Donald Gorrie

22 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which recruitment agencies it uses.

Answer · Angus MacKay: Scottish Executive recruitment is conducted by officials with support, where appropriate from the following external agencies: </P><P>Thomson Partners</P><P>Pertemps</P><P>Kelly Services</P><P>Capita RAS

10 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that future PFI or PPP schemes involving schools include provision to ensure that the schools and the local authority have guaranteed priority use of facilities after school hours, at weekends and in the holidays.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The details of the contracts for such schemes are matters between the education authority and the contractors concerned. The parties to such a contract would take a number of factors into account where out of hours use of facilities is an issue, including the…

27 Oct 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to respond to the letter from the editor of Scottish Licensing Law and Practice dated 20 December 1999 raising an anomaly in Scotland in the law governing all cash amusement with pri'e machines.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The issuing of permits for all cash amusement with prizes machines is governed by the Gaming Act 1968. The legislation is reserved and the Scotland Office has been asked to consider the alleged anomaly.

2 Oct 2000 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what progress is being made towards meeting its commitment to reduce primary one, two and three class si'es to 30 or less by August 2001.

Answer · Donald Dewar: Substantial resources have been made available through the Excellence Fund and good progress is being made. At the last school census in 1999, 89.3% of single stage P1 to P3 classes had 30 or less pupils.

15 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the total cost of the proposed Scottish Criminal Records Office police checks on paid and voluntary youth workers in the first year of operation and the subsequent two years.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Part V of the Police Act 1997 provides for extended access to criminal record checks. Different levels of checks will be available with more detailed checks being provided for positions which involve regularly caring for, training, supervising or being in sol…

15 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the model forms in Planning Advice note 48, on notifying neighbours of planning applications, conform with those specified in the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 and, if not, what plans it has to ensure that they do.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The purpose of the model forms in PAN 48 was to provide the stimulus for planning authorities to improve the content and layout of their planning application forms to make them more user-friendly. It is for individual planning authorities to ensure that the f…

15 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage and support local authorities to develop services which help elderly, disabled or unemployed people to apply for the full benefits to which they are entitled.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The payment of benefits is a matter reserved to the UK Government and it is for DSS to decide how to pursue the maximisation of benefit uptake. The Scottish Executive will continue its regular dialogue with UK Ministers on how the Scottish Executive and the U…

15 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to extend the categories of care which qualify for financial assistance so that care by a nurse includes care by a nursing assistant supervised by a nurse.

Answer · Iain Gray: The Minister for Health announced in her Statement to Parliament on Older People on 5 October that the Executive accepts the recommendation of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care that nursing care should be made free in residential care. We will work close…

15 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the capital limits which apply before long-term patients or their families have to pay towards their care.

Answer · Iain Gray: Changes to capital limits in assessing ability to pay for the costs of long-term residential care was one of a number of recommendations on charging made by the Royal Commission on Long Term Care. These have been considered in the current Spending Review and …

15 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what grants each industrial heritage museum has received in each of the past five years from national bodies, government bodies, local authorities and the National Lottery.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The grants made by the Scottish Office/Scottish Executive, including Historic Scotland, and by the Heritage Lottery Fund are set out in the following table. Information on grants made by other bodies is not held centrally.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDI…

15 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, what plans, in addition to the "national audit of collections" mentioned in the National Cultural Strategy document, it has to help industrial heritage museums to remain open and develop.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The national audit of museum and gallery collections will enable us to develop criteria for a restructuring of the sector with the aim of establishing a sustainable funding framework for the future. The industrial museums will be given priority in this proces…

15 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the numbers are of (a) community psychiatric nurses; (b) district nurses, and (c) health visitors in each health board area, what the numbers were in each of the past five years and whether it plans to increase these numbers.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is committed to the promotion of better health and to reducing the need for hospital admissions. To support this we have recently announced funding for the current year onwards for the salary and training for 210 additional specialist …

15 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its Natural Cultural Strategy, what its policy is regarding community arts.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive believes that culture and the arts can make a significant contribution to encouraging and building active communities. <I>Creating Our Future: Minding Our Past</I>, the National Cultural Strategy places a particular emphasis upon the ne…

15 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its National Cultural Strategy, what its policy is regarding painting and sculpture.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive wishes to see the visual arts flourish in Scotland. <I>Creating Our Future: Minding Our Past</I>, the National Cultural Strategy, seeks to create a climate supportive to artists and to promote public interest in and access to painting a…

6 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S1W-6451 by Mr Jack McConnell on 16 May 2000 and in the light of the finalisation of the Holyrood design, what roadworks will need to take place as a result of the location of the new Parliament building at Holyrood; how much such roadworks are expected…

Answer · Jack McConnell: External works proposals are not yet finalised, and firm cost estimates are therefore not available. £2.5 million has been made available to Historic Scotland for works in Holyrood Park likely to be required this year. In addition, the Scottish Executive Deve…

6 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the Sacred Heart Primary School in Cumbernauld is not closed by North Lanarkshire Council until the judicial review requested by local parents has been completed.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has no role in relation to North Lanarkshire Council's decision to close this school.

3 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6967, what plans it has to ensure that persons with suitable medical training are available in schools where no teacher or other member of staff has volunteered to administer medicine to pupils.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Health boards have the statutory responsibility for the medical inspection, medical supervision and treatment of pupils in schools, including the administration of medicines. The day-to-day management of pupils requiring medication would normally be undertake…

30 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to prescriptions of beta interferon by GPs, (a) what the policies are of each health board or NHS Trust on funding them and (b) what instructions or guidelines have each health board or NHS Trust issued to GPs.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Each health board determines its prescribing policy on drugs taking into account the advice provided by its local Drug and Therapeutics Committees.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">In 1995, guidance about new drugs for multiple sclerosis, and clinical advice from the Standi…

30 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support was given by the Scottish Office or the Scottish Executive in each of the last five years to each of the national youth organisations.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The information is set out in the table below. Decisions on this year's training grants will be notified to organisations very shortly.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=635><TR><TD WIDTH="40%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=24><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">HEADQUARTE…

29 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that policies to improve public transport for commuters and to reduce their use of cars do not reduce the amount of local community transport in socially excluded urban areas.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Executive has recently issued guidance to local authorities to assist them in preparing full Local Transport Strategies which highlighted the need for them to consider how the potential of voluntary or community transport can be maximised as part of an in…

29 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend the scope of community transport schemes to encompass urban housing estates which are currently excluded.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Rural Community Transport Grant Scheme applies to community transport activities in settlements with populations of 10,000 or less, although applications would be eligible if the project involved travel to towns with a population of over 10,000 provided t…

29 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will include the Kelvin Valley route in the options to be considered in the multi-modal study of the A80/M80 and, if not, whether it will explain why this option will not be considered.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: No. I refer Mr Gorrie to <I>The Strategic Roads Review, Scheme Decisions </I>pages 6 and 7.

7 Jun 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is monitoring the progress of the new Higher Still exams and any teachers' concerns about them.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Officials regularly meet with the Scottish Qualifications Authority to discuss Higher Still and examination issues generally. The new exams and their results will be included in the review of the first year of Higher Still implementation.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that there will be a programme of meningitis inoculations for students at Scottish higher and further education institutions at the start of the next academic session.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Arrangements are in hand to ensure that any unimmunised new full-time students this year, who have not already been vaccinated against meningococcal C infection, will be offered the Men C vaccination prior to commencing their courses.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many convictions have been secured as a result of CCTV evidence in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Answer · Colin Boyd: This information is unavailable.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements have been made to ensure that local councillors and relevant local organisations are informed of consultation meetings about proposals relating to major transport corridors such as the M80/A80 and M8/A8.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Executive recognises that effective consultation is a crucial element of the multi-modal corridor studies. As part of the scoping study, 140 organisations were invited to the consultative forum at Cumbernauld on 30 May and 45 representatives attended. 150…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will treat sympathetically deficits in colleges' accounts arising from the non-payment of fees by students.

Answer · Henry McLeish: This is not a matter for the Scottish Executive. <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Scottish Further Education Funding Council has responsibility for monitoring the financial health of Further Education colleges. Accordingly, the circumstances surrounding any deficit are…

30 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has held with Her Majesty's Government about setting targets for the amount of electricity to be generated by Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Schemes in Scotland and any implications this may have for the creation of new power stations; which CHP schemes are already in o…

Answer · Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive will work together with Her Majesty's Government so that Scotland will make its contribution towards the overall UK target of 10,000 MWe by 2010.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">There are approximately 60 CHP schemes in Scotland with a total capacity…

25 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any vaccination programmes in schools have been reduced or suspended because of a shortage of the BCG vaccine.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Due to vaccine supply difficulties, the schools BCG vaccination programme across the UK was suspended in October 1999. Meantime, vaccine is still available to high-risk groups.

25 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what are the latest figures available for the average hours of physical education per week received by pupils in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools in S1 and S2, (c) secondary schools in S3 and S4 and (d) secondary schools in S5 and S6.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Information on the average hours of physical education received by pupils in primary schools is not collected centrally. However, in the 5-14 curriculum (covering P1-S2), national guidelines recommend that education authorities and schools have a minimum time…