Parliamentary questions
Mr Brian Monteith
1,042 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
27 Feb 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met representatives of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs Interim Committee and what issues were discussed.
Answer · Allan Wilson: I met the Chair of the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs Interim Committee on 14 January 2002 when we discussed the resourcing of the committee and the National Park. Following those discussions we have been able to allocate a further £1.9 million for the year 20…
26 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education has had in the development of the Electronic Communities for Headteachers project.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The development of the Electronic Communities for Headteachers project is still at a very early stage. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education has not been involved in devising the specification for this project.
22 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set for the timescales within which ambulances must respond to calls within the NHS Forth Valley area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Ambulance Service's Emergency Service performance is currently measured against "ORCON" national response targets. These vary according to population density and cover targets for the 50th percentile and 95th percentile. For the stations at Alva, Falkirk …
22 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how long on average it takes ambulances within the NHS Forth Valley area to respond to calls, broken down by ambulance station location.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The table shows the number of 999 emergency calls, broken down by ambulance station in the NHS Forth Valley area, and the average response times for each between 1 April 2001 and 31 January 2002. The service also responded to 6,552 GPs' urgent calls in the NH…
22 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which ambulance stations within the Forth Valley Ambulance area do not provide round the clock 24 hour cover.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The ambulance stations at Balfron, Callander and Killin operate on an on-call basis.
22 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a shortage of ambulance staff in the NHS Forth Valley area and, if so, whether information on this shortage can be broken down by ambulance station location.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23436.
22 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulance staff are employed in the NHS Forth Valley area, broken down by ambulance station location.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The table shows the ambulance staff establishment levels by ambulance station location in the NHS Forth Valley area. The stations are all currently staffed to the establishment level.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=463><TR><TD WIDTH="16%" VALI…
22 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its press release SE0285/02 of 7 February 2002, which organisations have been sent the consultation paper The Future of Scotland's Water: Proposals for Legislation, how much it cost to print and distribute the document and when the consultation period will close.
Answer · Allan Wilson: <I>The Future for Scotland's Water: Proposals for Legislation</I> has so far been sent to approximately 510 different organisations and individuals. These can be summarised as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=274><TR><TD WIDTH="72%" VAL…
22 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it cost to print, publish and distribute its leaflet Scotland's Economic Future - A new start for a new era - doing it differently and how many copies were distributed.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The total publication costs of the <I>Scotland's Economic Future</I> leaflet were approximately £8,960. This figure is based on 8,000 copies of the leaflet and 5,000 copies have been distributed to date.
21 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will look favourably on Stirling Council's request to hold the Teith Ward by-election by postal ballot only.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Stirling's application to hold an all-postal ballot in Teith Ward was approved on 27 February.
21 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22504 by Peter Peacock on 13 February 2002, when the dedicated website for marketing the new Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park will be operational.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The dedicated website (<A HREF="http://www.justoutstanding.co.uk">www.justoutstanding.co.uk</A>) has been operational since mid-November 2001 and will be registered with a search engine as soon as possible.
21 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what qualifications and experience are required of members of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education and, in particular, what (a) higher education qualifications and (b) practical experience in Scottish schools are required.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Douglas Osler, Chief Executive of HM Inspectorate of Education, to respond. His response is as follows:<P>HM Inspectors are required to have: a relevant degree or equivalent and an appropriate professional qualification; significant and successfu…
21 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education has any role in the formulation of educational policy.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: HM Inspectorate of Education's role is to promote improvements in standards, quality and attainment in Scottish education through first-hand, independent evaluation. As part of that role, it has a remit to give professional advice to the Scottish Executive an…
15 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many junior doctors have been employed by the NHS in each NHS board area in each year since the publication of the New Deal for Junior Doctors in Scotland.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The information requested is available from the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 20163).
14 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Historic Scotland has set any target timescales for becoming an independent body in terms of direct funding and support from the Executive.
Answer · Mike Watson: No. Historic Scotland is part of the Scottish Executive and carries out a wide range of activities on behalf of Scottish ministers, including the provision of policy advice and various statutory duties which could not be carried out by an independent body. Hi…
7 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any internal research on the treatment by local authorities of home educating families that contributed to the drafting of its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in which Parents may Choose to Educate their Children At Home.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The outcome of the Scottish Executive's internal research into this issue has already been published in the form of the <I>Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in which Parents may Choose to Educate their Children At Home</I>, issued for consultation until 29 …
7 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any independent research on the treatment by local authorities of home educating families that contributed to the drafting of its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in which Parents may Choose to Educate their Children At Home.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: In preparing the <I>Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in which Parents may Choose to Educate their Children At Home</I>, the Scottish Executive considered the Scottish Consumer Council <I>Homeworks</I> report on the treatment of home educating families by l…
7 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the submissions it received during the drafting of its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in which Parents may Choose to Educate their Children At Home.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has no plans to publish submissions received as part of the development process of the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home. Responses to the consultation on the draft guidanc…
4 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average waiting times are for (a) extraction of wisdom teeth and (b) hernia operations in the NHS Forth Valley area and what the average waiting times were for each in each of the last two years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Patients requiring the extraction of wisdom teeth can be treated by a General Dental Practitioner or as a hospital outpatient or in-patient/day case. Information on waiting times for specific treatment carried out by General Dental Practitioners or at hospita…
1 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to publish new targets for universities in respect of widening access.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive Annual Expenditure Report already includes a range of targets related to widening access which we are committed to delivering.
1 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered introducing financial penalties for any universities that do not attempt to widen access.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) is responsible for the allocation of funding to individual institutions. The council has not been asked to introduce financial penalties related to performance on widening access. SHEFC has decided to intr…
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cultural co-ordinators have been appointed by (a) it and (b) local authorities in each of the past three years.
Answer · Elaine Murray: We will be making an announcement in the near future on the setting up of a pilot programme for school cultural co-ordinators.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce additional safety measures or reduce traffic speed on the A84 through Doune and Blair Drummond.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has no plans to introduce any additional safety measures or to reduce speed limits on the A84 through Doune and Blair Drummond.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the proposals for changes to in-patient maternity and other services in the Forth Valley NHS Board area will be put out to public consultation.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is a matter for NHS Forth Valley. I understand, however, that proposals are being developed on acute and related services, with the public consultation phase scheduled to take place between May and July 2002.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what precautionary health service arrangements are in place in anticipation of any major incident at the Grangemouth refinery.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Forth Valley takes account of the refinery at Grangemouth in its emergency plans. These are co-ordinated with those of the emergency services, local authorities and other organisations, and are reviewed and exercised regularly.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial impact the introduction of the national minimum wage has had on the NHS in each year since it came into force, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Whitley pay rates have been above the rate of the national minimum wage since it came into force in April 1999.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the introduction of the national minimum wage has had on the number of junior doctors employed by the NHS in each year since it came into force, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22552.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the financial impact of the European Working Time Directive (93/104/EC) has been in each year since the directive came into force, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally.
31 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the European Working Time Directive (93/104/EC) has had on the number of junior doctors employed by the NHS, broken down by NHS board area, in each year since the directive came into force.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The European Working Time Directive does not come into force for doctors in training until the year 2004.
30 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the #258,788 announced by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 14 June 2001 for the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park marketing programme has been spent to date; what the money has been spent on, and what the balance is expected to be spent on.
Answer · Peter Peacock: To date £26,805 of European Regional Development Fund has been claimed for marketing, media advertising, public relations and direct mailing. The balance will be spent on staffing, public relations, media advertising, direct mailing, printing material and a d…