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: S1W-19382

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to paragraphs 5 and 8 of the First Report of the Law Reform Committee for Scotland (Cmnd 88, 1957), whether the position that a "trespasser" in Scots Law is "not necessarily versans in illicito" has changed since the publication of that report.

Question reference: S1W-18553

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 10 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17782 by Mr Jim Wallace on 21 September 2001, whether access agreements and management agreements will be abolished under the proposed Land Reform (Scotland) Bill and what the annual cost of such agreements has been in each of the last five years.

As stated in the answer given to question S1W-17782, the need for access agreements will disappear with the introduction of the right of responsible access. Management agreements will continue to be provided for under section 49A of the Countryside (Scotland) Act 1967.

With regard to the annual cost of access and management agreements as stated in the answer given to question S1W-17774, this is a matter for Scottish Natural Heritage.

Question reference: S1W-18548

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a policy of encouraging crofters to purchase their crofts is being pursued.

Question reference: S1W-18552

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 10 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17373 by Mr Jim Wallace on 22 August 2001, whether the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill is likely to give rise to an increase in legal actions against land managers under the Occupiers' Liability (Scotland) Act 1960 and what advice or assurances it can give to land managers on this matter.

Question reference: S1W-18538

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the draft Land Reform (Scotland) Bill will be published in October, November or December this year.

The draft Land Reform (Scotland) Bill issued for consultation on 22 February 2001. Over 3,500 responses have been received and, as indicated in my answer to question S1O-03734 on 13 September 2001, the Bill is now being prepared for introduction to the Scottish Parliament later this year. This is reflected in the latest Land Reform Action Plan Progress Report, which issued on 27 September 2001, copies of which have been sent to all MSPs and placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 16399).

Question reference: S1W-18234

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to provide funding and facilities to address sexual behaviour problems among short- and long-term prisoners.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

SPS already provides accredited programmes called STOP 2000 to address sexual offending for long-term and short-term prisoners and for young offenders in several locations and facilities are constantly being improved.

SPS is also in the process of developing a range of programmes for sexual offenders and is ensuring that such developments are in line with the recommendations in the Cosgrove and MacLean Reports. SPS expects to be able to achieve this within existing SPS resources.

Question reference: S1W-18231

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive why the Scottish Prison Service did not spend its allocated budgets for 1999-2000 and 2000-01 and why resources available from the underspend were not reallocated to tackle any issues of overcrowding and staff morale.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

The underspend in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 was primarily due to the timing of expenditure on committed capital projects, including investment in prisoner accommodation and improved staff facilities. In both years, the full underspend was carried forward into the following financial year as end-year flexibility funding and was therefore available for spending by SPS on the full range of its activities.

Question reference: S1W-18233

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what total fees will be paid for the employment of external consultants for the Scottish Prison Service's Estates Review.

Question reference: S1W-18230

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated underspend of the Scottish Prison Service is in 2001-02.

Question reference: S1W-18232

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 1 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all projects in the Scottish Prison Service's capital building programme scheduled for completion in 2001-02 will be completed on schedule.