Mr Brian Monteith

13 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authority by-elections can be held within the six-month period leading up to the scheduled local government elections in May 2002, and what implications there may be for the timing of local authority by-elections over the next two years should the Scottish Local Government …

Answer · Peter Peacock: The general rule is that local authority by-elections cannot be held within the six-month period leading up to scheduled local government elections. This is in accordance with the current law as provided in section 37 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 19…

12 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release SE5013/2001 on 11 December 2001, what financial impact the changes will have on the non-domestic rates burden of (a) Central Scotland Police, (b) NHS Forth Valley, (c) Stirling Council and (d) Clackmannanshire Council.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The poundage supplement for ratepayers occupying property with a rateable value in excess of £25,000 will be fixed when the poundage figure is set for 2003-04. A provisional poundage figure for 2003-04 is likely to be announced in December 2003 and confirmed …

12 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19962 by Allan Wilson on 11 December 2001, how much has been awarded to organisations in (a) Stirling district and (b) Clackmannanshire in each of the past five years under each of the three elements that make up the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund a…

Answer · Allan Wilson: Prior to the 2000-01 round, applicants to the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund (SRPF) were not required to provide details of their local authority area to the department. This detail, coupled with the fact that electronic recording of application data was not…

12 Dec 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it next plans to meet representatives of the Scottish School Board Association.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The then Minister for Education, Mr Jack McConnell, met with representatives of the Scottish School Board Association (SSBA) on 4 July 2001. He requested that officials should hold a follow-up meeting, which took place on 5 December 2001. I met Ann Hill, Chie…

10 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19986 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 November 2001, what steps it will take in considering whether or not plans should be put in place to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns.

Answer · Jim Wallace: We are currently focussing attention on the major celebrations in prospect next year to mark Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee. Plans for celebration of the anniversary in 2003, if appropriate, would be considered in due course in liaison with Buckingham Palace an…

10 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19777 by Nicol Stephen on 5 December 2001, what the reasons were for the closure of the four primary schools in the Stirling area.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The decisions to close the schools concerned were the responsibility of Stirling Council. The Scottish Executive had no role in that process and does not hold information on the reasons for the closures.

10 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20218 by Nicol Stephen on 6 December 2001, on which dates the annual recurrent grant for St Mary's Episcopal Primary School in Dunblane was determined in each of the last four years.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The annual recurrent grant for St Mary's Episcopal Primary School, Dunblane was determined on the following dates in each of the last four years:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=148><TR><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16><FONT FACE="Arial" …

6 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7052 by Sarah Boyack on 19 June 2000, what the (a) net revenue expenditure on roads maintenance and (b) gross capital expenditure on the structural maintenance of roads were in respect of each local authority in 2000-01.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The following tables show provisional figures provided by each local authority at (a) for the net revenue expenditure on roads and winter maintenance; and at (b) the gross capital payments for expenditure for structural maintenance of roads, in 2000-01.<P>(a)…

5 Dec 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Education and Young People will next meet representatives of the Scottish School Board Association.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have no current plans to meet representatives of the Scottish School Board Association but I will try for a suitable opportunity in the future.

29 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre the 5-14 school-by-school attainment information given to schools for inclusion in their individual school handbooks and what the reasons are for the position on this matter.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive does not publish school-by-school 5-14 Attainment Level information. The information would not give valid school by school comparisons.<P>The Scottish Executive does, however, publish 5-14 Attainment Level information by subject, stage …

29 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release SE4920/2001 of 23 November 2001, which learning providers in Stirling and Clackmannanshire have had Individual Learning Account payments to them suspended.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The temporary suspension is a blanket one, affecting all learning providers with current claims in the system.

29 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value was of Individual Learning Account payments to learning providers in Stirling and Clackmannanshire in each of the last two years.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The total of Individual Learning Account payments to learning providers in Stirling and Clackmannanshire in each of the last two years is as follows:<P>2000-01: £17,004<P>2001-02: £269,662.

29 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which learning providers in Stirling and Clackmannanshire have been recipients of Individual Learning Account payments in each of the last two years.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The following learning providers based in Stirling and Clackmannanshire have been recipients of Individual Learning Account payments in each of the last two years:<U><P>2000-01</U><P>Clackmannan College<P>Clackmannanshire Council Training Unit<P>Ezee-IT Ltd.<…

28 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on maintaining (a) local authority and (b) trunk roads in the Mid Scotland and Fife parliamentary constituency in each of the past three years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Information on local authority roads expenditure is not held centrally. Information on trunk roads expenditure is not recorded on the basis of either parliamentary regions or local authority areas.

28 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of publishing, printing and distributing (a) its Social Justice Report 2001: A Scotland Where Everyone Matters and (b) the supplements to that report and how many copies of each have been printed.

Answer · Iain Gray: The publication and printing of the <I>Social Justice Annual Report 2001</I> cost £25,293. The publication and printing of its supplements cost £3,646. Distribution of all three documents has so far cost £3,521. 6,000 copies of the main report were produced, …

27 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on whose initiative Tessa Jackson left office as Director of the Scottish Arts Council; whether any severance payment has been made to Ms Jackson and, if so, how much the payment is, from which budget it has been made and with whose approval.

Answer · Elaine Murray: Ms Jackson's resignation from the Scottish Arts Council has been a matter for herself and the council. Whilst the terms of the settlement are also a matter for those parties, approval was obtained from Scottish ministers. The costs will be borne by the counci…

26 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many mature entrants to teaching are currently studying at teacher training institutions and what the average cost of the remuneration of these teachers in their first year in teaching will be (a) with mature entrants' enhancement and (b) under the terms of the McCrone settlement.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: At the start of session 2001-02 there were around 1,000 initial teacher education students aged between 25 and 39 years old who, under the existing Salary Placement Regulations, may have been entitled to be placed at some point above the bottom on the main te…

22 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when St Mary's Episcopal Primary School in Dunblane will have its annual recurrent grant for 2001-02 determined.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Ministers will determine the annual recurrent grant for St Mary's Episcopal Primary School, Dunblane, as soon as possible.

21 Nov 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs last met representatives of the Scottish School Boards Association.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Jack McConnell last met representatives of the Scottish School Board Association on Wednesday 4 July 2001.

15 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The arrangements for Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee are in the first instance a matter for Buckingham Palace. As the then First Minister indicated in the answer to question S1W-16461, on 22 June 2001, The Queen will visit Scotland from 23 to 29 May 2002 and, as…

15 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the union of the crowns.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16294 on 28 June 2001.

15 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many organisations or communities in (a) Stirling district and (b) Clackmannanshire applied for funding in 2002-03 under the (i) Rural Challenge Fund, (ii) Rural Strategic Support Fund and (iii) Local Capital Grants Scheme and how many such applications were successful, for which proj…

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Rural Challenge Fund, Rural Strategic Support Fund and Local Capital Grants Scheme are the three elements which together make up the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund. The Fund is operated by an annual bidding process, and the closing date for applications …

15 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether hospitals have a policy of testing for pregnancy all female patients under 16 years of age who attend hospital due to abdominal or stomach pains and, if so, whether it will provide details of this policy, whether it supports the adoption of such a policy, and what guidance or advi…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We are not aware of any policy of this kind and we would not support its adoption. There will be occasions where it may be clinically appropriate to test for pregnancy, however we would expect this to be conducted overtly in line with the guidance <I>A guide …

15 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in supporting the bid by the Scottish Football Association to host the European Football Championships in 2008.

Answer · Mike Watson: The First Minister explained in his statement to Parliament on 23 January 2002 that, having considered carefully the practicalities, costs and benefits of staging Euro 2008, the Executive supports a potential joint bid with the Republic of Ireland. Executive …

15 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been approached by the Scottish Football Association, or any other body, for financial support to complete safety improvements at the National Stadium, Hampden and, if so, what level of support has been requested.

Answer · Elaine Murray: At its meeting in September, the Board of <B>sport</B>scotland considered an application from the Scottish Football Association for funding from the Sports Facilities Programme of the Lottery Sports Fund. <B>sport</B>scotland approved an award of £1.2 million…

15 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on which occasions ministers or deputy ministers with responsibility for education have met representatives of (a) St Mary's Primary School, Bo'ness, (b) St Mary's Primary School, Duntocher, or (c) St Mary's Primary School, Alexandria, since 1 July 1999.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Ministers or deputy ministers with responsibility for education have not met with representatives of (a) St Mary's RC Primary School, Bo'ness, (b) St Mary's Primary School, Duntocher, or (c) St Mary's Primary School, Alexandria on any occasion since 1 July 19…

14 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving to the Scottish Football Association, or any other organisation, towards hosting the final of the 2002 European Champions League tournament.

Answer · Elaine Murray: None directly linked to staging the event, but the Scottish Executive's key contribution to the Hampden rescue package helped to ensure that the National Stadium has UEFA five star rating and is capable of hosting such a prestigious event.

13 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on which occasions ministers or deputy ministers with responsibility for education have met representatives of St Mary's RC Primary School, Bannockburn, or St Mary's RC Primary School, Kildean, Stirling, since 1 July 1999.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Ministers or deputy ministers with responsibility for education have not met with representatives of St Mary's RC Primary School, Bannockburn, or St Mary's RC Primary School, Kildean, Stirling on any occasion since 1 July 1999.

8 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Deputy Minister for Sport, the Arts and Culture has had any discussions with the chairman or other representatives of the Scottish Arts Council regarding the future of its director.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Yes, the Chairman of the Scottish Arts Council keeps me generally informed about developments affecting the council and its role. All employment arrangements are matters for the council, and it is the council which employs the director.

2 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it has had with representatives of Scottish Amicable or the Prudential to discuss the 430 job losses at the headquarters of Scottish Amicable in Craigforth, Stirling, and whether it will make available any papers or documents referred to at these meetings.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Executive met with senior officers of both Scottish Amicable and their parent company, Prudential Assurance, on 31 October. The discussion covered Prudential's decision to rebrand all Scottish Amicable products and to make further efficiency savings withi…