Patrick Harvie

15 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) police officers and (b) other public sector workers contracted (i) HIV, (ii) hepatitis B or (iii) hepatitis C following exposure to the bodily fluids of another person as a result of that person committing or allegedly committing an offence in the last year.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.</p> <p>For police officers, the Scottish Police Federation has advised that during the year 2003-04 there were 24 incidents (not all of them necessarily involving an alleged offence) following which police officers emba…

11 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what costs it has incurred (a) to date and (b) in the last year in respect of the M74 northern extension project, broken down into (i) scheme designs, (ii) publicity and lobbying, (iii) the public inquiry and (iv) all other costs associated with the project.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Executive expenditure on the M74 completion project to date and for the last financial year to end March 2005 is shown in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=444> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>&nbsp;</p></td> <…

4 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the recommendations in the report of the Working Group on Hate Crime.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Scottish ministers are considering the detailed recommendations of the Working Group on Hate Crime and will respond to it in due course.</p>

25 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make a statement on its intended use of the national identification database.

Answer · Tom McCabe: As has been stated on more than one occasion, the Scottish Executive has no plans to make provision of any devolved service dependent on an individual being registered on the National Identity Register. Should that position change, it would require an Act of …

25 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which of its 29 social justice milestones have been met; whether it experienced any difficulties measuring milestones and, if so, which of the milestones were difficult to measure and why.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Our last report on progress towards the social justice milestones (<i>SocialJustice: Indicators of Progress 2003</i>) showed that 17 of the milestones were moving in the right direction. Since then, one of the milestones (number 12) has been achieved. We were…

25 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to involve people with experience of poverty and social exclusion in the monitoring of Closing the Opportunity Gap's targets and objectives and how it will report on any activity undertaken in this area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: All departments have been asked to develop plans for involving service users and those with experience of poverty and social exclusion in the delivery of their targets. In addition, the Poverty Alliance are currently developing a programme of work that will e…

25 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish annual reports on Closing the Opportunity Gap's targets and objectives.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We will not publish annual reports on our Closing the Opportunity Gap targets and objectives. The targets will be monitored and the latest data showing progress against them will be published as it becomes available on our Closing the Opportunity Gap webpages…

25 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will monitor and evaluate Closing the Opportunity Gap's targets in respect of gender and, if so, how.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We will disaggregate published data on the targets by gender, age, ethnicity, disability and geography where possible.</p>

25 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will monitor and evaluate Closing the Opportunity Gap's (CtOG) objectives and targets.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The CtOG objectives are underpinned by 10 specific targets. These targets will be monitored and progress against them will be published as data becomes available, on our Closing the Opportunity Gap webpages.</p>

21 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people renting caravans or mobile homes in the social rented sector or privately have tenancy agreements.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>

21 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will collect information on the reasons why people, with the exception of gypsies/travellers, live in caravans and mobile homes.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We will give this suggestionconsideration in the development of our research programme.</p>

21 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of caravans or mobile homes is (a) owned outright, (b) privately rented and (c) social rented.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The 2001 Census recorded thefollowing proportions in relation to caravans or other mobile or temporary structures:</p><p>(a) owned outright: 56.0%, (b)privately rented: 32.7% and (c) social rented: 11.3%.</p>

21 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households living in residential caravans or mobile homes, excluding gypsies/travellers, do not have access to (a) water, (b) heating and (c) electricity.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not collectedcentrally.</p>

21 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many residential caravans or mobile homes are situated on licensed sites.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not held centrally.</p>

21 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households are housed in caravans or mobile homes by local authorities in meeting their duties to homeless people, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Caravans and mobile homes arenot identified separately in statistics collected centrally on households in temporaryaccommodation.</p>

21 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are living in residential caravans or mobile homes on unprotected sites.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested isnot held centrally.</p>

28 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken following the decisions of the Transport and the Environment Committee and the European Parliament's Petitions Committee to call for the closure of the cattle incinerator in Carntyne, Glasgow.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: There has been significant and continuing improvement in the environmental record of the Carntyne incinerator since the committees submitted their reports in 2003. Specific measures to upgrade odour abatement systems have been installed, and improved monitori…

24 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to the report published in October 2004 by the Working Group on Hate Crime.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Scottish ministers are considering the detailed recommendations of the Working Group on Hate Crime and expect to respond to it in due course.</p>

24 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will mark LGBT History Month.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is marking LGBT history month in a number of ways.</p><p>I will be hosting a reception for LGBT communities later in the month. This will be an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the contribution that LGBT people have made to Scotti…

20 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be made available to voluntary organisations to celebrate the UK Year of the Volunteer 2005; who will administer this funding, and when the funding programme will commence.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is investing around £100,000 in the Year of the Volunteer 2005. This is being administered by the Scottish Executive. We expect to fund a small number of organisations to deliver the Scottish aims of the Year and funding has already com…

19 Jan 2005 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development from 2005 to 2014.

Answer · Euan Robson: Yes. My officials are currently developing proposals to mark the decade. A meeting of the Sustainable Development Education Liaison Group is scheduled for 1 February at which this issue will be discussed.</p>

17 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions have taken place in the last year arising from reported incidents of smoking on public transport.

Answer · Colin Boyd: Between April 2003 and March2004 17 people were reported to the Procurator Fiscal for smoking on public transport.Six were reported for a contravention of section 129(2)(c) of the Railways Act 1993and 11 were reported for a contravention of Regulation 6(1)(d)…

17 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether guidance has been issued to procurators fiscal regarding prosecutions for offences arising from smoking on public transport.

Answer · Colin Boyd: Detailed legal, policy and practiceguidance is available to procurators fiscal, to be applied in decision making inrelation to all cases submitted for consideration of prosecution. Offences arisingfrom smoking on public transport are not the subject of any ad…

17 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many reported incidents there have been of smoking on public transport in the last year.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The information is not held centrally.</p>

15 Dec 2004 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits will be brought to tourism by the Core Path Network, in addition to those that it will bring to public access.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The beauty of our countryside is a major attraction for all of our visitors to Scotland, but particularly those who come for a walking holiday. That part of the market alone is worth around £400 million a year. Under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, the e…

9 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which authorities would be expected to exercise the supervisory and disciplinary functions set out in section 64 (1)(e)(i) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Section 64(1)(e)(i) requires designated religious charities to have an organisation in which internal authorities exercise supervisory and disciplinary functions in respect of the charity. It is for the organisation itself to determine how it wishes to struct…

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a person subject to a closure order under the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 will be considered by the local authority to be intentionally homeless.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Closure orders apply to premises, not individuals. However, the relevant local authority has the responsibility for deciding whether or not a person made homeless as a result of a closure order is intentionally homeless in the light of that person’s individua…

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on whether a person subject to a closure order under the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 can claim housing benefit on the property (a) from which they are excluded and (b) to which they have moved to for the duration of the order.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Closure orders are made in respect of premises, not individuals. When considering an application for such an order the sheriff is required to consider the vulnerability of anyone living in the premises in question. The issue of housing benefit is likely to be…

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Department for Work and Pensions regarding the impact of closure orders made under the Antisocial Behaviour etc. (Scotland) Act 2004 on housing benefit.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on the interaction between housing benefit policy and policy on devolved matters. Discussions were held with DWP at official level on those aspects of closure orders …

26 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for project funding its Voluntary Issues Unit has received since the announcement of the Volunteering Strategy on 11 May 2004; how many of these applications have been successful; how much funding has been disbursed under the strategy, and what the criteria are for f…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: To be eligible for financial assistance from the Scottish Executive Voluntary Issues Unit (VIU), voluntary organisations must demonstrate that the activities for which funding is sought meet one or more of the following: </p><p>Are consistent with the aims an…