Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh

3 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to promote the fuel poverty initiative amongst landlords.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The main programmes to tackle fuel poverty in Scotland, the central heating programme and the Warm Deal, have been widely publicised. All local authorities and housing associations know of them and are taking part, if eligible. Eaga manage the programmes for …

3 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanism and procedure it has in place to target specific sectors of the population who may be especially at risk from fuel poverty.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Fuel poverty is most prevalent among those on low incomes, particularly the elderly and those dependent on state benefit. The Executive is targeting fuel poverty among those groups through the central heating programme and the Warm Deal; stock transfer from l…

27 Mar 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what provisions the Parliament makes for people who visit the Parliament who are (a) deaf, (b) deafblind and (c) have hearing difficulties.

Answer · David Steel: Details of all of the services provided for disabled people who visit the Parliament can be found at: <P><A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/welcoming_you/disability.htm">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/welcoming_you/disability.htm</A>.<P>The Partici…

22 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how local authorities implement their policy statements for volunteering.

Answer · Iain Gray: Volunteer Development Scotland, which receives core funding from the Scottish Executive, has, in partnership with COSLA, issued guidance to all local authorities on how to develop and implement volunteering policies. It is for local authorities themselves to …

22 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Women's Consultative Forum last met and what matters were discussed.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Women in Scotland Consultative Forum (WiSCF) last met on 15 May 2000. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the World Conference on Women's Rights held in Beijing in 1995 and address the topics raised in the Platform for Action. A smaller group the Wo…

22 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision it makes to produce documents in alternative formats to allow easier access for people with disabilities.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: If a publication is being aimed at an audience who have disabled needs, the department producing the publication would consider supplying the alternative formats of Braille, audio tape and large print. Where an audience includes groups who would benefit from …

22 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are currently being taken to encourage breastfeeding amongst new mothers.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Health Plan <I>Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change</I> set out our target of 50% of mothers breastfeeding at six weeks by 2005. It also laid out our intention to support breastfeeding by local breastfeeding strategies; imple…

15 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action Communities Scotland plans to take in order to tackle adult literacy and numeracy issues.

Answer · Iain Gray: Communities Scotland will establish a development centre, to take forward a work programme supporting practitioners involved in improving literacy and numeracy levels across Scotland. This will include developing: a framework for a fully accredited national t…

14 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio is of men to women currently referred to the Counselling and Support Service for Alcohol and Drugs.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Sixty-nine per cent of those referred to the Counselling and Support Service for Alcohol and Drugs in Forth Valley in the last 12 months were male and 31% were female.

14 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people regularly drink above recommended limits.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: In 1998, 33% of men and 15% of women aged 16-64 reported drinking above recommended weekly limits (21 units for men and 14 units for women). Twenty-six per cent of all women and 44% of all men reported drinking more than twice the recommended daily benchmarks…

14 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many referral schemes for arrests in which drugs and/or alcohol feature significantly are currently in place; how many referrals under such schemes have been made in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001 and how many clients so referred have kept the appointment made at the time of arrest.

Answer · Richard Simpson: Arrest referral schemes currently in existence have been instigated at a local level, so the information sought is not held centrally. We have announced that the Executive proposes to take legislative powers which will allow us to fund local authority crimina…

13 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release SE5229/2002 of 25 January 2002, how many families currently reside in "inappropriate temporary accommodation".

Answer · Iain Gray: Tables 25-27 of the latest <I>Quarterly Housing Trends Bulletin</I>, published on 18 December 2001, presents information on the number of households with children that were living in various types of temporary accommodation, at the end of June 2001. A copy of…

13 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release SE5229/2002 of 25 January 2002, what plans it has in respect of replacing hostels for homeless people in Glasgow, following the decommissioning of such hostels.

Answer · Iain Gray: The report of the Glasgow street homelessness review team recommended that the city's large-scale hostels be closed over time.</FONT><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=4> </FONT><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2>Glasgow City Council and its partners have established a Planning …

13 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken since the publication of the report Supporting Active Communities in Scotland - A Draft Strategy for Volunteering and Community Action in order to assess the approach of journalism and media studies courses to voluntary and community matters.

Answer · Iain Gray: A Media Strategy Action Group has been established to develop a strategy for the promotion of the Active Communities Initiative in Scotland. It reports directly to the Scottish Executive. As part of its deliberations, the group plans to engage the Higher Educ…

13 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to action points D2 and D3 of the report Supporting Active Communities in Scotland - A Draft Strategy for Volunteering and Community Action, how many public access points that disseminate information about volunteering opportunities are available.

Answer · Iain Gray: A network of 37 Volunteer Centres operating from 51 offices in 30 local authority areas are now in place to provide information and advice on volunteering opportunities in Scotland. The aim of the Volunteer Centre network is to make it easier for people to vo…

13 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria must be met for an area to become part of a Social Inclusion Partnership scheme.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Donald Dewar, the then Secretary of State for Scotland, announced on 8 May 1998 that the 12 Priority Partnership Areas designated in November 1996 would evolve into Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIPs) and that SIPs would also be set up in other areas across …

5 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what date the report Prison Admission Health Screening as a Measure of Health Needs, published in the Scottish Executive Health Bulletin on 1 March 2001, was first approved for publication by the Scottish Prison Service.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Prison Service was not asked to approve the publication of this report in the Health Bulletin.

5 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were in prisons and young offenders institutions in each year since 1992, broken down by classification of crime; what percentage of these prisoners had previous convictions, broken down by the number of previous convictions; what the average sentence was for each crime…

Answer · Jim Wallace: Information on prisoners in penal establishments by crime classification is not available for years before 1997.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The available information on prisoners in penal establishments by crime classification is given for 1997 to 1999 in Tables 1-3 &…

10 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used to select the members of the Review Group on the Retention of Organs at Post-Mortem; why each member of the group was chosen and in particular what account was taken of their independence from both government and the medical profession, and whether the group membe…

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Review Group on the Retention of Organs at Post Mortem which I have set up is chaired by Professor McLean who holds the Chair of Law and Ethics in Medicine at Glasgow and is Director of the Institute of Law and Medicine.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The members have…

22 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have formulated local biodiversity action plans and which authorities these are.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: All Scottish local authorities are currently in the process of developing Local Biodiversity Action Plans (LBAP). Six have so far been published. They are:<P>City of Edinburgh;<P>Dumfries and Galloway;<P>Fife;<P>North East Scotland (which combines Aberdeenshi…

21 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when Scotland will have implemented all the recommendations of the report R(85)11 The Position of the Victim in the Framework of Criminal Law and Procedure, published by the European Committee on Crime Problems in 1985.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive recognises the important role which victims play in our criminal justice system and is committed to a policy which ensures that they have access to the support, information, protection and redress which they need. Recent announcements o…

29 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether case C-359/97, Commission of the European Communities versus the United Kingdom, will affect the construction of the M77 extension due to its implication that shadow tolls should be subject to VAT.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: No. Shadow tolls are already subject to VAT and are not affected by the decision of the European Court of Justice.

28 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has the powers to introduce legislation to create new powers of confiscation of the assets of convicted and/or suspected drug dealers.

Answer · Angus MacKay: Current confiscation powers are set out in the Proceeds of Crime (Scotland) Act 1995. Current civil forfeiture powers are set out in the Drug Trafficking Act 1994. The criminal law is generally devolved. Schedule5 of the Scotland Act 1998 indicates that the P…

15 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will recommend to North Lanarkshire Council that it ensures that, under its restructuring of its housing system, all long-term applicants on the waiting list from the previous system will be successfully transferred to the waiting list for the new system.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: This is a matter for the local authority.

14 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what safeguards have been implemented to ensure that firms debarred from being awarded World Bank financed contracts because they have been found guilty of fraud and corruption are also barred from being awarded Public/Private Partnership (PPP) contracts and whether any safeguards are in …

Answer · Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive carries out a number of checks on firms bidding for major contracts, including PPPs. These include asking specific questions relating to criminal convictions. In addition, all contracts, including PPP's, have contractual provisions whic…

18 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Scottish Executive news release SE01102/00, when the #2 million boost for the fight against drugs was first announced, and on how many occasions this money was referred to either on its own or as part of a different package in Executive news releases between this date a…

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The total amount of extra resources was announced on 20 January 2000 and its distribution announced on 17 April. Between these dates one news release, on 9 February, referred to the additional £2 million.

9 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is the number, type and location of open-cast mines currently in operation and to list any outstanding applications for open-cast mining.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Information on the number and type of open-cast mines is given in the following table. This is taken from the British Geological Survey's <I>Directory of Mines and Quarries </I>1998. Details of subsequent approvals and outstanding applications are not held ce…

2 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government to clarify the criteria considered by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions when siting motorway services in Scotland.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Service area provision in Scotland is a matter for Scottish Ministers. The guidelines which apply in Scotland are contained in the National Planning Policy Guideline NPPG 9 entitled <I>The Provision of Roadside Facilities on Motorways and Other Trunk Roads in…

2 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how East Ayrshire residents will be given the maximum opportunity to obtain employment opportunities from the construction of the M77 extension as defined in the Strategic Roads Review proposals of November 1999.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Local economic development opportunities associated with the provision of the M77 were considered in the Strategic Roads Review and reported in the Appraisal Summary Table for the scheme published in <I>Travel Choices for Scotland, Strategic Roads Review</I>.…

2 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what was the level of public subsidy provided to "Healthy Gay Scotland" from (a) the Scottish Executive, (b) Health Education Board Scotland, (c) health boards, (d) local authorities and (e) any other groups funded by the aforementioned agencies for the financial years 1998-99 and 1999-20…

Answer · Iain Gray: The Executive is the sole public sector body funding the Healthy Gay Scotland campaign. In each of the last two years, a grant of £150,000 was offered to the organisation, with £150,000 being paid in 1998-99 and £126,320 being paid in 1999-2000.