- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time permanent jobs have been advertised for secondary school teachers in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) subject and (b) local authority area.
Answer
Advertising of jobs for school teachers is a matter for local authorities. The information requested on advertised posts is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce legislation on the prevention of cruelty to animals.
Answer
There is already extensive legislation dealing with animal welfare. We will keep that under review.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to provide farmers and agricultural workers in Ayrshire with greater access to funding for (a) skills training and support and (b) business advice and support.
Answer
Farmers and agricultural workers in Ayrshire have access to free business advice through the Small Business Gateway operated by Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire. The Scottish Executive also funds the Scottish Agricultural College and LANTRA to secure the availability of skills training and advice to farmers and agricultural businesses. As part of implementation of the Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture, the Scottish Executive intends to review the current patterns of business and skills advice and training for agricultural businesses, to ensure that these best meet the needs of the industry.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage diversification in the rural economy of Ayrshire particularly with regard to employment opportunities other than on farms.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is keen to support diversification within the rural economy. I launched the Farm Business Development Scheme (FBDS) in July, an innovative business support scheme which provides financial assistance to farmers and their immediate families who want to diversify within or outwith agriculture. A wide range of projects are eligible for grant under the FBDS ranging from projects to develop tourist facilities to projects to provide rural services. These projects will create additional employment opportunities in the rural economy. They will also bring wider benefits and help sustain rural communities through generating additional investment and providing additional services. Applications for grant are assessed on a regional basis by project assessment committees according to local priorities. Already over £150,000 has been awarded under the FBDS to support 11 projects throughout the west area.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the NHS Complaints Procedure, set out in Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, is applied to general practitioners and any out-of-hours services that they provide.
Answer
Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change commits the Scottish Executive to developing a complaints process which is "credible, easy to use, demonstrably independent and effective".The revised NHS complaints procedure will continue to cover services provided by general practitioners and their out-of-hours services when it is introduced in 2002. A working group, which includes patient representatives, has been established to develop proposals for inclusion in a public consultation on a revised procedure. The group is currently considering responses to a consultation on the report of the independent evaluation of the NHS complaints procedure that issued in September.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 8 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs have been created in the Kilmarnock and Loudoun parliamentary constituency since May 1999, broken down by employing organisation.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 26 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to consult on the regulations under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 which will require taxi drivers to carry assistance dogs and to do so without charge.
Answer
The Executive is today going out to consultation on the terms of The Taxi Drivers' Licences (Carrying of Guide and Hearing Dogs) (Scotland) Regulations. Copies will be available from the Parliament's Reference Centre and can be accessed on the Scottish Executive website. The consultation papers will also be provided on audio tape, disc and large print on request. We will consider all responses carefully before finalising the terms of the proposed regulations.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 18 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce its proposals for new mental health legislation following the Millan Committee's Report on the Review of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984.
Answer
Our policy statement, "Renewing Mental Health Law" is being published today and copies have been placed in SPICe. The statement sets out our proposals for a new legislative framework, designed to respond to the needs, rights and aspirations of people in Scotland who use mental health services, as well as their carers and families.
Our proposals reflect the great majority of the Millan Committee's recommendations, and were informed by the views of the Mental Health Legislation Reference Group, which we set up as a source of advice and expertise and by the consultative events arranged with interests in the mental health field.
For the first time, mental health law will be based on explicit principles, reflecting concepts of equality, fairness and respect for service users and carers. A new mental health tribunal will be established, offering greater scrutiny of compulsory care, and the rights of patients will be strengthened, while having full regard to issues of public safety.
As already announced, a new Mental Health Bill will be brought to the Scottish Parliament early next year, giving Scotland, when enacted, modern legislation, which reflects the priority the Scottish Executive has accorded to mental health.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 August 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 8 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been given to local authorities on the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in relation to school building.
Answer
The Disability Rights Commission is currently consulting on a Code of Practice about the implementation in schools of the provisions in the Act.
The duty in Part IV of the Act (as amended) on education providers to plan for increased access to the physical environment of schools and the curriculum is devolved. Scottish ministers are considering how best to bring in this duty to plan to progressively improve the accessibility of the school environment, school information and the curriculum to disabled pupils, and they expect to announce their proposals shortly.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 September 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 4 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how a partnership is defined for the purpose of applications to the suckler cow premium scheme quota national reserve.
Answer
A partnership is not specifically defined in the legislation governing suckler cow quota. The definition used is that given in section 1(1) of the Partnership Act 1890.
