Parliamentary questions
Michael Russell
1,207 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
25 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any representations it has made to any museums and galleries elsewhere in the UK which hold works of art in trust with a view to ensuring that any such items are displayed in public museums and galleries throughout Scotland and whether it will detail what powers it …
Answer · Allan Wilson: We have not made any such representations, nor do we have any powers in relation to such matters.
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of implementing its individualised educational programmes initiative has been to date and what criteria it intends to use to monitor the success of this project.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The cost of the Executive's Individualised Educational Programmes (IEP) initiative - the "Success for All" project - is currently in the region of £170,000. <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The criteria being used to evaluate the success of the project are:<P ALI…
12 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ask to make a ministerial statement to the Parliament on the continuing efforts by Shirley McKie to obtain compensation from Strathclyde Police following her acquittal on a charge of perjury at the High Court in Glasgow in May 1999.
Answer · Iain Gray: The question of compensation from Strathclyde Police is a matter for Ms McKie and her legal representatives on the one hand and Strathclyde Police on the other.
12 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action the Scottish Criminal Records Office intends to take with regard to the four fingerprint officers presently under suspension as a result of the Shirley McKie case.
Answer · Iain Gray: Formal responsibility for the civilian staff at the Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) rests with Strathclyde joint police board. While therefore the decisions in respect of the four suspended officers will be for the joint board to take and to justify, t…
4 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16872 by Nicol Stephen on 22 August 2001, what advice it gives to local authorities with regard to budgeting for fees for schools for those with special educational needs.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive does not provide such budgeting advice to local authorities.
4 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16872 by Nicol Stephen on 22 August 2001, how much each local authority spent on special school fees in 2000-01 and what proportion of each authority's total special educational needs budget these figures represented.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The information requested is not held centrally.
29 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures the Crown Office is taking to inquire fully into the reasons for, and lessons to be learned from, the halting on 25 July 2001 at the High Court of the prosecution for child sex abuse of six men.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The case was halted because one of the essential witnesses was deemed unfit to complete his evidence. The decision to do so was based upon an assessment by an experienced clinical psychologist. As is common in major cases, the Crown Office will consider wheth…
29 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will hold a public inquiry into the decision to prosecute for child sex abuse six men, the case against whom was halted at the High Court on 25 July 2001.
Answer · Colin Boyd: No.
29 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the guidelines issued to ministers with regard to response to letters from MSPs.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I am the minister responsible for the Correspondence Unit. Its function is to deal with correspondence written to ministers as described in the Good Practice Guide to Ministerial Correspondence, which is available to all members of the Scottish Executive and …
29 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which minister has responsibility for the operation of its Correspondence Unit.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17817.
29 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit and function of its Correspondence Unit are.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17817.
29 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Further Education Funding Council with regard to assisting higher educational institutions which have experienced unexpected losses as a result of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Further Education Funding Council has kept the Scottish Executive advised of its actions - the consideration of this matter at the council's meeting on 5 July and the issue of a circular letter to colleges on 28 August seeking information on the …
29 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations the Scottish Further Education Funding Council has received with regard to any losses sustained by Barony College as a result of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Dumfriesshire and what proposals have been made to assist the college.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: I understand that these matters were discussed at a meeting between the Scottish Further Education Funding Council and Barony College on 18 June, and that Barony College has submitted to the council two impact studies, dated April and July 2001.<P ALIGN="JUST…
29 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has seen the impact study from Barony College which outlines the college's losses as a result of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and suggests a positive role for the college in national recovery from the epidemic and, if so, what its response is to the study.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Yes. The study is addressed to the Scottish Further Education Funding Council, which is responsible for the public funding of Scotland's FE colleges.
23 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it now has on the circumstances and chain of infection which lead to the first case of foot-and-mouth disease recorded in Dumfries and Galloway and whether it will make this information public.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The first case of foot-and-mouth disease in Dumfries and Galloway was confirmed on 1 March on the farm run by C M Kirkpatrick, Nether Place, Dryfesdale, Lockerbie. The infection has been traced to animals brought on to his premises from Longtown market. Infor…
22 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what security measures are in place to ensure that no genetically modified vaccines for animals are deliberately or accidentally used in Scotland without strict supervision.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Activities involving genetically modified micro-organisms are prohibited unless they comply with the Contained Use Regulations 2000 and relevant sections of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Applications must satisfy the regulatory authorities that the a…
22 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research is being undertaken in Scotland on genetically modified vaccines for animals.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Research on genetically modified vaccines for animals is required to be notified to the Scottish Executive and the Health and Safety Executive under the Genetically Modified Organisms (Contained Use) Regulations 2000. No such activities covered by these regul…
20 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the items currently in store in the part of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery that previously housed the Scottish Museum of Antiquities will be moved to the Granton store and when this part of the gallery will be renovated to provide extended exhibition space for the gallery.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The National Museums of Scotland and the National Galleries of Scotland are currently discussing matters relating to their joint occupation of the Findlay Building. However, as we have already made clear, funds to renovate the Findlay Building will not be pro…
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital beds there were in each hospital in the Clydesdale parliamentary constituency in 2000, how many there are currently and how many of these are or were designated for elderly or geriatric patients.
Answer · Susan Deacon: This is an operational matter for the NHS in Lanarkshire Health Board. I have, therefore, asked the Chief Executive of the Lanarkshire Health Board to write to you with the details you have soughtrequested. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Parliame…
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what target time is set by the Scottish Ambulance service for (a) arriving at the scene of a call-out and (b) delivering a patient to hospital if that is the outcome of a call-out.
Answer · Susan Deacon: In responding to emergency 999 calls the Scottish Ambulance Service aims to meet national response times targets for getting an ambulance to the scene of the call-out. These vary according to population density and are as follows:<FONT FACE="Arial"><P ALIGN="…
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the role of Scottish Ballet does not change without a debate involving all interested parties and a discussion of the issue in the Parliament.
Answer · Allan Wilson: I have asked the Scottish Arts Council to ensure that Scottish Ballet consults widely and that Scottish Ballet's plans are consistent with the overall five-year strategy for dance that the Scottish Arts Council is currently developing.
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with (a) the Scottish Arts Council and (b) Scottish Ballet regarding any proposed change of role for Scottish Ballet.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Executive has been in close touch with the company and the Scottish Arts Council in respect of recent events.
16 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16363 by Angus MacKay on 11 July 2001, whether it has received any requests from local authorities for the Bellwin scheme to be activated since the scheme's use in respect of the storms on Boxing Day 1998 and what the reasons were for the decisions m…
Answer · Angus MacKay: Since the activation of the Bellwin scheme in 1998, requests have been made to activate the scheme following the flooding in Edinburgh and Midlothian in April and November 2000, the subsidence due to the collapse of the limestone mines in the Ferniehill area …
16 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16363 by Angus MacKay on 11 July 2001, what the relevant threshold amounts deducted from the eligible costs agreed with East Ayrshire Council and South Lanarkshire Council were and what the reasons are for imposing such thresholds.
Answer · Angus MacKay: The threshold amounts deducted from East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire Councils' eligible costs were £237,438 and £567,166 respectively. Finance Circular 9/2000 (Bib. no. 14385) details the scope and background of the Bellwin Scheme including the reasoning b…
16 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16363 by Angus MacKay on 11 July 2001, how much (a) East Ayrshire Council and (b) South Lanarkshire Council requested in aid under the Bellwin scheme in respect of the storms on Boxing Day 1998; whether the full amount requested, minus the relevant t…
Answer · Angus MacKay: The Terms of the Bellwin Scheme are detailed in Finance Circular 9/2000, a copy of which is held in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. no. 14385). Under the scheme, the amount payable to a council facing an emergency is 85% of the eligible costs…
16 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it, or any of its agencies, keeps a record of art collections, owned by Scottish collectors or their executors, which are available for loan and, if so, whether any such collections are currently on loan to, or in storage with, institutions in the UK outwith Scotland and, if not, …
Answer · Allan Wilson: We do not keep a record of privately owned art collections which are available for loan and have no plans to do so.
14 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider setting up a separate public review of the circumstances surrounding the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Scotland in addition to the inquiries announced by Her Majesty's Government.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive has no plans to set up a separate review of the circumstances surrounding the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Scotland given the series of inquiries already announced, including a fully independent study by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
14 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement it had in setting the terms of reference of the inquiries into the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak announced by Her Majesty's Government.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has been involved from the early stages of discussion about what format and direction post-FMD inquiries might take. The Executive has been fully consulted on the terms of reference for the Lessons Learned Review and the Royal Society I…
14 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements have been made for it, Scottish farmers, rural communities and others in Scotland to give evidence to and participate in the inquiries into the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak announced by Her Majesty's Government.
Answer · Ross Finnie: It will be for those taking forward each of the inquiries to determine who will be invited to provide evidence and information. One would expect a wide range of views to be sought but with variations in participation depending upon the remit of each inquiry.
6 Jul 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16215 by Nicol Stephen on 19 June 2001, what representations, other than formal representations, it has received from local authorities regarding any difficulties they have in meeting the costs of placing children in (a) grant-aided and (b) independe…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: We have received no representations from any local authority regarding difficulties in meeting these costs. In this context, the cost of residential special school fees has been mentioned as a significant commitment but not in the context of any particular di…