- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 14 September 2000
To ask the First Minister what steps the Scottish Executive is taking to ensure that local authorities maintain the network of rural schools.
Answer
All our policies for schools are directed towards ensuring that all children in rural areas benefit from school provision of the highest quality.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it issues any guidelines on the management of ragwort on ground under its ownership or control or under the ownership or control of any of its agencies or local authorities.
Answer
No. But the Scottish Executive funds the Scottish Agriculture College to provide advice to farmers and horse owners on a wide variety of livestock diseases. The most recent Technical Note entitled
Ragwort Poisoning in Livestock - Prevention and Control was published earlier this year. It is available free to Scottish Agriculture College subscribers and to other interested parties on request.
I shall arrange for a copy of the Technical Note to be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking or intends to take to reduce the incidence of ragwort poisoning.
Answer
The Scottish Executive investigates all reported incidents of ragwort on land where livestock are at risk, whether or not the land is in agricultural use.
The Weeds Act 1959 places the responsibility for weeds control on the occupier of the land, and where livestock may be at risk, in the first instance, the Scottish Executive advises the occupier to carry out control measures. Where necessary, powers are available under the Weeds Act to give occupiers of land formal written notice requiring them to take such measures, failing which the Act has powers to enable the Executive, as a last resort, to employ control measures themselves and thereafter charge the occupier accordingly.
Local authorities may also take action either under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 or the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 which provide powers for local authorities to serve notice on an occupier of any land which is harming the amenity of the area.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it maintains records of incidents of ragwort poisoning and, if so, whether it will publish them for the last five years broken down geographically.
Answer
Ragwort poisoning is not a notifiable disease. There is therefore no statutory requirement for cases to be notified to the Scottish Executive. However, the Scottish Executive funds disease surveillance through the Scottish Agriculture College Disease Surveillance Centres (SACDSC) and records are kept of ragwort poisoning submissions. The numbers of cases recorded by SACDSC since 1995 are as follows:
| | Cattle | Horses |
1995 | 4 | 0 |
1996 | 10 | 0 |
1997 | 3 | 1 |
1998 | 2 | 1 |
1999 | 3 | 0 |
2000 (to end of July) | 0 | 0 |
Other cases of ragwort poisoning will be treated by veterinary surgeons in practice, or submitted to veterinary colleges, or private laboratories, without being recorded.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 7 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, whether it is satisfied that all persons employed by the Scottish Qualifications Authority as markers were appropriately qualified to perform that role.
Answer
I refer to the answer I gave to question S1W-9303 today.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 7 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7646 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 19 June 2000, whether it is satisfied that all exam papers have been marked consistently to the required standard.
Answer
The Scottish Qualifications Authority quality assurance procedures are set out in its Examiner's Handbook. The independent inquiry which I am commissioning will examine whether there were any instances in which these quality assurance procedures were not followed.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 7 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7646 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 19 June 2000, what steps it took to verify any assurances given by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) that the marking of exam papers by the SQA would be completed on time.
Answer
Assurances on marking offered by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) were probed by my officials during their frequent discussions with senior officials at SQA. Marking of examination papers was completed in sufficient time to enable results to be issued on the due date. Any failure by the SQA to issue certificates on the due date was attributable to factors other than the timing of completion of the marking of the examination papers.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 7 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7646 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 19 June 2000, what form its monitoring took of the situation in relation to the marking of exam papers by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.
Answer
My officials held weekly meetings with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and were in more frequent telephone contact on all aspects of the process of producing examination results, including marking.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 6 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider designating the B7076 as an alternative tourist route to the M74.
Answer
The B7076 is a local road and its designation as an alternative tourist route is a matter for the Scottish Tourist Board in conjunction with the local roads authorities to address.
The Scottish Executive will consider any application for signing of an officially designated tourist route or trail which interfaces with a trunk road.
- Asked by: David Mundell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 6 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any formal definition of elder abuse.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no formal definition of elder abuse. We know that some organisations subscribe to the definition that elder abuse is a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person. This definition would appear to reflect the general understanding of what is meant by elder abuse.
