Stewart Stevenson

27 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many psychologist-led groups there have been at HM Prison Peterhead since the STOP programme for sexual offenders commenced.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is asfollows:</p><p>Since 2000, 16 groups havebeen run by multi-disciplinary teams.</p>

27 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the experience is of psychologists in each prison involved in the STOP programme for sexual offenders; how long each psychologist has been in post, and how many vacancies for prison psychologists there are at present.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>The SPS has found the experienceof using psychologists as members of teams delivering programmes to be generallybeneficial. Informati…

27 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been undertaken into the reasons for the resignation of prison psychologists.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>The SPS carried out ananalysis in 2003 of the reasons for resignations given by SPS psychologists. Theprimary reason was for higher s…

27 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in which prisons the extended STOP programme for sexual offences will operate.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is asfollows:</p><p>HM Prison Peterheadcompleted the first run of the Extended STOP programme for sex offenders in2003.</p>

19 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what rules or regulations there are concerning the creation of footpaths when a new road is built and, in particular, whether there are any specific circumstances whereby footpaths must be created.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Powers enabling roads authorities to create footpaths and footways are set out in the Roads (Scotland)Act 1984 and the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Acts. Decisions onthe provision of both footpaths and footways are taken on a scheme-by-scheme basis,ba…

18 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many personnel are involved in the enforcement of the Weeds Act 1959 in (a) its departments and (b) local authorities.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Each of the 16 Environmentand Rural Affairs area offices which undertake day-to-day enforcement of theWeeds Act 1959 has a co-ordinator who is responsible for the investigation ofall written complaints about injurious weeds. The table gives man days spentenfo…

18 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements exist to ensure that the weeds specified in section 1 of the Weeds Act 1959 are cleared from roads and verges for which responsibility as road authority lies with (a) it and (b) the local authority.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Trunk Road Maintenance Contracts require the Operating Companies to control the weeds specified in section 1 of the Weeds Act 1959 to prevent them developing as infestations or becoming a nuisance. The performance of the Operating Companies in all aspects…

18 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether BEAR Scotland Ltd benefits from the non-applicability of section 11 of the Weeds Act 1959 to roads for which the Executive is the road authority and, if so, what arrangements exist to ensure that BEAR Scotland Ltd maintains all roads and verges for which it is responsible free fro…

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Section 11 of the Weeds Act 1959 applies to the Scottish ministers as trunk road authority. BEAR Scotland Ltd, who maintain the trunk road network in the North of Scotland on behalf of the Scottish ministers, are required under the Trunk Road Maintenance Cont…

18 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions it, and the former Scottish Office, (a) sought to recover and (b) were successful in recovering, costs under section 3 of the Weeds Act 1959 in each year since 1960.

Answer · Ross Finnie: On no occasion since 1960has the Scottish Executive, and former Scottish Office, sought to recover costsunder section 3 of the Weeds Act 1959.</p>

18 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many notices served under the Weeds Act 1959 in each year since 1960 resulted in a prosecution and, of these, how many have been followed by further offences under section 2(2) of the act.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Since 1960 there have beenno notices served under the Weeds Act 1959 which have resulted in prosecution.They have therefore not been followed by further offences under section 2(2) of the act.</p>

18 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many notices have been served under the Weeds Act 1959 in each year since 1960 and, of these, how many related to ragwort.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The table shows the numberof notices served under the Weeds Act 1959 for each year since 1960 in which anotice was served, and the number of these notices which related to ragwort.</p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0> <thead> …

13 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what methods are used to measure the fear of crime among older people.

Answer · Hugh Henry: <div class=Section1><p>I refer the member to the answer given to questions S2W-2033 today, S1O-5837 on 7 November 2002 andS1W-31575 on 9 December 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacilit…

13 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to reduce the fear of crime among older people.

Answer · Hugh Henry: <div class=Section1><p>I refer the member to theanswers given to question S1O-5837 on 7 November 2002 and question S1W-31575 on9 December 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website. The search facility for wh…

13 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of under-16-year-olds have had dental decay in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: This information is not held centrally.</p>

12 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of single pensioner households have sought help about money problems in each year since 1999-2000.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-1991 today. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at. <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_w…

12 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of single pensioner households have savings or investments.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-1991 today. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa…

12 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of single (a) pensioner and (b) parent households had a net annual income of less than #10,000 in each year since 1999-2000.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The answers to this and two other related parliamentary questions (S2W-1992 and S2W-1993) are provided as a consolidated response, with information collated from the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) where possible. </p><p>1. Proportion of single parent and sin…

11 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will reply to my letter of 1 July 2003 regarding animal transport regulations.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I replied to you on 6 August.

11 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will reply to the letter of 4 June 2003 from Alex Salmond MP, which was transferred to it for reply from Her Majesty's Government's Department of Health, regarding our constituent Mr Hosie.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive received Mr Salmond’s letter from the Department of Health on 14 August. Officials have been unable to identify the cause of the delay between the letter being written and being received in the Scottish Executive. I replied to Mr Salmon…

8 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether funds will be made available to ensure that every secondary school is equipped with a swimming pool, following the statement by the First Minister on 7 August 2003 in news release SEfm145/2003 on the provision of opportunities for everyone, regardless of their age, or ability, to …

Answer · Peter Peacock: The news release concerned lottery funding for sports facilities in general. The Executive will continue to work with <b>sport</b>scotland to complete a programme of new and refurbished sports facilities, including swimming pools, across the country.</p><p>De…

6 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been received by the NHS from the pharmaceutical industry in each year since 1999.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>

6 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will issue its proposed new guidance in relation to the NHS and the pharmaceutical industry.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The guidance is expected to be published in the early autumn.

6 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1113 by Malcolm Chisholm on 17 July 2003, whether any NHS boards have procedures in place for introducing new drugs granted UK marketing authorisation into their formularies other than by receiving advice from the Scottish Medicines Consortium and, i…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS boards determine theirprescribing policy on new medicines taking into account local needs and advicefrom their Area Drug and Therapeutics Committees (ADTCs). The ScottishMedicines Consortium is a consortium of NHS boards. It brings together ADTCs toensure…

6 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1113 by Malcolm Chisholm on 17 July 2003 and for each of the drugs granted UK marketing authorisations since 1 June 2002, which drugs have been given approval by the Scottish Medicines Consortium and, of these, how many were given approval for use (a…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information about productsrecommended by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) for use within NHSScotlandcan be found on their website <a href="http://www.htbs.co.uk/smc">www.htbs.co.uk/smc</a>,or by contacting the SMC secretariat at Delta House, 50 West Ni…

5 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on local authority housing, including repairs and new build, in each local authority area in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99, (c) 1999-2000, (d) 2000-01, (e) 2001-02 and (f) 2002-03.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The information requested is shown in the following table.<P><CENTER><TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=612><TR><TD WIDTH="28%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Local Authority</TD><TD WIDTH="12%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>1997-98 <P>(£ million) </TD><TD WIDTH="12%" VALIGN…

5 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) pensioners and (b) children in (i) Scotland and (ii) each parliamentary constituency have lived in households with an income below half the UK average in each year since 1999.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Figures on the numbers of children and pensioners living in low income households in each parliamentary constituency are not available. <P>The available figures for Scotland are for households with incomes below proportions of the GB (rather than UK) average …

1 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the amount of affordable housing available.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:<P>As stated in <I>Building A Better Scotland - Spending Proposals 2003-2006: What the money buys</I>, the Executive will increase the supply …

1 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of households live in rural poverty and what measurements it uses to define rural poverty.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive does not use a single measure of rural poverty. Poverty is a complex issue and encompasses not only poverty of income but poverty of opportunity. This was recognised by the Rural Poverty and Inclusion Working Group, whose recommendations on impr…

1 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much each of its departments spent on staff travel and accommodation in each year since 1999.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested isset out in the following table.</p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>Year</p> <p>Department </p> </td> <td> <p>1999-2000</p> <p>(£000)</p> </td> <td> <p>20…

1 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the #250,000 announced on 25 July 2003 to tackle fly-tipping will be allocated to each local authority.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The £250,000 will not be allocated to individual local authorities. <P>It will be used to support the work of the Scottish Fly-tipping Forum, by funding guidance, research and anti-fly-tipping initiatives co-ordinated by Keep Scotland Beautiful.