Parliamentary questions

John Farquhar Munro

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

10 Sep 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote activity-based education in schools.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has taken a number of steps to promote activity-based education inschools, including the establishment of a PE Review Group, an Active SchoolsWorking Group and the Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit. Funding has alsobeen made availa…

3 Sep 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate the possibility of testing all primary school children for dyslexia as part of its commitment to promoting equality and inclusion in education.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Educationauthorities should have procedures in place to identify and provide for pupilswith dyslexia, and other support needs. A number of tools may be used to thisend, including routine monitoring and assessment of class work by classroomstaff.In supp…

14 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome is of its review of the location of the headquarters of Forest Enterprise Scotland.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Executive has carefully considered the different options put forward in the report of the review team, and decided that the head office functions of Forest Enterprise Scotland will be delivered by its existing territorial offices in Inverness and Dumfries…

13 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued guidelines on the provision of coloured glasses for the treatment of dyslexia to (a) NHS boards and (b) local authorities.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: (a) This is a matter for NHSboards and NHS trusts.(b) I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2018 today, which is available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at:<ahref="http://www.scottish.par…

13 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has assessed the effectiveness of coloured glasses in the treatment of dyslexia.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is a matter for NHS boardsand NHS trusts. Although not involved in the“treatment” of dyslexia, the Scottish Executive Education Department is undertaking a number of initiativesto support school pupils with dyslexia, including providing project fu…

13 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has issued to local authorities about testing for dyslexia.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Communities Scotland’s LearningConnections team are discussing with key organisations development of guidelinesfor local authorities, and their community learning partners, on supporting theliteracy and numeracy needs of individuals with dyslexia.Educa…

21 Jul 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that pay scales arising from job-si'ing schemes under the McCrone settlement do not create promotion disincentives for teachers.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Pay scales for management grades in schools have not been affected by job-sizing. They remain as set out in the agreement: £31,299 to £40,401 for principal teachers; £35,500 to £69,300 for depute headteachers and headteachers; and the introduction of a new sa…

3 Jul 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is taking to assess the potential environmental impact of the sinking of the cargo boat Jambo in the Minch.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Responsibility for responding to incidents such as the sinking of the Jambo is reserved and rests with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which is co-ordinating the current salvage effort.The Scottish Environment Protection Agency, and a numb…

23 Jun 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that salmon smolts are not imported from any country with infectious salmon anaemia or any other disease that would threaten the industry.

Answer · Allan Wilson: EU legislation prohibits trade in live salmon from areas affected by infectious salmon anaemia and other serious fish diseases into unaffected areas. The Executive is well aware of the need to protect Scottish aquaculture from imported disease and at EU scien…

18 Jun 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring of the number of cases of sea lice infestation in the wild and farmed salmon populations it is carrying out and whether the number of cases has increased.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Wild fish populations are regularly monitored by Fisheries Trust biologists, in collaboration with Fisheries Research Services.On marine salmon sites, weekly sea lice counts are carried out routinely by farmers to determine the trigger levels for treatment…

17 Jun 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will enforce fish farming area management agreement rules governing the synchronisation of fallowing.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Area Management Agreements (AMAs) are voluntary agreements delivered through close collaboration between industry and wild fisheries interests. Several AMAs have achieved synchronised production and fallowing. In other areas, however, synchronisatio…

4 Jun 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will increase the availability of affordable housing in rural areas.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive is currently considering how this Partnership Agreement commitment will be implemented.

2 Jun 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there was a reduction in the number of accidents at the junction between the A90 and A94 after the introduction of a speed limit and speed cameras at the junction and what the cost was of introducing these measures

Answer · Nicol Stephen: In the three years prior to the introduction of these road safety measures there were one fatal, one serious and four slight injury accidents at this location. In the three years following, there were one serious and one slight injury accidents. The cost of i…

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the consultant's final report of the review of litter legislation will be published.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The final report of the review of litter legislation has been published today (Bib. number 27094) and is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre.It is clear from the report that for various reasons the existing legislation relevant to litter and fly…

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what response it made to the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's 22nd report, Energy - The Changing Climate.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive worked closely with the UK Government in producing the UK response to the Royal Commission's 22nd Report, which was published on 24 February. Whilst the Scottish position is covered by the UK response, I have today written to the Cha…

17 Mar 2003 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister how VisitScotland plans to help safeguard the tourism industry in the light of international events.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Despite heightened international tension, Scotland remains a safe destination. There is no need for potential visitors from the rest of the UK or abroad to be concerned about visiting Scotland. But VisitScotland has contingency plans, and has formed a join…

12 Mar 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether retinal imaging is included in free tests on the NHS and what the reasons are for the position on this matter.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Every NHS sight test includes a form of retinal imaging - normally the observation of the fundus (the back of the eye) using an ophthalmoscope on the patient's undilated eye.Digital imaging procedures may be used in screening programmes for diabetic retino…

10 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what free eye tests are available on the NHS.

Answer · Frank McAveety: NHS sight tests are available to eligible groups of patients. All NHS sight tests are free of charge. Where an optometrist or ophthalmic medical practitioner tests the sight of a patient, he or she must perform, for the purpose of detecting signs of injury, d…

5 Mar 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the provision of adequate dental services in Skye.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: NHS Highland is considering a number of options to further increase access to NHS dental services in Skye.

19 Feb 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that local authorities have enough money to implement the McCrone settlement.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive continue to fund the agreement, A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, in full. Additional funding towards full implementation of the agreement was announced in December 2002 as part of the Local Government Finance…

29 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider funding a fire station in Alness.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Fire cover arrangements are a matter for Highland and Islands Joint Fire Board. Following discussion between the brigade and HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services, it was concluded, on the basis of the information available, that there was not a clear case for …

29 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what economic analysis has been, or will be, undertaken of the impact on local government finances of building new schools through public private partnership rather than through government borrowing.

Answer · Andy Kerr: It is for each local authority to analyse the impact of any public private partnership (PPP) projects on its finances, just as it would a conventional proposal. The Scottish Executive has offered to provide 80% revenue support for schools PPP projects, leavin…

29 Jan 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to protect tenant farmers in limited partnerships who have been served notice to quit before 4 February 2003.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive lodged an amendment to the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Bill at Stage 2, that protects general partners within limited partnerships that are the tenant in a tenancy under the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 1991, in instances w…

28 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how long dentists who have been recipients of a golden hello are required to remain practising in the NHS.

Answer · Tom McCabe: It is a condition ofreceiving a “golden hello” payment on joining a dental list within 3 months ofcompletion of training that the dentist undertakes to provide NHS generaldental services during each of the 3 years following receipt of the firstpayment.

27 Jan 2003 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what resources will be available to support communities buying their own land under the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Communities will be able to seek assistance from a range of bodies, including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the New Opportunities Fund Scottish Land Fund.

15 Jan 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reform the system for identifying and protecting vulnerable children.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The report of the multi-disciplinary review of child protection, It's Everyone's Job to Make Sure I'm Alright, was published on 25 November 2002. In response we announced a three-year programme of sustained activity to reform child protection in Scotla…

1 Jan 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to tackle drink driving over the festive period.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Scottish police forces ran a co-ordinated Festive Safety Campaign, which we supported through the Scottish Road Safety Campaign publicising the risks of drinking and driving.

18 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the ruling by the European Court of Justice on 12 September 2000 has on tolls at the Skye Bridge.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Treasury Ministers have today announced that tolls payable to private sector operators will become subject to VAT with effect from 1 February 2003.In Scotland, we are committed to keeping the Skye Bridge tolls at 1999 levels for the remainder of the conces…

3 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is being made available this financial year to local authorities to encourage recycling and composting.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive has allocated £16 million to the Strategic Waste Fund (SWF) in this financial year. Several local authorities have submitted bids to the Executive for implementation of Area Waste Plans and these are now being assessed against a number of criter…

25 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reason is for the choice of the Gaelic name for the Cairngorms National Park and which authorities on Gaelic place names were consulted before the choice was made.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The draft Designation Order now before the Parliament does not prescribe a Gaelic name for the National Park. However, we expect the Park Authority to follow the example set by the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority by referring to itself i…