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: S1O-01769

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Angus MacKay on 25 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of any current diversion from prosecution schemes.

The Justice Department currently funds pilot diversion from prosecution schemes in 18 local authorities. These include a range of general social work diversion schemes, substance misuse schemes and mediation and reparation schemes. They are principally directed towards the needs of drug and alcohol misusers and mentally disordered, young and women accused where the offence is not of a serious nature.

Question reference: S1W-06889

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Frank McAveety on 24 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider making provision in its forthcoming Local Government Bill to enable local authorities to make different arrangements in different areas for local control of decision making to meet varying local wishes and needs.

Decisions on forthcoming legislative programmes have not yet been taken. The Scottish Executive already recognises the importance of a flexible approach to decision making in Scottish local government. We acknowledge that different arrangements in different councils are sometimes necessary due to the diverse nature of Scottish councils. Each council should be working to modernise in a way which best meets local needs, a principle which underpins councils' self-reviews of decision-making processes currently being overseen by the Leadership Advisory Panel.

Question reference: S1W-06666

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce regulations to ensure that water pipes in all new houses are inspected in order to check on the purity of the water and the use of lead solder.

The three water authorities already have bylaws to control the materials and fittings which may be used with public water supplies. Under the bylaws it is an offence to use lead in fittings in contact with water which may be used for drinking purposes. The water authorities inspect a sample of new buildings on a risk-based approach to ensure that the plumbing complies with the bylaws. The Executive has commissioned the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health to conduct a survey to establish the prevalence of lead solder in new homes in Scotland, and once we have the results of that survey we will consider whether further action is necessary.

Question reference: S1W-06885

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 23 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive to detail, by local authority area, the sum for 1998-99 and the estimated sums for 1999-2000 and 2000-01 (a) raised by the non-domestic rate and (b) paid by Her Majesty's Treasury or by the Scottish Executive in the distribution of non-domestic rates.

The amounts of non-domestic rate income distributed to local authorities for years 1998-99 to 2000-01, and collected by local authorities for 1998-99 are shown in the following table. Figures are not yet available for 1999-2000 and 2000-01 collections:

Council	1998-99	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01
	Distributed	Collected	Distributed	Distributed
Aberdeen City	59,112,000	101,318,328	60,723,000	69,193,000
Aberdeenshire	61,879,000	49,466,288	63,678,000	73,477,000
Angus	30,141,000	19,568,920	30,998,000	35,745,000
Argyll & Bute	24,716,000	28,299,338	25,464,000	29,221,000
Clackmannanshire	13,280,000	10,495,047	13,726,000	15,770,000
Dumfries & Galloway	40,159,000	31,789,211	41,423,000	47,835,000
Dundee City	40,880,000	42,071,071	41,879,000	47,637,000
East Ayrshire	33,289,000	21,876,160	34,266,000	39,391,000
East Dunbartonshire	30,133,000	14,797,539	31,178,000	35,582,000
East Lothian	23,981,000	24,911,565	25,028,000	29,087,000
East Renfrewshire	23,965,000	10,126,348	24,916,000	28,571,000
Edinburgh, City of	122,123,000	186,151,389	126,547,000	146,193,000
Eilean Siar	7,858,000	4,632,944	7,942,000	9,073,000
Falkirk	38,918,000	44,466,106	40,273,000	46,799,000
Fife	95,038,000	101,297,014	97,975,000	113,303,000
Glasgow City	167,718,000	231,326,059	172,008,000	201,238,000
Highland	56,783,000	53,075,991	58,661,000	67,644,000
Inverclyde*	23,698,000	16,455,511	24,325,000	27,733,000
Midlothian	21,777,000	12,994,938	22,688,000	26,259,000
Moray	23,538,000	19,672,200	24,193,000	27,886,000
North Ayrshire	37,961,000	36,854,012	39,308,000	45,354,000
North Lanarkshire*	88,682,000	68,164,545	91,822,000	106,100,000
Orkney	5,387,000	6,209,691	5,579,000	6,349,000
Perth & Kinross	36,070,000	32,924,976	37,472,000	43,204,000
Renfrewshire*	48,580,000	46,023,557	50,129,000	57,749,000
Scottish Borders	28,868,000	18,548,281	29,865,000	34,520,000
Shetland	6,263,000	12,351,868	6,474,000	7,440,000
South Ayrshire	31,189,000	28,296,107	32,303,000	37,164,000
South Lanarkshire	83,651,000	69,496,242	86,431,000	99,651,000
Stirling	22,515,000	26,955,963	23,504,000	29,996,000
West Dunbartonshire*	26,054,000	22,396,416	26,909,000	30,812,000
West Lothian	41,022,000	44,096,478	42,835,000	49,715,000

* 1998-99 audited figures not yet available - figures based on most recent estimate of NDR collected by councils.

Question reference: S1W-05563

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to require members of local authority licensing boards and planning committees, which act in a quasi-judicial role, to take part in a training programme, similar to that undergone by JPs for their court duties.

It is not an Executive function to provide training for local authority licensing boards. The duties and responsibilities of liquor licensing boards are set out in the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976.Members of planning committees are encouraged to undertake training. The Executive is currently developing a national training framework in collaboration with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Royal Town Planning Institute.

Question reference: S1F-00331

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 15 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 May 2000

To ask the First Minister what progress has been made by the Scottish Executive in implementing its proposals for freedom of information.

We are making good progress. There has been an excellent response to the Executive's consultation document An Open Scotland published last year. Most respondents welcomed the general thrust of the proposals. We will be considering carefully the points raised as we prepare a draft Bill.A copy of all of the responses received has been placed in SPICe and on open access in the Executive's Library. A summary of the responses will be published next week.

Question reference: S1W-06405

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 April 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 18 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans Falkirk and West Lothian Councils have to complete the Avon Gorge route and what support it is giving to these plans.

Question reference: S1W-06403

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 April 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 11 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many qualified speech therapists are currently employed by each health board or NHS Trust, (b) how many children are currently awaiting assessment or treatment for speech difficulties and (c) how long children are waiting for this service.

The latest available information for (a) qualified speech therapists employed by each health board and Trust is shown in the table. For parts (b) and (c) of the question the information is not held centrally.Qualified Speech Therapists employed in the NHS in Scotland by providerHeadcount and Whole Time Equivalent: at 30 September 1999^p

		Number	WTE
Scotland		854	715.7
Ayrshire & Arran Health Board		46	40.2
	Ayrshire & Arran Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	13	10.7
	Ayrshire & Arran Primary Care NHS Trust	33	29.5
Borders Health Board		18	16.0
	Borders Primary Care NHS Trust	18	16.0
Argyll & Clyde Health Board		63	53.9
	Argyll & Clyde Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	3	2.4
	Lomond & Argyll Primary Care NHS Trust	18	14.3
	Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Primary Care NHS Trust	42	37.2
Fife Health Board		46	37.9
	Fife Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	1	1.0
	Fife Primary Care NHS Trust	45	36.9
Greater Glasgow Health Board		149	129.5
	Yorkhill NHS Trust	88	76.3
	South Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust	27	21.4
	North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust	22	20.2
	Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust	12	11.6
Highland Health Board		30	25.6
	Highland Primary Care NHS Trust	30	25.6
Lanarkshire Health Board		109	96.5
	Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust	2	1.1
	Lanarkshire Primary Care NHS Trust	107	95.4
Grampian Health Board		101	78.3
	Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust	23	15.3
	Grampian Primary Care NHS Trust	78	62.9
Orkney Health Board		4	2.7
Lothian Health Board		141	111.4
	Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust	90	71.3
	Lothian Primary Care NHS Trust	28	21.6
	West Lothian Healthcare NHS Trust	23	18.5
Tayside Health Board		65	54.4
	Tayside Primary Care NHS Trust	65	54.4
Forth Valley Health Board		46	36.5
	Forth Valley Primary Care NHS Trust	46	36.5
Western Isles Health Board		5	5.0
Dumfries & Galloway Health Board		28	25.5
	Dumfries & Galloway Primary Care NHS Trust	28	25.5
Shetland Health Board		3	2.5

Source: National Manpower Statistics from payroll, ISD Scotland.

p provisional

Question reference: S1W-06402

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 April 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 11 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for each Local Enterprise Company Board to include a representative of the local Chamber of Commerce as normal practice.

Question reference: S1O-01675

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 11 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it has held with youth organisations about the possible introduction of a voluntary identity card scheme for young people.