- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 24 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued in respect of the fitting and use of seat belts on all school bus services.
Answer
The Scottish Executive issuedrevised guidance on school transport issues to local authorities in August 2003.The guidance sets out the statutory requirements relating to the fitting and wearingof seat belts in minibuses, buses and coaches used to transport children on organisedschool trips, including journeys between home and school. It suggests that localauthorities may wish to consider, when negotiating contracts for school transport,whether to require that vehicles are fitted with three point seat belts rather thanthe minimum statutory requirement of lap belts. It also encourages authorities toconsider how they might best encourage pupils to wear seat belts for their own comfortand safety.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 24 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how accessible respite care should be for young people with learning difficulties.
Answer
The Executive is investingrecord levels in social care, including the accessibility of respite provision.In particular, local authorities receive £16 million per annum from the ChangeFund to help implement the recommendations in
The same as you? review ofservices for people with learning disabilities. One of the recommendations isfor further development of short breaks for people with learning disabilities.
The Executive also supportsparents in accessing respite care for their children through the promotion ofdirect payments. A working group drawing on the expertise of multiple sectorswill be convened later in the year to examine barriers to the greater provisionof direct payments, as well as means of empowering parents through thismechanism.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to amalgamate local authorities with other bodies providing services such as community health, police, fire and rescue services or with enterprise boards or tourist boards.
Answer
We have no current plans to amalgamatelocal authorities with other bodies providing services. We continue to support arange of measures to improve joint working between agencies, such as Community Planning,the Joint Future initiative for health and social care and the Business Gateway.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 17 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any proposals it has for the amalgamation of local authorities.
Answer
We have no current proposalsfor the amalgamation of local authorities.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response will be to any future proposals for road user charging brought forward by the Forth Estuary Transport Authority under the terms of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001, in light of the Minister for Transport and Telecommunication’s statement that “Before any toll increase is introduced on the Forth bridge, travellers need to see the completion of visible improvements” (Official Report c. 23596).
Answer
It would be inappropriate tospeculate on proposals that have not been made.
Any such proposals would be consideredin light of the statement I made to Parliament on 1 March 2006.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 15 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has at any time directed the Forth Estuary Transport Authority to develop proposals for a road user charging scheme.
Answer
No. However, it was anticipatedthat the Forth Estuary Transport Authority would develop proposals for a road usercharging scheme as part of its approach to managing congestion on the Forth Road Bridge.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the effectiveness of body armour supplied to police forces.
Answer
The Scottish police serviceregularly evaluates its procedures and equipment provision to ensure that the needsof its officers are met.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 15 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has at any time recommended to the Forth Estuary Transport Authority that it should develop proposals for a road user charging scheme.
Answer
No. However, it was anticipatedthat the Forth Estuary Transport Authority would develop proposals for a road usercharging scheme as part of its approach to managing congestion on the Forth Road Bridge.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 13 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive why it gave the Forth Estuary Transport Authority the power to implement road user charging schemes under the terms of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 and responsibilities for projects over and above the maintenance of the Forth Road Bridge, such as the A8000 upgrade.
Answer
The Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) was created to oversee operation, management and maintenance of the Forth Road Bridge and has a wider scope of responsibility than the former joint board.
FETA was given these wider powers, including the powers to promote road user charging schemes, to allow it to prepare and implement a strategy for transportation.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 13 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can take any action to increase the numbers of those entitled to council tax benefit who actually receive it and, if so, what actions it will take.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has nodirect functions in relation to council tax benefit. However, we support the Department of Work and Pensions in its campaignto increase the uptake of benefit amongst pensioners, particularly through partnershipwork with Scottish councils.
