- Asked by: Cathy Peattie, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken in response to the recommendations of the report of the Working Group on Hate Crime.
Answer
A number of the recommendationsmade by the Working Group have resulted in action being taken. For example, since1 April this year the Vulnerable Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2004 has offered thepossibility that some of those at risk from hate crime may benefit from specialmeasures and other provisions designed to help vulnerable witnesses who may be infear or distress in connection with giving evidence to give the best evidence theycan. The act currently applies to vulnerable adults and children where cases arebeing heard in the High Court or in solemn proceedings in the sheriff court includingChildren’s Hearings Court Proceedings. These provisions will be rolled out to sheriffcourt summary and all Civil Proceedings including fatal accident inquiries proceedingsnext year. A formal response to the report will be issued in the near future.
- Asked by: Cathy Peattie, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish a response to the recommendations of the report of the Working Group on Hate Crime.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-26481 on 19 June 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Cathy Peattie, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 9 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any concerns that local authorities do not take seriously the link between poor housing conditions and health risks for people with respiratory problems and what action it intends to take to ensure that local authorities consider the respiratory health needs of their tenants in relation to the housing which they occupy.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is notaware of any such concerns. The announcement of the Scottish Housing Quality Standardin February 2004 makes clear our intention that all social rented housing in Scotland shouldbe free from dampness and condensation and also be energy efficient in terms ofheating systems and insulation by 2015. We will be working with local authoritiesto ensure this happens between now and that date.
- Asked by: Cathy Peattie, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 7 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it has carried out, or intends to carry out, tests to determine whether the Parliament building poses any respiratory problems to those who work in or visit it.
Answer
We are not currently aware of any conditions within the Scottish Parliament building which would present respiratory problems to those whooccupy or visit it. The building management system controls ventilation,temperature and fresh air input, based on the automatic monitoring of internal conditions. In addition, any work activities which may release fumes or dust have strictcontrol measures applied at source and timed to avoid affecting occupants orvisitors.
- Asked by: Cathy Peattie, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 2 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that people with asthma have healthy working environments.
Answer
The Scottish Executiveestablished the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives 2005. The remit of the centre includes the promotion of the health and wellbeing of employees andof safe and healthy workplaces.
The centre incorporates theSafe and Healthy Working services which offers free, confidential advice onoccupational health and safety to small and medium-sized enterprises.
The centre also runs the Scotland’sHealth at Work Award Scheme which encourages employers to adopt policies aimedat protecting and improving the health and wellbeing of their employees.
Enforcement of statutoryrequirements for workplace Health and Safety is the remit of the Health andSafety Executive.
- Asked by: Cathy Peattie, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 1 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give an update on the development of the national languages strategy and its arrangements for consulting Scots language organisations on this matter.
Answer
A draft of the National Languages Strategy is in preparation within the ScottishExecutive. I expect that we shall publish the strategy after the summer recess,enabling Scots language organisations amongst others to comment on our proposedapproach.
- Asked by: Cathy Peattie, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to protect vulnerable children living in households where drugs are being abused.
Answer
I am very aware of the potentiallydevastating effects of parental drug misuse on vulnerable children. Children’s safetymust be a priority for all agencies involved in working with drug misusers. HiddenHarm – Next Steps was published on 8 May 2006, settingout a range of actions already under way to help tackle this problem.
- Asked by: Cathy Peattie, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 3 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many firefighters were injured in operational incidents within the fire and rescue service in each of the last 10 years, broken down by service area.
Answer
The number of firefighters injuredin operational incidents is shown in the following table.
| | 1995* | 1996* | 1997* | 1998* | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Central Scotland | 7 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 20 | 21 | 21 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 9 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 16 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 2 |
| Fife | 26 | 28 | 14 | 7 | 26 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 23 |
| Grampian | 27 | 26 | 8 | 4 | 27 | 26 | 32 | 19 | 23 | 20 |
| Highlands and Islands | 2 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 13 | 22 | 12 | 13 |
| Lothian and Borders | 12 | 15 | 8 | 8 | 103 | 15 | 86 | 93 | 102 | 99 |
| Strathclyde | 105 | 165 | 15 | 3 | 105 | 165 | 88 | 130 | 166 | 157 |
| Tayside | 41 | 49 | 11 | 8 | 41 | 49 | 43 | 31 | 37 | 26 |
Source: HM Chief Inspectorof Fire Services for Scotland.
Note: *1995-98 years figures represent injuries which resulted in anabsence from work of two weeks or more only.
- Asked by: Cathy Peattie, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 3 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many wilful fire-raising attacks on schools have resulted in building losses in excess of £100,000 in each year since 1996.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-25025 on 3 May 2006. All answersto written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Cathy Peattie, MSP for Falkirk East, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 3 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) incidents and (b) fires were attended by each fire and rescue service in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
The number of fires and incidentsattended by the fire and rescue services is shown in the following tables.
Incidents
| | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Central Scotland | 335 | 672 | 332 | 401 | 372 | 358 | 366 | 440 | 388 | 520 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 281 | 384 | 257 | 216 | 382 | 386 | 306 | 277 | 269 | 260 |
| Fife | 710 | 553 | 710 | 628 | 618 | 651 | 700 | 612 | 618 | 722 |
| Grampian | 755 | 1805 | 913 | 1100 | 806 | 1149 | 1031 | 1351 | 1109 | 1057 |
| Highlands and Islands | 349 | 446 | 426 | 450 | 471 | 534 | 547 | 683 | 683 | 749 |
| Lothian and Borders | 1138 | 1555 | 1488 | 1590 | 1571 | 2066 | 1892 | 1820 | 1642 | 1586 |
| Strathclyde | 4297 | 5796 | 4149 | 4177 | 5018 | 4743 | 4837 | 4031 | 3960 | 3729 |
| Tayside | 580 | 1130 | 663 | 677 | 758 | 819 | 888 | 930 | 791 | 954 |
Fires (000)
| | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| Central Scotland | 2.3 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 2.3 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 1.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.9 |
| Fife | 3.5 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.0 | 4.2 | 3.2 |
| Grampian | 4.0 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 3.5 | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.9 | 3.2 |
| Highlands and Islands | 3.4 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.7 | 1.7 |
| Lothian and Borders | 10.0 | 9.5 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 9.9 | 9.3 | 11.5 | 7.8 |
| Strathclyde | 31.0 | 33.0 | 26.0 | 23.3 | 26.8 | 29.6 | 31.1 | 26.4 | 33.5 | 24.6 |
| Tayside | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 4.6 | 3.2 |
Source incidents: HM Chief Inspectorof Fire Services for Scotland.
Source fires: Fire StatisticsUnited Kingdom Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.
