Questions · Hugh Henry

18 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what car parking charges were applied at each hospital as at April 2007.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Minimum and maximum dailycharges to park at hospital sites in Scotland where car parking charges were applied at April 2007were as follows:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td valign=top> NHS Board </td> <td valign=top> <p al…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police hours on the beat could be provided for £1 million.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This is an operational matterfor Chief Constables. Attributing cost to any particular police activity will dependon the definitions used and variables such as the rank of the officers concerned,shift patterns in place and other operational considerations.

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers will need to be trained in 2008-09 to maintain police numbers at the level of May 2007.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8428 on 28 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers need to be trained in the current financial year to maintain police numbers at the level of May 2007.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Levels of police recruitmentand establishment are an operational matter for chief constables. Police officer numbers by whole-time equivalent are collectedon a quarterly basis by the Scottish Government and placed in the Scottish ParliamentInformation Centre.…

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers had been scheduled to undergo training in the current financial year prior to the announcement of 150 additional places.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Before the announcementof the additional 150 recruits in this financial year was made in November, thisgovernment had inherited a situation where police forces had projected that 577officers would be recruited in 2007-08, the lowest level since devolution.</p…

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the complement of police officers will be once the additional 150 officers due to undergo training finish that training.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8425 on 23 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the complement of police officers will be once the additional 52 officers now being trained finish that training.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Police officer and police staffnumbers are collected on a quarterly basis by the Scottish Government and placedin the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The next quarterly strength returnwill be published in February 2008.

21 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the first supplementary to question S3F-3 by Alex Salmond on 31 May 2007 (Official Report, c. 317), whether it will list the “overwhelming international evidence” to which he referred in relation to class sizes in primary 1 to primary 3.

Answer · Adam Ingram: On 31 May 2007, the First Ministerreferred to the overwhelming evidence in relation to early intervention not simplythe impact of class size reduction. There is a body of research evidence such asthe student teacher attainment ration research in Tennessee and…

20 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been allocated to local authorities in (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08 to help them to achieve average class sizes of 20 in maths and English in S1 and S2.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The previous administrationhad a commitment to increase teacher numbers to 53,000 by 2007 and to reduceprimary 1 classes to a maximum of 25 and S1 and S2 maths and English classes toa maximum of 20. Funding of £32.5 million was made available in 2006-07 and£5…

20 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the local authorities whose schools do not meet average class sizes of 20 in maths and English in S1 and S2.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The information requested isset out in the Statistical Bulletin S1 and S2 Maths and English Classes, Children educatedoutwith School, Pupil Projections and Provisional Pupil Numbers, 2007 published on 20 November 2007 and can be accessedat:<ahref="http…

20 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will cost to provide near-surface, near-site storage facilities for higher activity radioactive waste.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scottish Governmentofficials have held discussions with representatives from the NuclearDecommissioning Authority about estimating the costs involved in the long termstorage of higher activity radioactive waste. The work on this matter is on-going.They and we…

20 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will pay for near-surface, near-site storage facilities for higher activity radioactive waste.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Funding for thedecommissioning of nuclear facilities is the responsibility of the siteoperators and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) for the UK’s civilpublic sector nuclear liabilities. Scottish Government officials have been indiscussion with repr…

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to move resources from more affluent areas to areas of disadvantage over the next three-year spending period.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6898 on 5 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take to remedy any poorer access to health services in areas of disadvantage.

Answer · Shona Robison: A ministerial taskforce on health inequalities has been set up to identify and prioritise practicalactions to reduce the most significant and widening health inequalities in Scotland. A key priority of the task force is to look at the implicationsfor the way …

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to allocate more health resources to areas of disadvantage over the next three-year spending period.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Funding allocationsto the 14 territorial health boards for the provision of Hospital and CommunityServices and GP prescribing are currently based on shares calculated through theArbuthnott formula, and this will continue for at least the first year of the nex…

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to move resources towards areas of disadvantage over the next three-year spending period.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The resourcesallocated by the Scottish Government to both local government and NHS boardsacross Scotland take account of relative levels ofdeprivation.In addition, overthe next three years the Scottish Government will provide £435 million toCommunity P…

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether being drunk is considered to be a mitigating factor in determining sentences.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: High CourtJudgments since the 1980s have made clear in common law that alcohol should notbe regarded as a mitigating factor in crimes.The time is nowright to review whether that message from the High Court is being heard clearlyand consistently enough …

23 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list any local authorities that charge for the preparation of meals despite the Executive’s guidance on free personal care.

Answer · Shona Robison: Local authoritieswho currently make some charge for the preparation of meals are; Argyll and Bute,Dundee, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Orkney Islands, Renfrewshire, Scottish Bordersand Stirling.We recognise the needfor further clarity on charging for fo…

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5579 by Maureen Watt on 2 November 2007, whether any estimates were made of the additional capital requirements in each year from 2007-08 to 2011-12 to support the reduction in class sizes to 18 in primary 1 to primary 3 before the decision was made …

Answer · Maureen Watt: I have nothing toadd to the answer given to question S3W-5579

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5580 by Maureen Watt on 2 November 2007, whether each local authority is required to spend its share of the £40 million of Schools Fund grant in pursuance of reducing class sizes to 18 in primary 1 to primary 3.

Answer · Maureen Watt: I refer themember to the answers to questions S3W-5064 and S3W-5065 on 25 October 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliame…

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5580 by Maureen Watt on 2 November 2007, whether each local authority is required to provide the Executive with details of how it has spent its share of the £40 million Schools Fund grant in pursuance of reducing class sizes to 18 in primary 1 to pri…

Answer · Maureen Watt: As part of their grantclaims, authorities will provide brief descriptions of the projects on which theyhave spent their share of the total Schools Fund capital grant this financial yearof £161.05 million.

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5581 by Maureen Watt on 2 November 2007, whether any assessment was made of the implications for the physical accommodation requirements in schools before the decision was made to pursue the policy of reducing class sizes to 18 in primary 1 to primar…

Answer · Maureen Watt: I have nothing toadd to the answer to question S3W-5581.