Parliamentary questions

Donald Gorrie

955 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

8 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place a duty on local authorities to work with prisons in providing after-prison throughcare.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Local authorities already have a duty to provide throughcare to prisoners subject to statutory supervision on release. Under provisions in the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, short-term prisoners not subject to statutory supervision on release are also entit…

8 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to establish in other prisons centres based on the Throughcare Centre pilot at HM Prison Edinburgh.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:Dr Jackie Tombs is conducting an evaluation research study for SPS into the Throughcare Centre in HM Prison Edinburgh. We will consider w…

8 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for ensuring that people sent to prison are properly advised about their housing position and, in particular, about whether they should cancel their tenancy in order to avoid accumulating debts from unpaid rent.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:Assessments are carried out by the SPS reception and induction staff in conjunction with social work staff and voluntary sector workers. …

8 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were held on remand in bail hostels in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001; what the average cost was per prisoner, and how many bail hostel places are currently available.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive provides funding to local authority criminal justice social work services to provide bail services for offenders. The service includes the provision of bail accommodation in certain areas for offenders released with a condition of super…

8 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were held on remand in Scottish prisons in (a) 1999, (b) 2000 and (c) 2001; how long on average each such prisoner spent in prison; what the average cost was per prisoner, and how many such prisoners received a prison sentence.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The available information is given in the following table. The information held by the SPS cannot identify the numbers of remand prisoner…

8 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult YouthLink Scotland in order to identify the administrative costs that national youth organisations claim to incur in the administration of Disclosure Scotland checks on voluntary youth workers.

Answer · Richard Simpson: The impact on voluntary organisations of the introduction of criminal record checks under Part V of the Police Act 1997 was examined by the Voluntary Issues Review Group set up by the Scottish Executive in 1999. YouthLink Scotland was represented on the Group…

8 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to build up community organisations in deprived areas to enable them to deliver community plans.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Scottish Executive resources are channelled to the community and voluntary sectors in disadvantaged areas in a number of ways, for example through Social Inclusion Partnerships, the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund, and via local authorities, health boards …

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its direct or indirect funding of the voluntary sector will take into account any increased costs faced by voluntary organisations for water charges and insurance premiums.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive is committed to proofing its policies for their impact on the voluntary sector to ensure they do not place an unreasonable burden on the sector. The Scottish Compact Good Practice Guidance on proofing covers this issue. Changes in ch…

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider filling future appointments to the head of its Voluntary Issues Unit by open competition.

Answer · Andy Kerr: As with most Senior Civil Service appointments, any future appointment to the Head of Voluntary Issues Unit will be dealt with by consideration being given to internal promotion, external recruitment or by assignment from within the existing Senior Civil Serv…

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the composition of its Best Value Task Force complies with the Nolan principles, given (a) the proportion of the force's membership that represents local government and (b) any vested interest of such representatives.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Best Value Task Force does not fall within the authority of the Commissioner of Public Appointments and her Code of Practice does not therefore apply in this instance. However, ministers do seek to apply the spirit of the code whenever relevant and I am s…

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will arrange the reporting mechanisms on its programmes in order to identify separately the amount of money given to local authorities, the voluntary sector and the private sector in respect of these programmes.

Answer · Andy Kerr: As a large portion of the Scottish Executive's budget is controlled by other public bodies it is not possible to routinely report on this basis. However, a report entitled Review of Funding for the Voluntary Sector - Direct Funding from the Scottish Execut…

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make funding directly available to community bodies in its promotion of community empowerment as well as to partnerships to which community bodies have to apply for a share of such funding.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive does currently provide direct grant support across a number of policy areas to the voluntary and community sectors where the projects funded are likely to have national benefits - whether as a national resource, or in building understan…

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding from central or local government or other public bodies to voluntary organisations providing mainstream public services will fully reimburse such organisations for the costs incurred.

Answer · Margaret Curran: This issue is considered by the Executive's review of the social economy, which we aim to publish shortly.

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of Her Majesty's Government's consultation paper, Funding Community Groups, and whether it will produce an equivalent paper.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive has conducted a review of its own direct funding of the voluntary sector. On the basis of the conclusions drawn from the review, we intend to put in place a system that enables the alignment of available funding with Executive priorities and dev…

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to legislate on the basis of the report of the Scottish Charity Law Review Commission, CharityScotland.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21447 on 21 January 2002. The Executive will publish its response to the commission's report next month. The position on the legislative timetable remains unchanged. All answers to written parliamentary q…

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of the report Private Action, Public Benefit - A Review of Charities and the Wider Not-For-Profit Sector by the Strategy Unit of the Cabinet Office and whether it will initiate an equivalent review.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The report covers both reserved and devolved matters. In relation to the devolved matters the Executive will publish its response to the report of the Scottish Charity Law Review Commission next month. This response will cover similar issues to those raised i…

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of HM Treasury's cross-cutting review on the role of the voluntary and community sector in service delivery and whether it will initiate an equivalent review.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Many of the issues identified in the treasury report will be addressed by the Executive's review of the social economy, which we aim to publish shortly.

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29137 by Mr Jim Wallace on 24 September 2002, whether the measures to take forward the recommendations of the Review of Legal Information and Advice Provision in Scotland include the provision of additional law centres or greater support for existing…

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31160 on 12 November 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.…

7 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that good training and education is made available to solicitors and other professionals involved in social welfare cases.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The arrangements for training, education and continuing professional development for solicitors are a matter for the Law Society of Scotland in terms of the Solicitors (Scotland) Act 1980. The society sets requirements in practice rules and regulations. The A…

5 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will add a representative of the voluntary sector to the membership of the Best Value Task Force.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Best Value Task Force was set up to provide guidance for local authorities in the operation of their new statutory duties under the Local Government in Scotland Bill. For this reason, at this time, it consists mainly of local authority representatives, bu…

5 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what directions it will issue to VisitScotland to ensure that better information services are provided for people with disabilities about provision available to them for holidays in Scotland and what action will be taken in the light of the report by Capability Scotland, An Open or Shut C…

Answer · Mike Watson: The Executive takes very seriously the needs of disabled tourists in Scotland and noted carefully Capability Scotland's recent report.VisitScotland takes into full account the needs of visitors with disabilities, and operates an inspection scheme to assess…