- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Pringle on 11 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body when it will make progress on the appointment of the Scottish Commission for Human Rights.
Answer
The process of appointingthe Chair of the Scottish Commission for Human Rights is not a matter for theSPCB. The nomination to Parliament of a chair will be made by a selectionpanel of members of the Parliament in line with Rule 3.11 of Standing Orders. Once a chair has been appointed, it will be for the SPCB to recruit the other membersof the commission.
I understand that thePresiding Officer has written to Business Managers on the Parliamentary Bureauseeking their agreement to commence the recruitment of the chair prior to thesummer recess.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of funding requirements for bridge maintenance and repairs on the Forth and Tay road bridges.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is inregular contact with both the Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) and theTay Road Bridge Joint Board (TRBJB).
The prospective discussionsthat we shall be having with those bodies on removing the tolls will include,amongst other things, matters such as the maintenance and repairs on thebridges.
Details of the repairs andmaintenance programmes have been widely publicised and can be obtained fromeither FETA or the TRBJB.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the removal of tolls from the Erskine Bridge has had on traffic levels across it.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-308 on 8 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what standard and detail of public consultation is required by regional transport partnerships in preparing plans for submission to ministers.
Answer
The Transport Scotland Act2005 section 6(1)(a) states that each Regional Transport Partnership, beforearriving at its Regional Transport Strategy must consult its constituentcouncils, each Health Board in its area and other persons as it thinks fit.
Scotland’s TransportFuture: Guidance on Regional Transport Strategies states that meaningful and effective engagement withregional stakeholders, including community planning partners and the widerpublic should be carried out throughout the Strategy development process.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 8 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take to encourage flexi-working and homeworking.
Answer
The Scottish Government alreadyhas fully developed policies on flexible and home working for its staff. The extentto which flexible and home working can be encouraged in the public sector is dependenton the nature of individual posts.
The Scottish Government supportsthe expansion of flexible and homeworking policies across the public sector butbelieve that it is for individual organisations to decide upon the policy best suitedto the needs of its staff and business environment, within the context of the existinglegal framework.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 7 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it intends to take to increase the use of microrenewable technologies.
Answer
The Executive is committed toincreasing the use of microrenewable technologies and supports a coherent approachto energy policy, recognising that promoting reduced energy consumption and promotinglow carbon technologies are key to achieving sustainable economic growth. The Executive’sproposed Energy Strategy for Scotland and the introduction of a Climate Change Billin Scotland will recognise the role that microrenewables can play in achieving theseaims.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to meet representatives of the voluntary sector to discuss its future role in policy making and service delivery and the implications of the change of ministerial remit for the voluntary sector from Communities to Finance and Sustainable Growth.
Answer
We recognise that volunteers,voluntary organisations and social enterprises have a major contribution to makeacross our five strategic objectives and we will work closely with the sector toenhance the lives of individuals and communities across Scotland.
I am in the process of meetinga wide range of stakeholders of which the third sector is a key one.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce legislation on the statutory aggravation of hate crimes against disabled and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Answer
Yes. Legislation on this matterwill be brought forward when a suitable opportunity arises.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the provision of services to enable women to exercise the right to choose whether and how to control their own fertility, including access to safe termination services.
Answer
Yes. Scotland’sNational Sexual Health Strategy contains recommendations which aim to improveaccess to sexual health advice and services for the people of Scotland.
The strategy contains aspecific recommendation for lead clinicians within each NHS board to ensurewomen have access to appropriate termination of pregnancy services which are inline with the guidelines produced by the Royal College of Obstetricians andGynaecologists.
In addition, NHS QualityImprovement Scotland is currently developing sexual health standards which willcontain specific standards around termination of pregnancy services, access tospecialist sexual health services and access to long-acting reversiblecontraception.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that electroshock Taser weapons should only be used by specially trained, authorised firearms officers.
Answer
The deployment and use of Taserweapons is an operational matter for Chief Constables. These devices are used inaccordance with policy and operational guidance prepared by the Association of ChiefPolice Officers in Scotland. This provides that Tasers will only be issued to authorisedfirearms officers who have successfully completed an approved training course inthe use of the device.
