- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 31 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a specific number of officers that should be trained in emergency water rescue in each fire and rescue service.
Answer
This is not something thatis specified by the Scottish ministers, rather it is a matter for each ChiefFire Officer to decide depending on the likelihood of being called upon toprovide such a service.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 31 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has given to prosecutors regarding human trafficking cases where women have been forced into prostitution and whether such advice includes charging men who pay for sex with such women with rape.
Answer
Relevant Crown Officeguidance sets out the provisions of section 22 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland)Act 2003 which prohibit trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Itis intended that COPFS staff will participate in training with the UKTrafficking Centre this year. In assessing what constitutes rape in anyparticular case, prosecutors will proceed on the basis of the applicable law, theavailable evidence and the individual facts and circumstances of the case.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 30 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will replace the £200,000 funding of Operation Pentameter, the joint police operation against human trafficking, which was withdrawn by Reflex, a serious crime law enforcement taskforce funded by the Home Office.
Answer
Operation Pentameter was alwaysintended to be a short-term, UK-wide operation to raise public awareness of theissue of human trafficking. As a result of its success, the UK Human TraffickingCentre opened in October 2006. The Scottish Crime and Drugs Enforcement Agency isworking closely with this UK Centre to ensure that intelligence is shared acrossthe UK and that investigation of this appalling crime is tackled effectively.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by John Beckett on 9 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Wildlife and Habitats Crime Prosecution Forum was set up; what its membership is; how often has it met, and what action it has taken to increase links between legislators, enforcers and prosecutors.
Answer
The Crown Office and ProcuratorFiscal Service (COPFS) set up the Wildlife and Habitats Crime Prosecution Forumin late 2005. Its membership comprises representatives from the police, RSPB, ScottishSPCA, Scottish Natural Heritage, relevant divisions of the Scottish Executive Environmentand Rural Affairs and Justice Departments and from COPFS. It has met twice, in Januaryand August 2006, and future meetings are planned to take place twice a year or asnecessary.
Meetings of the forum have contributedto enhancing the links between forum members. At local level, the COPFS wildlifespecialist prosecutors are in regular touch with local officials from relevant agenciesabout the detailed investigation and prosecution of wildlife and habitats crimein relation to particular cases, while at national level forum meetings addressissues of general policy and practice. The creation of the forum has also providedan opportunity for its chairperson to meet and speak to other wildlife groups andorganisations about their work.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by John Beckett on 9 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what training and support is given to prosecutors by the Wildlife and Habitats Crime Prosecution and Forum.
Answer
The Wildlife and Habitats CrimeProsecution Forum was established to provide an opportunity for its members to consider issues and identify any problems relating totheir work of investigating and prosecutingwildlife and habitats crime, consider waysof bringing about any necessary improvements in law and practice and achieve theeffective enforcement of wildlife and habitats policy.
The forum itself, and the networksit creates, enhance expertise and provide mutual support for the wildlife specialistprosecutors. Formal and informal contact with the agencies and regular contact betweenthe specialist prosecutors themselves contribute to this. The second meeting of the forum, for example, was attended by as many as possible of the wildlife prosecutorsand was arranged to follow immediately after a training session at which forum membersfrom RSPB Scotland, Scottish SPCA and Scottish Natural Heritage gave presentationsabout their work. Additionally, before the agenda is prepared for forum meetingsthe wildlife prosecutors are asked to submit details of any topical issues or problemson which the forum might provide advice or guidance. In general, the forum is likelyto inform and feed into formal training provided elsewhere.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 2 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of Scottish Enterprise¿s effectiveness in rural Scotland.
Answer
In 2000, weset out our strategy for rural Scotland in thepublication
Rural Scotland: A New Approach. This rural dimension ofeconomic development is fully reflected in our strategy for the enterprise networks.
The ScottishEnterprise Rural Policy Group continues to play a key role in maximising theeconomic opportunities for rural Scotland.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 25 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies there are for midwives, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
Table 1 shows the whole timeequivalent number of registered vacancies within maternity services at 31 March 2006 by individualNHS board. These are largely accounted for by Registered Midwives.
| | Whole-Time Equivalent (WTE) |
| Scotland | 46.2 |
| NHS Argyll and Clyde | 1.0 |
| NHS Ayrshire and Arran | 1.3 |
| NHS Borders | - |
| NHS Dumfries and Galloway | 3.0 |
| NHS Fife | 0.7 |
| NHS Forth Valley | - |
| NHS Grampian | 10.1 |
| NHS Greater Glasgow | 17.0 |
| NHS Highland | 4.6 |
| NHS Lanarkshire | 2.5 |
| NHS Lothian | 1.0 |
| NHS Orkney | - |
| NHS Shetland | - |
| NHS Tayside | 4.0 |
| NHS Western Isles | 1.0 |
Source: ISD Scotland, NHS WorkforceStatistics.
Note: 1. The vacancyfigures relate to posts vacant at 31 March, irrespective of when the vacancy arose.
Latest available data is at 31 March 2006.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 25 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many midwives have graduated in each of the last five years.
Answer
Midwifery completions by yearof completion for the last five years are set out in the following table.
| Year of Completion | Three-Year Direct-Entry Programme | 18-Month Shortened Programme for Qualified Nurses | Total |
| 2000-01 | 124 | 65 | 189 |
| 2001-02 | 138 | 59 | 197 |
| 2002-03 | 137 | 45 | 182 |
| 2003-04 | 156 | 35 | 191 |
| 2004-05 | 154 | 26 | 180 |
Source: NES ComputerisedTraining Index, October 2006.
Notes:
1. Years run from 1 April to31 March.
2. These people have successfullycompleted midwifery programmes of preparation and hence have become eligible toregister as midwives with the Nursing & Midwifery Council, NHS Education forScotland (NES) has no knowledge of how many actually choose to register, or of whereor whether they subsequently practise as midwives.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 25 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified midwives have obtained a training place within one year of graduating in each of the last five years.
Answer
This information is not heldcentrally. The Scottish Executive has a Partnership Agreement commitment to ensurethat every newly qualified nurse and midwife who wishes to work in NHS Scotlandreceives an offer of employment. All midwives who register with the One Year GuaranteeScheme are assisted to find suitable employment.
- Asked by: Roseanna Cunningham, MSP for Perth, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 28 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of research highlighted by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists showing that children with communication difficulties who cannot access treatment can suffer behavioural problems and that up to one-third will suffer mental health problems, to the detriment of their future employment prospects, and whether speech and language therapy provided at primary schools across Scotland is continued throughout secondary school.
Answer
Research undertaken inrecent years has produced a body of evidence about the needs of children withcommunication difficulties. The Allied Health Professionals’ ClinicalEffectiveness Network and Practice Development Unit supports speech andlanguage therapists to implement current guidance and evidence into their practice.
Speech and language servicesprovided to children are determined by local authorities in partnership withNHS boards and according to the needs of each individual child. In the case ofchildren at secondary school, speech and language therapy services areavailable when required, to offer support, advice and training to children,parents and teachers, according to individual needs.
