- Asked by: Mr Brian Monteith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make the drug Modafinil available to sufferers of sleep apnoea.
Answer
Modafinil is authorised for the treatment of narcolepsy, a condition associated with attacks of daytime sleep. It is not authorised for the treatment of sleep apnoea.The use of medicines outside the terms of their marketing authorisation is allowed under UK law, where the clinician believes it is in the best interests of the patient. In these situations the prescriber takes responsibility for the safety and efficacy of the medicine.
- Asked by: Mr Brian Monteith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is funding any research into the effectiveness of Modafinil for providing relief to sufferers of sleep apnoea.
Answer
Although the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) is currently funding one study on
sleep apnoea, it does not specifically address the effectiveness of Modafinil in providing relief to sufferers. CSO would be pleased to receive research applications on this issue, which would be subject to the usual peer and committee review.
More widely, CSO is aware of 100 ongoing or recently completed projects in the UK on sleep apnoea, 12 of which relate to Scotland. Details of these studies are available on the National Research Register, a copy of which is in the Parliament's Reference Centre.The results of the projects undertaken throughout the UK will inform the future direction of research and treatment of this condition.
- Asked by: Mr Brian Monteith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 22 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many teaching posts are currently vacant in each local authority area and how many of these posts have been vacant for more than one month.
Answer
I have recently sent a report on the supply of teachers to the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee detailing the background to the current position on the collection of information relevant to teacher supply and outlining planned improvements to current methods. Copies of this report have been made available to Committee members and it has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 28-36 of the report.
- Asked by: Mr Brian Monteith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 15 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is planning to take in light of the statement in the December 2000 Scottish Tourist Forum publication, Report into the Impact of Petrol Prices on Tourism, regarding the impact of high fuel prices on the tourism industry.
Answer
The issue of fuel taxation is a reserved matter. Scottish Ministers will continue to promote the interests of Scotland on the issue of fuel taxation directly with Treasury Ministers, and through the Scotland Office.
- Asked by: Mr Brian Monteith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 13 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the total costs involved in publishing, distributing and launching Working together for Scotland: A Programme for Government and how many copies have been published and distributed.
Answer
We have not yet received final invoices for all the costs involved in publishing, distributing and launching Working together for Scotland: A Programme for Government. We estimate the total costs to be about £37,890.4,000 copies were printed, of which 1,401 have been distributed.
- Asked by: Mr Brian Monteith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 8 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Scottish Arts Council spent per annum in the Stirling local authority area in the last three years and how this compares with the average amount per local authority area.
Answer
The Scottish Arts Council spending in the Stirling local authority area in the years in question was:
| | 1997-98 (£) | 1998-99 (£) | 1999-2000 (£) |
| Lottery funding | 294,051 | 3,196,041* | 3,782,172** |
| Average LA allocation | 1,149,433 | 614,482 | 509,458 |
*Includes capital funding of £3.1 million for the Stirling Tolbooth project.
** Includes capital funding of £3.35 million for the McRobert Centre project.
| | 1997-98 (£) | 1998-99 (£) | 1999-2000 (£) |
| Voted funds | 216,764 | 222,706 | 330,285 |
| Average LA allocation*** | 404,733 | 407,287 | 429,152 |
*** Excluding National Companies.
- Asked by: Mr Brian Monteith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 8 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures the Scottish Executive will take to help with the erection of a suitable and lasting national memorial to the pipers of the Highland regiments who fought in the First World War.
Answer
The National War Museum of Scotland which was recently opened at Edinburgh Castle is a tribute to all soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the conflict of all wars. The special role of the piper is acknowledged in several displays of the National War Museum and a set of pipes dating from the First World War believed to be from a Highland regiment is included on display.
- Asked by: Mr Brian Monteith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 6 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many mathematics teaching posts are currently vacant in each education authority and how many of these posts have been vacant for more than one month.
Answer
I have recently sent a report on the supply of teachers to the Convener of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee detailing the background to the current position on the collection of information relevant to teacher supply and outlining planned improvements to current methods. Copies of this report have been made available to committee members and it has also been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 28-36 of the report.
- Asked by: Mr Brian Monteith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 1 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to mark appropriately, possibly through Historic Scotland, the historic site of the Battle of Bannockburn in the light of the findings of Dr Fiona Watson of Stirling University.
Answer
We have no such plans at present. Dr Watson's report on the historic site of the Battle of Bannockburn was commissioned by Stirling Council. I understand that Dr Watson has not yet submitted her final report to the council.
- Asked by: Mr Brian Monteith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 1 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure information concerning levels of short and long-term teacher absenteeism is publicly available.
Answer
The management of teacher absence is a matter for local authorities as employers. However teacher absence rates are one of a series of performance measures on which local authorities report to Audit Scotland and that information will be published in due course. We have no plans to collect information on short or long-term absence amongst teachers.
