Parliamentary questions

Mr Duncan Hamilton

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

7 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the number of (a) careers officers and (b) careers assistants, by local authority area and the number of these who have received training for dealing with young people with special needs.

Answer · Henry McLeish: Career Service Companies do not correspond to local authority areas. The following table therefore sets out the number of careers advisers and other staff by the 17 career service company areas; these are co-terminous with local enterprise company areas. It i…

7 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place for monitoring the success of achieving work placements for clients with special needs, and what formal liaison exists between local authorities and central government in this area.

Answer · Henry McLeish: Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise manage and deliver the national training programme for young people, Skillseekers, through their network of local enterprise companies. Young people who do not have the capability to achieve SVQ Level 2…

7 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the procedure is for ensuring that every pupil with special needs receives the necessary level of assessment and what does this assessment entail.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: SOEID Circular 4/96 provides information and advice to local authorities on the assessment and recording process for children with special educational needs. A copy is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

7 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many special needs clients received advice from career advisers in each local authority area in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Answer · Henry McLeish: he information requested is not collected centrally.

7 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it is currently providing for the provision of career advisors for pupils with special needs and whether this funding is ring-fenced in any way.

Answer · Henry McLeish: Each of the 17 career service companies in Scotland is allocated funding for the provision of careers advice to the statutory group of clients and other core clients. This includes those in full time education (except higher education), those in part time edu…

7 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is the current provision of career advisors is to work specifically with clients with special needs, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Henry McLeish: The precise arrangements for managing special needs work vary between careers service companies. In general careers advisors do not work specifically with special needs clients. Careers advisers who work in mainstream schools normally operate in a generic cap…

7 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the budget allocated to the careers service is paid directly from its central funds and what the level of funding was allocated to each careers partnership company throughout Scotland for each of the financial years since 1995.

Answer · Henry McLeish: Career Service Companies do not correspond to local authority areas, but are co-terminous with local enterprise company areas. The attached table details the budgets for the 17 career service company areas for the period 1995-96 to 1999-2000.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY…

7 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what attempts have been made to ensure that there is equality of opportunity in the provision of careers advice to children with special needs throughout Scotland, particularly in rural and island communities.

Answer · Henry McLeish: Departmental guidance to Career Service Companies requires that services provided to clients are equally accessible to all clients regardless of background, gender, race, nationality, religion, stage of development, ability or disability and sexual orientatio…

7 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the National Goose Forum's final report will be published.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I expect to receive the final report of the National Goose Forum in November, and envisage that it will be published as soon as possible thereafter.

5 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is the rationale behind the priorities given to the New Opportunities Fund relating to the distribution of its cancer programme.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The new health initiative, which was launched by the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) on 22 September 1999, covers cancer prevention, detection, treatment and care.We believe that an emphasis on prevention, using the additional fundin…

5 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding is planned for road infrastructure on Mull, and when the most recent analysis of the quality of roads on the island took place.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The maintenance and upgrading of the roads (there are no trunk roads on the island) are the responsibility of Argyll and Bute Council as the relevant local roads authority. The Council carries out monthly routine and safety inspections of A and B1 Class roads…

1 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the number of graduates from the Visual Science department of Caledonian University in each of the past five years and how many of these graduated in orthoptics.

Answer · Henry McLeish: As indicated in my response to your earlier question on this subject (S1W-00557 published on 29 July 1999), information is not available specifically for graduates in Orthoptics. However, the table below provides an update on previou…

1 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the creation of a new orthoptic degree at a Scottish university and invite formal representations from higher education institutions to achieve that aim.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer Mr Hamilton to my answer to his question S1W-555 on 29 July 1999. No decision has yet been made on this issue.

29 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is proposed to deal with any shortages in diphtheria, tetanus and BCG vaccines.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Every effort is being made to overcome the recent interruptions in the supply of these vaccines caused by manufacturing difficulties. It is expected that some supplies of the vaccines will become available in Scotland during November, but it is not yet clear …

29 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a commitment that its recent initiative to disperse civil service jobs will encompass all parts of the Highlands and Islands including locations outside Inverness.

Answer · Donald Dewar: In my reply of 15 September to parliamentary question S1W-1558 (Written Answers Report 15, Vol 2 Number 3), I provided details of our plans for the location and relocation of public service jobs in Scotland. I made clear that our policy was to maintain the ef…

21 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline current policy on the provision of careers advice for pupils with special needs.

Answer · Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive's policy on the provision of careers advice for pupils with special needs is outlined in the Guidance Framework for Careers Service Companies issued in April 1998, which details the scope and standard of service which providers have to …

8 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the number of referrals to the gulf veterans' medical assessment programme (MAP) since MAP was established and whether it will provide details of any research into gulf war syndrome which it currently sponsors.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The responsibility for gulf veterans rests with the Ministry of Defence. The issues raised are therefore reserved to the UK Parliament.

6 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of the official mortality statistics registered as epilepsy-related for each year since 1990.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The figures are given in the table below.<TABLE CELLSPACING=0 BORDER=0 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=642><TR><TD WIDTH="47%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16>Epilepsy(1) deaths in Scotland</TD><TD WIDTH="6%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16><…

3 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will direct the management of Caledonian MacBrayne to meet with the Colonsay Community Council to agree an acceptable level of ferry service and timetable.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: No. Operational matters such as timetabling are for Caledonian MacBrayne to determine. Timetables for Colonsay and all the other islands served by CalMac are decided after extensive consultation through Shipping Services Advisory Committees (SSACs). Represent…

25 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is the timescale established by the Further Education Funding Council for the payment to companies running training courses in Further Education Colleges such as ASET (Accreditation Syndicate for Education and Training) course, and The Certificate in Drugs Awareness and how this diff…

Answer · Henry McLeish: Individual colleges in both Scotland and England are bound by the same financial conditions that are applied to government departments, as detailed in "Government Accounting". Section 21.2.6 a (i) of "Government Accounting" deals with the …

23 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency plans are in place in the event of the new computer system in the Prescription Pricing Division of the Common Services Agency of the Scottish Health Service not being fully operational in time for the Prescription Pricing Division to be code blue for year 2000 compliance.

Answer · Susan Deacon: As part of the Common Services Agency's Year 2000 compliance programme, contingency plans have been drawn up in case of system failure.

23 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Prescription Pricing Division of the Common Services Agency of the Scottish Health Service will begin the testing of its new prescription computer system, how long the testing process will take and when it will be completed.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Testing is already underway and is expected to be completed by December.

23 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the Department of Media, Culture and Sport in regard to ensuring that digital television coverage extends to all parts of the Highlands and Islands.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The policy of the UK Government is that analogue transmissions should not be switched off until the overwhelming majority of people can receive digital television free to air as people can receive analogue services at present. We maintain contact with the Dep…

20 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many test sites of genetically modified crops are located in Scotland and where they are situated.

Answer · Susan Deacon: As at 16 August 1999, there were a total of 22 trial sites in Scotland. These are all small scale plots. There are currently no farm scale sites in Scotland and any notification of such sites will be published in the normal way. The location of the plot site…

20 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who monitors the health implications of genetically modified foods in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The answer to this question is covered by the answer in PQ No S1W-1008.

20 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what methods and standards of health safety are used to determine whether genetically modified crop produce poses a health risk.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Under the EC Novel Foods Regulation (258/97) rigorous safety assessments are required before any novel food, including genetically modified (GM) food can be placed on the market. In the UK such safety assessments are carried out by an expert scientific commit…

3 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-90 by Susan Deacon on 30 June 1999, why it cannot arrange for the waiting times for those seeking a first outpatient appointment, including a breakdown by specialist area, to be published on a quarterly basis.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Information is not collected centrally on the expected length of time a patient referred for a first outpatient appointment would have to wait for a routine consultation. However, health boards compile this information, often with details of waiting times for…

15 Jul 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out on the health implications of mobile telephone masts in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive adopts a precautionary principle where hazards and the risks of these being realised are concerned.The Scottish Executive takes advice on this from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), which is, in turn,…

15 Jul 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out on alternative pricing strategies for Caledonian MacBrayne.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: A study on the impact of changes in ferry fares was commissioned in 1998 by The Scottish Office and presented to the November 1998 meeting of the Convention of the Highlands and Islands. It was agreed that the Highlands and Islands Integrated Transport Forum …

15 Jul 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide a route by route analysis of each ferry route under the operation of Caledonian MacBrayne.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Annual Report and Accounts of Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd provide results analysed by area of operation. There are no plans to provide this information on a rate by rate basis.