- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 26 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its action plan for the social economy.
Answer
We are developing the actionplan and hope to make an announcement shortly.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it has in determining whether the National Anthem or any other national song is formally played at public events.
Answer
The Scottish Executive hasno role in these matters. Arrangements for the selection and playing of tunesat public events are a matter for the organisers of the event.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact of the introduction of NHS24 has been on the operation of the ambulance service in Ayrshire.
Answer
NHS24 has been operationalin the Ayrshire and Arran NHS Board area since May 2003, dealing with callsfrom the public as well as handling out of hours calls on behalf of GPs. In theperiod immediately after its introduction, there was a significant increase inthe number of out of hours calls assessed by NHS24 as requiring an emergencyresponse by the Scottish Ambulance Service, compared to the number requested bythe out-of-hours GP service over the same period in 2002. However, this numberis steadily decreasing as NHS24 call handlers become more familiar with thesystems that inform the decisions about the appropriate response for thepatient.
NHS24 is working closelywith the Scottish Ambulance Service to maximise the effectiveness of theservices provided by both organisations. If the member has any specificconcerns about the operational activities of NHS24 or the ambulance service heshould contact the relevant Chief Executive.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 26 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many boundary disputes remain unresolved between AMEY Highways Ltd and local authorities in the South of Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is not aware of any unresolved disputes between AMEY Highways Ltd andlocal authorities in the South of Scotland.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 24 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to establish a pedestrian crossing on the A68 in Lauder.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has commissioned Amey Highways Ltd to carry out an engineeringassessment to determine if a pedestrian crossing is justified on the A68 inLauder.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 31 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce legislation to amend the defamation laws as suggested in petition PE578 to the Parliament.
Answer
Petition PE578 invites the Scottish Parliament to consider extending absolute privilege to children andother vulnerable people reporting abuse to an appropriate authority.
At present, any person,including the alleged victim, who reports such matters to an appropriateauthority will benefit from the protection of qualified privilege. Qualifiedprivilege will protect the person from a successful claim of defamation, unlessit can be proved that the person making the defamatory statement was motivatedby malice.
The Scottish Executive takes child protection very seriously and is committed to protectingchildren and young people from all forms of abuse. However, the Executive also hasa responsibility to individuals who may be accused falsely and maliciously ofabuse. Extending absolute privilege to young people could impact unfairly onthe rights of a potentially defamed person. The practical effect of extendingabsolute privilege would be to offer protection to an individual who maliciouslymakes false allegations of abuse. The Executive does not consider that it isnecessary or desirable to do this to achieve the objective of protectingchildren and young people.
The underlying concerns inthis area are best addressed through guidelines on the handling of situationsin which young people allege abuse, rather than by attempting to reconcile thedivergent interests of accused and accuser through amendments to defamationlaw.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 27 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive who the current River Nith commissioners are and what discussions it has had with them on the proposed new cycle bridge over the Nith at Dumfries.
Answer
The proposed new bridge isthe responsibility of Dumfries and Galloway Council, who are required toconsult interested bodies under section 75 (3) of the Roads (Scotland) Act1984.
The Scottish Executive has had no discussions with Nith river commissioners. The Executiveunderstands that an organisation called the Nith Navigation Commissioners wasincorporated by the Nith Navigation Order Confirmation Act 1929. However, Dumfries andGalloway Council advise that this organisation ceased to operate in the 1960s.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 13 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current status is of the A82 Tarbet to Crianlarich Route Action Plan.
Answer
A commission to undertake theA82 Route Action Plan was recently awarded to Scott Wilson Scotland Ltd. A starton the study work is imminent.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 August 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 29 September 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost would be to it of extending the availability of broadband beyond the level currently planned by telecommunications companies.
Answer
There are already a number ofScottish Executive initiatives aimed at extending the availability of broadbandbeyond the level planned by the commercial market. The latest measures under ournew broadband initiative have funding of up to £24 million.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 August 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 29 September 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any legal or regulatory differences between Scotland and Northern Ireland which would prevent it adopting a policy similar to the Northern Ireland Executive on the introduction of 100% broadband coverage.
Answer
No. The Executive also has apolicy aim and strategy for pervasive and affordable broadband coverage in Scotland. Weare taking forward a number of activities to achieve this.