Parliamentary questions
Rob Gibson
971 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
9 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has taken to fill all current vacancies at prison governor and deputy governor level; whether the SPS has a succession planning strategy and, if so, whether this strategy has been revised.
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 SPS regularly reviews thesenior management teams in establishments. As deemed appropriate, the SPS will initiatemoves to satisfy indivi…
9 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what period the Scottish Prison Service anticipates that the position in respect of acting governors at HM Prison Inverness and HM Prison Peterhead will continue; whether the current incumbents will be confirmed in post, and what the reasons are for the position on the matter.
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 current incumbents areon temporary promotion. There are no plans to confirm the current incumbents inpost. The SPS will run an ex…
9 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what savings were required of HM Prison Inverness for the financial year 2006-07.
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 is seeking todeliver efficiency savings. Each establishment is required to use its bestendeavours to contribute to this object…
9 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive by what method the Scottish Prison Service identifies efficiency gains when determining the levels of savings required of prison governors from their allocated budgets.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>All parts of the service arerequired by me to keep expenditure under strict review and identify areas for savingswhich are then agreed with…
9 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms the Scottish Prison Service employs to determine the workload of individual prisons and its impact on each prison’s workforce and key functions.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is asfollows:</p><p>Each public sector prison issubject to a performance contract which identifies the required outputs and theresources provided. These are dete…
9 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding HM Prison Inverness received for being above the contracted level of 150 places at any points from 1 April 2006 to 31 December 2006 and how this was calculated.
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 Inverness is notcontracted to provide additional prisoner places.</p>
9 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what weekly financial penalties were imposed on HM Prison Inverness for being below the contracted level of 150 places at any points from 1 April 2006 to 31 December 2006 and how any such penalties were calculated.
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 Scottish Prison Service doesnot operate a system of financial penalties.</p>
7 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-11138 by Cathy Jamieson on 23 November 2006, on how many days from 1 April to 31 October 2006 occupancy at HM Prison Inverness exceeded the contracted level of 150 places.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>Eighty-four.</p>
7 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-11138 by Cathy Jamieson on 23 November 2006, on how many days from 1 April to 31 October 2006 occupancy at HM Prison Inverness was below the contracted level of 150 places.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>One hundred and twenty-six.</p>
7 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients normally resident in Barra have been placed in the hospital on Benbecula in each year from 1999 to 2006.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The number of residents of Barraand Vatersay treated as inpatient or day cases in Uist and Barra Hospital, Benbeculais presented in Table 1. Information is not available prior to March 2001; the datethe hospital was opened.</p><p>Table 1. Number of Patients<s…
7 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of physiotherapy service is offered in St Brendan's Hospital, Barra.
Answer · Andy Kerr: There is no national guidanceon physiotherapy service levels. It is for NHS boards to plan the number and skillmix of staff needed to deliver services in their area. I understand that the allocatedtime for physiotherapy services at St Brendan’s Hospital, Barr…
7 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the bed occupancy rate is in St Brendan’s Hospital, Barra.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Information on the occupancyrate for NHS beds at St Brendan’s Hospital, Barra for the years ending 31 March 2005 and 31 March 2006 is shownin the following table.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td width=113 valign=top> <p class=nhsbas…
4 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many university and college graduates from each Highlands and Islands parliamentary constituency returned to work in the Highlands and Islands in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following table shows thenumber of graduates at post graduate, first degree or sub degree level that weredomiciled in the Highlands and Islands, went away to study at an highereducation institution (HEI) and then returned to the Highlands and Islands. Thi…
4 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, 16 to 24-year-olds moved from each Highlands and Islands parliamentary constituency in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · George Lyon: The information is only availablefrom the replies to the question in the 2001 Census “What was your usual addressone year ago?”. The data are shown in the following table:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=609> <thead> <tr> <td width=25…
17 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the Scottish ports through which maize, soya, rice, canola/oilseed rape and cotton seed products are imported, showing the quantities of each product imported through these ports in (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The following tables provideinformation on imports of products related to maize, soya, rice and canola/oilseedrape received annually from non-EU countries and landed at Scottish ports. Therewere no imports of cotton seed products during this period. The UK do…
17 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what testing of food products supplied to hospitals has been carried out to verify the absence of unauthorised LL601 rice.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the memberto the answer to question S2W-29960 on 4 December 2006. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
17 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has given to hospitals concerning contamination of food products with unauthorised LL601 rice.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-29960 on 4 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/wa…
17 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what testing of food products supplied to schools has been carried out to verify the absence of unauthorised LL601 rice.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-29960 on 4 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/wa…
17 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has given to schools concerning contamination of food products with unauthorised LL601 rice.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the memberto the answer to question S2W-29960 on 4 December 2006. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’swebsite the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.…
17 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Department of Public Health in Malta following its decision to urge consumers not to consume Blue Ribbon Golden brand or Uncle Ben’s brand of parboiled long grain enriched rice due to contamination by LL601 rice.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I am informed by the Food StandardsAgency that it has had no discussions with the Department of Public Health in Malta regardingunauthorised LL601 rice contamination.</p>
17 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on why the Food Standards Agency did not advise retailers to withdraw products containing unauthorised GM LL601 rice on sale in the United Kingdom until 5 October 2006.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I am informed bythe Food Standards Agency that the issues raised in this question are currentlysubject to proceedings for judicial review.</p><p>As this questionrelates to an active court case, I am unable to comment at this stage.</p>
17 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total staffing costs of Food Standards Agency Scotland have been in each year since its inception.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: <b> </b></p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>2000-01</p> </td> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>£1.121 million</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>2001-02</p> </td> <td nowrap valign=bott…
17 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Director of Food Standards Agency Scotland has claimed in expenses in each year since its inception.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: <b> </b></p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>2000-01</p> </td> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>£7,200</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>2001-02</p> </td> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>£…
17 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the salary of the Director of Food Standards Agency Scotland has been in each year since its inception.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Within band range:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>2000-01</p> </td> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>£60-65,000</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>2001-02</p> </td> <td nowrap valign=bott…
17 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total budget of Food Standards Agency Scotland has been in each year since its inception.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: <b> </b></p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>2000-01</p> </td> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>£3.567 million</p> </td> <td nowrap valign=bottom> <p>Outturn</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td nowrap valign=bott…
17 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Food Advisory Committee will discuss the contamination of US rice with unauthorised LL601 rice and its relevance to Scotland.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I am informed by the Food StandardsAgency that the Scottish Food Advisory Committee is aware of agency actions in thismatter which are subject to proceedings for Judicial Review. The committee havenot scheduled a discussion of this issue.</p>
15 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what strategies and resources are available to students with learning difficulties in Gaelic medium education, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-29908 on 27 November 2006. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forwhich can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…
15 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support has been provided for students with learning difficulties in Gaelic medium education in the last 10 years, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-29908 on 27 November 2006. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forwhich can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
15 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive in what year of primary school the identification of students with learning difficulties in Gaelic medium education commences.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-29908 on 27 November 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…
15 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what provision is made for identifying learning difficulties such as dyslexia in students in Gaelic medium education.
Answer · Hugh Henry: All local authoritiesin Scotland operate an inclusive policy that includesa mainstreaming presumption, however it is a presumption, not an inflexible rule.Pupils with additional support needs will be supported by their respective localauthorities irrespective…