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: S1W-16866

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 July 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 3 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16227 by Sarah Boyack on 25 June 2001, what plans it has to ensure that routine maintenance and grass-cutting continues on the land that is still in the ownership of the Scottish Executive but outwith the trunk road boundary, adjacent to the A77 between Ha'elbank Holmston and the Bankfield roundabout.

Question reference: S1W-16300

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 15 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 29 June 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive who has applied to the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department or its predecessor over the last 15 years for (a) a licence to control protected species or (b) a licence to poison non-protected species; how many such licences were issued, and to whom.

Records of applications received are not held. Detailed information on licences issued is, however, available for the 10-year period 1990-2000, during which a total of 1,956 individual licences were issued and three general licences were in force. In view of the provisions of the Environmental Information Regulations 1995, I am unable to release personal information such as the names and addresses of licencees.I shall write to the member separately to provide a more detailed breakdown of the types of licence issued and the species controlled by those licences. I will place a copy in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

Question reference: S1W-16285

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 June 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the regulation fees charged to some care homes under the Registered Establishments (Scotland) Act 1998, (a) on what basis it was established that less than 15% of care home residents have to be referrals from local authorities for registration fees paid by private care home owners to be refunded, (b) who decided that the figure of 15% regarding refunds should apply and (c) whether there will be any provision for the refund of care home registration fees under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Bill.

Some care home fees are being refunded because of a legal technicality in the Registered Establishments (Scotland) Act 1987 which was addressed by the 1998 Act of the same name. Only those establishments not providing substantial services to local authorities are entitled to a refund. Following legal advice, the Scottish Executive decided that 15% was a reasonable proportion of the business of an establishment to determine whether it was providing substantial services to authorities. As the legal technicality was closed by the 1998 Act there is no need for such a provision in the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S1O-05509

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 28 June 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the report of the Performance Audit Group on the performance of Amey Highways Ltd.

Question reference: S1O-03653

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 28 June 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be a resumption of livestock auction sales this autumn.

Question reference: S1O-03592

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 June 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been refunded to date in registration fees to private care home owners under the Registered Establishments (Scotland) Act 1998.

Question reference: S1W-15720

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 May 2001
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 24 May 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average period is (a) between a child's parents or school requesting remedial help for the child and an assessment being made by an educational psychologist and (b) from a child being diagnosed as requiring remedial help to actually receiving such help, broken down by local authority.

This information is not held centrally. Referral to an educational psychologist may be made by the education authority with parental permission but such action will not be appropriate in all cases. Schools may provide learning support either through their own learning support teachers or through a network service without referring a pupil to an educational psychologist.National statistics on the average length of time taken to complete a statutory assessment of special educational needs, to determine whether or not a child requires to have a Record of Needs opened, are provided in the Education Services - Performance Indicators 1999-2000 for each local authority. This may be accessed at www.audit-scotland.gov.uk

Question reference: S1O-03300

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 April 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 26 April 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what further measures it will introduce to assist the restructuring and recovery of businesses related to both agriculture and tourism in rural areas which have been severely disadvantaged by the impact of foot and mouth disease.

We have already introduced a range of measures to offer both immediate hardship relief and assist business recovery. In addition, the Executive has already begun the task of identifying strategies to help all sectors affected, including the farming and tourism industries, recover from the effects of this disease. The Executive has also established a Steering Group of local farmers in Dumfries and Galloway to advise on recovery issues. This work is being overseen and co-ordinated by a sub-group of the Ministerial Committee on Rural Development, which I chair.

Question reference: S1W-14827

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 April 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 April 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to assess any health risks associated with the incorporation of organophosphates in shampoos and other personal care products.

Question reference: S1O-03250

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2001
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 5 April 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what further steps it is taking to support rural businesses in the wake of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.