Parliamentary questions
Mr Keith Harding
382 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Apr 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take to encourage local authorities to address the need identified in the Accounts Commission's Overview of the 1999/2000 Local Authority Audits to review the management of capital expenditure
Answer · Peter Peacock: The general capital expenditure section of the Accounts Commission report relates to the use of revenue for capital purposes. While the amount of capital expenditure funded from revenue is a matter for individual local authorities, the Accounts Commission is …
5 Apr 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take in response to the recommendation in the Accounts Commission's Overview of the 1999/2000 Local Authority Audits that it should consider how it can assist local authorities to meet recycling targets.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive is already taking actions to help local authorities improve their waste management. <I>The National Waste Strategy: Scotland</I>, which we adopted in 1999, outlines the ways in which we intend to change the way waste is dealt with in Scotland. 1…
4 Apr 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultant clinical and medical oncologists were employed at each of the five Scottish specialist cancer centres in the year to September 2000 and how many patients were seen per consultant at each centre during this period.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The number of consultant clinical and medical oncologists employed at each of the trusts that contain the five Scottish specialist centres, is shown in table 1. These figures do not include the impact of the additional posts I announced on 28 June 2000, which…
4 Apr 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times the Ministerial Working Group established to examine the recommendations of the Report of the Renewing Local Democracy Working Group has now met and when it expects to be able to inform the Parliament of the outcome of the working group's deliberations.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The group has met on four occasions. Its work is continuing and it is not possible to give a firm date by which the Executive will announce its conclusions on the recommendations made by the Renewing Local Democracy Working Group.
3 Apr 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total costs were of the publication, including the design, photocopying, printing, Internet connection of text, distribution and cost of launch, of Costs, Sentencing Profiles and the Scottish Criminal Justice System 1999.
Answer · David Steel: The total costs of the Annual Report of the Scottish Parliament Committees 2000 were as follows: the total for design, printing, binding and publishing was £8,600; the photography costs were £3,747; distribution cost £371, making a total of £12,718. …
3 Apr 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total costs were of the publication, including the design, photocopying, printing, Internet connection of text, distribution and cost of launch, of Costs, Sentencing Profiles and the Scottish Criminal Justice System 1999.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The total cost of this publication was £4089.19 excluding Value Added Tax.
3 Apr 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total costs were of the publication, including the design, photocopying, printing, Internet connection of text, distribution and cost of launch, of Protecting Our Rights: A Human Rights Commission for Scotland? Consultation Document.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The total cost of producing and distributing the document, of all the factors mentioned in the question was about £3,800.
3 Apr 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total costs were of the publication, including the design, photocopying, printing, Internet connection of text, distribution and cost of launch, of the summary report The Scottish Budget.
Answer · Angus MacKay: The costs of publishing <I>The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure</I> <I>Report of the Scottish Executive</I> summary document are shown in the table:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=302><TR><TD WIDTH="69%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="3…
3 Apr 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total costs were of the publication, including the design, photocopying, printing, Internet connection of text, distribution and cost of launch, of the Scottish Budget.
Answer · Angus MacKay: The costs of publishing The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive detail document are set out below:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=283><TR><TD WIDTH="77%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="23%" VALIGN="TOP"><P …
30 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to establish women only residential alcohol rehabilitation centres in Scotland similar to the Headway Halfway House in Devon.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is not aware of any plans to establish women-only residential alcohol rehabilitation centres in Scotland. Alcohol misuse services will be at the heart of the proposed national Plan for Action on alcohol misuse, and in developing that co…
30 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to increase the number of outreach services to meet the particular needs of women with dependent children and who suffer from alcohol related problems, as recommended in the Health Education Board for Scotland document, women and alcohol: report of an expert seminar.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14675.
30 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether alcohol educational materials have been developed to target middle-aged and older women, as recommended in the Health Education Board for Scotland document, women and alcohol: report of an expert seminar.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14675.
30 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to monitor the marketing strategies used by the drinks industry as recommended in the Health Education Board for Scotland document, women and alcohol: report of an expert seminar.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14675.
30 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to assess the implications of current high levels of drinking amongst young women and the development of problem drinking in later life, highlighted as a research priority in the Health Education Board for Scotland document, women and alcohol: report of an exper…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14675.
30 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are for alcohol services to conduct assessments that include routine screening for psychiatric disorders, as recommended in the Health Education Board for Scotland document, women and alcohol: report of an expert seminar.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14675.
30 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in developing home alcohol detoxification services, as recommended in the Health Education Board for Scotland document, women and alcohol: report of an expert seminar.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is currently consulting on a national Plan for Action on alcohol misuse which is to be published by the end of this year. The expert seminar <I>Women and Alcohol </I>was funded by the Scottish Executive and we have noted the recommendat…
29 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total costs were of the publication (design, photocopying, printing, Internet connection of text, distribution and costs of launch) of (a) Scottish Economic Statistics 2001 and (b) Scottish Social Statistics 2001 and how many copies of each were produced.
Answer · Angus MacKay: The total cost of publication for <I>Scottish Social Statistics 2001</I> was £22,971, with a print run of 1,000 copies. The total cost of publication for <I>Scottish Economic Statistics 2001</I> was £16,689, with a print run of 700 copies.
28 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11911 by Mr Tom McCabe on 27 March 2001, what budget has been allocated to the series of "Question Time" events for (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2001-02, including the amount allocated for market research, external consultants, hire of facilities and publicit…
Answer · Tom McCabe: No specific budget was allocated for undertaking the series of Question Time events in 2000-01 and we are still considering our plans for this year. The only costs so far incurred relate to the Inverness event. The cost of actually staging the event was £7,00…
23 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can quantify the numbers of instances of anti-social behaviour in each of the last two years in each local authority area, using as a definition the types of behaviour described as anti-social in paragraphs 21 to 27 of Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour: The Way Ahead.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: Not at present. Pilot work has recently begun on improving the quality and quantity of information collected by local authorities and other landlords.
23 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prison officers under the age of 35 at (a) HM Prison Cornton Vale and (b) HM Prison Perth have left the service in each of the last three years.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P ALIGN="CENTER"><CENTER><TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=451><TR><TD WIDTH="33%" VALIGN="TOP"><P ALIGN="CENTER">Year</TD><TD WIDT…
23 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken as a result of the study by the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland which monitored the use of new grounds for eviction.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The study entitled <I>The Crime and Disorder Act 1998: The use of section 23 evictions for anti-social behaviour</I>, which also reports on the use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, was received in March 2000. A copy was placed in the Scottish Parliament's Ref…
23 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) formal complaints by neighbours to local authorities, (b) legal actions and (c) evictions in respect of anti-social behaviour there were in each local authority area in each of the last three years.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: This information is not held centrally. A new Scottish Executive return is being introduced from 1 April 2001 which will obtain, among other things, the following information for all local authorities each quarter: the number of eviction actions for anti-soci…
23 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many anti-social behaviour orders have been (a) applied for and (b) granted in the last two years, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: A study was commissioned by the Executive from the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland in 1999 which monitored the use of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, as well as the extended powers of eviction for anti-social beh…
22 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what results have been achieved following the completion of the first year of the drug treatment and testing order pilot in Glasgow and what plans there are for similar pilots.
Answer · Iain Gray: The first Drug Treatment and Testing Order in Glasgow was made on 10 February 2000. In the period to the end of February 2001 a further 46 orders were made. To date, there have been 2 successful completions and 7 offenders reported to the court for breach. Of…
22 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what options for speeding up the eviction process were explored following the analysis of the research study into any possible delays in the legal process in dealing with anti-social behaviour cases referred to in paragraph 50 of Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour: The Way Ahead.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The research found that whilst there was scope for some minor improvements in the courts, the greatest scope for improvement lay with the landlords and related agencies.<B> </B>I understand, however, that the Sheriff Court Rules Council is considering, as par…
22 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the study to evaluate the impact of evictions on individuals and families referred to in paragraph 70 of Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour: The Way Ahead and what action has been taken as a result of this study.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: This study has been included in the Development Department Research Programme for 2001-2002 and will be commissioned later this year.
22 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the new baseline study into housing management practice referred to in paragraph 55 of Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour: The Way Ahead and what action has subsequently been taken as a result of this study.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: Two parts of the study, "A Review of the Literature" and " A Review of Progress" were placed on the Scottish Executive website in August 2000. The third part of the review, "Case Studies, Conclusions and Recommendations", has now been completed but …
22 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the evaluation of the fast-tracking for drugs cases referred to in paragraph 97 of Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour: The Way Ahead and what action has subsequently been taken as a result of this evaluation.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The evaluation of the fast -tracking for drugs cases has recently been received and is currently being considered.
22 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have adopted the model secure tenancy agreement.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The information requested is not held centrally. While some authorities are using the Model Secure Tenancy Agreement (MoSTA), it has not yet been widely adopted as MoSTA did not become available until after the secure tenancy had been introduced. However, aut…
22 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many landlords have made use of the services offered by Safeguarding Communities Reducing Offending (SACRO) and referred to in paragraph 18 of Housing and Anti-Social Behaviour: The Way Ahead to date, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: 22 local authorities have so far made use of the mediation services offered by Safeguarding Communities Reducing Offending (SACRO). These are listed in the table. In addition SACRO have held discussions with some 30 housing associations.<P>The follo…