- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 3 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what changes there have been in recent years with respect to the provision of funding for braces for children's teeth.
Answer
None.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 25 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is from the date of first appointment to the date of treatment for those treated at the Glasgow Dental Hospital for each year from 1997 to date.
Answer
The information requested is not available centrally.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 25 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is from the date of referral to the date of appointment for those referred to Glasgow Dental Hospital for each year from 1997 to date.
Answer
The median waiting times for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant at Glasgow Dental Hospital, following a General Medical Practitioner/General Dental Practitioner referral, for each year from 1997/8 is given in the table.
Year Ending | Median Waits (Days) |
31 March 1998 | 64 |
| 31 March 1999 | 76 |
| 31 March 2000p | 62 |
p Provisional
Source: ISD, Scotland.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 11 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation took place between the Cawley family and the Procurator Fiscal's Office from the date of the murder to the end of the trial, and whether the Procurator Fiscal's Office provided accurate information on (a) the case against Gary Sanders and (b) the case against Louis McDonald at all times.
Answer
Members of the Cawley family met with the precognoscer of the case at the Procurator Fiscal's Office in Glasgow on 8 November 2000 when the precognition process, the trial process and the options available to a jury were explained to them. The Cawley family were previously written to by the Procurator Fiscal's Office at Glasgow on 13 October 2000 and 2 November 2000 when the involvement of the Procurator Fiscal was intimated to them. They were again written to on 8 December 2000 when the indictment was served and information about the trial diet given to them. A member of the family was spoken to on the telephone by the precognoscer between 8 December 2000 and on 19 December 2000.The family were informed the precognoscer was on annual leave over Christmas and given details of the High Court Unit at the High Court of Justiciary in Glasgow should they wish to discuss matters during that period. In advance of that, on 19 December 2000, the family were taken to the High Court in Glasgow for a pre-trial court visit.On 8 January 2001, the precognoscer, when attending the High Court to view the trial, informally met a family member and spoke briefly with him.On 10 January 2001 the precognoscer attended at court to inform the family that Gary Sanders had been liberated on bail and would be acquitted at the conclusion of the Crown case.The Principal Depute at the Procurator Fiscal's Office at the High Court of Justiciary at Glasgow met with the family on 9 January 2001. She met further with the family on 10 January 2001 in the presence of the Advocate Depute.The Head of the Procurator Fiscal's Office at the High Court of Justiciary met with the members of the family on 11 January 2001 after the verdict when the case was discussed with them.The family were provided with accurate information on the case against Gary Sanders and Louis McDonald from their first contact with the Procurator Fiscal's Office at Glasgow until the conclusion of the case.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 11 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how long, from time of appointment, James Drummond Young QC had to prepare the prosecution case against Louis McDonald and Gary Sanders, both charged with the murder of Christopher Cawley.
Answer
Trial Advocates Depute are given case papers 10 days in advance of a sitting of the High Court they are prosecuting. Cases are already fully prepared by legal staff of the Procurator Fiscal Service and Crown Office before being given to Advocates Depute.Mr Drummond Young was fully prepared to prosecute the case and conducted the prosecution in a highly professional manner. He is an extremely experienced and respected member of the Scottish Bar and I have full confidence in his abilities as an Advocate Depute.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 11 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what further prosecutions are being considered given the number of alleged transgressions of the law revealed within transcripts of the trial in which Gary Sanders was discharged and Louis McDonald was released on a Not Proven verdict in 1997.
Answer
As far as I am aware, transcripts have not been ordered from the High Court of Justiciary in this case. I am therefore unable to comment further.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 9 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive when the term trunk road contracts will be awarded for Ayrshire and the South West of Scotland and when the successful bidders will be announced.
Answer
The result of the competition was announced in my reply to Des McNulty on 23 January (question S1W-12726). I subsequently announced my intention to award the contract in my answer to Mary Mulligan on 2 February (question S1W-13044).
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 9 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive when the tender period closed for the term trunk road contracts in Ayrshire and the South West of Scotland and what the target date for announcement of successful bids was.
Answer
Tenders for each of the trunk road management and maintenance contracts were submitted to the Scottish Executive in accordance with the instructions for tendering before noon on 30 October 2000. At that stage it was hoped that an announcement of a successful bid could have been made before the end of the year. The result of the competition was announced in my reply to Des McNulty on 23 January (question S1W-12726). I subsequently announced my intention to award the contract in my answer to Mary Mulligan on 2 February (question S1W-13044).
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what length of time Louis McDonald, recently discharged under a Not Proven verdict for the murder of Christopher Cawley, served of the six year sentence he received in 1997 for violent assault.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Mr McDonald did not receive a sentence in 1997 for violent assault. He was, however, convicted of Assault to Severe Injury and Permanent Disfigurement on 17 January 1995 and sentenced to 6 years imprisonment. This was subsequently reduced on appeal to 5 years effective from 5 July 1994. Mr McDonald was released on Parole Licence on 3 January 1997 and subsequently recalled to custody on 19 May 1999 and re-released on 4 July 1999.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive why the release from prison of James William Murray, formerly of Tarbolton, was not intimated in advance to his victims or their families.
Answer
The release of Mr Murray was not intimated to his victims or their families as they were not eligible to be included in the current Victim Notification Scheme (VNS). The VNS provides for the victims of violent or sexual crimes or their next of kin to be notified when their assailant is due to be released from custody, but only where the assailant has been sentenced to a prison term of 4 years or more. Mr Murray did not fall within the Scheme since he received a sentence of less than 4 years, namely of 3 years 6 months which was later reduced to 18 months on appeal.The Scottish Strategy for Victims which was published in December last year made clear the Executive's commitment to improve support for victims, including greater provision of information. Options for extending the Victim Notification Scheme to a wider range of prisoners are being considered, along with other possible changes to the Scheme, as part of implementation of the Strategy.
