- Asked by: Susan Deacon, MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 24 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people living in the (a) City of Edinburgh and (b) East Lothian council area have received (i) education maintenance allowances, (ii) young students bursaries and (iii) young students outside Scotland bursaries in each year since 2001, broken down by (1) gender, (2) race and (3) disability.
Answer
Currently, there are no young people in City of Edinburgh or East Lothian receiving Education Maintenance Allowances (EMAs). EMAs are being piloted in four local authorities - East Ayrshire, Dundee, Glasgow and West Dunbartonshire. National rollout of EMAs will commence in academic year 2004-05.For session 2000-01, the total number of students under 18 who were assisted by young students bursaries in FE (all colleges) was 14,630. Figures are not yet available from the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC) for session 2001-02 or the current session 2002-03. Information on the numbers receiving the young students bursary is not held centrally at the required level of disaggregation.Individual local authorities are responsible for bursaries for young students outside Scotland. Data are not held centrally.
- Asked by: Susan Deacon, MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 24 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives it has undertaken, or plans to undertake, to tackle drug misuse in the (a) Edinburgh East and Musselburgh parliamentary constituency, (b) City of Edinburgh Council and (c) East Lothian Council area and how much has been allocated to each area for this purpose.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's drugs strategy
Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership is backed by around £130 million in new resources for 2001-02 to 2003-04. All areas of Scotland have benefited from these additional resources in terms of new drug treatment and rehabilitation services, improved support for young people and families, improved treatment provision in prisons, more criminal justice interventions, strengthened enforcement activity, enhanced drugs education in schools and in the community and improved information on drugs.However, the planning and delivery of local activities and initiatives is the responsibility of local Drug Action Teams and partner agencies. Drug Action Teams are required to report to the Scottish Executive on actions undertaken and planned in their annual Corporate Action Plans. These can be found on the national drugs website at
www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org. The plans show evidence of enhanced service provision in the areas requested, particularly in terms of services for vulnerable young people and the provision of training and employment opportunities for recovering drug users. A Drug Treatment and Testing Order also came into operation in the Edinburgh last year.Information on drug-related expenditure is not held on a constituency basis. The main components of drugs specific expenditure allocated to NHS boards and local authorities in the areas requested is outlined in the tables. The areas may also be benefiting from other resources which are not drug specific, but which impact on the problem. Drug Treatment
| NHS Board | 2001-02(£) | 2002-03(£) | 2003-04(£) |
| Lothian | 3,214,237 | 3,538,583 | 3,538,583 |
Rehabilitation
| Council Area | 2001-02(£) | 2002-03(£) | 2003-04(£) |
| Edinburgh City | 600,000 | 600,000 | 600,000 |
| East Lothian | 120,000 | 120,000 | 120,000 |
Drugs Education in Schools
| Council Area | 2001-02(£) | 2002-03(£) |
| Edinburgh City | 58,000 | 58,000 |
| East Lothian | 17,725 | 17,725 |
Changing Children's Services Fund (for Work with Young People and Families)
| Council Area | 2001-02 to 2003-04(£) |
| Edinburgh City | 1,219,000 |
| East Lothian | 225,000 |
- Asked by: Susan Deacon, MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 21 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of (a) three- and (b) four-year-olds in the (i) City of Edinburgh and (ii) East Lothian council area are in pre-school education.
Answer
The pre-school education participation percentages for 2001-02 were published in August last year. The figures for Edinburgh and East Lothian are shown in the following table:
| Authority | 3-Year-Olds | 4-Year-Olds |
| Edinburgh | 80% | 93% |
| East Lothian | 82% | 98% |
- Asked by: Susan Deacon, MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring systems are in place to compare local authorities' policies on licensing of lap dancing clubs.
Answer
The Executive does not monitor centrally the policies of local authorities on licensing of lap dancing clubs.
- Asked by: Susan Deacon, MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring systems are in place in respect of licensing, and complaints about, lap dancing clubs.
Answer
There is no such monitoring by the Scottish Executive. Such licensing is the responsibility of local authorities.
- Asked by: Susan Deacon, MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to address concerns of women's organisations about any increase in the licensing of lap dancing clubs.
Answer
The task group currently reviewing the licensing provisions of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 has been asked to include in its deliberations the arrangements for licensing lap dancing. Any groups wishing to express views on the subject should therefore communicate such views to the task group secretariat as soon as possible at Scottish Executive, Local Government Constitution and Governance Division, Area 3H, Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ.
- Asked by: Susan Deacon, MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 17 March 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer what commitments the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has given to ensure that fair trade products are provided at the new Parliament building at Holyrood.
Answer
The SPCB's contract specification for catering services at Holyrood include the following requirements in relation to fair trade products.Fairly traded tea and coffee shall be served in all restaurants and for hospitality.The contractor shall actively research other fairly traded items for sale in the restaurants and consider options for beverage vending.A number of fair trade items will be included within proposed menus.A commitment to work with the SPCB to try to develop the product list and to encourage uptake of fair trade goods.The SPCB will ensure that consideration is given to the provision of fair trade products during the ongoing contract negotiations and subsequent monitoring of the Holyrood catering service.
- Asked by: Susan Deacon, MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1904 by Mr Jack McConnell on 28 February 2000, what progress has been made towards the hosting of a promotional event for fair trade suppliers.
Answer
This year, from 10 to 14 March (during the second week of Fairtrade fortnight) each Executive staff restaurant will have a promotional stall allowing staff to sample Fairtrade Mark products. Also, posters promoting fair trade products are being prominently displayed in staff restaurants. The Executive has also taken other steps to help support Fairtrade labelled products. For example, by the end of April 2003 each staff restaurant will offer staff a choice of fairtrade tea and coffee. We are also working with our catering contractor to ensure that, in future, tea and coffee served at official meetings will carry a recognised fairtrade label.
- Asked by: Susan Deacon, MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to including the promotion of fair trade products within its healthy eating campaign.
Answer
The healthy eating campaign, Healthy Living, does not aim to promote particular branded products. Therefore, we do not plan to promote fairtrade products as part of the campaign.
- Asked by: Susan Deacon, MSP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 6 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to address the occurrence of odours emanating from waste water treatment plants.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has been in discussion with Scottish Water, local authorities, Scottish Environment Protection Agency and UK counterparts about odours from waste water treatment plants. This is because it has become apparent there may be a gap in legislation in Scotland for dealing with this problem. In particular, English case authority has confirmed that odour from waste water treatment works cannot be dealt with by local authorities under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 as they cannot be considered "premises" within the meaning of its provisions. This authority is persuasive in Scotland. On that basis, the Executive intends to launch a consultation exercise on proposals for the statutory control of odour from waste water treatment works. Such a consultation will have the aim of the Executive, thereafter, introducing enhanced guidance and improved legislation for remedying odour problems from waste water treatment works.
