Mike Pringle

12 Feb 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will offer retired and senior people wishing to volunteer following its decision to withdraw funding from the Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme.

Answer · Jim Mather: <i > This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:</i></p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0212-01.htm">http://www.scot…

12 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been reclaimed from criminals through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2000 in each year since 2003.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: The total sum which has been secured by Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each year since 2003 amounts to:</p> <p >2003-04: £2,191,175</p> <p >2004-05: £2,348,846</p> <p >2005-06: £4,835,541</p> <p >2…

12 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any convicted criminals have received legal aid for cases pursued under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2000 and, if so, how many and what the sums were in each case.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Legal Aid Board does not record the information requested.</p> <p >The board does not record whether any applicant for advice and assistance or legal aid, including those pursued under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, is a convicted person. For t…

12 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what legal costs were incurred by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in pursuing cases under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2000 in each year since 2003.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-18921 on 15 January 2009. The answer provides details of the running costs of the National Casework Division and Civil Recovery Unit within the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in each year since 2003…

12 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service was of seizing cash and assets under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2000 in each year since 2003.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: The Civil Recovery Unit acts on behalf of the Scottish ministers as the enforcement authority for Scotland under Part 5 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. Under those provisions, civil proceedings may be brought in the Court of Session for the recovery of pro…

12 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the running costs of the Civil Recovery Unit were in each year since 2002.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-18921 on 15 January 2009. 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/App…

4 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to protect jobs in Edinburgh from the current economic downturn given the large number of city residents employed in the banking sector.

Answer · Jim Mather: This Government is doing everything within its power to protect jobs across all sectors and to mitigate the effects of the economic downturn across the whole of Scotland, including in Edinburgh.</p> <p >Recognising that the global economic slowdown has prese…

20 Nov 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to support cycling as a sustainable method of transport.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government is currently working in partnership with stakeholders to produce a Cycling Action Plan for Scotland. Other projects include grants to local authorities for Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets projects, to Sustrans to tackle the school r…

25 Sep 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it will make to the UK Government to ensure that the Immigration and Nationality Directorate is familiar with the relevant Scottish qualifications that meet the requirements of UK citizenship to avoid Scotland-based applications for citizenship being returned unproces…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I have already written to the Home Secretary asking that she take suitable steps to resolve the inconsistent processing by Home Office officials of applications from learners who have studied SQA qualifications.</p>

10 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies there were at each (a) prison and (b) young offenders’ institution on 1 June 2008.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p> <p >On 1 June 2008 the Scottish Prison Service had three vacancies as follows:</p> <p >Open to external applicants:</p> <p >HM Young Offende…

10 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been issued with fines for vandalism in each year since 1997 and how many, and what proportion of, such fines have been paid, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The available information is given in the following table, the number of unpaid fines is not held centrally. Information by parliamentary constituency is not available.</p> <p >Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts for Vandalism¹ where t…

10 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police response vehicles are available in each local authority area.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally and is a matter for individual Chief Constables.</p>

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to groups who have had their Scottish Arts Council funding cut.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: The Scottish Arts Council recently announced its flexible funding programme for 2009-11. Decisions on the allocation of funds are a matter for the Scottish Arts Council. Unsuccessful applicants have the opportunity to appeal against the council’s decisions. T…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote traditional music, song and dance.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: The Scottish Government is committed to the promotion of Scotland’s traditional culture. We consider music, song, and dance to be an important part of Scotland’s distinctive heritage.</p> <p >Funding for traditional music, song and dance is disbursed by the …

4 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there is a need to introduce a mandatory tenant deposit scheme in Scotland.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-10021 on 27 February 2008. 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…

4 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what tenants and landlords organisations it intends to consult when gathering evidence about introducing a mandatory national tenant deposit scheme.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government has established a working group of stakeholders representing the interests of private landlords and tenants to consider the need for a mandatory tenancy deposit scheme in Scotland. The following organisations are involved in that group…

4 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3869 by Stewart Maxwell on 12 September 2007, whether it still intends to carry out detailed surveys of both tenants and landlords to gather evidence about introducing a mandatory national tenant deposit scheme.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: As part of the review of the private rented sector, which was announced in the recent housing discussion paper <i >Firm Foundations: the Future of Housing in Scotland</i>, comprehensive surveys of both landlords and tenants are currently being carried out. Bo…

28 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the full business case for the Royal Hospital for Sick Children reprovision project to be submitted.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11442 on 18 April 2008. 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…

28 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings ministers or officials held with NHS Lothian in 2008 regarding the Royal Hospital for Sick Children reprovision project.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The re-provision of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children project was one of many topics discussed during the course of the board''s in year review meeting with the Scottish Government on 21 February and a further meeting with officials was held on 4 April. Th…

28 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest timetable is for the Royal Hospital for Sick Children reprovision project.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We are expecting the Outline Business Case for the re-provision of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children re-provision to be submitted to Scottish Government Health Directorates by NHS Lothian at the end of May 2008 for consideration by the Capital Investment G…

17 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning plans to meet during her visit to China in April 2008.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I plan to meet with the Ministry of Education in Beijing as well as education authorities in Shandong Province and Shanghai. I will also meet the British Ambassador while I am in Beijing. My itinerary includes visits to the partners of Scottish education inst…

17 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which parts of China the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning plans to visit in April 2008.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: I plan to visit Beijing, Shandong Province and Shanghai.</p>

29 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to improve screening for prostate cancer across Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-10603 on 10 March 2008. 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…

29 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current screening arrangements are for the detection of prostate cancer.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are no national screening programme arrangements for the detection of prostate cancer.</p> <p >The Scottish Government is provided with expert, independent advice on screening programmes by the UK National Screening Committee (NSC).</p> <p >The level …

29 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the five-year survival rate is for prostate cancer patients in each NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not available centrally. Survival data for Scotland as a whole are available, broken down by year and by tumour type, from ISD Scotland:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/">www.isdscotland.org</a>.</p>

29 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were diagnosed with prostate cancer in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the incidence of cancer, by tumour type, year and NHS board are available from the Scottish Cancer Registry at ISD Scotland, <a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/">www.isdscotland.org</a>. The most recent year for which published information is …

22 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to send a delegation to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing and which ministers, civil servants and other representatives are expected to attend.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: There are currently no plans to send a delegation to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.</p>

21 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to receive any delegations from any part of China during 2008.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: The Scottish Government received a delegation from the Department of Arts, Ministry of Culture, Chinese Government on 5 March 2008.</p>

21 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to send ministerial or civil servant delegations to any part of China during 2008.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning will be leading a delegation to China from 5 to 12 April 2008. The purpose of the visit is to strengthen our engagement with China, with a particular focus on developing greater educational and researc…

21 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of applications were granted by the Scottish Legal Aid Board for the employment of counsel in jury trials in sheriff courts in each month since April 2006.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-10177 on 3 March 2008. 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/…