Parliamentary questions
Michael McMahon
323 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any evidence has emerged on the level of improvement in traffic congestion at Strathclyde Business Park following recent junction improvements.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: No study has beenundertaken to assess the effect of the junction alterations at Strathclyde Business Park.</p><p>Transport Scotland has operational responsibility for this matter and canbe contacted for further information.</p>
5 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to introduce further measures to reduce congestion on the A725 Bellshill by-pass following the recent junction improvements at Strathclyde Business Park.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Work is currentlyon-going to signalise the junction of the A725 and North Road. It may be that these works will offer congestion relief benefits but theseare not yet proven. There are no further plans for engineering measures to reducecongestion on the A725.<…
5 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any evidence exists that would preclude work beginning early on either the Raith interchange or the M8 upgrades.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-4033 on 20 September 2007. Allanswers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
5 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to bring forward the start date for work on the M8 Newhouse to Baillieston upgrade.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: No. <em>We are currently working tothe following timetable:</em></p><p>Publish draft roadorders and compulsory purchase orders:</p><p>Autumn 2007</p><p>Award contract – 2009-10</p><p>Scheme open – 2012-13.</p>
5 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to bring forward the start date for work on the Raith interchange.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The timetable forthe start of work on the Raith interchange is dependent on the satisfactory completionof the statutory procedures. The draft Road Orders were published on 23 March andthe draft Compulsory Purchase Order is expected to be published later in th…
5 Sep 2007 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that Scottish universities are able to maintain their competitive edge in the face of increased funding for universities in England and Wales.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Scottish highereducation institutions benefit from high levels of public investment and remaincompetitive with the sector in England and Wales. We are strongly committed to supporting the sector and will makeinvestment in higher education a priority in the fo…
2 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that members of the public should be entitled to make complaints to the Standards Commission for Scotland in respect of the Code of Conduct for Councillors.
Answer · John Swinney: Complaints of misconductagainst individual councillors, in respect of the Councillor’s Code of Conduct,can be made by the public to the Office of the Chief Investigating Officer who reportsthe outcome of any investigations he carries out to the Standards Comm…
2 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the Code of Conduct for Councillors.
Answer · John Swinney: We are currently consideringthe best time to review the code in light of experience gained to date in the operationof the code.</p>
5 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29623 by Mr Tom McCabe on 17 November 2006, from where in Scotland Eden Springs (UK) Ltd sources its water and what value this contributes to the economy.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The water supplied to the Executive under its contract with Eden Springs (UK) Ltd is sourced from Blantyre. EdenSpring uses water that is extracted from private springs that are dedicated tothe companys’ use and are environmentally protected.</p><p>The total …
7 Jun 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has introduced, or plans to introduce, to ensure that there is efficient and reliable transport to public services such as hospitals and schools.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive is committedto improving access to health and education services though a number of means:</p><p>by ensuring, through planning, that schools and hospitals are served by a range of transportmodes, including public transport;</p><p>by giv…
12 Apr 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports schools developing curricular specialities to promote higher attainment.
Answer · Robert Brown: We are committed to improvingattainment and achievement for all pupils through the National Priorities in Educationand are supporting education authorities and schools so that they can make theseimprovements in ways that best meet the needs of all their pupil…
17 Feb 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for the next spending review.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The next three-year spendingreview will take place in 2007 in line with the UK Spending Review. We are undertakingpreparatory work to take a fresh look at the policy framework and its implicationsfor resources in the years ahead.</p><p>Thiswork will help us t…
26 Oct 2005 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is working to address long-term economic decline of former coalfield and industrial areas.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Apart from the normal range of support measures, our agencies are also working with local authorities on a number of large scale projects. For example, in Lanarkshire, we are seeing the redevelopment of Ravenscraig and in Glasgow, the transformation of the Cl…
15 Jul 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a policy on choice of place of care for terminally ill patients and, if so, what that policy is.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Our aims is that NHS boardsshould meet the wishes of patients and their families, as far as ispracticable. We support the developmentof specialist palliative care, including at home, where appropriate.Substantial resources have been invested in palliative car…
15 Jul 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding palliative care has received in each NHS board area in each year since 1995.
Answer · Andy Kerr: This is a matter for NHS boards.The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
5 Jan 2005 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is assisting NHS boards with long-term financial planning.
Answer · Andy Kerr: In the early part of each year NHS boards receive an allocation for the following financial year and, after each spending review, indicative allocations for the next two years. This gives boards a reasonable degree of certainty over the resources available to…
15 Dec 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to reduce racist and sectarian abuse in sports grounds and what discussions it has had on the issue with relevant sporting bodies.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The Executive is committed to tackling all forms of sectarianism, religious intolerance and racism throughout Scottish society and is addressing this by taking forward work in a range of different areas.</p>
8 Dec 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to reduce the number of fatalities on roads.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive is investing in road improvements targeted on accident cluster sites. We are also funding road safety programmes such as the Foolsspeed and Festive drink driving campaigns, and safer road projects such as safer routes to school and home zones. W…
17 Nov 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in establishing a system of police warnings for young offenders.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Guidelines were issued to the police on 21 June setting out the arrangements for a national system of restorative police warnings. These guidelines have been backed up with the investment of £727,000 over two years to ensure that senior police officer warning…
10 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on the refresh of A Smart, Successful Scotland.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The refreshed version of <i>ASmart, Successful </i><i>Scotland</i><i> </i>(<i>SSS</i>)is being published today. During the refresh, the Executive has considered the viewsof Parliament and a wide range of stakeholder organisations. The new <i>A Smart,Successfu…
6 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to meet representatives of the utility roadworks industry to discuss the regulation of utility roadworks.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I met with representatives of the utility roadworks industry on 25 May this year to discuss the regulation of their activities. Additionally, my officials are in contact on a regular basis with utility company representatives and their local authority counter…
6 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there would be any potential conflict of interest in granting local authorities powers to apply charges for utility roadworks if the proceeds of such charges are to be used to fund local road maintenance or new works.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Proposals for changes to legislation which were included in the white paper <i>Scotland’s Transport Future </i>are currently being formulated. Careful consideration will be given to any potential conflict of interest relating to local authority powers.</p>
6 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why increasing local authority powers for the regulation of utility roadworks is being considered, given the level of utilisation by local authorities of their powers under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Increased regulation of utility roadworks is proposed in response to concerns about the existing poor standards of co-ordination and subsequent reinstatement of affected roads in certain cases. These standards need to be improved and that is why the Scottish …
6 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis was carried out on the causes of congestion to inform its conclusion on the extent to which the main cause was utility roadworks rather than normal road maintenance by the Scottish Executive and local authorities.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive has examined the findings of previous research as well as a more recent formal consultation on utility roadworks. These highlighted the significant disruption caused by utility company roadworks although clearly there are other signific…
6 Aug 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with Scotland's Transport: The Regulation of Utility Company Roadworks: A Consultation, issued in October 2003.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Almost 70 responses were received to this consultation from utility companies, roads authorities and other interested parties. The responses have been independently analysed and have been published on the Scottish Executive website. Proposals for changes to l…
12 May 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made on implementing A Partnership for a Better Scotland in the year since the Scottish Parliament elections.
Answer · Andy Kerr: We have madegood progress in implementing <i>A Partnership for a Better Scotland </i>which setsout our vision for a confident Scotland of enterprise and opportunity for all.</p>
31 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to update A Smart, Successful Scotland.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Yes. The Executive remainsfirmly committed to <i>A Smart, Successful </i><i>Scotland</i><i> </i>(SSS) and the broad themesand priorities within it. However, we need to ensure that we have an up-to-dateanalysis of the challenges under each priority, the necess…
4 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce an advertising campaign to promote the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 and, if so, how such a campaign will be implemented.
Answer · Euan Robson: There are no plans tointroduce an advertising campaign to promote the Protection of Children (Scotland)Act 2003. However, over 10,000 information notes to raise awareness of the Actand its implications have already been widely distributed and a targeted ongoi…
4 Mar 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 will be implemented.
Answer · Euan Robson: Implementation of theProtection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 is to be phased in starting in June 2004.Organisations will not have a duty to make referrals to the list until theautumn in recognition of the time required to gear up to meet the new duties.</p>
22 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals, granted shared residency and contact orders by Edinburgh Sheriff Court in the last year, had to return to court to have the orders enforced.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>