Mr John McAllion

6 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) perinatal and (b) infant mortality rate has been in each year since 1995.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The information is availableon the General Register Office of Scotland website at:</p><p><ahref="http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/library/vital-events/vital-events-reference-tables-2004/index.html">http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/library/vi…

12 Feb 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met Dundee City Council to discuss proposals for investment in city schools.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Dundee City Council's proposals for investment in city schools through a public private partnership were discussed at a meeting between officials of the Scottish Executive and the council on 7 January 2003.

22 Jan 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to further reform of local government.

Answer · Andy Kerr: We are committed to strengthening local governance and improving public services and are bringing forward a number of measures to achieve this. The Local Government in Scotland Bill, approved by Parliament earlier this month, places local authorities at the h…

14 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether #27 million was made available to fund implementation of Part 1 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, as referred to by Mr Jack McConnell in his answer to question S1F-1518 on 20 December 2001; if so, how this money was allocated, how much was allocated to each local authority and w…

Answer · Des McNulty: £27 million was made available to local authorities to assist with implementation of Part 1 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 (homelessness provisions). Specifically local authorities are required to apply the funding to increase the provision of temporary a…

11 Sep 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the deadline is for the publication of the Cities Review.

Answer · Margaret Curran: We aim to publish the Cities Review report at the end of October.

5 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the yes/no blood test developed by the biotechnological concern RED for the diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome/ME and whether the test will be made available through the NHS.

Answer · Frank McAveety: The Executive understands that R.E.D. Laboratories, which are based in Belgium, describe the test as the FASTest (Fragmented Actin Serum Test), and state that the results should be used in conjunction with all other relevant clinical data before making a diag…

3 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the recent advice given to the Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning on virtual reality modelling language and 3-D web technology and place a copy in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Answer · Iain Gray: Copies of the information requested have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 23991).

16 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent technical assessments have been conducted by Scottish Enterprise of (a) 3D digital scanning and (b) Virtual Reality Modelling Language with regard to its investment in 3D imaging.

Answer · Iain Gray: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.

16 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether non-executive directors of Scottish Enterprise and local enterprise companies are required to publish any financial interest in funding decisions by these bodies and, if so, where such information may be accessed by the public.

Answer · Iain Gray: All non-executive directors of Scottish Enterprise and Local Enterprise Companies must declare any financial interest in funding decisions. A register of interests is contained in the Annual Report and Accounts of those bodies. The <I>Scottish Enterprise Annu…

16 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information technology seminars were sponsored by Scottish Enterprise and local enterprise companies in 2001; what companies were contracted by Scottish Enterprise to provide or part provide each such seminar, and what the contracting costs to Scottish Enterprise were in each case.

Answer · Iain Gray: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise.

5 Jun 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the results of the Cities Review will be published.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Cities Review report will be published in the autumn together with a response from the Executive.

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24558 by Mike Watson on 23 April 2002, what action it is taking to enhance the cultural role of cities by ensuring that the national art collection is available to all.

Answer · Mike Watson: Responding to the need to make the national collections more widely accessible and visible to the public, the National Galleries of Scotland are participating in the development of a scheme to increase lending to smaller museums and galleries around Scotland.

17 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership is of the Joint Ministerial Committee on poverty; when the committee has met, and when its next meeting will be.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive is represented on the Joint Ministerial Committee on poverty by the First Minister and the Minister for Social Justice. The committee has met twice as detailed in the answer given to question S1W-22478 on 12 February 2002. We are not aw…

17 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22671 by Mrs Elish Angiolini on 7 May 2002, what the average time taken to bring a case to trial was in (a) sheriff courts and (b) high courts in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Colin Boyd: Figures are not available beyond those given in reply to question S1W-22671 and, as regards proceedings on indictment, question S1W-22672 on 15 February 2002.

17 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24558 by Mike Watson on 23 April 2002, what steps are being taken to ensure that the various national art collections are truly national and accessible to the public.

Answer · Mike Watson: The National Galleries of Scotland has a statutory duty to care for, preserve and add to the objects in their collections and to secure that the objects are exhibited to the public.<P>Free entry to the National Galleries ensures that the national collection i…

17 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24558 by Mike Watson on 23 April 2002, whether it will list the members of the panel of expert advisers; how these members were appointed, and whether the composition of the panel is intended to be geographically representative of Scotland.

Answer · Mike Watson: The members of the Acceptance in Lieu of Tax Panel are appointed on UK-wide basis by Resource, the Government's advisors on museums and galleries. Every effort is made to ensure the panel represents all regions of the UK and currently there is one Scottish re…

17 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24558 by Mike Watson on 23 April 2002, whether persons bequesting works of art in lieu of inheritance tax may make any recommendation in respect of where the work will be allocated.

Answer · Mike Watson: Yes, an offerer has three choices when bequesting works of art in lieu of inheritance tax. <P>Firstly, they may make allocation to a specific institution a condition of the offer. This would be binding on the minister at the time of acceptance of the offer.<P…

24 Apr 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has issued to local authorities about assessing the impact on social exclusion policy of proposed Public/Private Partnerships to build and run schools.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Social inclusion policy should be an important aspect of the consideration which local authorities give to the education service they provide. Social inclusion issues are relevant to all schools. Local authorities should therefore have regard to these issues …

28 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all those consulted about the structure, powers and funding for VisitScotland's proposed joint private sector venture e-tourism Ltd.

Answer · Mike Watson: The principle elements of the joint venture have been widely publicised - not least in the Scottish Executive's <I>Strategy for Tourism</I>, published in February 2000. The joint venture is subject to a full EU procurement process and a prospectus for the pro…

28 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the level of public investment in the proposed e-tourism Ltd, along with any public share in the profits generated by the company.

Answer · Mike Watson: It is proposed that the public sector will invest as follows: VisitScotland £956,250 (12.75%) and Area Tourist Boards £918,750(12.25%). After the initial investment, no further funding of e-tourism Ltd will be required from the public sector. Any profits from…

28 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a private company will have the majority control of the proposed e-tourism Ltd and what safeguards will be in place to ensure that such a company cannot control access, in order to disadvantage competitors, to the website and national telephone number of e-tourism Ltd.

Answer · Mike Watson: It is proposed that the private sector will have majority control of the company. However, there will be a wide range of contractual safeguards in place to control the actions of the company and to ensure that it does not act against the public interest. Thes…

28 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will prevent "cherry-picking" of high commission tourist destinations under the arrangements for e-tourism Ltd.

Answer · Mike Watson: It is proposed that the rules on access will prevent "cherry picking". For example, e-tourism Ltd will not be able to highlight special offers for individual businesses on its home page and protocols on fees and charges and commission rates will be agreed in …

28 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how VisitScotland will guarantee that all tourist organisations will have equal access to the website and national telephone number for e-tourism Ltd.

Answer · Mike Watson: The Joint Venture Partnership has not yet been agreed. However, it will be a key condition that all tourism businesses will have equal access to the website and the national telephone number. The new company's business plan, which will require the agreement o…

27 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what diagnostic tests and markers are being used to screen possible participants in the epidemiological study into unexplained motor symptoms which has received #135,000 from the Chief Scientist Office.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The inclusion criteria used to screen possible participants for the epidemiological study of unexplained motor symptoms are:<P>the patient complains of symptoms or deficits affecting voluntary muscles, or deficits of sensory function that suggest a neurologic…

27 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which medical conditions are covered by the psychiatric research studies into "medically unexplained symptoms" which together received #537,000 from the Chief Scientist Office since 1999.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The medical conditions covered by the projects include: motor symptoms (including significant motor weakness affecting at least one leg), neurological symptoms and patients without conventionally defined organic disease who are frequently referred from primar…

15 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what reassurances it can give that offers of accommodation from a housing association or local authority under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 will have due regard to the best interests of any dependent children of any homeless person and thereby ensure that no child is ever separated fro…

Answer · Iain Gray: The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 amends the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 to require local authorities to have regard to the best interests of children in the exercise of their homelessness functions, including the offer of accommodation made to homeless familie…

15 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how quickly it intends to publish clear guidance, following the Court of Appeal cases in England on 11 April and 25 May 2001 concerning sections 17 and 20 of the Children Act 1989, as to the nature of the statutory duties of local authorities under sections 22 and 25 of the Children (Scot…

Answer · Iain Gray: We have no current plans to issue further guidance on the Children (Scotland) Act 1995. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and recent guidance to local authorities on homelessness strategies, make clear that the best interests of children should be considered in…

14 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients in the Tayside NHS board area were waiting to be assessed for the use of a powered wheelchair at 31 January in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24136.

14 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any reductions in the frequency of assessment clinics for the use of powered wheelchairs at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee and what assessment has been made of the health impact of any such reductions.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24136.

14 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time has been for a patient in the Tayside NHS Board area to be seen for an assessment for use of a powered wheelchair in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001-02 to date.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The information requested in this question, and questions S1W-24137 and S1W-24138 today, is not held centrally and should be obtained directly from Tayside University Hospital NHS Trust.<P>The Rehabilitation Technology Information System (RetIS) has been esta…