Graeme Pearson

19 Apr 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether releasing serious adverse event reports to affected families should be considered best practice for all NHS boards.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government does expect NHS boards to operate in an open and transparent way with families in relation to Severe Adverse Event Reports, taking account of patient confidentiality issues. NHS boards manage their response to adverse events as part o…

11 Apr 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its further consultation on prison visiting committees.

2 Apr 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-06043 by Kenny MacAskill on 16 March 2012, how many police support staff there were in (a) each police force, (b) the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency and (c) the Scottish Police Services Authority on 31 March 2012.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The information requested is not yet available. I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 53892).

27 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what activities constitute quality physical education.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: Good physical education can have a transformational impact on a pupils attainment, life chances and health and wellbeing. Physical Education is delivered during curriculum time, either taught or led by a GTCS registered class or PE specialist teacher and sup…

27 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to ensure that schoolchildren receive two hours of quality physical education per week.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: On 29 March, ministers announced jointly with COSLA a package of additional funding to support local authorities who commit to delivering two hours of PE per week in primary and two periods per week in Secondary by 2014. To support local authorities in reach…

9 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on police forces outsourcing functions such as the running of cells.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The provision of custody services, including the management of police cells, is an operational matter for individual chief constables.

7 Mar 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of time and dosage is for a course of methadone.

6 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-02796 by Kenny MacAskill on 7 October 2011, how many police support staff there have been in (a) each police force, (b) the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency and (c) the Scottish Police Services Authority in each quarter of 2011-12.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The number of police support staff (full time equivalent) at the end of each quarter in 2011 are given in the following table. The number of police support staff as at the end of Q1 2012 is not yet available. Operational decisions about levels of police suppo…

5 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) advice and (b) guidance the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has given to chief constables in relation to the enforcement of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012.

Answer · Frank Mulholland: The Lord Advocate published Guidelines on operation of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 on 28 February 2012 which includes guidance to the police. These guidelines can be found on the Crown Office and Proc…

5 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers have completed formal training and briefing in relation to the new powers contained in the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Formal training has been made available to every police officer and member of police staff in Scotland through a combination of presentations by officers from the National Football Coordination Unit for Scotland (FOCUS), circulation of a training DVD and publ…

29 Feb 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police support staff are employed across the country.

22 Feb 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools have indicated a wish to delay the introduction of the new national exams and how it plans to assist these schools.

7 Feb 2012 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what advice it sought in relation to the proposal for an external security screening facility.

Answer · David Stewart: In 2007, the SPCB commissioned and received official security advice about the measures in place at the Parliament in relation to current risks and threats. In 2011, we asked our security adviser to review the recommendations received in 2007. We received cle…

6 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-05075 by Stewart Stevenson on 27 January 2012, what the actual reduction in CO2 tonnage was by the (a) Argyll Energy and Information, (b) Castlemilk and Carmunnock Community Windpark Trust and (c) Newburgh Community Wind Power project, which received…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The actual reduction in CO2 tonnage by each of the projects listed are (a) 53,684 tonnes, (b) zero, (c) zero. Projects (b) and (c) were wind power feasibility studies that would not produce any CO2 reductions over the period of the award; the estimated CO2 re…

6 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-05075 by Stewart Stevenson on 27 January 2012, what the actual reduction in CO2 tonnage was by the (a) Going Carbon Neutral Stirling, (b) Castlemilk and Carmunnock Community Windpark Trust, (c) Decrease CO2 Footprint, Shetland, (d) Active Leith and (…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The actual reduction in CO2 tonnage by each of the projects listed are (a) not yet known, final report to be submitted in April 2012 including CO2 reductions data, (b) zero, as this was a wind power feasibility study and no CO2 would be reduced over the perio…

31 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it records on incidences of retail crime and whether it plans to publish this.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The police recorded crime data collected centrally is based on an aggregate return from each of the eight police forces in Scotland and does not include details relating to victims or locations. The only form of retail crime that is separately identifiable is…

18 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-04879 by Stewart Stevenson on 18 January 2012, on what date the application for each of the 461 projects was received.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Further to the answer provided to question S4W-04879, a table listing all 461 individual projects in receipt of an award from the Climate Challenge Fund since its launch in 2008 has been produced. This provides details of the project name, the date the projec…

17 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has copies of all statements, productions and papers relative to the Chhokar inquiry.

11 Jan 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact on vulnerable groups, such as disabled students, of reductions to the further education budget.

9 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-04180 by Stewart Stevenson on 8 December 2011, when each successful application to the climate change fund was submitted.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: A table listing each of the 461 individual projects in receipt on an award from the Climate Challenge Fund in CCF1 (2008-11) and CCF2 (2011-12) has been produced. This gives, for each project, total grant awarded, the anticipated CO2 reduction in tonnes as es…

22 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has allocated to cover the cost of abolishing prescription charges in 2011-12 and how much it will allocate for (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14, (c) 2014-15 and (d) 2015-16.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The 2011-12 baseline uplift provided to allocations to territorial NHS boards included £57 million to meet the projected cost of the abolition of prescription charges. This is a recurring source of funding for NHS boards and is thus included in their baselin…

21 Dec 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that a single police service will have effective governance and be locally accountable.

7 Dec 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the additional 1,000 police officers it has recruited have been assigned to frontline duties, in light of the 2% increase in violent crime in the last year.

23 Nov 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it uses to determine the allocation of funds for the Sex Offender Treatment Programme in prisons.

23 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the supplementary to question S4O-00385 by Stewart Stevenson on 17 November 2011 (Official Report, c. 3606), whether it will provide a breakdown of the tonnage of carbon emissions expected to be reduced by each of the groups in receipt of funding from the climate…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: A table listing each of the 461 individual projects in receipt of an award from the Climate Challenge Fund in CCF1 (2008-11) and CCF 2 (2011-2012) has been produced. This gives, for each project, the anticipated CO2 reduction in tonnes, as estimated on the or…

23 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-36407 by Stewart Stevenson on 30 September 2010, whether it considers that the statement in the answer that "Our £27 million Climate Challenge Fund has helped around 250 communities reduce their emissions saving around 700,000 tonnes of CO2 ... " was…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-04180 on 8 December 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentaryb…

16 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S4W-03205 and S4W-03724 by Kenny MacAskill on 28 October and 9 November 2011 respectively, how the sex offender treatment programmes are evaluated.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The sex offender treatment programmes are currently evaluated by examining the progress made by participants on sex offender treatment programmes…

2 Nov 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to tackle climate change.

28 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many sex offenders are in prison.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: As at 4 November 2011 there were 757 prisoners in custody who are recorded by the Scottish Prison Service as sex offenders.

28 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-03205 by Kenny MacAskill on 28 October 2011, how many sex offenders in prison are returns having reoffended since attending the Sex Offender Treatment Programme.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: The information is not held centrally. Details of the programmes which prisoners participate in programmes are held locally in their manual recor…