Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-25811

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive , further to the answer to question S2W-25272 by Cathy Jamieson on 8 May 2006, whether it considers that it is in the public interest to determine whether MSPs are, or have been, under covert surveillance involving interception of communications authorised by Scottish Ministers and what impact such action would have on the Scottish democratic process.

Question reference: S2W-25809

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive , further to the answer to question S2W-25267 by Cathy Jamieson on 8 May 2006, how many people who were placed under covert surveillance involving interception of communications following authority from Scottish Ministers, but were not subsequently prosecuted, have made a complaint under Section 65 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Question reference: S2W-25810

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25267 by Cathy Jamieson on 8 May 2006, when Scottish Ministers last discussed the Wilson Doctrine with the Prime Minister.

Question reference: S2W-25808

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25267 by Cathy Jamieson on 8 May 2006, what plans it has to introduce a convention to prevent Special Branch carrying out covert surveillance operations against MSPs and to extend their protection and freedom in a similar way to that provided to MPs by the Wilson Doctrine.

Question reference: S2W-25064

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 18 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the recent announcement by the Department of Trade and Industry of funding for the rural post office network to 2008, whether the Executive anticipates that it will have any powers to fund Scottish post offices after 2008.

The Executive already hassome, limited, powers to support individual post office businesses. Anamendment to the Scotland Act makes an exception to the reserved status ofpostal services for “financial assistance for the provision of services (otherthan postal services and services relating to money or postal orders) to beprovided from public post offices.” Communities Scotland has used thisprovision to enhance Government assistance to post offices through a £2 millioncapital grants scheme and recently-announced business improvement trainingopportunities for post offices in deprived areas. Any extension of thesepowers, through primary legislation or an order under the Scotland Act, wouldrequire the approval of both the Scottish and the UK Parliament.

Question reference: S2O-09826

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 18 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it has put in place to support allied health professionals to provide adequate levels of service to children with autistic spectrum disorder, in light of the significant increase in their number.

Question reference: S2W-25739

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 May 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was allocated for the treatment of sleep disorders in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Health Boards	Total Funding
Health Boards	1999-2000 (£)	2000-01 (£)	2001-02 (£)	2002-03 (£)	2003-04 (£)	2004-05 (£)	2005-06 (£)
Argyll and Clyde	1,543	3,348	3,515	3,620	3,761	4,183	4,434
Ayrshire and Arran	943	3,104	3,255	3,353	3,483	3,874	4,106
Borders	30,515	24,870	40,561	41,778	43,400	52,814	55,983
Dumfries and Galloway	1,886	800	1,111	1,144	1,189	1,322	1,402
Fife	75,601	57,000	59,850	61,646	64,040	96,225	101,999
Forth Valley	37,801	47,293	50,407	51,919	53,935	62,118	65,845
Grampian	943	58,164	88,000	90,640	*	*	*
Greater Glasgow	2,914	8,000	10,160	10,465	10,871	12,091	12,816
Highland	1,371	5,872	6,166	6,351	6,598	7,338	7,779
Lanarkshire	9,429	10,126	10,632	10,951	11,376	14,783	15,670
Lothian	182,918	172,420	266,744	274,746	285,416	317,440	336,486
Orkney	771	779	877	1,143	1,062	1,334	1,414
Shetland	4,029	225	237	244	254	2,413	2,558
Tayside	54,515	62,000	65,100	67,053	69,657	91,274	96,740
Western Isles	86	459	482	496	516	574	608
Cumbria**	171	173	195	254	236	263	278
Northumberland**	600	606	682	889	826	1,038	1,100
Northern Ireland**	771	779	877	1,143	1,062	1,334	1,414
Totals	406,807	456,018	608,851	627,835	557,682	670,418	710,632

Notes:

*Local provision since 2003-04.

**Because of limited facilitiesin Cumbria, Northumberland and Northern Ireland for people with sleep disorders, patients who requirea “second opinion” (or the provision of a CPAP machine) in the view of the consultant,or need to be assessed by undergoing a sleep study which involves overnight staysare referred to the Edinburgh Sleep Centre at the RIE.

Question reference: S2W-25822

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2006
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 17 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it took to find an explanation for the increase in autistic spectrum disorder among those primary and secondary school pupils with records of needs and/or individualised educational programmes from 1999 onwards and, in particular, the recorded rise between 2001 to 2002.

Up to and including 2001,information was only collected on those pupils with records of needs. Manypupils with high functioning autism and Asperger Syndrome would not have metthe criteria for records of needs but would have Individualised EducationalProgrammes (IEPs). The increase in 2002 onwards is, therefore, partlyattributable to pupils with IEPs being included in the statistical collection.

The Executive is not awareof any peer-reviewed evidence that the prevalence of autistic spectrumdisorders (ASD) has actually increased. The causes, nature and development ofASD are not fully understood but the general consensus is that ASD are aheterogeneous group of disorders resulting from a number of different causes,including a strong genetic factor. Diagnostic boundaries have been broadenedand awareness has increased dramatically over the past 20 years leading to morecases being detected and correctly diagnosed.

Question reference: S2W-25738

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 May 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time was for a first appointment at a sleep centre in each year since 1999, broken down by sleep centre.

Question reference: S2W-25737

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 May 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 May 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were waiting for a first appointment at a sleep centre in each year since 1999, broken down by sleep centre.