Parliamentary questions
Stuart McMillan
787 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have decriminalised parking offences.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Six local authorities have decriminalised parking offences. Decriminalised parking enforcement was introduced in the City of Edinburgh, Glasgow City, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeen City, Dundee City and South Lanarkshire council areas as from October 1998, Octob…
22 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households per local authority area have received assistance under its central heating programme in each of the last five years.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: In the private sector, information is not held by local authority area, but by main postcode. The annual installation rate, covering the period 2004-05 until end August 2008, for the main postcode areas are shown in the following table.</p> <table border=1 …
22 Aug 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it has spent on its central heating programme per local authority area in each of the last five years.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: In the private sector the information is not held by local authority areas, but for Scotland as a whole. For Scotland as a whole, the information is shown in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td now…
13 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce will report its findings.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Serious Organised Crime Taskforce aims to identify priorities for tackling serious organised crime in Scotland by making recommendations to Scottish ministers; sharing best practice; improving co-ordination between the law enforcement agencies, and making…
13 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a limit to the number of community service orders that can be given to an individual before a prison sentence is imposed.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: There is no such limit. Courts have regard to the specific circumstances of the offence and the individual offender, before deciding on a sentence.</p>
12 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of vandalism has been over the last five years, also broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
11 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13585 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2008, what criteria were cited for Aberdeenshire commission area forwarding less than one third of the monies collected to HM Treasury in 2006-07.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14070 on 19 June 2008. 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/Apps2/B…
11 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13585 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2008, what criteria were cited for Dundee City commission area forwarding less than half of the monies collected to HM Treasury in 2005-06.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14070 on 19 June 2008. 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/Apps2/B…
11 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13585 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2008, what criteria were cited for Moray commission area forwarding to HM Treasury in 2006-07 more monies than were collected.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14070 on 19 June 2008. 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/Apps2/B…
11 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13585 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2008, what criteria were cited for the Inverclyde commission area forwarding to HM Treasury in 2006-07 more monies than were collected.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14070 on 19 June 2008. 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/Apps2/B…
11 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13585 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2008, what percentage of money forwarded to HM Treasury from Scottish commission areas is used in Scotland.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This is a matter for HM Treasury. The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government.</p>
11 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13585 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2008, how much was collected from each commission area, broken down by type of crime.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This information is not held centrally.</p>
11 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13585 by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2008, what criteria are used to calculate the amount of money collected from each commission area district court that is forwarded to HM Treasury.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Information on the amount of money collected by each commission area district court and forwarded to HM Treasury is provided to the Scottish Government by the individual local authorities in each commission area. They do not detail the specific criteria they …
4 Jun 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many drivers in East Dunbartonshire have been charged with driving while under the influence of drink or drugs over the last three years for which figures are available.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The recorded crime data held centrally has the number of crimes recorded by the police and the number recorded as detected (that is, there is sufficient evidence to justify consideration of criminal proceedings). We cannot provide any information on the numbe…
28 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the East Dunbartonshire Council area were arrested in the last three years for contravening local byelaws banning drinking in public places.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Local authorities have the power to make byelaws to prohibit drinking in designated public places under provisions contained in the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, subject to confirmation by the Scottish ministers. To date, 30 local authorities across S…
28 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money was collected by each district court in each of the last three years and how much was (a) retained by each local authority and (b) forwarded to HM Treasury.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The available information is contained in the following table. This data is taken from the annual returns made by Commission Areas to the Scottish Government.</p> <p >Money Collected<sup>1</sup> and Sent Out by District Courts 2004-05 to 2006-07, by Commissi…
28 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to publish national performance indicators for public procurement, as recommended by The Review of Public Procurement in Scotland.
Answer · John Swinney: The first set of national best practice indicators (BPIs) for public procurement in Scotland will be published today. The project is a significant step forward in the procurement reform programme and will be rolled out across the wider public sector.</p> <p>…
27 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much organisations across Scotland received in lottery funding last year, expressed also on a per capita basis.
Answer · John Swinney: Priorities for distribution of lottery funding in Scotland by the BIG Lottery Fund are set by Scottish ministers in policy directions made with the consent of the Secretary of State. In accordance with these priorities, decisions on distribution of lottery fu…
27 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much organisations in the Strathkelvin and Bearsden parliamentary constituency received in lottery funding last year, expressed also on a per capita basis.
Answer · John Swinney: Priorities for distribution of lottery funding in Scotland by the BIG Lottery Fund are set by Scottish ministers in policy directions made with the consent of the Secretary of State. In accordance with these priorities, decisions on distribution of lottery fu…
27 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support is available for people who live in tenement accommodation in connection with people smoking on tenement landings.
Answer · Shona Robison: As private residential accommodation, tenement flats and related stairs and closes are exempt from the provisions of the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Act 2005. In these circumstances, any issues which individual occupiers might have in connectio…
22 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people were registered with an NHS dentist in the East Dunbartonshire local authority area in each of the last five years, broken down by age group.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is only available from March 2007. The table presents information as at March, June, September and December 2007.</p> <p >Percentage of People Registered with an NHS Dentist; by Age Group in East Dunbartonshire<sup>1</sup></p> <tab…
19 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on findings of recent studies in Germany and the United States showing that children are at least 14% to 21% more likely to have leukaemia if they live near to a nuclear power plant.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The latest authoritative study for the UK on this matter, was the 10th Report of the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, published in June 2005, on The incidence of childhood cancer around nuclear installations in Great Britain. Thi…
15 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the economic benefit to Scotland of (a) golf and (b) bagpiping.
Answer · Jim Mather: Information on the economic benefit to Scotland of golf and of bagpiping is not held centrally. However, recent research on 70 golf courses around Scotland shows that the value of golf tourism to Scotland is estimated to be nearly £97 million<b> </b>from thes…
15 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) funding and (b) assistance has been given to the (i) Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association and (ii) National Piping Centre to promote Scottish traditional music in each of the last nine years.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: Information on the funding provided to </b>the National Piping Centre by the Scottish Arts Council in each of the last nine years is set out in the following table. The Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association has not received any funding during that period. The …
15 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to meet the recommendations of the Scottish Sentencing Commission which reported in 2006 on improving the scope and consistency of sentencing.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is aware of the recommendations made by the Sentencing Commission in August 2006, in particular that steps should be taken to introduce a procedure that gives effect to a system of sentencing guidelines.</p> <p >As set out in our man…
15 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many vulnerable adults were called to give evidence in courts in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and 2007.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: It is currently not possible to provide information on the numbers of adult vulnerable witnesses as defined by the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004 that are called to give evidence in courts. However, the Scottish Government together with key partners…
15 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the statistical data collected and published on vulnerable witnesses in courts.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is working with key partners across the justice system to improve the quality of information collected on child and vulnerable witnesses following the completion of the implementation of the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004 in …
15 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the standard or special measures introduced by the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004 were used in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007, broken down by type of (i) measure and (ii) case.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government together with key partners are reviewing the methods for the collection of information on vulnerable witnesses following the completion of the implementation of the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004. I refer the member to the an…
15 May 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were called to give evidence in courts in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: For criminal proceedings the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) retains information on the number of children who are required to be cited in the event of a not guilty plea. Between 2005 and 2008 the numbers were as follows:</p> <p align=lef…
28 Apr 2008 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the review of the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency’s Fleet Renewal Programme will be published.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: I have today placed a copy of the review in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 43082) and sent a copy to the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee.</p>