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: S1W-20046

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 11 December 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been granted to the Befriending Network (Scotland) since May 1999.

Question reference: S1W-20048

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 11 December 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out into the benefits of befriending and mentoring and whether it has a strategy to ensure the future of befriending and mentoring in the voluntary sector.

The Scottish Executive has not carried out research into the benefits of befriending and mentoring and does not have a specific strategy to ensure the future of befriending and mentoring in the voluntary sector. However, the Executive recognises that befriending and mentoring are key components of the volunteering opportunities that are available in Scotland. The Executive's Active Communities Initiative seeks to support and promote volunteering and community involvement generally.

Question reference: S1W-20041

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 11 December 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for legal aid in relation to custody/access cases were made to the Scottish Legal Aid Board and how many were granted (a) where both parties were awarded legal aid, (b) where only the party pursuing the access/custody award or variation was awarded legal aid and (c) where only the party resisting the claim for increased access/custody was awarded legal aid, in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S1W-20047

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 11 December 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the benefits are of the befriending and mentoring services offered by the member organisations of Befriending Network (Scotland) and whether it has any plans to ensure the continuation of this umbrella organisation.

The Scottish Executive has no plans specifically in relation to the Befriending Network (Scotland). However, national voluntary organisations are free to seek financial support from the Scottish Executive's direct grant schemes. Details of how voluntary organisations can apply for funding can be found in the leaflet A Guide for the Voluntary Sector to Scottish Executive Grants, which is available from the Scottish Executive and the Parliament's Reference Centre. General advice on funding for the voluntary sector is available from the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.

Question reference: S1W-20044

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 30 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what alternative conflict resolution procedures are available to assist parties to custody/access disputes to reach agreement without recourse to the courts and how many cases were diverted from court proceedings through reference to such procedures in each of the last three years.

Procedures are in place which enable the courts in any family action in which an order in relation to parental responsibilities or parental rights is in issue, to refer that issue to a mediator accredited to a specified family mediation organisation.According to the annual reports of Family Mediation Scotland, the number of referrals in each of the last three years were:

	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01
Court of Session	16	Nil	Nil
Sheriff Court	125	112	78

Referrals are also made by the courts to Comprehensive Accredited Lawyer Mediators (CALM) but no figures are currently available.References to mediators are also made by solicitors, other advice agencies and parties themselves. Again no figures are available for CALM, but Family Mediation Scotland received the following referrals from these sources.

	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01
Solicitors	386	304	312
Other agencies	197	287	248
Parties	2,912	2,402	1,589

Question reference: S1W-20066

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 30 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether employees of local authorities who carry out duties within Dungavel Detention Centre have been subject to fingerprinting and/or photographic records being taken.

Question reference: S1W-20045

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 30 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was to the public purse of resolving custody/access cases in each of the last three years including (a) payments made by the legal aid board, (b) the administrative costs incurred by the board in processing these payments and (c) the costs borne by the courts' administration in hearing the cases.

Question reference: S1W-20042

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 30 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment the Scottish Legal Aid Board makes of the impact on the child or children involved of granting legal aid to one party, and not to the other party, in custody/access cases.

Question reference: S1W-20063

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 30 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether prison visitors to prisons run by private companies are subject to fingerprinting and/or photographic records being taken.

Question reference: S1W-20043

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 30 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases legal aid was awarded in respect of applications to vary existing custody/access arrangements in each of the past three years and what procedure the Scottish Legal Aid Board has in place to prevent the use of legal aid to pursue vexatious claims for variations of existing custody/access arrangements.