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-26839

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 June 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 June 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to prevent public access, in particular by children, to the retention ponds proposed as part of the road drainage system for the online upgrade of the A80.

Question reference: S2W-25245

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 April 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 22 June 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24164 by Cathy Jamieson on 3 April 2006, while party political affiliation is not identified in the Act, whether the Lord Advocate's political affiliation when he was appointed Solicitor General in 1999 was known to it and, if so, what account was taken of it.

As my answer to answer to questionS2W-24164 on 3 April 2006, indicated, political affiliation is not identified inthe Scotland Act as a factor relevant to appointment. The appointment of the SolicitorGeneral in 1999 was made by the Scottish Parliament in response to a motion by thethen First Minister. The Executive does not hold records of what the then FirstMinister took into account in proposing his motion, beyond what is contained inthe Scottish Parliament Official Report.

Question reference: S2W-26737

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2006
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 22 June 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children in each local authority area have been referred to the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration in each year since 1995 and, of these, how many were diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder.

Question reference: S2W-26670

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 June 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26033 by Mr Tom McCabe on 8 June 2006, how many of its ministers and officials attended the lecture given by Bill Clinton on 10 May 2006 at the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow.

The lecture on 10 May 2006 atthe Thistle Hotel in Glasgow was attended by eight MSPs, of which five were ministers,and seven officials. The First Minister and Deputy First Minister attended to representthe devolved government in Scotland and the others attended as guests of other organisations.The full attendee list is attached.

MSP’s who attended

Jack McConnell

Nicol Stephen

Tom McCabe

Margaret Curran

Tavish Scott

Alastair Morrison

Linda Fabiani

Nicola Sturgeon

Scottish Executive Officials

Owen Kelly, Head of Internationaland Communication Group

Louise MacDonald, Head of InternationalProjects

Clare Smith, Marketing Manager

Matthew Clark, Special Adviser,Political and Communications Adviser

Kate Murray, Project Scotland

Michael Cross, Head of Determinedto Succeed

Isla McCrone, Project Director,Determined to Succeed

Media attendee list

BBC Scotland:

Peter Cole, Brian Innes, ColinMacNab, David MacIver, Brian Taylor, Fiona McKenzie, Catriona MacPherson

Scottish Television: BernardPonsoby, Neil McLaren

ITN: Martin Geissler, Alan Dickinson

Radio Clyde: Colin MacKay

BBC Online: Mark Coyle

Newsquest: Tim Blott

Daily Record: Magnus Gardham

The Sun: Andrew Nicoll

Herald: Anne Simpson

Scotsman: Hamish MacDougall

The Times: Angus MacLeod

Daily Mirror: Maggie Barry

Daily Mail: Stuart Nicolson

Press Association: Jude Sheerin,Matt Dickinson, Melanie Watson

Sunday Post: Campbell Gunn

News of the World: Euan McColm

Sunday Mail: Brian Lironi

Sunday Herald: Paul Hutcheon,Steve Vass

Sunday Times: Kenny Farquharson

News International: Jason Allardyce,Carlos Alba + 1

Photographer: Michael Boyd

Partner Organisations whoattended and other guests

Project Scotland: JuliaOgilvy, Kate Mathers

Scottish Development International:Martin Togneri

Impact Arts: David Hope

Magnus Linklater

BT Scotland (a Determined toSucceed partner): Tom Kelly, General Manager (Government, Scotland andWales), andy Torrance, Partner in Market Development (Scotland andWales)

Head Teacher and five pupilsfrom Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School, West Dunbartonshire.

Question reference: S2W-26732

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2006
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 21 June 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26016 by Lewis Macdonald on 30 May 2006 which states that “Children may be taken into care on a voluntary basis and the Scottish Executive does not hold this data”, whether this indicates that the Executive has data to show how many cases exist of children being taken compulsorily into care and, if so, what these figures are for each year since 1990.

Question reference: S2W-26733

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2006
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 20 June 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25794 by Robert Brown on 17 May 2006, whilst it is not aware of any targets for adoption set by local authorities, whether it has set any targets for adoption of children.

Question reference: S2W-26728

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2006
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 20 June 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26016 by Lewis Macdonald on 30 May 2006, what are listed as grounds for referral in section 52 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

Section 52(2) of the Children(Scotland) Act 1995 states that a child may be in need of compulsory measures of supervisionif at least one of a list of conditions is satisfied in respect of the child.

These conditions are generallyreferred to as “grounds for referral”. There are 12 conditions or grounds whichmay indicate the child is in need of compulsory measures of supervision as follows:

The child:

A. is beyond the control of anyrelevant person;

B. is falling into bad associationsor is exposed to moral danger;

C. is likely to suffer unnecessarilyor be impaired seriously in his health or development, due to lack of parental care;

D. is a child in respect of whoma Schedule 1 offence has been committed;

E. is or is likely to becomea member of the same household as a child against whom a Schedule 1 offence hasbeen committed;

F. is, or is likely to become,a member of the same household as a person who has committed a schedule 1 offence;

G. is or is likely to becomea member of the same household as a person who has committed the offence of incestor sexual intercourse with a child by a step-parent or person in a position of trust;

H. has failed to attend schoolregularly without reasonable excuse;

I. has committedan offence;

J. has misused alcohol or anydrugs, whether or not a controlled drug within the meaning of the Misuse of DrugsAct 1971;

K. has misused a volatile substanceby deliberately inhaling its vapour, other than for medicinal purposes, and

L. is being provided with accommodationby a local authority under section 25, or is the subject of a parental responsibilitiesorder obtained under section 86 and, in either case, his behaviour is such thatspecial measures are necessary for his adequate supervision in his interest or theinterest of others.

Question reference: S2W-26734

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2006
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 20 June 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26018 by Robert Brown on 30 May 2006, whether this answer indicates that social workers do not have to declare to their employers or the Scottish Social Services Council any additional work in which they may be engaged beyond their employment as a registered social worker.

Provision of full employmenthistory when applying for registration with the Scottish Social Services Council(SSSC) comprises all work social workers have undertaken since leaving school, includingall work undertaken outside social services, work undertaken on a voluntary basisand work outside the UK.

Theyare also obliged to inform SSSC about any change in their circumstances includingnew employment.

It is a matter for employersto decide what information they require employees to declare.

Question reference: S2W-26731

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2006
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 20 June 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26016 by Lewis Macdonald on 30 May 2006, if Munchausen syndrome by proxy, or fabricating or inducing illness, are not grounds for referral to the Principal Reporter, how they are defined within existing legislation.

Question reference: S2W-26666

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2006
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 20 June 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26487 by Allan Wilson on 8 June 2006, what the cost will be of the evaluation of the Skills for Business Network and how the evaluation will be funded.