Parliamentary questions

Mr Brian Monteith

1,042 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

14 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the full costs involved in publishing, launching and distributing A Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: <B><FONT SIZE=2>The full cost of the publishing and distribution of the <I>Framework for</I> <I>Maternity Services in Scotland</I> is £126,015. This includes the distribution of relevant information to professionals including GPs, midwives and health visitors…

9 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money is expected to be collected in water and sewerage charges in 2001-02, broken down between domestic and non-domestic charges and by each water authority.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Income to be collected by each Water Authority for 2001-02 is expected to be as follows:<P ALIGN="RIGHT">£ millions<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="25%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="25%" VALIGN="TOP"><P ALIGN="CENTER">W…

2 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil service jobs have been relocated to (a) Stirling, (b) Perth and Kinross, (c) Angus, (d) Fife and (e) Clackmannanshire local authority areas since July 1999 and how many are expected to be moved to each area in the next 12 months.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive and its agencies currently have around 1,490 posts in these local authority areas. One Scottish Executive post has been transferred to these areas since July 1999.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>Last December I announced to Parliament that…

1 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many circulars and guidance notes it or the Scottish Office have sent to local authority education departments this year and in each of the past four years.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Since 1997, the number of circulars issued to education authorities by the Scottish Office and Scottish Executive has been as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=207><TR><TD WIDTH="55%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>1997</TD><TD WIDTH="45%" VALIGN="TOP"…

1 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is planning to take in light of the statement in the December 2000 Scottish Tourist Forum publication, Report into the Impact of Petrol Prices on Tourism, regarding the impact of high fuel prices on the tourism industry.

Answer · Alasdair Morrison: The issue of fuel taxation is a reserved matter. Scottish Ministers will continue to promote the interests of Scotland on the issue of fuel taxation directly with Treasury Ministers, and through the Scotland Office.

31 Jan 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures the Scottish Executive will take to help with the erection of a suitable and lasting national memorial to the pipers of the Highland regiments who fought in the First World War.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The National War Museum of Scotland which was recently opened at Edinburgh Castle is a tribute to all soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the conflict of all wars. The special role of the piper is acknowledged in several displays of the National War Mu…

30 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the total costs involved in publishing, distributing and launching Working together for Scotland: A Programme for Government and how many copies have been published and distributed.

Answer · Henry McLeish: We have not yet received final invoices for all the costs involved in publishing, distributing and launching <I>Working together for Scotland: A Programme for Government</I>. We estimate the total costs to be about £37,890.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>4,000 c…

24 Jan 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to mark appropriately, possibly through Historic Scotland, the historic site of the Battle of Bannockburn in the light of the findings of Dr Fiona Watson of Stirling University.

Answer · Allan Wilson: We have no such plans at present. Dr Watson's report on the historic site of the Battle of Bannockburn was commissioned by Stirling Council. I understand that Dr Watson has not yet submitted her final report to the council.

18 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure information concerning levels of short and long-term teacher absenteeism is publicly available.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The management of teacher absence is a matter for local authorities as employers. However teacher absence rates are one of a series of performance measures on which local authorities report to Audit Scotland and that information will be published in due cours…

18 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to encourage the Scottish Football Association to progress a joint bid to host the 2008 European football championships in the light of the supportive comments made by Harry Been, Secretary of the Dutch Football Association.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive, together with its Agencies, is assisting the SFA with the carrying out of a feasibility study into the possible staging of the 2008 European Nations Championships in Scotland. We will also wish to consider an informed and objective ass…

15 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why Scotland did not participate in the 1999 Third International Mathematics and Science Study Repeat as a follow-up to the participation by The Scottish Office in the original 1995 study.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Revised national advice on the teaching of mathematics and science was issued in 1997 and 1999 respectively, and in 1999 it was agreed that the Third International Mathematics and Science Study Repeat was too early for the national advice to have taken effect…

14 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the abolition of advance corporation tax credits has had on the provision for pensions made by fire brigades since July 1997.

13 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address increases in homelessness in the past three years in the Forth Valley area.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: We are concerned about levels of homelessness throughout Scotland. This is why we have established the Homelessness Task Force to<B> </B>look at the causes and nature of homelessness and to make recommendations for action. The Housing Bill introduced on 19 De…

6 Dec 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to contribute financially to a Scottish bid to host the Euro 2008 football championships.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Consideration will be given to the nature and level of Scottish Executive support for a bid for the Euro 2008 football championships once a decision has been taken by the Scottish Football Association on whether or not it intends to bid for the championships.

29 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to (a) introduce payment of cash premiums of #750 to students from low income families and (b) allocate additional funds to higher education institutions who give places to students from low income backgrounds and, if so, whether it will publish full details of an…

Answer · Wendy Alexander: I have asked the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council to devise a mechanism to provide additional support to institutions which reflects the extent to which they provide places for students from under-represented groups. I expect this to be funded by the…

22 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of the publication, launch and distribution of its document A toast to its future - working together for Scotch whisky.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Total cost for the publication, launch and distribution of A Toast to the Future is £3,533.20. This cost is shared between the Scottish Executive and the Scotch Whisky Association at £1,766.60 each.

22 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any research results available, or whether any research has been commissioned, concerning the effects of fluoridation on combination therapy for the treatment of HIV.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Executive is not aware of any research on this particular issue.

22 Nov 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has met the Scottish Qualifications Authority to discuss the school examination appeals process.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The Executive is in close touch with SQA about their progress with the appeals process and has also discussed with them their arrangements for dealing with concerns about the outcome of appeals.

15 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8508 by Mr Tom McCabe on 30 August 2000, on how many occasions since 10 July 2000 it has asked back-bench MSPs to lodge parliamentary questions in order to enable it to make an announcement and whether it will provide a list of such questions, includ…

Answer · Tom McCabe: This information is not readily available and will take some time to collect. I shall write to the member when it is available and will place a copy of the letter in SPICe.

15 Nov 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made since July with regard to the dispersal of civil service jobs to Tayside.

Answer · Angus MacKay: I will be making an announcement about the preliminary examinations of organisations referred to in Mr Jack McConnell's parliamentary answer S1W-8578 of 6 July once this work has been completed.

7 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what type of boats will use the Millennium Link canal; whether any traffic projections have been made and, if so, whether it will give details of these projections and where the narrowest point in the canal will be to allow boats to pass through and what the width of that will be.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: This is an operational matter and I have asked the Director, Scotland of British Waterways to respond directly to the member. A copy of the reply will be placed in the Parliament's information centre.

7 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the Millennium Link canal to open.

7 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much public money is being contributed towards the Millennium Link canal project and which public agencies are involved.

3 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost to schools was of additional work arising from the problems with the issue of this year's exam results (a) in total and (b) in terms of (i) person hours and (ii) phone calls.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The information requested is not held centrally. As we have announced (question S1W-9725) the Scottish Executive will consider any claims submitted by authorities in respect of any relevant additional costs.

3 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many places at each teacher training institution (a) were not filled in the current academic year and (b) were not filled in each of the last three academic years.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The following table shows the places available and intake to teacher education institutions for pre-service teacher training, 1997-1998 to 2000-01:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=486><TR><TD WIDTH="25%" VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN=2 HEIGHT=21><P></TD…

3 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of each year's teaching graduates are eligible to teach mathematics.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The most recent information held centrally, academic session 1994-95 to 1998-99, on graduates with an initial teaching qualification in mathematics is shown in the table:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=625><TR><TD WIDTH="40%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIG…

3 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many mathematics class hours have been taught by teachers who are not qualified to teach mathematics in each of the last four years in each local authority area.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The information requested is not available. Information on teacher qualifications is gathered centrally from occasional teacher censuses. In the period requested such a census was only carried out in 1998. Data gathered from a census could be used to correlat…

3 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many mathematics teaching posts are currently vacant in each education authority and how many of these posts have been vacant for more than one month.

Answer · Jack McConnell: I have recently sent a report on the supply of teachers to the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee detailing the background to the current position on the collection of information relevant to teacher supply and outlining planned improvemen…

3 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many teaching posts are currently vacant in each local authority area and how many of these posts have been vacant for more than one month.

2 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10349 by Sarah Boyack on 27 October 2000, whether it will give further details of the personal injury road accidents that have occurred in the last five years on the Strathblane to Aberfoyle stretch of the A81, outlining whether the accidents were sl…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. The table below gives the numbers of road accidents which were identified in the STATS 19 returns as occurring on t…