Parliamentary questions

Michael Russell

1,207 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average weekly cost to parents is of full-time nursery provision in pre-school centres run by (a) the private sector, (b) the voluntary sector and (c) local authorities.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Information on the costs of full-time pre-school education and child care is not collected centrally.

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified nursery teachers have worked in pre-school education in each year since 1995.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: In January 2002, there were 2,190 qualified teachers working in pre-school education centres (1,384 full-time and 806 part-time). This equalled 1,645 full-time equivalent teachers. The total number of qualified teachers working in pre-school centres is…

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average ratio of qualified nursery teachers to children is in pre-school centres run by (a) local authorities and (b) the private sector.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The 2002 pre-school and daycare census was carried out in January 2002. The statistics relating to the number of teachers and children in pre-school education from the census was published in September last year. A copy of the 2002 Pre-school and Daycare Cens…

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated total cost of provision of free part-time places for every three- and four-year-old has been in each year since the scheme for such provision began.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Prior to 2002-03, the Scottish Executive administered funding for pre-school education. It was made up of three elements, grant per place, rural and development. Grant per place was claimed by local authorities on the basis of the number of sessions undert…

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what maximum level of subsidy is available per child in private sector, voluntary sector or local authority pre-school centres to provide a free part-time place for every three- and four-year-old.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Resources amounting to £137 million were transferred to the local government settlement from 2002-03. No maximum figure has been set for the provision of a pre-school education. However, an annual minimum payment per child has been set for 2002-03 and 2003-04…

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many three- and four-year-old children have been in pre-school education and what proportion of these received provision in centres run by (a) local authorities, (b) the voluntary sector and (c) the private sector in each year since 1995.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is provided in the following table.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=470><TR><TD WIDTH="23%" VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN=2>Year</TD><TD WIDTH="77%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN=5>Centre Type</TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="21%" VALIGN="…

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what maximum number of sessions of free nursery provision is available per child per week and how many children are receiving this level of free provision.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Each eligible child is entitled to up to 412.5 hours of free pre-school education per year. The following restrictions have been imposed on the provision of pre-school education in the interests of the child:no child should have more than three continuous …

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the provision of free nursery places for all three- and four-year-olds includes a guarantee of a minimum number of hours of free provision per child.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Local authorities have a duty to secure pre-school education amounting to a minimum of 412.5 hours over the school year. Parents are free to ask for fewer hours but that does not relieve the authority from their duty to secure appropriate pre-school education…

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any local authorities are implementing waiting lists for the provision of nursery places and, if so, how many children are on such lists, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Information received from local authorities indicates that none are implementing a waiting list for pre-school education.

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many free places are available in local authority-run nursery schools for three- and four-year-old children and what shortfall in places is estimated compared with parental demand.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Executive has delivered on its pledge to provide free pre-school education for every three- and four-year-old, whose parents want one.Local authorities are under a duty to secure sufficient pre-school education places to meet demand. Information suppli…

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the recent amendment to the Federal Rule of Evidence No 702 as adopted by the United States Congress which took effect on 1 December 2000 for courts in the United States of America and, in particular, the provision in this rule that states "if scientific…

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34146 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/searc…

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the judgement in the case considered in the Supreme Court of the United States of America, Kumho Tire Co v Carmichael (US 137 1999); whether it agrees that a court's "gatekeeping" function in respect of the reliability of expert evidence applies to all e…

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the Daubert judgement which currently governs the admissibility of expert testimony in courts in the United States of America and, in particular, the implications of the judgement with regard to the present means, technique and quality of similar evidenc…

Answer · Jim Wallace: We have considered the recent developments in the law of expert evidence in the United States of America, including the judgements in the Daubert and Kumho Tire Co cases and the Federal Rule of Evidence No 702. The rules of evidence in Scotland in relation to…

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether fingerprint evidence brought by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in criminal cases in the last five years from experts working for the Scottish Criminal Records Office has been scrutinised in the light of known or potential rates of error for the technique used in r…

Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34143 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/searc…

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any fingerprint evidence brought by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in criminal cases in the last five years from experts working for the Scottish Criminal Records Office arises from a technique, as operated by that office, that has been subjected to peer review an…

19 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any fingerprint evidence brought by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in criminal cases in the last five years from experts working for the Scottish Criminal Records Office arose from a technique employed by that office that can be, and has been, tested against natio…

Answer · Jim Wallace: The report of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary's (HMIC) Primary Inspection 2000 of SCRO's Fingerprint Bureau provides detailed information about, among other things, process, quality, standards and performance at the time of the inspection. The repo…

18 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulance call outs connected with coronary heart disease there were in the Clydesdale area of the Lanarkshire NHS Board area in each of the last four years; how many of these call outs met the board's target response times, and how these figures compared with the national averag…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34112 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/searc…

18 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths there were from coronary heart disease in the Clydesdale area of the Lanarkshire NHS Board area in each of the last four years and how these figures compared with the national average.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The information requested is given in the following table.Deaths from Coronary Heart Disease1, Clydesdale2, 1998-2001<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=350><TR><TD WIDTH="53%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="12%" VALIG…

18 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) target and (b) actual response times have been for ambulance services in the Clydesdale area of the Lanarkshire NHS Board area in each of the last four years and how these figures compared with the national average.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information disaggregated below NHS board area is not readily available. The General Manager of the Service's West Central Division has advised me that he would be happy to meet with you to discuss ambulance response times in this area, together with the serv…

17 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what fees are being paid to members of the advisory group that is assisting it in devising events and a strategy for commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns; what criteria were used to appoint the group; who appointed the members; to which minister the group will re…

Answer · Mike Watson: No fees are being paid to members of the advisory group, which consists of senior representatives of those organisations known to be involved in events to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns. I invited the members of the group to partic…

17 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure effective marketing of the events that it is organising to mark the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns by emphasising the distinctiveness of a location, rather than its similarity to other competing destinations.

Answer · Mike Watson: Events to commemorate the Union of the Crowns will be promoted by VisitScotland, area tourist boards and Historic Scotland as appropriate.

17 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that the range of academic and popular views on the impact of the Union of the Crowns on the economy and culture is fully acknowledged by it and expressed through the events it is organising to commemorate the union's 400th anniversary.

Answer · Mike Watson: The advisory group is considering plans for a range of events, and an announcement will be made in due course.

17 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its target is for the number of additional tourists that will be attracted to Scotland as a result of the events to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns.

Answer · Mike Watson: There is no target for the number of additional tourists that will be attracted to Scotland as a result of the events to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns.

17 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how its plans to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns will assist in marketing Scotland as a clearly identifiable tourist destination.

Answer · Mike Watson: Scotland's unique heritage is a proven attraction for visitors to this country, and the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns is a significant date in Scotland's rich cultural and political history. We expect that the wide range of events planned to co…

17 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what budget it has set aside for commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns and where this budget is shown in published figures on its general expenditure.

Answer · Mike Watson: The programme of events planned to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns is not yet finalised, but we anticipate that the Scottish Executive will provide some funding from its Major Events budget.

17 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will commemorate the role that the Scots language played in literary and artistic activity in the Scottish Court at the time of the Union of the Crowns in the events planned to mark the 400th anniversary of that union and what impact this commemoration will have on the use of Scots…

Answer · Mike Watson: The advisory group is considering plans for a range of events, and an announcement will be made in due course.

17 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the (a) Scots and (b) Gaelic language will be assisted by the events planned to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns. The member has provided the following translation: A dh? fhaighneachd do Riaghaltas na h-Alba ciamar a bhios (a) Scots agus (b) Gaidhlig…

Answer · Mike Watson: A wide range of events is proposed across Scotland to commemorate the Union of the Crowns anniversary, which we believe will be of interest to all of Scotland's people. The Scottish Executive has provided the following translation:Thathar am beachd r…

17 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what budget (a) it and (b) the New Opportunities Fund has set for (i) creating and (ii) sustaining places in out-of-school clubs for each year from 2003-04 to 2005-06 and how many places will be created.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Scottish Executive Childcare Strategy funding is provided to local authorities to meet local child care needs, including out-of-school care. Allocations for the years 2003-06 are as follows:Financial year 2003-04: £19.25 million2004-05: £29.75 million<P…

17 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent by (a) it and (b) the New Opportunities Fund on creating out-of-school club places and how many places have been created since July 1999, broken down by financial year.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Scottish Executive Childcare Strategy funding is provided to local authorities to meet local child care needs including out-of-school care.Funding has been allocated as follows:Financial year 1999-2000: £5.75 million2000-01: £13.75 million2001-02:…

17 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of a full inspection of an (a) primary and (b) secondary school.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Graham Donaldson, Chief Executive of HM Inspectorate of Education, to respond. His response is as follows:The average cost of an inspection of a medium-sized primary, without a nursery class or any special units, is approximately £7,850. Th…