Parliamentary questions
Frances Curran
138 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
27 Oct 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any proposals to limit to five the daily journeys which may be made by senior citizens under the concessionary travel scheme with effect from April 2007.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive has no currentplans to amend the operation of the Scotland-wide free bus travel scheme for olderand disabled people in the way suggested.</p>
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address the increase in domestic energy prices and any subsequent growth in fuel poverty.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have renewed my call to energycompanies to ensure they take adequate measures to protect vulnerable householdsand to this end I am meeting later this year with the Chief Executives of the mainScottish suppliers.</p><p>I have already said that I willextend o…
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what response it received when it wrote to Scottish energy suppliers in 2004 asking them to show social responsibility in setting domestic energy prices and whether it intends to write to them again in light of recent domestic energy price increases.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Over the last two years energycompanies have kept officials informed of various schemes and special tariffs putin place to assist vulnerable customers. I wrote to companies again on 17 Februaryand 29 June this year and I will meet with each of the three main …
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish households it estimates are living in fuel poverty.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-27692 on 29 August 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/wa…
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has calculated how many more households are in fuel poverty as a result of domestic energy price rises since the Scottish Housing Condition Survey was carried out in 2002.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The latest available figure isfrom the Scottish House Condition Survey 2003-04 which estimated that 328,000 householdswere fuel poor.</p>
3 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that school head teachers and others to whom the selection and recruitment of staff is devolved by local authorities act in line with local authorities’ policies and procedures, current discrimination legislation and good employment practice, in light of a recent sex di…
Answer · Peter Peacock: Recruitment and Selection proceduresare matters for local authorities. The Scottish Executive expects all local authoritiesto devise polices and procedures that comply with the law, and to monitor theirimplementation. We understand that Scottish Borders have …
3 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to order a review by local authorities of the recruitment procedures used by school head teachers to ensure that they are in line with local authorities’ policies and procedures, current discrimination legislation and good employment practice, in light of a recent…
Answer · Peter Peacock: Employment legislation is a reservedmatter and as such any guidance would be for the relevant bodies to issue. The ScottishExecutive expects all local authorities to devise polices and procedures that complywith the law, and to monitor their implementation. W…
25 May 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the evaluation of the Hungry for Success initiative (a) has cost to date and (b) is projected to cost by 2007 and what resources are being used to carry out the evaluation.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The total cost to date of theevaluation of Hungry for Success is £146,626.07. The projected cost for 2007 is£127,880. The cost of this evaluation is shared between the Scottish Executive andHM Inspectorate of Education (HMIe).</p><p>The evaluation process has…
25 May 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has powers to extend free school meals to all secondary school pupils and, if so, whether it can provide the funding to do so.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive haspowers to affect the criteria governing eligibility for free school meals butthese powers do not extend to allowing provision of free school meals to allgroups of school pupils.</p><p>The Executive is concentrating on those most in n…
30 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who organised the National Tenants’ Conference held on 20 March 2006 in the Hilton Grosvenor Hotel, Edinburgh and who attended the conference.
Answer · Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>The National Tenants’ Conferencewas organised by the National Engagement Working Group comprising 17 representativesof registered tenants’ org…
30 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many tenants’ organisations attended events organised by Communities Scotland or on behalf of Communities Scotland from March 2005 to February 2006.
Answer · Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>The number of tenants’ organisationsthat attended events organised by Communities Scotland or on behalf of CommunitiesScotland from March 2005…
30 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent by Communities Scotland on organising tenants’ meetings, either directly or through other organisations, in each year since its inception.
Answer · Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>The following table details themoney spent by Communities Scotland in each financial year since its inception inNovember 2001 on tenant meetin…
24 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Budget announcement of extra funding for schools will have on per capita spending in Scottish schools.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Scotland has benefited from an additional £87 million of fundingas a result of the Chancellor’s Budget announcements. These consequentials accrueto the Scottish Block as a whole. As such, Scottish ministers will allocate theseadditional resources in due cours…
8 Mar 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has allocated to zero tolerance campaigns and support services for women experiencing violence.
Answer · Johann Lamont: The Scottish Executive in recentyears has committed significant resources to domestic abuse and the wider violenceagainst women agenda. Specific funding from the communities portfolio from 2000until 2006 totalled over £34.5 million and further funding from ot…
21 Feb 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what examples of international best practice in the energy performance of buildings it has (a) identified and (b) implemented to protect and enhance Scotland’s new environment, in line with paragraph 13b of International Strategy.
Answer · Johann Lamont: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:</p><p>The development of building regulationsis underpinned by current research findings and includes joint working with the…
21 Feb 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what examples of international best practice in energy efficiency it has (a) identified and (b) implemented to protect and enhance Scotland’s environment, in line with paragraph 13b of International Strategy.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive is currently developingthe first Scottish energy efficiency strategy which will cover all initiatives andstrategies funded by the Executive which have a significant impact on energy efficiency.This includes measures in relation to business, the …
21 Feb 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what examples of international best practice in environmental justice it has (a) identified and (b) implemented to protect and enhance Scotland’s environment, in line with paragraph 13b of International Strategy.
Answer · Ross Finnie: On 14 December 2005, we published our Review of Progress on Environmental Justice. This sets out the actions we have taken to make progress on environmental justice in Scotland. We have sought to take account of best international practice. For example, resea…
21 Feb 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what examples of international best practice in transport it has (a) identified and (b) implemented to protect and enhance Scotland’s environment, in line with paragraph 13b of International Strategy.
Answer · Tavish Scott: There is an extensive body ofcomparative research and literature on transport and the environment which the ScottishExecutive takes into account when developing transport policy. For example, we commissionedand recently published a study reviewing National Tr…
15 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown by police force of all overtime payments to officers working during July 2005 and what information it has on overtime payments made to police officers from forces outwith Scotland.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This information is not heldcentrally. The payment of overtime is a matter entirely for individual chief constables.</p><p>The total cost of mutual aidrelated to G8 came to £44.660 million. Mutual aid comprised the additional staffingcosts including salary, o…
28 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has carried out of the proportion of primary school children who bring packed lunches to school, rather than choosing a school meal, and what plans it has to make school meals more attractive and more accessible to those pupils.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Accordingto the last School Meals Survey, 46.6% of primary school children took school mealson the survey date. However, we do not collect information on the number of pupilswho take packed lunches.</p><p>Hungryfor Success contains a range of measures designe…
28 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend the provision of free fruit available to P1 and P2 pupils on three days a week to (a) five days a week and (b) other primary school pupils.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The free fruit scheme aims to introduce pupils to the taste of different fruits at an early age, and targeting the first two years of primary education with free fruit three times per week was felt to be the best way of achieving this. An independent evaluati…
28 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure that all schools evaluate their school meals and food provision rigorously and regularly, in light of the findings of HM Inspectorate of Education’s progress report, Monitoring the Implementation of Hungry for Success: A Whole School Approach to School…
Answer · Peter Peacock: The report of theexpert panel on school meals recognised the importance of self-evaluation byschools and local authorities to complement monitoring by the ScottishExecutive. A set of bench marks is being prepared for schools and, moreparticularly, local autho…
28 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to tackle instances of unsatisfactory practices referred to in HM Inspectorate of Education’s progress report, Monitoring the Implementation of Hungry for Success: A Whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland, in respect of reducing and eliminating stigma…
Answer · Peter Peacock: Paragraph 10.7of the report sets out clearly how unsatisfactory practices are being tackled:</p><p>“In additionto providing oral feedback to schools inspected, nutritional associate assessorshave offered oral feedback on the findings of school inspections to …
28 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many primary schools have incorporated the principles of the Hungry for Success initiative into their school improvement plans.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Detailed informationon school improvement plans is not held centrally.</p><p>The on-going programmeof inspections of Hungry for Success (carried out by HM Inspectorate of Educationnutritional assessors) shows that the majority of schools are including impleme…
28 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional (a) trained nutritionists and (b) catering professionals have been employed by each local authority since January 2003 to promote and evaluate the implementation of Hungry for Success programmes in schools.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The Executivedoes not hold information on the number of trained nutritionists and catering professionalsemployed by local authorities. It would in any case be difficult to conclude, fromthis data, to what extent any changes have been due to the impact of Hung…
28 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional (a) catering and (b) supervisory staff have been employed by each local authority since January 2003 to help implement Hungry for Success programmes in schools.
Answer · Peter Peacock: TheExecutive does not hold information on catering and supervisory staff employedby local authorities. It would in any case be difficult to conclude, from dataon employment of such staff, to what extent any changes have been due to theimpact of Hungry for Suc…
28 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on what basis primary schools and special schools were selected for inclusion in HM Inspectorate of Education’s progress report, Monitoring the Implementation of Hungry for Success: A Whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland.
Answer · Peter Peacock: As stated in paragraph 1.1of the HM Inspectorate of Education report, Nutritional Associate Assessorscarried out inspections in a sample of schools which were included in thegeneral inspection programme over the period in question. The schools werechosen to g…
28 Nov 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authority areas were not included in HM Inspectorate of Education’s progress report, Monitoring the Implementation of Hungry for Success: A Whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The report was based oninspections carried out in all local authority areas except Orkney, Shetland, Stirling,Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire. Further inspections have now been scheduled toensure that at least one school will have been inspected in each lo…
2 Nov 2005 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with each of its departments¿ policies in respect of public procurement processes and how it will ensure that the needs of local communities are taken into account in the development of such policies, in light of the recent decision to tender ferry services current…
Answer · George Lyon: Responsibility for public procurement policies within the Scottish Executive rests with the Scottish Procurement Directorate as opposed to each individual department.</p> <p><i>The Scottish Public Finance Manual </i>sets out a number of requirements in respec…
30 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will produce comprehensive and integrated planning guidance on climate change to ensure that issues such as food and fuel miles can be addressed.
Answer · Johann Lamont: A wide ranging consultant’s reportentitled <i>The Planning Response to Climate Change – Advice on Better Practice</i>was issued by the Executive and the other UK planning administrations in September 2004. It includesbrief references to local food sourcing an…