- Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 10 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to education authorities since March 2003 regarding the safe use of the internet in schools.
Answer
The principles set out in theMarch 2003 guidance are still valid. The Learning and Teaching Scotland “DoubleClick Thinking” website which supports the circular is updated from time to time,most recently in October 2004.
- Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 8 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions for dog fouling there have been since 1999.
Answer
The Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003 came into force on 22 October 2003 and repealed section 48 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982.
Information is only available from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s database from 2002. In the financial year 2002-03, there were nine prosecutions and 22 paid fiscal fines in terms of section 48 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. In the financial year 2003-04 there were 12 prosecutions and 20 paid fiscal fines in terms of section 48 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 and four prosecutions in terms of section 1 of the Dog Fouling (Scotland) Act 2003.
- Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 8 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions for litter offences there have been since 1999.
Answer
Section 92(9) of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 and section 87(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 make it an offence to dispose of litter in common places and public open places respectively.
Information is only available from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s (COPFS) database from 2002. In the financial year 2002-03 there were nine prosecutions and 11 paid fiscal fines under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 and 92 prosecutions and 109 paid fiscal fines under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. In the financial year 2003-04, there were 10 prosecutions and 12 paid fiscal fines under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 and 122 prosecutions and 143 paid fiscal fines under the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
It is also possible for local authorities to issue fixed penalties for contraventions of section 87(1) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The COPFS does not hold information about fixed penalties issued by local authorities.
- Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 2 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of any legislation or other action it has abandoned as a result of a consultation.
Answer
The information sought is not held centrally. All departments are encouraged to make public consultation an integral part of the policy formulation process. The Executive considers in detail all responses provided to consultation documents and takes these into account when finalising its legislative proposals.
- Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 28 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultations it has carried out since July 1999 and what action it has taken in light of any responses received.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has issued 904 consultations between July 1999 and mid January 2005. The Executive is committed to consultation as an important way of involving people and organisations in the policy making process. Consultation on specific policy issues ensures that a wide range of views and experiences are taken into account in formulating policies, and provides an opportunity for all those with an interest in an issue to make a contribution. For all exercises, the responses received (or views put forward in consultation events) are analysed and considered along with other relevant evidence and information in reaching a final policy decision.
- Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 2 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what place in the curriculum is given to the teaching of works of Scottish poets, such as Robert Burns.
Answer
The Curriculum Guidelines for English language 5-14 advise that Scottish texts, including poetry, should be actively sought and used in classrooms. A Curriculum for Excellence sets out a number of purposes which will be well served by the teaching of works by Scottish writers, notably the development of an understanding of the world and Scotland’s place in it.
- Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 25 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what research is being undertaken into the issue of access by prisoners to mobile phones.
Answer
Prisoners are not allowed to use mobile phones whilst in prison as this is a significant threat to prison security. The Scottish Prison Service are working with a number of other agencies, including the Police Scientific Development Branch, to develop more effective ways to detect mobile phones.
- Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 18 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many elderly people are registered as carers.
Answer
Every day in every part of Scotland carers make an invaluable contribution to the care of vulnerable people, and I acknowledge that with thanks today. Most of the carers are middle-aged or young, but a significant proportion are older people. The last census indicated that there were then approximately 71,000 carers in Scotland aged 65 and over. That represents about 12% of the estimated total of carers and about 9% of the population aged 65 and over.
Since we published our Carers Strategy five years ago, we have delivered a range of measures to assist carers as partners in the provision of care. In particular:
we have quadrupled the resources available to local authorities to provide for carers;
we have introduced new legislative rights for carers, and
we have required local authorities to identify carers and advise them of their right to an assessment.
- Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 7 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when the recommendations in The Same as You? are fully implemented, adults with profound learning difficulties or with learning difficulties combined with health and/or behavioural problems will be required to move into the community to live in their own home with appropriate housing, care, treatment and support if they currently live in residential care facilities that provide such care, treatment and support and such a move is against the wishes of their carers and/or relatives.
Answer
There is nothing in The same as you? that requires the closure of residential care facilities that provide care, treatment and support for adults with profound learning difficulties or with learning difficulties combined with health and/or behavioural problems.
- Asked by: Margaret Mitchell, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 July 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 7 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether adults with profound learning difficulties combined with health problems will have the choice to either live in their own home in the community or remain in residential care units and homes when the recommendations in The Same as You? are fully implemented.
Answer
The same as you? does not seek the closure of residential care units andhomes. The aim in The same as you? is for the closure of long-stay hospitalprovision for people with learning disabilities by the end of 2005, so that no-onehas a hospital as his/her home. We remain committed to that target.
