Parliamentary questions

Lewis Macdonald

2,224 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

2 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the announcement regarding the A90 between Balmedie and Tipperty, when the Scottish Government expects any roads project in the North East of Scotland to be completed

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The law in relationto child sex offenders is kept under review as part of the Scottish Government’ssex offender strategy, and we will continue to take whatever further steps are necessaryand appropriate to improve public protection.Scotland has develop…

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1347 by Stewart Stevenson on 24 July 2007, what criteria the review conducted by Transport Scotland applied in considering the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and the Aberdeen Crossrail project.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the memberto answer to question S3W-2651 on 4 September 2007. Allanswers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s websitethe search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.sear…

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1347 by Stewart Stevenson on 24 July 2007, what criteria the review by Transport Scotland considered in relation to the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and the Aberdeen Crossrail project.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I announced the outcomeof the review of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route andthe criteria assessed in my statement to Parliament on 27 June 2007 (Official Report Col<a name=Col1131>1131</a>).The Aberdeen Crossrailproject was not reviewed. T…

31 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-1348 by Stewart Stevenson on 24 July 2007, what the impact was on projected costs of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-1811 on 24 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.sea…

21 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether reviews of strategic transport projects undertaken by Transport Scotland are in themselves likely to have any impact on project costs.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I asked Transport Scotland toundertake a detailed review of all transport projects inherited from theprevious administration.I reported the outcome ofthis review to Parliament on Wednesday 27 June 2007, this included any impacton project costs.

21 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether reviews of strategic transport projects undertaken by Transport Scotland are additional to the routine financial control and management of these projects and, if so, in what respects.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Although the timing of thisreview was outside that of routine financial management the review itself wasin line with the normal, natural and necessary conduct of business.

21 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects Transport Scotland’s financial review of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route to have any impact on the timetable for completing the project.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-795 on 19 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.sea…

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discretion it has to vary the application of section 62 of the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007 in the case of notaries public who make no charge for their service.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Executivedoes not have the discretion to vary the application of section 62 of the LegalProfession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007 in the case of notaries public whomake no charge for their service.

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discretion it has to vary the application of section 62 of the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007 in the case of solicitors who have retired from practice but continue to act as notaries public.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Executivedoes not have the discretion to vary the application of section 62 of the LegalProfession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007 in the case of solicitors who haveretired from practice but continue to act as notaries public.

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when section 62 of the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007 will come into force.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Executivewill continue to have discussions with the Law Society of Scotland and other stakeholdersregarding the commencement of section 62 of the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007. No commencement date has been decided on atprese…

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its national audit of vaccine storage procedures has led to revaccination of any patients, other than patients of the medical practice in Aberdeen where the issue of vaccines being stored at the wrong temperature first arose.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The national auditis not yet complete. The final report will contain a full analysis.

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the results of its national audit of vaccine storage procedures will be placed in the public domain.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The results of thenational audit of vaccines will be placed in the public domain once the exerciseis complete.

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the circumstances which led to vaccines being stored at the wrong temperature in a medical practice in Aberdeen have arisen elsewhere in Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The national auditof GP Practices is not yet complete. However, since the audit began on 8 November2006 one further GP practice in Grampian and two in Forth Valley have announcedthat certain vaccines may have been stored at temperatures outside the recommende…

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has assessed the risk of any delay to completion of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route by instituting a further financial review of the project and, if so, what the level of risk was found to be.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-795 on 19 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.sear…

8 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change’s comments on 7 June 2007 in response to an intervention from Patrick Harvie (Official Report c. 458) and the answer to the second supplementary question to question S3F-29 by Alex Salmond on 7 June 2007, what furth…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-795 on 19 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.sear…

14 Mar 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to examine the issue of the parking costs faced by community nurses and health visitors in the course of their work.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Provision already exists for local authorities to issue parking passes for use by community nurses and health visitors making visits.

28 Feb 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue advice and guidance on the setting up of football supporters' trusts.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Guidance on the setting up of football supporters' trusts is being prepared at present. Once it is complete we propose to arrange a seminar for interested parties at which the guidance can be disseminated and discussed.

19 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome is of its recent consultation on the affordability of water and sewerage charges.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Following consideration of the consultation report I have decided to introduce a scheme on the lines set out in the consultation paper and the threshold of the scheme for year one is to be set at £180.A report compiled following completion of the consultat…

6 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for the distribution of Ethnic Minority Grant and which organisations or bodies are consulted as part of the decision-making process.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Executive determines the policy and criteria for the Ethnic Minority Grant Scheme and Scottish Ministers make the decisions on which projects are to be funded. The scheme is administered on behalf of the Executive by the Unemployed Voluntary Action Fund (…

6 Dec 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what can be done to improve the way emergency services respond to 999 calls.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The respective emergency services operate to set standards or target times in responding to emergency calls. These are kept under constant review and every effort is made to maintain and, where possible, improve levels of response.

30 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place for promoting racial equality through the funding of Social Inclusion Partnerships, how the need for any such funding has been identified, and what plans there are to establish other such Social Inclusion Partnerships in future.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Two Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIPs) have been established specifically to address the exclusion of people from minority ethnic communities. The Glasgow Anti-Racist Alliance Social Inclusion Partnership and the Frae Fife Social Inclusion Partnership recei…

30 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Racial Equality Councils regarding future funding arrangements.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive currently has no statutory power to provide core funding to Race Equality Councils. The means by which the Executive provides other support to the black and ethnic minority voluntary sector is currently being reviewed and a report is ex…

30 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring procedures are in place to ensure that the bidding process for Ethnic Minority Grants is transparent and accountable.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Ethnic Minority Grants Scheme is administered on behalf of the Scottish Executive by the Unemployed Voluntary Action Fund. Applications are made to the fund, whose Board of Trustees consider them before making recommendations to the Scottish Executive. Sc…

23 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with police forces regarding any impact on bail conditions of the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998.

Answer · Jim Wallace: We have discussed the subject of bail with the police as part of routine and continuing discussions on a range of ECHR issues.

23 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of crime was recorded in 1999 per head of population in Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The information requested is given in table 7, page 26 of the Statistical Bulletin Recorded Crime in Scotland 1999 published by the Scottish Executive in April 2000, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. no. 7079).

23 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of total police force funding was allocated to each police force in each of the last three financial years.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Funding for the police is provided annually through the Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) process. The figures requested are shown in the following table.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="27%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=19><P ALIGN="JUST…

23 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of recorded crime was committed in each police force area in 1999 and what percentage of the population lives in each police force area.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The information requested is given in the table:Crimes recorded by the police and population, percentage distribution by police force area, 1999Percentages<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=417><TR><TD WIDTH=…

25 Oct 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Railtrack and rail operating companies regarding the withdrawal of all direct rail services from Aberdeen to London.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has been in daily contact with Railtrack and the train operating companies concerning the operation of all passenger services in Scotland which are affected by the imposition of temporary speed restrictions across the GB railway network.

22 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what each health board's current allocation of resources for general medical services in 2000-01 is and how each of these allocations will change in (a) the current financial year and (b) future financial years as a result of these resources being allocated on the basis of the community h…

Answer · Susan Deacon: The following table shows each health board's current allocation for general medical services cash limited and indicative allocations for general medical services non-cash limited. The table also shows those increases in the allocations for general medical se…

22 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what adjustments are made in the allocation of resources for hospital and community health services to take account of the additional demands associated with offshore workers and other workers resident in a health board area for a substantial part of each year.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The population figures used in the Arbuthnott revenue allocation formulae for hospital and community health services take into account all persons usually resident in an area. As such, they include offshore workers and other workers resident in a health board…