Parliamentary questions
Stewart Stevenson
2,358 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
11 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the gross domestic product per capita was in each local authority area in (a) 1979, (b) 1992, (c) 1997 and (d) the most recent year for which figures are available.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Sub-Scotland, regional GrossDomestic Product (GDP) estimates are published by the Office for NationalStatistics. Prior to Local Authority reorganisation in 1996, sub-Scotland GDPestimates were produced for the combined Regional Council areas. Following theint…
7 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children of school age have been cautioned for drug-related offences in each year since 1997, broken down by police force area.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Scotland does not have a formalcaution procedure.</p>
7 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average (a) sentence and (b) time served by convicted child sex offenders was in each of the last 10 years, broken down by police force area.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>The requested information isnot held centrally. However, information is available on the average sentence lengthof those persons sentenced …
7 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent estimate is of the rate of recidivism amongst (a) child sex offenders, (b) other sex offenders, (c) violent crime offenders and (d) other classes of offender, broken down by police force area.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The available information onthe two year reconviction rates of persons originally convicted for a sexual crimeagainst a child, other sexual crime, violent crime and other types of crime in 2002-03is given in the following table.</p><p>The reconviction rates f…
7 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent by the NHS on external public relations consultants in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The information on spending byNHS boards on external public relations consultants is not collected by the ScottishExecutive.</p>
7 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the number of children born with foetal alcohol syndrome in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Foetal Alcohol Syndrome doesnot form a category that is routinely reported in Scotland. Nationaldata on babies born with congenital anomalies are collected centrally in Scotland usinga range of administrative NHS and General Register Office databases. There w…
7 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students (a) applied for and (b) were successful in obtaining places on degree courses at Scottish universities in (i) law, (ii) medicine, (iii) engineering, (iv) accountancy and (v) veterinary studies in the most recent year for which figures are available and what the percentag…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I have obtained the figures shownbelow from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).</p><p>Number of Students Applying forand being Accepted for Entry in 2005</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width=136 valig…
7 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were employed in the (a) fishing, (b) farming and (c) manufacturing sector in (i) 1997, (ii) 1999 and (iii) the last year for which figures are available, broken down by enterprise company area.
Answer · Ross Finnie: 1. The number of people employedin sea fishing broken down by enterprise company area for the years 1997, 1999 and2005 (latest data available) is given in the following table.</p><p>Fishermen Employed by EnterpriseCompany Area</p><table border=1 cellspacing=…
5 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the Suckler Cow Premium Scheme 2003, on what date it received the European Commission Agriculture Directorate General’s Guidance Note 6, on the application of article 36(1) - calculation of the number of animals eligible in the event that the foreseen split between cows an…
Answer · Ross Finnie: The guidance note itself isnot dated but the European Commission’s covering letter is dated 21 November 2002. Memberstates would have received this guidance shortly after that.</p>
4 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the population lives in a rural area, broken down by local authority area and parliamentary constituency.
Answer · George Lyon: Information on the proportionof the population living in a rural area, for local authority area and parliamentaryconstituency, is available in tables 1 and 5 in the <i>Scottish Executive UrbanRural Classification 2004-2006</i> publication. This is available f…
4 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which departments were involved in determining the structure and location of intermediary delivery bodies prior to the publication on 24 October 2006 of the draft operational programme for the delivery of structural funds in Lowlands and Uplands Scotland.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The decisions relating to theproposed Intermediate Delivery Bodies (IDBs) for the delivery of future StructuralFunds in Lowlands and Uplands Scotland were settled collectively. The Executiveoperates on the basis of collective responsibility, which ensures tha…
4 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what definition of rural has been used in planning for the 2007-13 European Structural Fund programme.
Answer · Allan Wilson: No definition of “rural” hasbeen fixed for the 2007-13 Structural Funds programmes. Under the proposed Priority3 of the Lowlands and Uplands Scotland European Regional Development FundProgramme, which focuses on rural development, there will need to be spatia…
27 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what programmes, schemes or similar initiatives will be operated by its Environment and Rural Affairs Department to distribute public funds to third parties in 2007-08.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The information requested isgiven in pages number 11 to 28 of <i>the Scottish</i> <i>Executive Draft Budget 2007-08</i> published by the Scottish Executivein 2006, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre(Bib. number 40353).<…
24 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many new jobs have been created in each year since 1997 where the contribution per job from public funds was (a) up to £10,000, (b) between £10,000 and £99,999, (c) between £100,000 and £499,999, (d) between £500,000 and £999,999, (e) between £1 million and £1,999,999 and (f) £2 milli…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive is committedto securing a more dynamic economy and recognises that public expenditure impactsboth directly and indirectly on economic performance, including positive effectson the labour market. Employment in Scotland has increased by n…
24 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what account has been taken of the views of UK Resilience, the information service for emergency practitioners run by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat, in planning the Airwave network to be installed in Scotland for use by police and other public services.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Airwave Network was installedin line with UK Resilience.</p>
24 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Airwave base stations which will have been installed by 31 December 2006 and will be installed (a) in 2007, (b) in 2008 and (c) after 2008 in Scotland for use by police and other public services would still be operational after a (i) 24-hour and (ii) 72-hour period without mains …
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Airwave is a cellular systemwhich does not rely on individual base stations remaining operational at all times.If one base station is busy or goes down the terminal is automatically re-routedthrough another. O2, the service provider, is contracted to provide …
24 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Airwave base stations will have been installed by 31 December 2006 and how many will be installed (a) in 2007, (b) in 2008 and (c) after 2008 in Scotland for use by police and other public services.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Airwave network was completedin April 2005 and currently has 632 sites in Scotland. I do not expect this numberto change in 2007 or 2008.</p>
23 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on organising and hosting press conferences in each year since 1999.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Information in the form requestedis not held.</p><p>The vast majority of news conferencesare held within St Andrew’s House, making use of the existing facilities in themedia centre. In addition, the daily briefings by the First Minister’s OfficialSpokesperson…
23 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on external media trainers in each year since 1999, broken down by supplier.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The breakdown of Scottish Executivespend by supplier on media trainers since 1999 is:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td valign=top> <p align=center>Paddy Christie</p> </td> <td valign=top> <p align=center>Christina M…
23 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) adults and (b) children were registered as NHS patients with dental practices in each year since 1996, broken down by (i) NHS board and (ii) parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The number of (a) adults and(b) children registered with NHS dental practices in each year, broken down by NHSboard, has been published in the Scottish Dental Practice Board Annual Reports.Reports for years 2001-02 to 2005-06, showing registrations for 2002-0…
23 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which external consultants were used by each of its (a) departments and (b) agencies on projects excluding private finance initiatives and public private partnerships in each year since 1999 and what the (i) nature and (ii) cost of the consultants’ work was in each case.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-30082 on 6 December 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
23 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which external consultants were used by each of its (a) departments and (b) agencies on projects relating to (i) private finance initiatives and (ii) public private partnerships in each year since 1999 and what the (1) nature and (2) cost of the consultants’ work was in each case.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested isset out in the following table and covers the Scottish Executive’s own PPP projectsas well as those health and local authority PPP projects where the Scottish Executivehas incurred direct costs. The increasing values over these yea…
23 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many value-for-money exercises on the use of (a) management consultants and (b) professional advisers it conducted in each of the last five years.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive does nothold this information centrally and therefore could only provide this informationat disproportionate cost.</p>
23 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many homes were sold to first-time buyers in each of the last 10 years and what percentage of all homes were sold in this way.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table gives estimatesof numbers of first-time buyers in Scotland in each year and the number of sales to first-time buyersas a percentage of all mortgage completions. Sales with a mortgage account for around80% of all sales of residential proper…
23 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many families were in temporary accommodation in each year since 1990.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number ofhouseholds in temporary accommodation at 31 March each year is available on the Scottish Executive website at:</p><p><ahref="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/PubHomeless">http://www.scotland.…
23 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cautions were issued in each police force area for (a) violence against the person, (b) theft and handling stolen goods, (c) sexual offences, (d) criminal damage, (e) robbery and (f) fraud and forgery in each year since 1990.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Scotland does not have a formalcaution procedure.</p>
22 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been convicted of living off immoral earnings in each year since 1999.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The available information isgiven in the following table.</p><p>Persons with a Charge Provedin Scottish Courts for Living off Immoral Earnings, 1999-2000 to 2004-05</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td valign=top> <p align=ce…
22 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people seeking to purchase sex have been (a) cautioned for, (b) prosecuted for and (c) convicted of causing nuisance or offence in each year since 1999.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This type of offending behaviouris likely to result in a charge of breach of the peace. However, such cases cannotbe separated out from the statistics held centrally on recorded crime or court proceedings.</p>
22 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been (a) cautioned for, (b) prosecuted for and (c) convicted of soliciting in each year since 1999, broken down by age and gender.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Formal police cautions do notapply in Scotland. The available information on prosecutions and convictionsis given in the following table.</p><p>Persons Proceeded against inScottish Courts for Offences Related to Prostitution<sup>1</sup>, by Age andGender, 199…
22 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time for (a) routine and (b) urgent bone scans is in each NHS board.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested isnot available centrally.</p>