Parliamentary questions
Tom McCabe
222 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
17 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support and enhance local health care services to communities in (a) Hamilton, (b) Blantyre and (c) Burnbank.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS Lanarkshire have aprogramme of investment to upgrade existing and provide new premises to improvelocal health services in the Hamilton area. Relative priorities are a matter for the board.The Executive is continuing to invest heavily in improvements to th…
17 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to minimise the impact on rail travellers unable to travel between Motherwell and Edinburgh as a result of the temporary withdrawal of most of the daily services between them by GNER.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland indiscussions with GNER and with assistance from First ScotRail has been able tominimise the impact for customers in relation to the morning and evening peaklevel of service between Motherwell and Edinburgh. The normal frequency ofservices …
17 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements are planned for the road network connecting Hamilton and Blantyre to Glasgow.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-2182 answered on 31 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at:</p><p><ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.…
17 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the upgrading of the Raith interchange to be a strategic priority, as set out by Strathclyde Passenger Transport in March 2007.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Details and timescales forour major and important planned trunk road projects, including the M74 RaithInterchange, can be found on the Transport Scotland website at:</p><p><ahref="http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/uploads/documents/Scottish-Motorways-Trunk-…
30 May 2007 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Bath Press Ltd and what specific action it will take to assist the 47 members of staff who have lost their jobs at the Blantyre-based printers.
Answer · Jim Mather: Following press coverage of thepossible closure, Executive officials contacted the company to assess the impacton a Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) grant it received.</p><p>Assistance to workers affectedby the potential redundancy will be provided through…
17 Mar 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what decision has been taken in relation to the release of the report about Thomas Hamilton by DS Paul Hughes to the Procurator Fiscal at Stirling in 1991.
Answer · Colin Boyd: Following the shooting of 16 schoolchildren and their teacher, and the suicide of Thomas Hamilton, on 13 March 1996 at Dunblane Primary School, the then Secretary of State for Scotland established an Inquiry under the Tribunals of Inquiry (Evidence) Act 1921.…
12 Mar 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve literacy in secondary schools.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: On 4 March I announced that the Scottish Executive would establish a new literacy project that will focus on programmes and practice to develop literacy in P6-S2 classrooms.<P>We will also continue the work set out in the National Statement for Literacy, publ…
22 Jan 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that the funding that was set aside for the European Football Championships in 2008 is used to develop youth football.
Answer · Mike Watson: I am already on the record as saying that a substantial amount of the funds set aside for Euro 2008 will be committed to the development of youth sport including football. I met with the SFA and <B>sport</B>scotland this week to discuss the issue. The current…
20 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support is available to cocaine and crack cocaine addicts.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Advice on the support which should be made available to cocaine and crack cocaine users seeking help with their addiction was published by the Executive's Effective Interventions Unit in October 2002, following a report by a Working Group of the Scottish Advi…
20 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been arrested for possession of cocaine in the last five years.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Our criminal statistics cover recorded crimes rather than persons arrested. Within those statistics, possession of cocaine cannot be separately identified from the number of all recorded crimes for possession of a drug.
20 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many recorded convictions there have been for trafficking in cocaine in each of the last five years.
Answer · Hugh Henry: It is not possible to answer this question directly. However, such information as is available is given in the table. Figures for 2001 and 2002 are not yet available.<P>The figures provided on the total number of persons with a charge proved for the drug offe…
20 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the use of cocaine by young people has increased over the last five years and what links there are between crime and (a) cocaine and (b) crack cocaine use.
Answer · Hugh Henry: A Working Group of the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drug Misuse published a report in August 2002 on psychostimulant use in Scotland, particularly cocaine, crack cocaine and amphetamines. The report, which can be accessed on the national drugs website at <A…
20 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what success police forces have had in sei'ing shipments of cocaine in the last five years.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Detailed drug seizure information, including a breakdown of cocaine seizures by the Scottish Police Service, is collated and published annually by the Home Office and can be found on their website at: <A HREF="http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/drugs1.html">htt…
18 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland, 2000-2001.
Answer · Andy Kerr: <I>Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland, 2000-2001</I> (GERS) will be published on 20 January 2003. This is later than the more usual pre-Christmas launch for GERS. The decision to delay the publication was made by the Chief Statistician in order to…
11 Dec 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to help reduce instances of suicide.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: On 2 December 2002, the Executive launched <I>Choose Life: A National Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent Suicide in Scotland</I>, which aims to tackle the rising rate of suicides in Scotland through co-ordinated national and local action. The strategy and ac…
5 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the final outcome has been of the bids to the second round of the Modernising Government Fund; what projects will be supported under the fund, and what the outcomes of the projects will be in improving public services.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I had previously announced to Parliament in May that the second round of the Modernising Government Fund had up to £30 million at its disposal. The challenge was for public sector bodies to use this fund to work together and form partnerships that would deliv…
2 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it gives to GPs regarding the maximum percentage of removals that should be due to a breakdown of relationship and whether there is any concern that this reason is used as a catch-all reason for removal.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: None. The Terms of Service for GPs are set out in the NHS (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995. They give GPs the right to request the removal of any patient and place no requirement on them to give reasons of any nature. Where the doctor/pa…
2 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22072 by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 February 2002, what information it has regarding the number of patients removed from GPs lists in the Lanarkshire NHS Board area and what guidance it gives to GPs to guard against inappropriate removal.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The numbers of patients removed from GPs' lists in the Lanarkshire NHS Board area each year excluding those removed as a result of death, emigration or change of address are as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=500><TR><TD WIDTH="40%" VA…
27 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it will offer to Glasgow City Council to ensure it considers a whole catchment approach, which takes account of effects on neighbouring authorities, when identifying the available options to reduce flood risk in Glasgow.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Executive recognises the importance of taking a catchment wide approach to addressing flood risk in Glasgow. I am making available an additional capital consent of £1 million to Glasgow City Council which will allow them to take a catchment wide approach …
27 Nov 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to alleviate child poverty in social inclusion partnership areas.
Answer · Margaret Curran: Child poverty is defined not only by income, but also by children's ability to reach their potential. Social inclusion partnerships are assisting in the alleviation of child poverty by promoting a range of activities to encourage and empower communities; heal…
22 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve access to taxi cab services for people with disabilities and whether it will consider grant aid schemes to increase the number of taxis operating that are able to accommodate disabled users.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The taxi accessibility provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 will, when implemented, greatly improve the accessibility of taxis for people with disabilities. Responsibility for implementing these provisions is reserved to the Westminster Parlia…
20 Nov 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with local enterprise companies regarding improvements to the provision of child care.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: In July this year Iain Gray and I issued a joint letter to the Chairs of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, outlining the key role that local enterprise companies could play in developing the Child Care Strategy, and asking for their su…
6 Nov 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the number of ecstasy-related deaths in 2001 in Scotland compared with England and Wales.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The General Register Office for Scotland paper on <I>Drug-Related Deaths in Scotland in 2001</I> shows that ecstasy was known to be involved in the deaths of 20 people resulting from drug poisoning or overdose. However, we need to be clear that this does not …
31 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to protect funeral directors' staff from infectious disease through contact with deceased persons.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30406 8 November 2002. 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/we…
2 Oct 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in encouraging sporting excellence.
Answer · Elaine Murray: The establishment of the Scottish Institute of Sport is a key achievement among a range of initiatives and programmes designed to help our top and emerging athletes compete successfully on the world stage. The Scottish Institute and the network of Area Instit…
11 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will maintain its existing policy of resisting out-of-town developments that adversely affect existing town centres.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Planning policy regarding out-of-town retail development is to be found in <I>National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 8: Town Centres and Retailing.</I> Through the use of a sequential approach, the policy contained in NPPG 8 gives priority to town centres …
4 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has set for the improvement of literacy and numeracy levels in Lanarkshire.
Answer · Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive set a national target of helping 80,000 adults between 2001 and 2004, but recognised that specific targets for each area are best developed locally to reflect local circumstances.<P>The Scottish Executive has now finalised outcome agree…
4 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it is providing to long-term unemployed people in Lanarkshire.
Answer · Iain Gray: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government. Jobcentre Plus offers long-term unemployed people in Lanarkshire a range of services to assist them into work including access to New Deal programmes and, in North Lanarkshire, an Action Team for Jobs. The N…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26838 by Lewis Macdonald on 1 July 2002, whether it has any plans to (a) investigate the causes of the number of road injury accidents on the A725 in the South Lanarkshire Council area identified in the STATS 19 returns for 2000-01 and (b) introduce …
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has instructed Amey Highways to investigate the causes of the accidents on the A725 trunk road in the South Lanarkshire Council area highlighted in the STATS 19 returns for 2000-01. Remedial measures will be introduced if any causes are…
27 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to Audit Scotland's Review of the management of waiting lists in Scotland, what steps it is taking to improve the provision of information to patients on waiting lists.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We have accepted all the recommendations in Audit Scotland's report on its review of the management of NHS waiting lists in Scotland. My department is working with NHSScotland and ISD Scotland to ensure that work on taking forward the recommendations is progr…