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-14258

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, whether the Registrar General for Scotland has informed it of any documents showing that, in May 1974, ministers considered that Scotland should not be bound to keep in line in all respects with English and Welsh census closure policy and that the proposed 100-year closure rule for Scottish censuses was too long.

The closure of census records was raised with ministers in early 1974, in response to enquiries from solicitors wishing to use personal census information in settling executry cases. The Registrar General consulted the Minister of State at the Scottish Office, setting out the current policy of 100 year closure on access to personal census information, and recommending that this be relaxed in certain inheritance cases. In response, among other points, the minister commented:

“I do not think that we should be bound to keep in line with England and Wales. The hundred year rule is too long.”

However, after further discussion, the minister indicated that he was content with the Registrar General’s proposal. The Secretary of State also agreed. The relaxation of the 100 year closure where personal census information was required to resolve questions of inheritance was announced in a written answer on 23 May 1974.

The documents concerned are available for consultation at the National Archives for Scotland and I will make arrangements for them to be accessible also through the Registrar General’s website www.gro-scotland.gov.uk.

Question reference: S2W-14257

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any requests since 1997 from members of the public who do not want their personal census details to be released before the records are 100 years old.

Question reference: S2W-14260

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the penalties are for refusing to complete a decennial population census form and how many successful prosecutions there were for that offence in connection with the censuses for (a) 1971, (b) 1981, (c) 1991 and (d) 2001.

Question reference: S2W-14261

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the penalties are for unlawfully disclosing personal information from closed decennial population censuses and how many successful prosecutions there been have for that offence since 1990.

Question reference: S2W-14256

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the assurances of confidentiality given in respect of each decennial population census from 1841 to 2001.

The following assurances were given on householders’ forms in the various Scottish decennial censuses from 1841-2001:

1841: No mention of confidentiality on householder’s schedule.

1851: No mention of confidentiality on householder’s schedule.

1861: No mention of confidentiality on householder’s schedule.

1871: “The facts will be published in General Abstracts only, and strict care will be taken that the returns are not used for the gratification of curiosity.”

1881: “The facts will be published in General Abstracts only, and strict care will be taken that the returns are not used for the gratification of curiosity.”

1891: “The facts will be published in General Abstracts only, and strict care will be taken that the returns are not used for the gratification of curiosity”

1901: “The contents of the Schedules will be treated as confidential; they will be published in General Abstracts only, and strict care will be taken that the Returns are not used for the gratification of curiosity, or for other purposes than those of the Census.”

1911: “The contents of the schedule will be treated as strictly confidential”

1921: “STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL.”

1931: “STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL/”

1941: No census taken.

1951: “The contents of the schedule are strictly confidential.”

1961: “The contents of the schedule are strictly confidential.”

1971: “The information you give on the form will be treated as CONFIDENTIAL and used only for compiling statistics. No information about named individuals will be passed by the Census Office to any other Government Department or any other authority or person.”

1981: “The form is used only for compiling statistics and when you have completed it in accordance with the instructions, it will be treated as CONFIDENTIAL and no information about named individuals will be passed by theCensus Office to any other Government Department or any other authority or person.”

1991: “Your answers will be treated in strict confidence and used only to produce statistics. Names and addresses will not be put into the computer: only the postcode will be entered. The forms will be kept securely within my office and treated as confidential for 100 years.”

2001 “The information you provide is protected by law and treated in strict confidence. The information is only used for statistical purposes. Anyone using or disclosing Census information improperly will be liable to prosecution. The information on your census form will be treated as confidential for a period of 100 years.”

Question reference: S2W-14259

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered commissioning an independent survey to establish whether Scots would be satisfied with the re-establishment of 19th century 50 to 80-year confidentiality periods for decennial population census records.

Question reference: S2W-14586

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 4 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time taken is to deal with applications for registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland from non-Scottish qualified teachers.

The General Teaching Council for Scotland does not calculate the average time taken to process applications from non-Scottish teachers seeking registration.

Cases vary widely in complexity, depending for example, on country of origin, qualifications, teaching experience and disclosure issues. However, they aim to have all applications initially assessed within 10 working days. Following the initial assessment, an applicant will either be informed of the decision regardingregistration or requested to provide further information.

Question reference: S2W-14585

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 4 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland are outstanding from non-Scottish qualified teachers.

Question reference: S2W-14587

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 4 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration is being given to the criteria for dealing with applications for registration with the General Teaching Council for Scotland from non-Scottish qualified teachers.

It is for the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) to determine the criteria for dealing with applications from non-Scottish teachers. The GTCS has a strict registration policy, which ensures reliable and consistent decisions are made on the fitness and capabilities of non-Scottish qualified teachers for full registration. The criteria used by the GTCS in considering applications for registration includes academic and teaching qualifications, teaching experience and disclosure issues.

Question reference: S2W-14659

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 3 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is meeting its commitments in respect of former residents of Woodlands Hospital in Aberdeen who now are in the community.

As part of the long-stay learning disability hospital closure programme The same as you? recommended that all health boards should reduce their assessment and treatment places for people with learning disabilities to four for every 100,000 population across the country. To support this shift from institutionalised care, it also recommended that plans should be in place for appropriate community services to avoid in-patient assessments and treatment.

Local authorities and NHS boards should jointly agree on service provision for people with learning disabilities who have been discharged from long-stay hospitals.