Parliamentary questions
Ken Macintosh
1,334 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
29 Apr 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to raise awareness of dyslexia among students undergoing initial teacher training.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The Executive publication <i>TheStandard for Initial Teacher Education in Scotland </i>details the broad rangeof skills and attributes that programmes of initial teacher education aredesigned to enable student teachers to acquire. These include the expectatio…
29 Apr 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the Dyslexia Friendly Schools Award, as piloted in East Renfrewshire, and whether it will support the roll-out of this system of parent-led school accreditation across Scotland.
Answer · Peter Peacock: I recently visited Dyslexia Scotwestwho developed the Dyslexia Friendly Schools Award. I was impressed by what I sawand learned and I am considering what I can do to encourage the approach being appliedmore widely.</p>
20 Apr 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made towards the 2005 electronic service delivery target.
Answer · Andy Kerr: We have today published the Executive’s5th <i>Electronic Service Delivery Progress Report</i>. Overall 87% of servicesprovided by the Executive, its agencies and non‑departmental public bodiesare now available online to some degree. This represents a 5%…
16 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken, or is proposed, following the announcement on 18 December 2003 about the blood transfusion incident involving variant Creut'feldt-Jakob Disease.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I will make a statement toParliament on this tomorrow.</p>
3 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive the Phase 3 report of its Higher Education Review.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I received the report onFriday 27 February. The report is being published today, and copies will be placedin the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 31377).</p>
2 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its performance in answering ministerial correspondence was in the fourth quarter of 2003.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: In the answer given toquestion S1W-24583 on 28 March 2002, I undertook to continue to report quarterly on thenumbers of letters received by ministers and our performance in answering them.This is the third quarter in which I am reporting performance on letter…
5 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what services are being put in place to support palliative care at home, including assisting with the control of pain and other symptoms, providing extra help for carers, meeting the need for nursing care in the home at night and providing advice and information through a telephone suppor…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We would expect NHS boards’palliative care needs assessments to take account of these issues, and a numberof initiatives are taking place across the country. The local and nationalreports from NHS Quality Improvement Scotland will help to achieve uniformityan…
5 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the number of cancer deaths at home is rising or falling.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows deaths from cancer by place of death from 1993 to 2002. It is reasonable to assume that deaths “not in an institution” are “at home”.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p> </p> </td> <td> <p…
5 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to meet the desire of people with a life-limiting disease to die at home.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Enabling patients to remainat home during the terminal stages of their illness, if possible and if that istheir wish, requires integration of the specialist palliative care and primaryhealthcare teams. Managed clinical networks for palliative care promote tha…
5 Feb 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase the number of nurses with specialist qualifications in palliative care.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards are responsiblefor planning services in their areas and for securing the staff needed todeliver them.</p><p>The Executive remainscommitted to building the workforce capacity of NHSScotland and in order toassist NHS employers meet local health needs…
31 Dec 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support and promote Scotland's young artistic talent.
Answer · Frank McAveety: The Scottish Arts Council is the lead agency charged with maintaining a national overviewof young people’s involvement with the arts. The council continues, inpartnership with arts organisations, local authorities and others, to develop awide range of initiat…
17 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when an announcement will be made on the relocation of VisitScotland.
Answer · Frank McAveety: Adecision on the future accommodation requirements of VisitScotland has now beenreached. Following an extensive option appraisal of the 10 potential areasshortlisted as possible locations for the VisitScotland headquarters office,the majority of VisitScotland…
24 Nov 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its performance in answering ministerial correspondence was in the third quarter of 2003.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: In the answer given toquestion S1W-24583 on 23 March 2002, I undertook to continue to report quarterly on thenumbers of letters received by ministers and our performance in answering them.This is the second quarter in which I am reporting performance on lette…
26 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on exclusion from, and violence and disruptive behaviour in, schools.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The target on exclusions was helpful in setting a clear direction of travel and as a stimulus to the development of alternatives to exclusion. We remain committed to seeing a trend of reductions in exclusions but based on the application of the best available…
9 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome has been of the allocation of probationer teachers to local authorities under the Teacher Induction Scheme 2003-04.
Answer · Peter Peacock: We have, once again, succeeded in allocating everyone who applied to join the Teacher Induction Scheme in August 2003 to one of his or her five preferred authorities, albeit the scheme offers no such guarantee.<P>The matching of probationers to their preferre…
17 Mar 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its performance in answering ministerial correspondence was in the fourth quarter of 2002.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: In the answer given to question S1W-24583 on 28 March 2002, I undertook to continue to report quarterly on the numbers of letters received by ministers and our performance in answering them.<P>In the quarter October to December 2002, 3,464 letters were receiv…
19 Feb 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been charged following arrest in or around football grounds in each of the last 10 years, broken down by football ground.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.
19 Feb 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many arrests have been made in or around football grounds in each of the last 10 years, broken down by football ground.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Information on arrests by the police is not collected centrally. The recorded crime statistics collected centrally do not identify the location of the crime.
19 Feb 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it can provide on the extent of football-related violence over the last 10 years.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The recorded crime statistics collected centrally do not distinguish football-related incidents and the Scottish Executive has not commissioned research over the last 10 years on football-related violence.<P>The Executive has, however, mounted research into v…
19 Feb 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take following the publication of figures from the 2001 Census on the number of Gaelic speakers.<P><I>The member has provided the following translation:</I><P>Coinneach Mac an Toisich: A dh? fhaighneachd do Riaghaltas na h-Alba de na ceuman a tha iad am beachd a…
Answer · Mike Watson: We will continue with our policy of strengthening and extending Gaelic education at all levels. We believe this is the most effective means of increasing the number of Gaelic speakers. In addition, I will ask Bord na Gaidhlig to take account of the 2001 Censu…
6 Feb 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give details of any changes to the rates of student support for further and higher education students that will apply for the academic year 2003-04.
Answer · Iain Gray: I am delighted to announce the new rates of support for students in further and higher education for academic year 2003-04. I am today placing in the Parliament's Reference Centre details of the rates of those loans, bursaries and grants, which will be availa…
28 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the patient focus and public involvement agenda will build on the activity and experience of cancer support groups and organisations.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive's patient focus and public involvement framework aims to achieve a patient-focused health service where people are treated as individuals and where individuals, groups and communities are involved in improving the quality of care, influencing pr…
28 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to monitor the impact of the Involving People programme on cancer patients' experience in the year ahead.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As part of the patient and public involvement programme all NHS boards are required to develop a plan for sustainable patient and public involvement which will be evaluated and supported by the Scottish Executive Health Department. <P>For cancer services, reg…
22 Jan 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is marking Holocaust Memorial Day 2003.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The UK event to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, which was held in the Usher Hall in Edinburgh on 27 January this year, was sponsored by a partnership between the Home Office, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Executive, and organised with the…
15 Jan 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the incidence of skin cancer.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: <I>Cancer in Scotland: Action for change</I> sets out a variety of measures aimed at improving prevention, earlier detection and treatment for all cancers. Awareness raising campaigns of the risks of unnecessary exposure to ultraviolet radiation are run by th…
19 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in completing Scotland's contribution to the European list of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) designated under the EC Habitats Directive.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive is committed to implementing the Habitats Directive in Scotland and 229 sites have already been submitted to the European Commission. <P>In June 2002 the Commission undertook an assessment of the lists of candidate SACs put forward by t…
12 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the arrangements put in place in response to the eight-day strike by fire service employees in Scotland were satisfactory.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The armed forces and police together with a number of other organisations are to be congratulated on the way in which emergency fire cover was provided during the eight-day strike on 22 to 30 November. A report has been prepared and copies have today been pla…
11 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its performance in answering ministerial correspondence was in the third quarter of 2002.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: In the answer given to question S1W-24583 on 28 March 2002, I undertook to continue to report quarterly on the numbers of letters received by ministers and our performance in answering them.<P>In the quarter July to September 2002, 3,731 letters were received…
4 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the report by Philip Banks on support for school boards.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I am pleased to announce publication today of this independent report which was prepared for the Scottish Executive by Philip Banks, an independent consultant.<P>The remit of the review was to provide information on and evaluate local authority support for sc…
4 Dec 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in schools to help tackle racism.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Schools are at the heart of preparing young people to live in a multi-cultural and inclusive society. We have funded the Centre for Education for Racial Equality in Scotland (CERES) since 1991. CERES aims to promote education for racial equality within educat…