Liz Smith

10 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many emergency calls originating from (a) public payphones and (b) mobile phones were made to raise the coastguard in each year since 1999.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has no functions in relation to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.</p>

27 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what safeguards are being put in place to ensure that university applicants from Scottish schools, who have been given unconditional offers, will not in any way be disadvantaged by new UCAS regulations, which take effect in academic session 2009-10, allowing pupils holding conditional off…

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: No safeguards are required because applicants who hold an unconditional offer will not be affected by the proposed new arrangements. Anyone holding an unconditional offer will have that offer honoured by the higher education institution concerned.</p>

23 Jan 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts it is making to improve the quality of training provision for teachers and trainee teachers.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Executiveencourages and supports partnership working between local authorities and teachereducation universities to ensure that initial teacher education courses and inductionarrangements provide the best possible preparation for student and prob…

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applicants there have been under the central heating programme in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:</p><p>I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-5966 on 14 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Pa…

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases contractors carrying out work on homes being fitted with heating systems under the central heating programme did not come from the local authority area in which the homes were located, broken down by (a) year since 1999 and (b) local authority area.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:</p><p>Under the terms of the contract the managing agent, Scottish Gas, is not required to collate or holdinformation in this way. Consequently, the …

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times were from assessment to completion of work carried out under the central heating programme in each year since 1999.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I have askedJames Hynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Hisresponse is as follows:</p><p>The centralheating programme did not start until September 2001.</p><p>The averagewaiting time on the central heating programme reported by the…

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what average mileage claims were made by contractors carrying out work on homes being fitted with heating systems under the central heating programme in each year since 1999.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:</p><p>This information isnot held centrally as under the terms of the contract, the managing agent is notrequired to collate this information.<</p

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses and cottages on private estates have received new heating systems under the central heating programme in each year since 1999.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:</p><p>This information isnot held centrally as under the terms of the contract, the managing agent is notrequired to collate this information.<</p

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on houses and cottages on private estates under the central heating programme in each year since 1999.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I have askedJames Hynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Hisresponse is as follows:</p><p>This informationis not held centrally as under the terms of the contract, the managing agent isnot required to collate this information.<</p

23 Oct 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that the public inquiry process provides a level playing field for community groups to fight planning applications on an equal basis to private companies.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Participation in publiclocal inquiries by interested bodies or groups is encouraged by Scottishministers and there is no obligation for parties to be represented professionally.Where the inquiry concerns an appeal the community generally appears in supportof …

23 Oct 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that, while Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency provide evidence as public agencies to public inquiries, there is no statutory requirement for these agencies to appear at hearings during the appeals process.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There is no statutoryrequirement for Scottish Natural Heritage or the Scottish Environment ProtectionAgency to appear at a public local inquiry or hearing. It is a matter for thesebodies to decide whether they wish to do so, or whether they are satisfied that…

23 Oct 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with procedures used in the public inquiry system for windfarm applications.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The procedures currentlyused in the public local inquiry system are set out in the Town and Country (InquiryProcedure) Rules 1997, amended 1998. It is vitally important that Reporters fromthe Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals obtain the mater…

18 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make available the £10 million Additional Support Fund (ASF) to improve services for children with additional support needs, as promised in the SNP manifesto; whether this funding will be in addition to that already spent on additional support needs provision; whether the ASF…

Answer · Adam Ingram: The outcomes tobe secured through the Additional Support Fund are expected to be the subjectof forthcoming discussions with COSLA.</p><p>It is the responsibility of each education authorityto identify local training needs to ensure they have a range of suitab…

12 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what strategy is in place to encourage visitors to Perthshire and Kinross.

Answer · Jim Mather: VisitScotland andPerth and Kinross Council work closely together toencourage visitors to experience this beautiful area for themselves, as part of the shared ambition to increase Scotland’s tourismrevenue by 50% over the decade to 2015. VisitScotland is commi…

12 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the review by VisitScotland which showed that the number of tourists visiting Perthshire and Kinross fell by 8% in 2006-07 and by 15% over the last two years.

Answer · Jim Mather: I understand thatthe figures quoted are from the <i>VisitScotland Partnership Agreement </i>report,which was released in August this year, and are for the numbers of visitorsusing tourist information centres (TICs) in the Perth and Kinross area. I am pleased …

12 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support the tourism industry in Perthshire and Kinross.

Answer · Jim Mather: The ScottishGovernment, VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise and Perth and Kinross Council are committed to working with tourism businesses inthe area to grow tourism there, as part of the shared ambition to increase Scotland’s tourism revenue by 50% over the d…

28 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of trials by Perth and Kinross Council on visual stimulus modification and educational attainment.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Governmenthas not made an assessment of the trials by Perth and Kinross Council on visual stimulus modification and educational attainmentas this was a local project funded by the council.</p>

28 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce orthoscopic screening and treatment to all schools.

Answer · Shona Robison: NHS health boardsin Scotland are in the process of implementing the recommendationsin <i>Health for all Children 4: Guidance on Implementation in Scotland</i> that:</p><p>all children shouldbe screened by an orthoptist in their pre-school year, between the ag…

20 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans the Scottish Government has to allow educational trusts to run schools.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-2276 answered on 7 August 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website the search facility forwhich can be found at:</p><p><ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.…

3 Jul 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the increase of more than 1,000 students in 2008-09 applying for financial assistance and the resultant additional pressures on university hardship funds, what plans the Scottish Government has to ensure that discretionary funds meet this demand.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-1841 on 15 August 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.…

21 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many classrooms in local authority primary schools were not assigned to a class of pupils or were otherwise classified as being unused in the last year for which figures are available; how many (a) P1, (b) P2 and (c) P3 classes had more than 18 pupils in that year, and whether it has …

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Information on thenumber of unused classrooms in local authority primary schools is not held centrally.In 2006, 1,510 P1, 1,378 P2 and 1,428 P3 classes had more than 18 pupils.</p><p>We are consideringin detail the numbers of teachers needed in order to reduc…

18 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of classes in (a) English, (b) mathematics and (c) in total are set by ability in non-streamed local authority secondary schools, broken down by year of study.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The information requestedis not held centrally.</p>

6 Jun 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to have a national strategy for the provision of sports facilities.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government’s sportstrategy, Reaching Higher identifies quality facilities as one of the four nationalpriorities to achieve increased participation and improved performance. The strategycalls on local authorities to develop a strategic approach to…

23 May 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it proposes to take forward the commitment to protect rural schools from closure and what action it will take to assist those schools at immediate risk.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We have madeclear our commitment to introduce a presumption against the closure of rural schoolsand shall be considering further the detailed implications of taking that forward.We shall also take thisinto account in our consideration of decisions on any rura…