Parliamentary questions

Carolyn Leckie

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

5 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to examine the situation of lay people conducting their own cases in court and their ability to question past and present sexual partners about these partners’ sexual activity and history.

Answer · Hugh Henry: In criminal proceedings, under the Sexual Offences (Procedureand Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2002, the accused in rape and sexual offence cases areprevented from personally cross-examining the complainer and are required to belegally represented for the whole tr…

4 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the increases in the earnings of all health professionals over the last 10 years, also showing the increases in the registration fees paid to their respective regulatory bodies expressed in real terms and as a percentage of their salaries.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The following table shows percentageincreases in pay for nurses, allied health professions, hospital doctors and dentistsexpressed in cash terms and in real terms since 1997.The Executive does not hold informationon registration fees for regulatory bod…

4 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it had had with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) and NHS employers with regard to the proposed increase in the NMC registration fee.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has noauthority over the regulation of nurses and midwives as this is a reserved matter.The Nursing and Midwifery Council sets the standards for professional self-regulationand must be responsible for the setting of fees at an appropria…

4 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24555 by Mr Tom McCabe on 19 April 2006, what advice it has given to local authorities with regard to implementing the Equal Opportunities Commission’s Code of Practice on Equal Pay.

Answer · Tom McCabe: As stated in my previous response,“the Executive has not issued any specific guidance to local authorities in relationto their obligations under equal pay”.The answer to question S2W-28118is relevant with regards to the Equal Opportunities Commission C…

4 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made by public bodies in achieving implementation of the gender equality duty.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The rate of progress regardingthe implementation of the Gender Equality Duty for public authorities depends onthe precise form and scope of the duty - and the specific duties for Scotland arenot due to be lain before the Scottish Parliament until October 2006…

4 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the provision of additional funding to assist local authorities to meet their obligations under equal pay legislation and the Equal Opportunities Commission’s Code of Practice on Equal Pay.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The core local government financesettlement includes provision for the salariesand wages paid by local authorities. Thesettlement is largely unhypothecated and it is for councils themselves to determinehow they spend this in line with local needs and prioriti…

4 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what contact it has had with local authorities in respect of implementing the single status pay agreement and achieving equal pay and what the outcomes have been of such contact.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The Executive has not so farbeen asked formally by COSLA to provide additional funding to help implementthe Agreement although individual councils have asked for assistance from the Executive to meet their particular circumstances. The pay and conditions of l…

4 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to ensure that local authorities carry out gender impact assessments when implementing the single status pay agreement.

Answer · Tom McCabe: As stated in my answer toS2W-24555 answered on 19 April 2006, the Executive has not issued any specific guidanceto local authorities in relation to their obligations under equal pay. Generaladvice and guidance on such matters has, as you know, been published …

1 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to ensure that new-build schools and hospitals do not suffer problems with excessive heat, in light of recent reports of staff at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh fainting as a result of high temperatures.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has takenno specific action to ensure that new-build schools and hospitals do not sufferproblems with excessive heat as issues such as the output specifications and operationalmanagement for such contracts are, in the case of schools, a…

1 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has taken any steps to identify how many schools built under PFI/PPP contracts have experienced problems with excessive heat, in light of recent reports of staff at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh fainting as a result of high temperatures.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Such identification would befor local authorities, in association with their PPP partners where appropriate.What the Executive has done is to encourage authorities to evaluate all new schools,no matter the type of procurement, to see how they are meeting the …

1 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has taken any steps to identify how many hospitals built under PFI/PPP contracts have experienced problems with excessive heat, in light of recent reports of staff at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh fainting as a result of high temperatures.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has nottaken steps to identify how many hospitals built under PFI/PPP contracts have experiencedproblems with excessive heat. However, a report commissioned to evaluate the performanceof Public Private Partnerships in Scotland was publi…

1 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many PFI/PPP hospitals commissioned by NHS boards have been built with air-conditioning in place on opening, in light of recent reports of staff at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh fainting as a result of high temperatures.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested isnot held centrally. When commissioning new Scottish hospitals, the specificationof air conditioning is a matter for NHSScotland Bodies to consider in accordancewith statutory standards and current operational guidance.

18 Jul 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-24316, S2W-25442, S2W-26233, and S2W-26566 by Lewis MacDonald on 27 March, 8 May, 2 June and 19 June 2006 indicating that the Medical Research Council (MRC) had received no proposals of sufficient quality to fund research into the investigation of …

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: As stated in the answer toquestion S2W-25366, answered on 3 May 2006, the Medical Research Council(MRC) is an independent funding body, the responsibility for which is reservedto Westminster. While my department works closely with the MRC onmany issues and ha…

18 Jul 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the research findings of Dr Steve Walker which replicate the findings of Professor John O’Leary and Dr Andrew Wakefield in discovering measles RNA from the MMR vaccine in the gut of autistic children and, in light of the recent study by Professor Gillian Baird, published in T…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The research findings of DrWalker’s work are unpublished and have not yet been peer-reviewed. There hasbeen extensive research into whether the measles virus can be found in gut ofchildren with autism however, there remains no convincing evidence to indicatea…

18 Jul 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of recent research published by Professor Gillian Baird in The Lancet stating that autism now affects one child in 100 in the United Kingdom and that environmental factors are implicated, what urgent steps will be taken to identify the environmental factors which are the potenti…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The report by ProfessorGillian Baird and others which was published in The Lancet on 14 Julydoes not implicate environmental factors as a reason for an increase in theprevalence of autism and related spectrum disorders (ASDs). While the papersuggests t…

30 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the report in the Sunday Telegraph on 19 June 2006 on the MMR/autism debate which stated that the Department of Health would be very happy to consider information from families and would welcome appropriate samples being analysed by acknowledged international experts in the f…

Answer · Andy Kerr: In June 2006 theDepartment of Health was made aware that the parents of the children whosetests had been reported as positive were offering this information to the department.The Department of Health has stated that it would be very happy to accept thisinform…

30 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the report in the Sunday Telegraph on 19 June 2006 which stated that UK ministers have agreed that tests should be carried out on children whose families claim that they were damaged by MMR, what information it has on which ministers have agreed to this development and whethe…

Answer · Andy Kerr: Ministers at the Departmentof Health have not agreed that testsshould be carried out on children whose families claim that they were damagedby MMR and have not agreed to an MMRautism inquiry. Neither has the Department of Health issued a statement saying that…

15 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding any impact on services in Scotland arising from current and future job losses resulting from its efficiency review.

Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-26889 on 29 June 2006. All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.s…

15 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding current and future job losses in Scotland resulting from its efficiency review.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Two UK-wide Governmental networksare in place to monitor and discuss this issue.Each network meets monthly andthe Executive is represented by officials at those meetings.

7 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to inform parents of any international concerns over the safety record of the MMR vaccine and what steps will be taken to withdraw and replace all advertising literature that asserts that no child has ever died as a result of MMR vaccination, in light of the death…

Answer · Andy Kerr: Priorix has been successfullyused to prevent measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) since 1997. More than 145 milliondoses have been administered worldwide and the vaccine has an excellent safety trackrecord.Preliminary results from theinvestigation into the…

7 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to ensure that ethical standards are maintained in the care of all women prisoners in labour.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-26571 on 28 June 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the …

7 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it necessary for women prisoners to be handcuffed when in labour.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:No, unless in exceptional circumstances.No specific guidance has beenissued on the management of women prisoners who are in labour. …

7 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what specific guidance it has issued to (a) the Scottish Prison Service, (b) Reliance and (c) the NHS about the treatment of imprisoned parturient women.

6 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm that it has not funded any clinical research into a connection between autism and bowel disease in children since this issue was first raised in 1998 and that no children identified by parents as having withdrawn into autism following MMR vaccination have been incl…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to theanswers to questions S2W-24316 on 27 March 2006, S2W-25442 on 8 May 2006 and S2W-26233 on 2 June 2006. Asstated previously, the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) within the Scottish ExecutiveHealth Department has not funded any research in…