- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 19 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much new money has been made available to the clothing and textile industry since the Scottish Textile Forum was established.
Answer
The extent of new financial support for the textile industry since the Scottish Textile Forum was established on 12 June 2000 depends on the demand from industry to initiate new projects eligible for support, rather than the availability of funds. A variety of projects, including those to support exports, training, marketing, innovation and e-commerce are currently being developed by the Enterprise Network and the textile industry, but it is too early to report on how many of these will proceed and how much public support they will attract.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 19 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many textile companies have closed down or gone into liquidation since the Scottish Textile Forum was established.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not maintain comprehensive records on company closures. However, the Executive is aware of two textile companies that have closed since the establishment of the forum on 12 June 2000. Two other companies have closed down one of their sites.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 19 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what positive results there have been as a consequence of the activities of the Scottish Textile Forum.
Answer
The establishment of the Scottish Textile Forum on 12 June 2000 was welcomed by the textile industry, textile unions and public sector partners involved with the textile industry as a means of discussing priorities for public sector support of the industry. Scottish Executive press release 1687/2000 outlined 10 areas of support which the forum has been considering and I refer to my answer to S1W-9643 regarding progress.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the role of the Children's Reporter to be compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answer
The role of the reporter is one aspect of the Children's Hearings system being challenged in the case at present before the Inner House of the Court of Session. The Scottish Children's Reporter Administration has already reviewed practice and issued Guidance for Reporters.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that children are entitled under the European Convention on Human Rights to legal support for appearances before Children's Panels and, if so, what implications this will have for the legal aid system.
Answer
Children and their relevant persons involved in the hearings system may be entitled to advice and assistance under legal aid. The Children's Hearing itself is a non-adversarial forum to discuss what is best for the child. The precise status of a hearing and whether there is an entitlement under the terms of the European Convention on Human Rights to legal aid for representation is one aspect of the case currently before the Court of Session. The Scottish Executive is challenging the case and will await the judgement before reviewing arrangements for legal aid.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that those involved in the Children's Hearing System are fully aware of any implications which the European Convention on Human Rights will have for the system.
Answer
The Scottish Executive issued a guidance leaflet in July to all panel members and other interested parties. Children's Panel Training Organisers have run a number of training courses and more are planned. Practice Guidance established by Children's Panel Chairmen and the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration is being reviewed and will be sent to all panel members before 2 October. The Scottish Executive Circular on Children's Hearings which advises on, among other things, procedural matters in respect of the recruitment of panel members has been also been reviewed and will be issued shortly.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the European Convention on Human Rights will have on the Children's Hearing System.
Answer
Under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, the child's interests are paramount. A case currently before the Inner House of the Court of Session challenges various aspects of the Children's Hearing System and will help determine the system's compatibility with the Convention.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 18 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Reporter has now submitted his findings on the Ayr United/Heathfield inquiry and when a decision on the relevant applications will be reached.
Answer
The public local inquiry report was submitted to the Scottish Executive on 2 August. Planning applications can be complex matters and Ministers have a responsibility to give them due consideration. I will write to the member with my decision as soon as it is available.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any wider implications for the criminal justice system of the appeal, upheld by the Lord President, in the names of Thomas McAnea, Raymond Dean, John McGrigor and Dennis McGinnis.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Phil Gallie, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that people against whom sufficient evidence has been gathered for charges to be laid do not avoid prosecution because of minor search warrant discrepancies.
Answer
It is for the Lord Advocate and the court in each individual case to determine whether or not an error in a search warrant renders court proceedings inappropriate or unsafe. The courts have discretion to excuse irregularities which are not fundamental to the validity of the warrant. The Lord Advocate has already reviewed the procedures governing the preparation of search warrants. Under new procedures which came into effect in October 1999, the Procurator Fiscal is involved in the preparation of requests for search warrants in all but the most exceptional cases, and almost all applications are now dealt with by sheriffs rather than justices. These procedures are designed to ensure that applications are properly scrutinised before they are granted.
