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: S2W-14099

Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 28 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place for 24-hour access by prisoners to toilet facilities at HM Prison Cornton Vale.

Question reference: S2W-14100

Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 28 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the minimum standards are for cell equipment, furnishings and fittings for prisoners at HM Prison Cornton Vale.

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

Prisoners living accommodation, facilities and equipment at Cornton Vale meets SPS standards for space, lighting and heating. All rooms have electric power, wash-hand basin, Officer Assist, Intercom, and where necessary Nightsan call buttons, bed, chair, work surface, pinboard, kettle, curtains, bedding, TV, storage for clothing and valuables, access to an overhead light with switch inside the room, central heating, windows to allow natural light in and ventilation by means of opening windows or air vents. Prisoners have access to toilets and hand-washing facilities 24 hours a day.

Question reference: S2W-14103

Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 28 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost is per prisoner, per annum, for detention at HM Prison Cornton Vale.

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

It is not possible to provide a total cost per prisoner, per annum, at individual public prisons as there are a number of significant costs which are met centrally for SPS as a whole.

The average cost per prisoner place in 2003-04 is given in the SPS Annual Report and Accounts, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34075) or via the Scottish Prison Service website http://www.sps.gov.uk/keydocs/reports/2003-04.

Question reference: S2W-14101

Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 28 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what safeguards are in place to protect vulnerable women at HM Prison Cornton Vale.

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

SPS aims to provide appropriate care for all vulnerable prisoners, principally through the professionalism of the SPS front-line staff who are trained to identify vulnerable prisoners and help them cope with prison life. The SPS has developed the widely praised ACT suicide prevention system. In Cornton Vale there are day care regimes in Ross remand block with mental health nursing support and occupational therapy, and elsewhere a comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions strategy with associated assessment and referral systems including psychiatric and psychological support is available.

Question reference: S2W-14104

Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources are allocated to support the children and families of women in prison.

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

The Scottish Prison Service supports the children and families of all prisoners in custody by providing:

Support to the development of visitors and waitingarea facilities within prisons e.g. St Margaret's Family Centre at CorntonVale.

Family Contact Development Officers. These SPS staff have specific responsibilities to ensure that the needs of prisoner's families are taken into account.

Financial support for low-income families visiting prisons through the Assisted Prison Visits Unit.

Support to the organisation Families Outside and contributingfinancially to the Scottish Prisoners' Families Helpline.

SPS also works in conjunction with a range of partner organisations that also support prisoners.

Question reference: S2W-13755

Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-13100, S2W-13102 and S2W-13103 by Mr Andy Kerr on 19 January 2005, how it will ensure that the terms of the proposed contracts with the independent health care sector, including numbers of patients and procedures and contract duration, are negotiated to provide value for the taxpayer and quality service to NHS patients and how it will demonstrate that this value and quality have been achieved.

As I said in my previous answers, contracts will be competitively tendered. Staff negotiating the contracts within NHS boards will have access to information about NHS costs both in Scotland and south of the Border, and about comparable pricesin the independent sector. They will reach a view on how best to structurecontracts in terms of prices, duration, numbers of procedures and other factorsthat provide the best achievable value for money and ensures that waiting timesare reduced for NHS patients in Scotland. Contracts will also be subject to financial audit.

The contract terms will include a requirement that independent health care providers are properly accredited, and that they use clinical governance and clinical audit processes that are comparable to those in place in NHSScotland.

Question reference: S2W-13628

Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 2 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements have been made to ensure that the assistance offered by government and public organisations is deployed to areas affected by the tsunami in the shortest time possible and what measures it will take to ensure that all pledges are fulfilled.

Question reference: S2W-13625

Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 2 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional money has been allocated to non-governmental organisations to support their work following the tsunami.

The Scottish Executive has not allocated funds to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to support their work following the tsunami but has taken other actions to respond swiftly and appropriately.

We met NGOs in the days after the disaster to ask how we could assist theirefforts to support the emergency relief work. At their request , we immediatelyseconded 11 Scottish Executive staff to meet an urgent need for administrativeassistance at the British Red Cross, SCIAF and Mercy Corp. We also co-ordinatedadvertisements for the Scottish Emergency Appeal, which appeared in a range ofScottish papers. The Deputy Chief Medical Officer’s team has co-ordinated Scottish offers of specialist medical help to the World Health Organisation, including the option to second Scottish Executive specialist medical personnel. Ten Scottish police officers have been deployed in support of the Metropolitan Police casualty bureau.

The First Minister indicated to the Parliament on 12 January that the Scottish Executive is committed to assisting the longer term reconstruction effort, as the assessment of need in the affected region becomes clearer. The Scottish Executive has maintained a dialogue with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Departmentfor International Development and public services in Scotland to facilitate assistance from public services to the areas affected by the tsunami. We are in discussion with Scottish based international aid agencies and public service organisations about how this can be taken forward.

Question reference: S2W-13626

Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 2 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it has allocated to public services, including the NHS, to enable them to offer practical assistance in terms of expertise, personnel, equipment and goods to the areas affected by the tsunami.

Question reference: S2W-13627

Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 2 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to organise and support assistance from public services to the areas affected by the tsunami.