Parliamentary questions
Duncan McNeil
426 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many government jobs were dispersed to Greenock and Inverclyde from 1999 to 2003 to date and how many such jobs will be dispersed to these areas from now to 2006.
Answer · Andy Kerr: No government jobs have been relocated to Greenock and Inverclyde since 1999. <P>The Executive remains committed to ensuring that Government in Scotland is efficient and decentralised, as part of the wider vision of more accessible, open and responsive Govern…
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will introduce to meet its commitment in A Partnership for a Better Scotland to regenerate those communities that suffer from persistently high levels of unemployment.
Answer · Jim Wallace: As outlined in <i>Building a Better Scotland</i>,the Scottish Executive has set aside a total of £706 million for 2003-06 to regenerate our communities. A significant proportion of this funding will be allocated, through Communities Scotland, to local partner…
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will introduce to meet its commitment in A Partnership for a Better Scotland to reduce the gap in unemployment rates between the worst 10% of areas and the Scottish average by 2006.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Enterprise Networks, working closely with other agencies, have a specific range of programmes aimed at assisting people into work. The networks are also committed to supporting the formation and growth of businesses which create new jobs and contribute to…
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will implement its commitment in A Partnership for a Better Scotland to ensure that the benefits of economic growth are shared by all communities.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Framework for Economic Development in Scotland recognised the importance of all communities and areas of Scotland both contributing to and benefiting from economic growth. To achieve this objective the Executive’s economic development policies embrace man…
17 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what resources will be made available to Inverclyde Council to meet the commitment in A Partnership for a Better Scotland to increase teachers and support staff numbers, in order to reduce class si'es to a maximum of 20 in S1 and S2 for mathematics and English and 25 in P1, and the number…
Answer · Peter Peacock: We will announce our plans, including funding arrangements, when detailed discussions with local authorities and initial teacher education providers have been completed.
13 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to discuss with the royal colleges how the impact on patient care of implementing the working time regulations in the NHS can be minimised.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The working time regulations currently apply to all NHS staff, except doctors in training, who will start to come under the terms of the regulations from August 2004.<P>On 4 April 2003, the Scottish Executive Health Department hosted a meeting of key stakehol…
13 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS operations were cancelled in 2002-03 as a result of a consultant being unavailable through having covered a junior doctor's shift the previous night.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of operations cancelled by NHSScotland for the reasons asked is not available. However, data is collected centrally on the number of planned admissions to hospital for in-patient/day case treatment (including non-surgical treatment) …
13 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much each NHS trust spent in 2002-03 on paying consultants to cover junior doctors' shifts and how this compares to the cost had the shifts been covered by junior doctors.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.
13 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24605 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 23 April 2002, when the study on the impact and resource implications of the working time regulations on the NHS will be complete.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Partnership Working Group carried out a detailed study looking at the wider HR aspects of the working time regulations, their impact on staff groups in NHSScotland and their resource implications for the service. The report, which included a framework emp…
29 Jan 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in commencing transport projects in Inverclyde and, in particular, the replacement of the A78 West Station Bridge and construction of the Cloch Road End roundabout.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Inverclyde Council, Strathclyde Passenger Transport, Network Rail and the Scottish Executive are making good progress on a number of transport projects in Inverclyde. Negotiations on the A78 West Station Bridge should be complete soon. Preparation work contin…
23 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost will be of the maintenance, repair and refit of the fisheries protection fleet in (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04, (c) 2004-05 and (d) 2005-06.
Answer · Ross Finnie: For the current year 2002-03, the estimated cost of maintenance, repair and refit of the five vessels of the fisheries protection fleet is expected to be in the region of £1,340,000. A provision of £950,000 per annum for four vessels remaining in the fleet ha…
23 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of the maintenance, repair and refit of the fisheries protection fleet in (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The costs of maintenance, repair and refit of the fisheries protection fleet in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 were as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=209><TR><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16><P>1999-2000</TD><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP" …
5 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any additional resources will be made available in 2002-03 to enable local authorities to deal with contaminated and derelict land.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive announced on 10 July the allocation of £3 million of end-year flexibility funding for cleaning up derelict and contaminated land that is creating health risks or causing blight on local communities. I am pleased to say that I am able to allocate…
13 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the victim of a crime or, in the case of murder or culpable homicide, the victim's family has a right to be advised of the launching of any appeal by the perpetrator of the offence.
Answer · Colin Boyd: In death cases, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has a system in place for informing next of kin of developments, including appeal proceedings. The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service accepts that there is a need to ensure that victims of…
28 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the value to the higher education sector of fees from overseas students.
Answer · Iain Gray: According to research carried out by Strathclyde University on behalf of the Committee of Scottish Higher Education Principals (now Universities Scotland), Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Scotland received £63 million in academic fees from overseas st…
28 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken by VisitScotland to promote educational tourism.
Answer · Mike Watson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30954 today. 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.uk/webapp/sear…
28 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is in relation to educational tourism.
Answer · Mike Watson: The policy of the Scottish Executive is to promote tourism of all kinds, but the concept of educational tourism is not one that is recognised by our education colleagues or by VisitScotland.
12 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the regulation of air weapons.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Firearms legislation including the regulation of air weapons is a reserved matter.<P>The Scottish Executive is, however, represented on the Firearms Consultative Committee, the independent statutory body established to keep under review the provisions of the …
12 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to empower neighbourhood wardens to detain and demand names and addresses from suspects.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The principal function of neighbourhood wardens is to observe and report incidents to local authority colleagues or the police, as appropriate, with the aim of reducing vandalism and anti-social behaviour. There are no plans for them to be given powers to det…
12 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set for reductions in the levels of street crime.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The high-level national targets we have set for the Scottish Police Service, although not identifying street crime directly, will impact on the incidence of street crime and help generally to improve the lives of those who live in our communities. The targets…
12 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set for reductions in the levels of violent crime.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Scottish police forces were set a jointly agreed national target in March 2002 to reduce by 2003-04 the number of recorded incidents of violent crime by five per cent. A related target of an increase of 4.1 percentage points in the detection rate for serious …
12 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage positive parenting.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Positive parenting is crucial if we want to ensure that all our children are given the best possible start in life. While parenting is often rewarding it can also be challenging. <P>A range of statutory and voluntary bodies is involved in the provision of sup…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to encourage greater co-operation between schools and community sports clubs, with particular reference to the provision of facilities.
Answer · Elaine Murray: There are a number of initiatives under way which actively encourage closer links between schools and their local communities. These include the School Sports Co-ordinator Programme, New Community Schools, the school and community strand of the Lottery Sports…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure the equitable distribution of National Lottery funding.
Answer · Elaine Murray: A consultation paper on lottery distribution policy, <I>Review of Lottery Funding</I>, was published jointly by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Scottish Executive, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly on 29 July f…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many recipients of grants from sportscotland have been found to have used the grant for purposes other, or counter to, those set out in the original application in each of the last three years.
Answer · Elaine Murray: There have been no such cases under the lottery programmes and 18 cases under Exchequer programmes (nine in 1999-2000, four in 2000-01 and five in 2001-02).
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action can be taken against recipients of grants from sportscotland who are found to have used the grant for purposes other than, or counter to, those set out in the original application.
Answer · Elaine Murray: In line with conditions attached to Lottery Fund Awards, this can vary from awards being repaid in part or in full and future payments being stopped. For grants paid from Exchequer monies, <B>sport</B>scotland's first step would be to write requesting repayme…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to ensure that grants made by sportscotland are used for the purposes set out in the original application.
Answer · Elaine Murray: <B>Sport</B>scotland's Lottery Sports Fund awards are monitored by case officers for revenue awards or by project managers for capital awards to ensure they are used for the purposes set out in the original application. In addition, there is a standard post c…
5 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it plans to introduce to prevent the fly-tipping of used refrigerators.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The unauthorised deposit of waste (fly-tipping) is already prohibited by section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. However, this and the other legislation relevant to litter and fly-tipping is currently subject to a review which is expected to be c…
31 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans are in place to expand the number of day surgery units in hospitals.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Rates of day case surgery across Scotland have increased substantially in recent years, the annual number of elective surgical day cases performed by NHSScotland having more than doubled since 1992. The day case surgery rate for each NHS board area is one of …
31 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in reducing any health inequalities between different social groups, with particular reference to cancer.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Reducing health inequalities is the overarching aim of public health improvement policy. We are seeking to make progress by addressing the upstream determinants of health, through demonstration projects, healthy living centres, the Health Improvement Fund and…