Parliamentary questions

Frances Curran

138 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

25 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any funds, in addition to the 21 sources identified in the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) report Funding for Training, published in August 2004, will be allocated to meet training needs of social work and social care staff and, if so, how these funds will be targeted.

Answer · Euan Robson: Local Government Finance Settlement to 2007-08: Community Care circular issued in December 2004 announced increased funding to the voluntary sector care providers from £10.3 million to £13.6 million. This increased funding is to ensure there is provis…

25 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how rationalisation of the 21 sources of funding identified in the Scottish Social Services Council report Funding for Training, published in August 2004, will be achieved.

Answer · Euan Robson: This report was considered by the National Workforce Group (NWG). The Education, Training and Development Working Group, as a sub group of the NWG, used these reports to inform development of the draft Strategy for the Development of the Social Services Wo…

25 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond formally to the Scottish Social Services Council reports Implementation of Phase One Qualification Criteria and Funding for Training, published in August 2004.

Answer · Euan Robson: The Scottish Executive will not be responding formally to the Scottish Social Services Council reports Implementation of Phase One Qualification Criteria and Funding for Training. However, both working groups had representation from the Scottish Executive in …

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much locally-grown produce is used in its canteen and restaurant facilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Details’ regarding how much locally-grown produce is used in the Scottish Executive canteen and restaurant facilities are not available.Catering services and facilities within Scottish Executive buildings are operated under a contract with an external …

2 Dec 2004 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how much locally-grown produce is used in the restaurant facilities in Holyrood.

Answer · John Scott: The Parliament’s cateringcontractor, Sodexho, purchases from a national database of nominated suppliersin order to obtain best value for money. These suppliers have to undergorigorous inspections to ensure that they comply with the company’s food safetyrequir…

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it provides to schools, local authority homes and hospitals to allow them to purchase locally-grown produce.

Answer · Andy Kerr: There is no specific allocation of funding to local authorities or the NHS for purchase of locally grown produce. Decisions on the procurement of food, includinglocally grown produce, by schools, local authority homes, and hospitals are ultimately the respons…

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it intends to provide to community food initiatives in the next financial year.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the question S2W-12795 answered on 16 December 2004. 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/webap…

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has provided to community food initiatives in each year since 1999.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive has provided the following funding to the Scottish Community Diet Project (SCDP), a large proportion of which goes towards supporting community food initiatives, either by providing direct financial support through its grant scheme or b…

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Department for Trade and Industry on extending the Supermarket Code of Practice to cover the whole supply chain, including farmers, retailers, processors and the food service sector.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Competition is a reserved matter. The Supermarket Code of Practice is currently the subject of an audit by the Office of Fair Trading, which is independent of ministers. It would therefore be inappropriate to propose extensions to the code before the results …

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Department for Trade and Industry on establishing an independent body to enforce the Supermarket Code of Practice in Scotland in order to provide protection for farmers, retailers, processors and the food service sector.

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Department for Trade and Industry on strengthening the Supermarket Code of Practice in Scotland in order to provide protection for farmers, retailers, processors and the food service sector.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Supermarket Code of Practice is currently the subject of an audit by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). Since the OFT is independent of ministers, it would be inappropriate for Scottish ministers to have input before the results become available. Although …

19 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any research has been carried out to establish whether Dunoon, Helensburgh and Largs are cancer “hot spots”.

Answer · Andy Kerr: In response to a request from NHS Argyll and Clyde a statistical analysis was undertaken earlier this year by the Information and Statistics Division (ISD) for the Holy Loch area. This analysis showed that there is no evidence from the available data of a sta…

29 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the answer by the team leader of the Finance, Environment and Rural Affairs section of its Finance and Central Services Department to the Environment and Rural Development Committee on 21 April 2004 that “we spend relatively little programme money on the issue of climate chan…

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive is addressing climatechange through its Scottish Climate Change Programme (SCCP). The policiesin the SCCP cut across a number of different policy areas and, whilst the main driverof each policy may not necessarily be climate change, all will del…

29 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why targets on climate change no longer appear in its Annual Expenditure Report.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Draft Budget 2004-05 contained an objective “A clean and safe environment, tackling climate changeand complying with domestic, EU and international standards”. A number of key targetsacross different portfolios are contributing to the achievement of th…

29 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that Scotland will make an equitable contribution to addressing climate change and what further steps it will take prior to the G8 Summit at Gleneagles.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Measures through which the Executiveis delivering an equitable contribution to the UK’s Kyoto targetand the UK Government’s domestic climate change objectives are contained in theExecutive’s Scottish Climate Change Programme, a copy of which is availab…

28 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are under which permitted development rights are allowed.

Answer · Johann Lamont: The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992 (the GPDO), grants a general planning permission (or permitted development right) for a variety of developments. These developments are either minor or uncontentious in nature…

28 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what public consultations have been undertaken by Network Rail for the proposed erection of Global System for Mobile Telecommunications (GSM-R) masts on Network Rail property.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Whilst Network Rail is not obliged to undertake formal consultation regarding operational developments on its railway land, it has notified all local planning authorities of the details of the GSM-R project and the locations of the new masts. Additionally, Ne…

28 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what public consultations require to be undertaken by Network Rail regarding the proposed erection of Global System for Mobile Telecommunications (GSM-R) masts on Network Rail property.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: There is no absolute requirementfor Network Rail to undertake public consultation on this issue. However, Circular 18/1985 Developments By Statutory Undertakers– Consultation with Planning Authorities does contain guidance on theissue. It emphas…

28 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what planning consents are required for the erection of Global System for Mobile Telecommunications (GSM-R) masts by Network Rail.

Answer · Johann Lamont: I refer the member to the answer to S2W-10263, on 16 September 2004. 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/wa.s…

7 Oct 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that Renfrewshire Council has varied the scope of its PPP schools contract and whether the new contract represents value for money to the taxpayer, given that the value of the contract remains unchanged for the contractor although the refurbishment programme contained …

Answer · Tom McCabe: The scope of Renfrewshire Council’s schools public private partnerships project is a matter for the council.It is the responsibility of the council to demonstrate that their schools PPP project shows value for money at Final Business Case stage. This i…

21 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether PFI or PPP projects involving Scottish Water or its subsidiaries required the provision of information about projected domestic and non-domestic water and/or sewerage charges to banks and private companies or consortia.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Since its inception, Scottish Water has not entered into any PFI or PPP contracts.

13 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the decision of the Competition Appeals Tribunal on Aquavitae (UK) Limited v Director General of Water, it intends to sell water wholesale for retail supply before the enactment of the Water Services etc. (Scotland) Bill and whether legal advice has been obtained on t…

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive recently introduced the Water Services etc. (Scotland) Bill,which responds to the implications of the Competition Act 1998 for the water industry in Scotland. The bill proposes that the Water Industry Commission, among the charge limits that it …

6 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools have introduced fresh drinking water dispensers in line with the response by the Expert Panel on School Meals to the European Council Drinking Water Directive contained in its report Hungry for Success - A Whole School Approach …

Answer · Euan Robson: Results from the recent school meals census (22 June 2004) indicate that 78% of all Scottish primary, special and secondary schools had fresh chilled water available throughout the school day.The target is for the delivery of all Hungry for Success<…

6 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many education authorities have introduced incentive schemes to promote healthier choices and increase the take-up of school meals in line with recommendation 19 of Hungry for Success - A Whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland and what effect such schemes have had on choic…

Answer · Euan Robson: Implementation of the recommendations laid out in Hungry for Success, including incentive schemes to promote healthier choices, is under way in schools across all education authorities in Scotland. The target is for the delivery of all Hungry for Su…

6 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many education authorities have introduced multiple-use cards for school meal applications in secondary schools.

Answer · Euan Robson: This information is not collected centrally. In June 2004, the Executive published the annual school meal census report, the results of which indicated that 26% of mainstream schools in Scotland operated an anonymised system for free school meal receipt.<…

6 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many primary schools have reviewed their ticket allocation practices in line with recommendation 9 of the Hungry for Success - A Whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland programme and what the results have been.

Answer · Euan Robson: Results from the recent school meals census (22 June 2004) indicate that of all mainstream primary schools, 26% have put in place an anonymised system for free school meals receipt.The target is for the delivery of all Hungry for Success recomme…

6 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools have implemented recommendation 4 of the Hungry for Success - A Whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland programme, which states that school meal facilities should not advertise nor promote food or drink with a high fat or high sugar content, by removing any suc…

Answer · Euan Robson: Implementation of the recommendations laid out in Hungry for Success, including tackling the promotion of unhealthy food and drink in schools, is under way in primary, special and secondary schools across Scotland. The target is for the delivery of all…

6 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) education authorities, (b) primary schools and (c) special schools have implemented recommendation 3 of Hungry for Success - A Whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland programme which states that the school nutrient standards for school lunches should be adopted and…

Answer · Euan Robson: Implementation of the recommendations laid out in Hungry for Success, including the adoption of nutrient standards, is under way in primary, special and secondary schools across all education authorities in Scotland. The target is for the delivery of a…

18 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have been held with the Department of Trade and Industry and other government departments in respect of General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) negotiations relating to the water industry; where such discussions took place; who attended the meetings, and whether it…

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has ensured that the UK Government’s representations to the European Union on GATSreflect the Executive’s commitment to retain Scotland’s water services in the public sector. The UK Government has confirmed that no requests have been re…

7 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the grant funding allocated to Inverclyde Council in 2003-04 was ringfenced, broken down by purpose.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Inverclyde Council were allocated £11.304 million in ring‑fenced specific grants in 2003‑04. This is broken down in the table.<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> Purpose </td> <td> Amount (£ Mill…