- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 2 June 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent specific duties for educational bodies or persons under articles 3 and 4 of the Race Relations Act 1976 (Statutory Duties) (Scotland) Order 2002 apply to a private contractor providing a school as part of a public private partnership with such bodies or persons
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-72 today. All answers to 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/search_wa.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 May 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 22 May 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what Sewel motions it will lodge in the Parliament in this parliamentary year.
Answer
The Executive will advise the Parliament of any Sewel motion that it intends to lodge as and when it concludes, following discussion with the UK Government, that provisions in a Westminster Bill which relate to devolved matters should be recommended for extension to Scotland.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29718 by Mr Jim Wallace on 23 October 2002, when decisions on future spending on external affairs will be finalised and how it will inform the Parliament of any such decisions.
Answer
Details of the Scottish Executive's spending plans for 2003-06 were set out in the draft Budget 2003-04 document published on 31 October. The budget for External Relations initiatives in 2002-03 was increased from £100,000 to £300,000. The annual budget for 2003-04 is to be £300,000 but for the initial budget documents for 2003-04 the baseline was simply rolled forward and additional resources are to be transferred in the course of the year subject to parliamentary approval of the appropriate budget revision. Ministers intend to make similar revisions for the two forward years.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 17 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is examining the possibility of involving staff that are not legally qualified in the marking of any cases; if so, in what circumstances such marking would be considered; what training and experience any such staff would need, and what criteria would be used to decide which cases can be marked by such staff.
Answer
As part of our Departmental Improvement Plan, COPFS is investigating whether there are categories of cases which do not attract court proceedings in the first instance that might be susceptible to alternative marking approaches.We are at the initial exploratory stage and will carry out a thorough examination of the costs, benefits and implications for our staff, criminal justice partners and individuals affected before any decisions about changing current practices are reached.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements it will put in place to ensure that candidates from Scotland are considered in future for election to the panel of judges at the International Criminal Court.
Answer
It has now been established that nomination should be by way of open competition and public advertisement of the post. These arrangements worked well in 2002 when the Scottish judiciary were represented on the selection panel. Scottish ministers will seek to ensure that they will apply on any future occasion.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times it has received representations from the Association of Independent Law Accountants, or any law accountants, relating to legal aid reform.
Answer
I received copies of papers by the Association of Independent Law Accountants, which were sent to me by a member of this Parliament, on three occasions since last September. The association has not, however, written directly to me on any occasion before or since then. It has, however, been in correspondence with my officials, and my officials and officials of the Scottish Legal Aid Board met representatives of the association to discuss its views on 6 February.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to seek a candidate from Scotland for election to the panel of judges at the International Criminal Court.
Answer
It was agreed in 2002, after consultation with Scottish ministers, that the selection of a UK judge should be by open competition. A public advertisement was placed in newspapers on 30 April 2002 and its terms were drawn to the attention of all Scottish judges. A selection board was convened to decide on the UK nomination and a senior Scottish judge was part of the selection panel. I believe these arrangements are appropriate and provide Scottish judges with the opportunity to put themselves forward for consideration.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Association of Independent Law Accountants responded to the consultation process on the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Bill.
Answer
The Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Bill was the first Committee Bill of the Scottish Parliament, and the evidence leading to it was gathered by the Justice 1 Committee. I understand that the Association of Independent Law Accountants did not give evidence or offer observations.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been paid to law accountants out of the legal aid fund in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
Law accountants are paid by the solicitors for whom they provide services, not by the Legal Aid Fund.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 10 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32798 by Patricia Ferguson on 14 January 2003, what aspects of the (a) Sexual Offences and (b) Local Government bills currently before the UK Parliament will require a Sewel motion.
Answer
Before seeking a Sewel motion in relation to a UK bill, it is the Executive's practice to deposit a memorandum in the Parliament's Reference Centre, explaining the purpose and effect of the relevant provisions in the bill which relate to devolved matters. In relation to the Local Government Bill, a memorandum setting out the information requested is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 26249). A memorandum in relation to the Sexual Offences Bill will be deposited in the Parliament's Reference Centre shortly.
