Mike Pringle

5 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what amount it has budgeted for the Scottish Entente Cordiale centenary celebrations in 2004.

Answer · Frank McAveety: Ministers have committed upto £500,000 as the Scottish contribution to the celebrations of the centenaryof the Entente Cordiale. This investment has already generated substantialadditional partnership contributions, including private sector sponsorship andthe…

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what contact it has had with BT over the provision of internet access in primary schools.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has held discussions with a number of telecommunications companies,including BT, about a range of issues, including the educational requirementsfor access to broadband and the internet.</p>

20 Nov 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on which buildings occupied by its agencies and non-departmental public bodies the lease will be due for renewal in the next four years.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive has beennotified of the following lease terminations up to and including 31 December 2007.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=654> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>Building</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>Lease end date</p> </t…

19 Nov 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision is likely to be taken on the proposed relocation of NHS Health Scotland.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: A decisionis likely to be taken in January 2004.</p>

26 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether wrongfully-convicted persons and their families would be entitled to any compensatory payment following release from prison.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Section 133 of the Criminal JusticeAct 1988 provides that compensation shall be paid in cases where a conviction hasbeen reversed on the ground that a new or newly discovered fact shows beyond reasonabledoubt that there has been a miscarriage of justice. The …

26 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether victims of miscarriages of justice receive an official apology following their release from prison.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The ground for appeal againstconviction and,or sentence in Scotland is that there has been a miscarriage of justice. It isnot the practice to apologise to those who have successfully appealed.</p>

26 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures of redress a wrongfully-convicted person has following a successful court appeal.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Compensation is not generallypayable where persons have been acquitted at trial or subsequently on appeal withintime simply because the prosecution was unable to sustain the burden of proof beyonda reasonable doubt in relation to the specific charge that was …

26 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been released from prison following wrongful imprisonment in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This information is not collectedby the Scottish Executive.</p>

26 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any analysis of the effects that miscarriages of justice have on those wrongfully convicted.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive has not made any analysis of the effects that miscarriages of justice haveon those wrongfully convicted.</p>

26 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what specialist assistance is available for victims of miscarriages of justice and whether such support extends to relatives of those found to have been wrongly convicted.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Under the Social Work (Scotland) Act1968, ex-prisoners including those released following an appeal against convictionand, or sentence, may voluntarily request assistance from their local authoritywithin 12 months of their release from prison. Under these pro…

26 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister has any plans to meet the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South to discuss the relocation of Scottish Natural Heritage.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The First Minister has no such plans.</p>

26 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister last met the Member of Parliament for Edinburgh South and what devolved issues were discussed.

Answer · Jack McConnell: We have not met formallyrecently but I have received a letter from the member.</p>

26 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the question S2W-2110 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 16 September 2003, what material considerations, other than Executive planning policies, may be taken into account by councils in reaching planning decisions that are not in accordance with the development plan.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Examples of possible materialconsiderations can be found in paragraph 51 of <i>Scottish Planning Policy 1:</i><i>The Planning System,</i> a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s ReferenceCentre (Bib. number 25316).</p>

26 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2140 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 19 September 2003, whether City of Edinburgh and Midlothian councils would be required to publish the reasons for rejecting the options of redevelopment of the existing ground, development within urban areas or developmen…

Answer · Mary Mulligan: As noted in Scottish DevelopmentDepartment Circular 24-1985<i>: Development in the Countryside and Greenbelts</i>,local plans should define the precise boundaries of any green belt within the areacovered by the plan. Any review of green belt boundaries is tak…

17 Sep 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the City of Edinburgh Council's Education Department and what issues were discussed.

Answer · Peter Peacock: I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2O-344 on 4 September 2003, which is available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/sch/search">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk…

9 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many judges have undergone training in the use of the Sentencing Information System within the Scottish Court Service.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: While some judges haveundertaken training in the use of the Sentencing Information System, all judgesare able to access the information in the system whether or not they havepersonally undertaken training in its use, as they have the option to ask theirclerk …

9 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to judges on the use of the Sentencing Information System within the Scottish Court Service.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: No guidance has been issued tojudges on the use of the Sentencing Information System. </p><p>The system is a tool to assistjudges by providing information on the range of sentences passed by the court inprevious cases in an accessible format. It is an aid to …

8 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the effectiveness of the Sentencing Information System within the Scottish Court Service.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Sentencing Information Systemwas developed as a tool for the High Court of Justiciary. Monitoring the use andeffectiveness of the system is a matter for the court.</p>

8 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Sentencing Information System became operational within the Scottish Court Service.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: While a number of judges hadaccess to the software during the development stage, the final operational versionof the system was delivered to the High Court of Justiciary at the end of September2002. All High Court judges have had access to the system from tha…

22 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the City of Edinburgh Council and Midlothian Council will be required to prove that all other options, such as the redevelopment of the existing ground and development opportunities within urban areas or on vacant, derelict or underused land, have been considered before granting a…

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Planningdecisions are required to be taken in accordance with the development planunless material considerations indicate otherwise. Scottish Executive planning policies contained incirculars, National Planning Policy Guidelines and Scottish planning policies…

21 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what regard Midlothian Council must pay to paragraph 70 of National Planning Policy Guideline 11, Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Spaces, before taking a decision on a new football stadium at Straiton.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2110 on 16 September 2003. 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.parliame…

21 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the maximum number of car parking places would be for a 20,000 seater stadium; whether any exceptions can be made to this number of parking places, and what criteria would be used to define sufficient coach parking provision, as referred to in Scottish Planning Policy 17, Transport a…

Answer · Mary Mulligan: TheNational Maximum Parking Standards contained in Scottish Planning Policy 17: <i>Transportand Planning Maximum Parking Standards: Addendum to NPPG 17</i>, publishedMarch 2003, sets a maximum figure for car parking at a 20,000 seat stadium of1,333 (one space…

21 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1508 by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 August 2003, what percentage of the representations it has received regarding car parking at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh were about costs.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Of the 30 representationsreceived, 83% (i.e. 25) have related to costs.</p>

21 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1508 by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 August 2003, how many representations it has received from (a) patients, (b) visitors and (c) staff regarding car parking at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has received 30 representations in total. Of these, there have beeneight from patients, 12 from visitors and 10 from staff.</p>

20 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether City of Edinburgh Council and Midlothian Council will be required to demonstrate that they have had regard to paragraph 72 of National Planning Policy Guideline 11, Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Space before making a planning decision on a new football stadium at Straiton.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2110 today. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">htt…

19 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what very special circumstances would allow construction of a stadium in a green belt area, as referred to in National Planning Policy Guideline 11, Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Space.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2110 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…

19 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what si'e a development must be for a green transport plan to have to be produced, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland, and whether a new football stadium development at Straiton is of such a si'e.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive wants to promote Green Transport Plans amongst businesses, schools, hospitalsand other significant travel-generating uses. There is, however, no threshold figurefor the size of a development and it is a matter for the local planning aut…

19 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what very special circumstances would overrule the general presumption against intrusion into designated green belt land, as referred to in Scottish Development Department Circular 24/1985, Development in the Countryside and Green Belts.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Planningdecisions are required to be taken in accordance with the development planunless material considerations indicate otherwise. Scottish Executive planning policies contained inCirculars, National Planning Policy Guidelines and Scottish Planning Policies…

19 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current level of traffic is on the A720; what the average peak hourly flow of traffic is on the road; what its capacity is, and when it is projected to reach that capacity.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Traffic volumes vary atdifferent locations along the A720. The highest annual average daily flow oftraffic on the A720 in 2002 was at Dreghorn and was 67,940 vehicles per day(34,310 eastbound and 33,628 westbound). The highest average am peak-hour flowwas wes…

24 Jul 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been referred to GPs from diabetes tests in local pharmacies in (a) Edinburgh, (b) Lothian and (c) Scotland since July 2002.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally.