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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 1140 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S1W-28709

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2002
Current Status: Answered by Richard Simpson on 24 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27619 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 12 August 2002, what (a) increased sum in drug treatment resources and (b) resources through the Changing Children's Services Fund for work with young people and families affected by drug misuse was or will be allocated to each Drug Action Team area in (i) 2001-02, (ii) 2002-03 and (iii) 2003-04.

Resources for drug treatment are allocated to NHS boards. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25154 on 1 May 2002, which details total and per capita allocations to NHS boards from 1998-99 to 2002-03. Funding for 2003-04 will remain the same as 2002-03.I also refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28682 today, which details allocations to local authorities from the Changing Children's Services Fund for the period 2001-02 to 2003-04. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

Question reference: S1W-28710

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 24 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-913 and S1W-27621 by Mr Jim Wallace on 26 August 1999 and 12 August 2002 respectively, why it was possible to give an answer to S1W-913 but not to S1W-27621.

Decisions on police officer ill-health retirements are the responsibility of the employing authorities and information on the reason for police officer ill-health retirements is not routinely collected or held by the Scottish Executive. In response to question S1W-913, the information was sought specially from individual police forces. However, the Executive does not normally seek information specifically from third parties for the purpose of answering parliamentary questions. This is in keeping with the Executive's current Guidance on Scottish Parliamentary Questions, a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre, and was the approach taken in replying to question S1W-27621.

Question reference: S1O-05586

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Richard Simpson on 19 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to monitor the level of spending on overtime by police forces.

Question reference: S1W-28788

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20325 by Mr Jim Wallace on 18 December 2001, why the cost of the contract for medical services provided by Medacs is commercially confidential.

Question reference: S1W-28787

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20325 by Mr Jim Wallace on 18 December 2001, what evidence it can provide that its contract with Medacs for medical services in prisons provides best value if it will not publish the cost of the contract for medical services.

Question reference: S1W-28789

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 16 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish its contracts with City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, Falkirk and Clackmannanshire Councils for provision of social work services in Scottish prisons subject to deletion of matters that are commercially confidential, giving the reasons for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S1W-28785

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Richard Simpson on 12 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27324 by Dr Richard Simpson on 6 August 2002, whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre the independent evaluations of the public space closed circuit television projects funded through the "Make Our Communities Safer" Challenge Competition.

Question reference: S1W-28786

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 02 September 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish its contract with Medacs for provision of medical services in prisons, subject to deletion of matters that are commercially confidential, giving the reasons for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S1W-27613

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 July 2002
Current Status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 9 September 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what changes in drug treatment policy it plans in the light of the reclassification of cannabis.

The Executive monitors drug use patterns and trends as part of its information strategy. A range of approaches to treatment is available and is kept constantly under review in the light of any new and relevant information. The Executive's recently-published Cannabis: Know the Score Guide, which can be accessed at www.knowthescore.info, emphasises that the drug can affect mental, as well as physical health and that people should be aware of the dangers, particularly anyone who has a mental illness.

Question reference: S1W-28180

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 August 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 30 August 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25568 by Mr Jim Wallace on 30 July 2002, what the cost would be of providing a table showing where omissions have been made in the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock and in each schedule, showing in each case the paragraph and sub-paragraph numbers or specified section of the text as appropriate and what the reasons were for each omission; how this cost is calculated, and why it is disproportionate.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The cost could be around £1,000 taking into account the direct and opportunity cost of the diversion of resources which would be necessary. This would be disproportionate as the full contract has already been made available under appropriate conditions of confidentiality to Justice Committee 1.