two proposed sites which will be considered for inclusion in the forthcoming final round of the GM farm scale evaluations. One proposed site is in Fife, the other is in Aberdeenshire…