- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, as part of the inquiry into the Chokkar case, Sir Anthony Campbell will be interviewing the former Lord Advocate, Lord Hardie, and what the reasons are for the position in this matter.
Answer
This is a matter for Sir Anthony Campbell and not for the Lord Advocate or the Scottish Executive. Sir Anthony Campbell will conduct his inquiry independently of the Lord Advocate and the Scottish Executive. Lord Hardie has stated that he will co-operate with the inquiries.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what criteria will be used in prioritising those eligible under its central heating programme, (b) how many households it estimates will have central heating installed under the programme before winter 2001 and (c) how the allocation of the funding is to be administered, monitored and audited and how much of the funding will be required for these purposes, expressed as a figure and a percentage of the total overall budget.
Answer
The Central Heating Working Group is considering the question of priority need and a report will be published shortly. No estimate of the kind described at (b) has yet been made. Funding will be administered by local authorities, Scottish Homes and a managing agent for each of the three sectors of the stock. They will be responsible for monitoring and auditing.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 25 January 2001
To ask the First Minister how much of the #10 million aid package for the textile industry announced by the Minister for Small Business and E-Commerce at the Department of Trade and Industry on 6 June 2000 has been allocated in Scotland.
Answer
The DTI package has not been allocated according to geographical area.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 24 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made as to the health risk from animal waste to humans in incidents of flooding.
Answer
The Executive is not aware of any such formal assessment in Scotland. I understand that the possible significance of flooding for health will be covered in an expert review Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK, which is due to be published by the Department of Health in early 2001.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 24 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, as part of its social inclusion policy, it will make representations to all banks in Scotland to seek changes in the rules on verification framework and regarding the production of original bank books, building society accounts and other documents, in particular in relation to older people.
Answer
Regulation of financial services is a reserved matter. The Scottish Executive is working with the Scottish financial institutions to encourage the promotion of more inclusive products and practices.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications by elderly people for day care centre places have been refused in the last 12 months, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) ministerial and (b) non-ministerial letters providing information requested in parliamentary questions have been lodged in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre since the inception of the Parliament and whether there has been an increase in this practice.
Answer
The information requested is not held by the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its current procedure of providing information requested in parliamentary questions by letter and lodging a copy of the letter in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre where currently the time of lodging the letter is not intimated to members and the response is not in the public domain, in order to ensure that all ministerial responses to questions are accessible and open to both parliamentary and public scrutiny.
Answer
The Executive has no plans to review its current procedure of providing information requested in certain parliamentary questions by letter and lodging a copy of the letter in the Parliament's Reference Centre. However, in consultation with the parliamentary authorities, we will give consideration to whether, and if so how, these responses might be placed in the wider domain.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have vired monies from this year's budget for older people and home care in order to meet other demands, what the amounts involved were and where the money was re-allocated.
Answer
The vast majority of Scottish Executive grant support to local government for expenditure on services, including home care and other social work provision for older people, is not ring-fenced or hypothecated. It is for each local authority to establish its priorities and set its budget consistent with meeting its statutory requirements and Scottish Executive policy. Following from the 2000 Spending Review, substantial additional resources have been provided for the next three years to enhance and improve care services for older people. We are discussing with local authorities what we expect to be achieved from these extra funds and shall issue detailed guidance early this year.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what response it has made or will make to the conclusion of the 1997 report by the Scottish Ambulance Service Association Pensions and Retirement Age Working Group that "the proportion of front-line staff who are retiring on ill-health grounds is unacceptably high".
Answer
The report concerned was produced by the Ambulance Service Association and is based on statistical evidence from Ambulance Services in England and Wales between 1991-92 and 1994-95. In Scotland the occupational health and safety service strategy Towards a Safer Healthier Workplace, which was published in December 1999, makes clear that NHS in Scotland organisations must develop policies aimed at reducing costs associated with OHSS issues, including, sickness absence, injury benefits claims, and early retirement costs due to illness, accidents and injury.Our aim is to provide security of employment and to retain experienced officers in useful employment within the service.
