Parliamentary questions

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

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

30 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2141 by Ms Margaret Curran on 19 September 2003, whether it will combine the figures in tables 1, 2 and 3 into a graph that shows the number of public sector houses sold as a percentage of the total housing stock in each year since 1979, compares sal…

Answer · Margaret Curran: The data provided forquestion S2W-2141 are extracted from published information.Estimated number ofdwellings in Scotland: Statistical Bulletin (Housing Series) HousingTrends in Scotland: Quarter ended 31 March 1992 (HSG-1992…

4 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued, or plans to issue, on how to avoid lightning strikes and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive has no current plans to issue guidance on how to avoid lightningstrikes as the Hazardous Installations Directorate within the Health and SafetyExecutive are the competent authority in this area and are responsible for theissue of all gu…

4 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were killed by lightning strikes in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Hugh Henry: In the last 10 yearslightning killed two people in Scotland, one each in 1995 and 1996.

4 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish those responses to its consultation on the draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill that indicate that the complete removal of the Record of Needs will be beneficial for children with special educational needs.

Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2384 today. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa…

4 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its analysis of the 148 responses to its consultation on the draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill will be published when the bill is introduced.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive’s response to the 148 responses received during the consultation on Assessingour children’s educational needs: the way forward? was published inFebruary 2002, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s ReferenceCentre (Bib…

22 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many public sector houses were sold as a percentage of the total (a) housing and (b) public sector housing stock in each year since 1979 and how these figures compare with the number and percentage of such sales in England and Wales.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The following table (Table1) shows figures for right to buy, rent to mortgage and voluntary sales ofpublic sector dwellings, all of which were made under the right to buylegislation. This includes dwellings owned by local authorities, Scottish Homesand New To…

28 May 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how often each joint ministerial committee has met since being established and whether any new initiatives are planned in respect of these committees.

Answer · Jack McConnell: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-33586 on 20 February 2003. 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.parliamen…

21 May 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many accidents have occurred at, or near, the roundabout or junction at (a) Newbridge, (b) Maybury, (c) Gogar and (d) Barnton in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the "Stats 19" statistical report format. These returns cover only accidents in which one or more people were injured - they do not cover "damage only" a…

17 Mar 2003 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what plans there are to publish bound volumes of the Official Report for meetings of the Parliament in the first parliamentary year.

Answer · David Steel: The archive edition of the Official Report of meetings of the Parliament, committees and written answers from May 1999 to May 2000 is scheduled to be published on CD-ROM in August this year. The CD-ROM will be available to MSPs, others in the Parliamen…

5 Mar 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its guns amnesty will not prevent the police following up unsolved crimes.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The terms of this amnesty will not affect the discretion of the police to report persons to the procurator fiscal nor that of the procurator fiscal to take proceedings where there is evidence that a particular weapon has been used in the commission of a crime.

4 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many weapons were taken out of circulation in each of the last two amnesties on illegal firearms.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Information for Scotland in respect of the last two national amnesties is given in the table. <TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=340><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="TOP">Year</TD><TD WIDTH="22%" VALIGN="TOP">Firearms</TD><TD WIDTH="28%" VALIGN=…

31 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the A7 has been detrunked north of Galashiels; if so, when, and whether any public statement was made at that time.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The A7 between Galashiels and Edinburgh ceased to be a trunk road on 1 April 1996. The intention to detrunk this section of the route was set out in the publication Shaping the Trunk Road Network: The Government's Response and was given effect by The R…

13 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reconviction rates have been for offenders (a) discharged from custody and (b) given non-custodial sentences in each year since 1996.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The available information on two-year reconviction rates for the disposals requested are given in the following table.Persons Released from a Custodial Sentence or Given a Non-Custodial Sentence in Each Year 1996 to 1999: Percentage Reconvicted Within Two …

8 Jan 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Home Office or the relevant local authorities about the proposed accommodation centre for asylum seekers at RAF Turnhouse.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive is engaged in regular and continuing dialogue with the Home Office and local authorities about a range of issues relating to asylum seekers. There has been no decision by the Home Office on whether or not to site an accommodation centre…

23 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it holds any information on the (a) percentage and (b) number of firefighters that have additional jobs.

Answer · Hugh Henry: I have nothing to add to the answer given to S1W-32429 on 19 December 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp…

19 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications to join the fire service have been received in each of the last three years; how many were selected for appointment, and by what criteria they were selected.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The information available is not precisely in the form requested. The following table indicates the number of applications made to the fire service for the past three years and the number of applicants who received a contract of employment - the number select…

11 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set a timescale for implementing modernisation of audiology services based on digital technology.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32532 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/searc…

11 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will institute a study on modernisation of audiology services based on digital technology.

11 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of the outcomes of modernisation of audiology services in England and Wales, it will make a commitment to modernisation of such services based on digital technology.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The final report of the review of audiology services makes recommendations on the extent to which these services need to be modernised and how this modernisation might be effected.The Executive is currently considering the report and its recommendations.

11 Dec 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the up-to-date plans are for the upgrading of the A8000 and the dualling of the A1.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The A8000 is a local road and is therefore the responsibility of the City of Edinburgh Council. The council, supported by the Forth Estuary Transport Authority, are taking forward plans for a major upgrade of the route, providing a new dual carriageway link b…

6 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of firefighters have a second paid job.

Answer · Hugh Henry: This information is not held centrally.

20 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is its policy that the holding of training days for procurators fiscal should influence whether routine arrests are made by the police over a certain timescale and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Elish Angiolini: There is no such policy.

21 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many criminal justice social workers there (a) currently are and (b) have been in each of the last five years and what their average annual wage is.

Answer · Richard Simpson: Figures for the number of criminal justice social workers and senior social workers are available for the last three years. The figures are as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=87><TR><TD WIDTH="57%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16>1999</TD><T…

3 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is its policy to support non-disclosure in relation to release on bail pending appeal of those convicted of murder, rape and other serious crimes of violence and, if this is not its policy, whether it will undertake to keep the police and victims informed of such releases on b…

Answer · Jim Wallace: On the issue of disclosure of the names of adult appellants given interim liberation, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30216 on 16 October 2002.I understand the Crown has a system in place for alerting victims and next of kin when a p…

3 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether victims should be informed when those convicted of murder, rape or other serious crimes of violence are released on bail pending appeal, given its policy on keeping victims informed after conviction and before release from prison.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Crown currently has a system in place for alerting vulnerable victims and next of kin when a person convicted of a serious crime is granted interim liberation pending appeal.

3 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether convictions of murder, rape or other serious crimes of violence and, in particular, the names of those convicted of such crimes are invariably a matter within the public domain; if so, whether the interim release on bail pending appeal is also a matter within the public domain an…

Answer · Jim Wallace: The names of convicted adult offenders and the crimes of which they have been convicted are in the public domain. The information is available from the Depute Principal Clerk of Justiciary at the High Court of Justiciary in Edinburgh.Trials of children for…

2 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28795 by Mr Jim Wallace on 2 October 2002, what the names are of the five persons convicted of murder who are now on interim liberation pending an appeal against their conviction; what the details of each charge were, and whether the prosecutor expre…

Answer · Jim Wallace: The names of the five appellants and details of their crimes are, like the details of all other appellants granted interim liberation, matters of public record. The information is available from the Depute Principal Clerk of Justiciary at the High Court of Ju…

24 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what sentences for drug dealing offences (a) have been handed down by the courts and (b) have been served in each year since 1997-98.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The available information on sentences given by the courts for drug dealing offences is given in Table 1.Table 1: Persons Sentenced by Scottish Courts for Drug Dealing Offences1, 1997-2000<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=396><TR><…

24 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money was spent on combating drugs, broken down by purpose such as education, detection, treatment, rehabilitation, in each year since 1997-98 and what the spending will be in each year to 2005-06.

Answer · Richard Simpson: Expenditure on tackling drug misuse spans a variety of funding streams, administered by a wide range of organisations. The Executive does not hold all of this information centrally.At the end of 1999, however, the Executive's Policy Unit Review of Drugs Ex…

24 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) breaches of conditions and (b) positive test results under drug testing and treatment orders issued by the (i) courts and (ii) pilot drug court there have been in each year since the orders were introduced and what action has been taken as a result of such breaches and positi…

Answer · Richard Simpson: Information on the number of breaches of drug testing and treatment orders (DTTO) in the three pilot areas is detailed in the following table. This information is currently not available on a year by year basis.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=…