- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 13 July 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive by what year it expects the number of persistent young offenders to fall below (a) 900 and (b) 600.
Answer
The youth justice performancebaseline for 2003-04 indicated that there were 1,201 persistent young offendersin Scotland at that time. The target was to reduce that by 10% byend 2005-06.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 30 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff have been disciplined as a result of alleged procurement irregularities at the Scottish Court Service headquarters in Edinburgh since 2004.
Answer
No instances of procurement irregularityhave occurred at the Scottish Court Service Headquarters since 2004.
Since the agency was establishedin 1995 there have only been two allegations of procurement irregularities in theSCS. Both occurred in 2003. The first in relation to procurement of IT equipmentwould have resulted in disciplinary action but the middle manager concerned resignedfrom the agency. The second in relation to the property department was the subjectof an audit by Scottish Executive auditors who found no evidence of improprietyto substantiate the allegations.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 29 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many briefing papers it holds, including previous versions, on the possible impact of fiscal autonomy, financial independence or full fiscal power.
Answer
Office of the Permanent Secretary
Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive howmany briefing papers it holds, including previous versions, on the possible impactof fiscal autonomy, financial independence or full fiscal power.
(S2W-26216)
Mr Tom McCabe The Executive does not keep a central count of the briefingpapers held on any subject.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 29 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff at the Social Work Services Inspectorate were disciplined following allegations of staff misuse of resources in 2004-05.
Answer
There were no staff directlyemployed by the Scottish Executive at the Social Work Inspectorate disciplined followingallegations of staff misuse of resources in 2004-05.
There was, however, a temporaryworker supplied by an employment agency who was found to be unsuitable and removedfrom her temporary post. Subsequent to her removal some financial irregularitieswere identified and these were referred to the police.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 27 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Department of Trade and Industry regarding the withdrawal of funding for the Scottish National Minimum Wage helpline.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is inregular contact with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). This is a pilotproject which the Department of Trade and Industry believes will have run its courseand where in the DTI’s view resources would be better targeted at enforcement andcriminal prosecutions of non-compliant employers.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 26 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how frequently the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration, the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and COSLA publicly report on the number of persistent young offenders with whom they are dealing.
Answer
The Scottish Children’s ReporterAdministration publish validated youth justice data both quarterly and annually.
They also circulate monthly managementdata to local youth justice agencies on offence referral patterns and timelinessindicators.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 23 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it provides to Planning Aid for Scotland.
Answer
In the financial year2006-07, Planning Aid for Scotland will receive up to £225,283 from the ScottishExecutive. This is made up of the following four streams:
Core funding - £100,000from the Scottish Executive Planning Division;
Funding for a VolunteerDevelopment Officer - £24,000 from the Planning Development Budget;
Reach Out - £43,796from the Race Equality, Integration and CommunitySupport Fund, and
Planning for People - £57,487from the Sustainable Action Fund.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff at Historic Scotland were disciplined following allegations of staff purchasing irregularities in 2004-05.
Answer
No staff at Historic Scotlandwere disciplined following allegations of staff purchasing irregularities in 2004-05,because the individual concerned resigned. Subsequent to that, however, the individualwas subject to the appropriate legal process, resulting in a custodial sentence.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 21 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to calling in the proposed development of two supermarkets in Galashiels.
Answer
Scottish ministers were askedto call in a planning application for the proposed Tesco supermarket at the formerGovernment Buildings, 53 Market Street. Ministers took the view that no issues ofsignificant national importance had been raised to warrant their intervention inthe case.
A planning application by Asdafor the development of a retail unit at Currie Road has recently been notified to Scottishministers and is currently being considered.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 21 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish Borders Council and local agencies, such as Scottish Enterprise, with regard to the proposals to develop two large supermarkets in Galashiels.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has discussednature conservation issues with Scottish Natural Heritage and Historic Scotlandhave had contact with the council both over the proposed demolition of the GovernmentBuildings in relation to the planning application by Tesco for a supermarket at53 Market Street.
