Parliamentary questions
David Mundell
955 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
31 May 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in achieving a "Joined up Government" approach to the granting of permission for road signs, given the implications for tourism.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Tourist Board (STB) is the first port of call for all tourist related signage applications. Thereafter, the Scottish Executive Road Network Management and Maintenance Division assesses the road safety issues in line with the Trunk Road and Motorw…
30 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are awaiting assessment for residential care and for nursing home care in each local authority area.
Answer · Iain Gray: The information requested is not held centrally.
30 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any consents under any sections of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (other than section 74(2)) or under any other Acts have been given to Dumfries and Galloway Council in connection with the disposal of Benreay Residential Home and Lydiafield Residential Home and Day Care …
Answer · Frank McAveety: No
30 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any section 74(2) consents under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 have been given to Dumfries and Galloway Council in connection with the disposal of Benreay Residential Home to Burnfoot Homes (Lockerbie) Limited and Lydiafield Residential Home and Day Care Centre to Burnf…
Answer · Frank McAveety: Consent was given to Dumfries and Galloway Council under section 74(2) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 to sell Lydiafield Residential Home and Day Care Centre to Burnfoot Homes Ltd on 6 August 1998.
30 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the future transfer or creation of posts in the Scottish Executive, including its agencies, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The Executive's policy on location and relocation of Civil Service jobs remains as set out by the First Minister in his answer of 15 September 1999 (S1W-1558, Mr Duncan McNeil MSP). Potential locations across Scotland will be considered on a case-by-case basi…
30 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many posts in the Scottish Executive, including its agencies, have been created in or transferred to each parliamentary constituency since 1 July 1999 and whether it will provide a detailed breakdown of these posts.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The Executive's policy on location and relocation of civil service jobs remains as set out by the First Minister in his answer of 15 September 1999 (question S1W-1558, Mr Duncan McNeil MSP). When opportunities arise potential locations across Scotland will be…
24 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the process is for seeking permission for and approval of tourist signs on (a) motorways, (b) trunk roads and (c) all other roads.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Following the Scottish Tourist Board's approval of an individual facility as a tourist attraction, the applicant should make a request for tourist signing to the Scottish Executive Road Network Management and Maintenance Division or their Agents. Signing on t…
24 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will begin the consultation process on the "Leader Plus" European funding programme.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I am currently considering options on format and content. I expect to begin the consultation process later this month, to seek views on possible themes and coverage for the Scottish programme.
17 May 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many posts in the Scottish Executive, including its agencies, have been created in or transferred to the South of Scotland since 1 July 1999 and what plans it has for the future transfer or creation of such posts.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive, its agencies and non-ministerial departments currently have 769 posts in the local authority areas covering the South of Scotland. No additional permanent posts have been created or transferred to the area since 1 July 1999.<P>The Exec…
4 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of computers are installed with (a) Windows 95/98, (b) Windows NT, (c) Mac-OS 7.5 or (d) other operating systems of a similar or higher specification in (i) primary schools and (ii) secondary schools.
Answer · Peter Peacock: This information is not held centrally.
4 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of computers are equipped with INTEL Pentium, or other equivalent high speed processors in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools.
Answer · Peter Peacock: 33% of primary school computers and 49% of secondary school computers are equipped with Intel Pentium processors or are Apple computers of broadly equivalent capability (taking Apple Power Macs, Imacs and G3s as equivalent to Pentiums). This information comes…
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the formal approval of tourist route signposting of the A701 from the M74 at Moffat.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Proposals for tourist route signposting for the A701 Scenic Trail to Edinburgh were approved by my officials in May. Autolink, the private sector operator of the motorway, has been requested to deal with Dumfries & Galloway Council to secure their agreeme…
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the formal approval of the signposting of Langholm Golf Club on the A7.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Golf Club does not qualify for signing in accordance with the Scottish Executive Trunk Road and Motorway Tourist Signposting Policy.
26 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out, or intends to carry out, any review of the economic impact of the current patterns of local and public holidays in Scotland.
Answer · Jim Wallace: No such review has been conducted or is planned.
20 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why a Scottish monthly e-commerce update was not included in the progress report by the UK e-Envoy dated 31 March.
Answer · Henry McLeish: The purpose of the monthly reports by the Office of the e-Envoy is to summarise progress across the UK on matters highlighted in the PIU report <I>e-commerce@ its.best.uk</I> published in October 1999. Much of the progress summarised in the e-Envoy's report p…
20 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has set targets for the amount of curriculum time to be spent using information technology in schools.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: No. Pupils study a broad curriculum based on national guidelines which sets out the aims of study, the ground to be covered and the way pupil's learning should be assessed and reported. The way this is delivered and the use of ICT to assist with this in the v…
20 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of curriculum time in schools is spent using information technology.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: There is no monitoring of the percentage of curriculum time spent by schools in the use of information technology. The flexibility of the curriculum allows for schools to decide whether and how to use information technology across the broad range of subjects …
20 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it undertakes with local authorities on the dates for school holidays.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: The setting of dates for school holidays is a matter for individual local authorities. Following representations received about different dates set in local authorities, my officials wrote to authorities in February to ask how holidays were currently co-ordin…
20 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation took place with other parties on the location of the headquarters of the Scottish University for Industry.
Answer · Henry McLeish: The Scottish University for Industry Advisory Group was consulted both on the most suitable area within Scotland to locate the new organisation's headquarters and also on the business criteria against which an area and specific site should be measured. The Sc…
20 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what locations it actively considered as a location for the headquarters of the Scottish University for Industry.
Answer · Henry McLeish: In its initial search for a location for the Scottish University for Industry, the Scottish Executive's Land and Property Division undertook a trawl of public sector space available right across Scotland. Initial consideration was also given to a number of ot…
20 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it used in deciding on the location of the headquarters of the Scottish University of Industry.
Answer · Henry McLeish: In considering the location of the headquarters of the Scottish UfI, the Scottish UfI Advisory Group took the view that the decision should be taken on the basis of criteria which support the efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation. In view of the nu…
7 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council on developing a strategic approach for the provision of tuition in IT skills to students and, if so, what has been the outcome.
Answer · Henry McLeish: There has been no such discussion between the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Ministers are precluded from directing SHEFC in its allocation of funding to institutions for specific courses.<P ALIGN="JUST…
7 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council on developing a strategic approach for the provision of tuition in languages to students and, if so, what the outcome has been.
Answer · Henry McLeish: There has been no such discussion between the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Ministers are precluded from directing SHEFC in its allocation of funding to institutions for specific courses.<P ALIGN="JUST…
7 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with Her Majesty's Government or member states of the EU about the introduction of a Europe-wide qualification in IT and computing and, if so, what has been the outcome.
Answer · Henry McLeish: The proposed introduction of a Europe-wide qualification in basic IT skills was discussed at the Special European Council meeting in Lisbon on 23-24 March. The proposal is at an early stage but Scottish Executive officials have held preliminary discussions wi…
7 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5415 by Ross Finnie, to provide details of the successful Countryside Premium applications in Dumfries and Galloway in 1999.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Details of the successful Countryside Premium Scheme applications in Dumfries and Galloway in 1999 are as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="56%" VALIGN="TOP"><P ALIGN="CENTER">Applicant</TD><TD WIDTH="44%" VALIGN="TOP"…
6 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5534 by Peter Peacock on 5 April 2000, which Scottish schools have developed their own Intranet to store, share and disseminate quickly information and resources, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Peter Peacock: This information is not held centrally.
6 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5531 by Peter Peacock on 5 April 2000, how it intends to measure its progress in implementing the National Grid for Learning in Scotland without centrally monitoring the presence of the IT technical support in primary schools.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-6066.
6 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5532 by Peter Peacock on 5 April 2000, how it intends to measure its progress in implementing the National Grid for Learning in Scotland without centrally monitoring the presence of IT technical support in secondary schools.
Answer · Peter Peacock: It is for local authorities to determine the most effective way of providing technical support for ICT in their schools. This is being done in a variety of ways, not all of which will involve the permanent presence of technical staff in any individual school.…
6 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5527 by Peter Peacock on 5 April 2000, how it intends to implement the National Grid for Learning in Scotland without a clear definition of "computer" for educational purposes.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The National Grid for Learning will integrate modern information and communications technologies into the process of teaching and learning. The range of devices capable of delivering appropriate services is increasing all the time.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">A very pr…
6 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5526 by Peter Peacock on 5 April 2000, how it intends to monitor its progress on initiatives such as the National Grid for Learning, the EU Lisbon Summit initiatives and the 60 commitments contained within the UK Cabinet Office report e-commerce@its.…
Answer · Peter Peacock: National and international initiatives call for all schools to be connected to the Internet, but do not specify the nature of the connection. Scotland is already well on the way to meeting this target, with 93% of secondary schools and 49% of primary schools …