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-32454

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 16 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will assess the impact of young people in secondary schools and in the justice system receiving speech and language therapy, in light of evidence in 2003 that 26% of young men at HM Young Offenders Institution Polmont had clinically significant communication impairment and 70% of young offenders had difficulties with literacy and numeracy and given that support with improving oral language skills has been shown to reduce recidivism rates by up to 50%.

It is for NHS boards and local authoritiesto determine levels of service provision based on local needs.

Offenders in HM Prison Polmont are currently assessed foreducational need based on a literacy and numeracy alerting tool which is usedon induction. Depending on the outcome of this assessment, a more detailedassessment may be undertaken to establish levels of attainment and need inliteracy and numeracy.

Question reference: S2W-31528

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how often, and on what dates, an Executive official has been a member of the UK delegation to any EU working groups on genetically modified crops and foods.

Question reference: S2W-31610

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 8 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents involving people trapped in moving water have taken place in each fire and rescue service area in each of the last five years and how many of these incidents have resulted in deaths.

Question reference: S2W-31527

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 8 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how often, and on what dates, from (a) 1999 to 2003 and (b) 2003 to 2007 an Executive official has been a member of the UK delegation to meetings of the EU Council when issues relating to genetically modified crops and foods have been on the agenda.

GM Issues have been identifiedin the business of the under‑noted Council meetings, but this list may notbe exhaustive because agendas can change and issues relating to genetically modifiedcrops and food may be raised during discussions of other items. The Executive doesnot keep comprehensive records of official attendance at Council meetings, but itis normal practice that an official is present at both the Agriculture and Fisheriesand Environment Council.

Council	Council Date
Environment	June 1999
Agriculture and Fisheries	September 1999
Environment	October 1999
Environment	December 1999
Environment	October 2000
Environment	December 2000
Agriculture and Fisheries	February 2001
Environment	March 2001
Environment	June 2001
Agriculture and Fisheries	October 2001
Environment	October 2001
Environment	December 2001
Environment	March 2002
Environment	June 2002
Agriculture and Fisheries	September 2002
Environment	October 2002
Agriculture and Fisheries	October 2002
Agriculture and Fisheries	November 2002
Environment	December 2002
Agriculture and Fisheries	February 2003
Environment	March 2003
Agriculture and Fisheries	March 2003
Agriculture and Fisheries	May 2003
Agriculture and Fisheries	July 2003
Agriculture and Fisheries	September 2003
Agriculture and Fisheries	April 2004
Environment	June 2004
Agriculture and Fisheries	July 2004
Agriculture and Fisheries	October 2004
Environment	December 2004
Agriculture and Fisheries	Feb 2005
Environment	March 2005
Agriculture and Fisheries	April 2005
Agriculture and Fisheries	May 2005
Environment	June 2005
Agriculture and Fisheries	September 2005
Environment	October 2005
Agriculture and Fisheries	October 2005
Environment	December 2005
Agriculture and Fisheries	December 2005
Environment	March 2006
Agriculture and Fisheries	May 2006
Environment	June 2006
Agriculture and Fisheries	September 2006
Environment	October 2006
Agriculture and Fisheries	November 2006
Environment	December 2006

Question reference: S2W-31524

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 8 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it consults its EU Office in respect of its policy on genetically modified crops.

Question reference: S2W-31529

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 8 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how often, and on what dates, from (a) 1999 to 2003 and (b) 2003 to 2007 a Scottish minister has been a member of the UK delegation to meetings of the EU Council when issues relating to genetically modified crops and foods have been on the agenda.

Scottish Executive ministershave been in attendance at the following Council meetings when issues relating togenetically modified crops and foods have been substantive items for discussion.

Date	EU Council	Minister
13-14 December 1999	Environment	Sarah Boyack
26 February 2001	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
8 March 2001	Environment	Sam Galbraith
23-24 September 2002	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
14-15 October 2002	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
17 October 2002	Environment	Ross Finnie
27-29 November 2002	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
20 February 2003	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
13 June 2003	Environment	Ross Finnie
26 April 2004	Agriculture	Allan Wilson
18 October 2004	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
26 April 2005	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
30 May 2005	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
19-20 September 2005	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
24 October 2005	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
19-21 December 2005	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
22-23 May 2006	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
27 June 2006	Environment	Rhona Brankin
23 October 2006	Environment	Rhona Brankin
20-21 November 2006	Agriculture	Ross Finnie
18 December 2006	Environment	Ross Finnie

Further information onministerial attendance at Council meetings can be found on the Scottish Executivewebsite at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/International-Relations/Europe/Page6.

Question reference: S2W-31375

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers in each police force are specifically trained for emergency water rescue situations.

Question reference: S2W-31364

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 5 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many minor injury and illness units there are in each NHS Board area; where they are located; what size of population they cover, and how many nurses are employed in each unit.

Question reference: S2W-31191

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 31 January 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers in each fire and rescue service are specifically trained for emergency water rescue duties and what the nature is of the training they were given.

Question reference: S2W-31192

Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 31 January 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money was allocated to each fire and rescue service in the most recent year for which figures are available to ensure that sufficient water rescue training is carried out.

Capital and Grant AidedExpenditure allocated to each Fire & Rescue Authority in 2006-07 is shownin the following table.

Fire Authority	Capital (£m)	GAE (£m)
Central	1.415	14.774
Dumfries and Galloway	1.115	8.696
Fife	1.088	21.511
Grampian	2.370	25.652
Highlands and Islands	3.542	18.438
Lothian and Borders	2.854	43.199
Strathclyde	7.391	124.743
Tayside	1.702	25.306

The amount allocated forwater rescue training is not stipulated by the Scottish Ministers, rather thisis left to the discretion of the individual Chief Fire Officer who mustprioritise resources accordingly.