Parliamentary questions

Jamie Hepburn

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

8 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a traffic regulation order promulgated by a local authority can legally affect more than one locality or whether an individual order must be issued for each specific locality.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The making of Traffic Regulation Orders is a matter for the individual local authority and Scottish ministers have no role to play in this process.

3 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what rent to mortgage opportunities there are in North Lanarkshire.

Answer · Alex Neil: In Scotland there is no specific scheme in operation directed solely towards rent to mortgage. Opportunities do however exist through LIFT, the low-cost initiative for first time buyers which aims to help people on low incomes become owners but whose financia…

3 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what shared equity schemes for prospective homeowners it is involved with in each of the local area partnership areas in North Lanarkshire; what further schemes are planned, and whether it is aware of any other shared equity schemes operated or planned by other bodies in each of these are…

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government does not hold this information at North Lanarkshire Council''s local area partnership areas. However, through the existing range of Low-cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT) schemes operated by the government, prospective homeow…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-28823 by Adam Ingram on 19 November 2009, on how many occasions the disclosure process has identified sexual offences committed by prospective hosts in school exchange programmes.

Answer · Adam Ingram: Data on the precise number of cases where the disclosure process has revealed sexual offences committed by prospective host parents is not available. This is because the variety of ways the position of host parent is described on disclosure applications makes…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners were (a) known and (b) estimated to have drug dependency issues in each year since 1950.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: This information is not available, however drug dependency performance data from 1970 is presented in the following tables.…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths have been attributed to (a) drugs and (b) heroin misuse in each year since 1950.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information on drug-related deaths can be found in Drug-related Deaths in Scotland in 2008 published by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) in August 2009: <a href="http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/files2/stats/drug-related-deaths/drug-related-death…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what legislation or directive prohibits general practitioners and other appropriately qualified medical staff from routinely prescribing heroin.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Misuse of Drugs (Supply to Addicts) Regulations 1997 require that only medical practitioners who hold a special licence issued by the Home Secretary may prescribe, administer or supply diamorphine (heroin) in the treatment of drug addiction. Gene…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive since what year general practitioners and other appropriately qualified medical staff have not been allowed to routinely prescribe heroin.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Dangerous Drugs (Supply to Addicts) Regulations 1968 restricted the prescribing of heroin for addicts to doctors licensed for that purpose. General practitioners and other doctors do not require a special licence for prescribing diamorphine (hero…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) known and (b) estimated heroin users there have been in each year since 1950.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The number of known and estimated heroin users since 1950 is not held centrally. However, estimates of the prevalence of problematic opiate (includes heroin and other opiates) and/or benzodiazepine misuse in Scotland have been carried out for 2000, …

24 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what statutory core funding has been provided to each of the regional parks in each year since 1999.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Funding of regional parks is a matter for the appropriate local authorities. Until 2008-09 SNH provided discretionary grant funding towards core and other costs for the regional parks. The sums provided to each park for each year since 1999, were a…

9 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in what circumstances the parents of children participating in a school exchange programme may be required to undergo checks by Disclosure Scotland.

Answer · Adam Ingram: In respect of parents hosting other people''s children in the context of a school exchange programme, I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28823 on 19 November 2009. There are no requirements for checking of parents sending their children on a sch…

9 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a requirement on families hosting school children as part of an exchange programme to undergo checks by Disclosure Scotland.

Answer · Adam Ingram: Under current legislation, access to disclosure checks is governed by whether or not a position (in this case host parent) is a child care position as defined in the Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 (POCSA). As there is no statutory definition of ho…

9 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it provides to schools on organising exchange visits.

Answer · Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government has provided guidance to local authorities and schools on the protection of children and young people whilst at school. The Safe and Well handbook (2005) provides detailed advice and information to inform local authority and school pol…

5 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its planning guidance issued to local authorities contains an indication of the likely number of children of school age that there will be per number of new homes built in any new housing development.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Scottish Government planning guidance does not contain such an indication, this being an issue for planning authorities to determine for their respective areas.

5 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its planning guidance requires that a local authority or entity making a planning application undertake an assessment of the likely impact on local public services of the development of new housing.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Scottish Government planning guidance does not specifically require an assessment of the likely impact of housing development on public services, but does require planning authorities to provide settlement strategies as part of the development plan. Settlemen…

5 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its planning guidance requires that a local authority or entity making a planning application undertake an assessment of the number of children of school age likely to be in any new housing development.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Scottish Government planning guidance does not require an assessment in such specific terms, but does require planning authorities to provide settlement strategies as part of the development plan. Settlement strategies should consider the provision of housing…

29 Oct 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation local authorities are required to undertake among local communities before closing nursery and primary schools.

Answer · Keith Brown: Currently local authorities are required to follow a range of statutory procedures set out in the Education (Publication and Consultation Etc.) (Scotland) Regulations, 1981 as amended. If proposing to close a school, they must engage in a formal consultation …

28 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are restrictions on how a community service scheme can meet the requirements set out in each subsection of paragraph 22 of chapter 3 of National Objectives for Social Work Services in the Criminal Justice System: Standards - Community Service.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Each scheme must meet the requirements set out in Guidance on Community Service, which has replaced the National Objectives and Standards for Community Service since 1 June 2009. I refer the member to the answer to questions S3W-28418 on 5 November 2…

28 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the standards are that are referred to in paragraph 17 of chapter 3 of National Objectives for Social Work Services in the Criminal Justice System: Standards - Community Service and where they are set out.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The standards referred to in paragraph 17 relate to the standards and obligations to be met by both the community service schemes and potential external placement providers in relation to compliance with relevant working conditions. This includes areas such a…

28 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are restrictions on people on a work placement as part of a community service order working on the maintenance or improvement of private property and, if so, whether communal property not used for commercial gain would be considered to be private property in these circumstan…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: There are no specified restrictions. However, community service schemes must ensure that work placements are not used in situations that could deprive others of paid employment. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28418 on 5 November 2…

28 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what restrictions there are on people on a work placement as part of a community service order working with a commercial entity as part of that placement.

28 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is assessed that work done on a work placement as part of a community service order is not depriving others of paid employment, as set out in paragraph 13 of chapter 3 of National Objectives for Social Work Services in the Criminal Justice System: Standards - Community Service.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Guidance on Community Service, which has replaced the National Standards for Community Service from 1 June 2009, maintains the requirement that community service work placements should not be used in situations which are likely to deprive others of the opport…