- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-38294 by Kenny MacAskill on 11 January 2011, whether the same convention rights of individuals and international obligations attaching to information provided by foreign authorities would have to be taken into account whether the order were amended by primary legislation or by statutory instrument.
Answer
Yes, the same convention rights of individuals and international obligations would apply.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-38294 by Kenny MacAskill on 11 January 2011, whether it can confirm that considerations in relation to data protection legislation are not relevant in this case given that section 194K(4) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 ensures that, where Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission disclosure is permitted by means of a statutory order, “the disclosure of the information is not prevented by any obligation of secrecy or other limitation on disclosure (including any such obligation or limitation imposed by, under or by virtue of any enactment) arising otherwise than under that section.”
Answer
No, considerations in relation to data protection legislation are relevant in this case.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2011
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 1 February 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-38294 by Kenny MacAskill on 11 January 2011, whether it intends to bring forward primary legislation and, if so, whether it will specify the reasons for so doing rather than amending the order by means of a new statutory instrument.
Answer
Primary legislation is needed for full flexibility to ensure that an appropriate legislative framework is put in place. The proposed legislation will facilitate, as far as possible, the release of a statement of reasons by the commission in circumstances where an appeal has been abandoned. In doing so, it will also maintain appropriate provision for such matters as data protection, the convention rights of individuals and international obligations attaching to information provided by foreign authorities.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 11 January 2011
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce a further statutory instrument amending the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission (Permitted Disclosure of Information) Order 2009 to delete Article 2(b).
Answer
The Scottish Government intends to bring forward legislation to allow the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission to publish a statement of reasons in cases where an appeal is abandoned, subject of course to legal restrictions applying to the commission such as data protection, the convention rights of individuals and international obligations attaching to information provided by foreign authorities.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 17 December 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive when the announcement will be made of the awards to LEADER local action groups under the Broadband Challenge Fund.
Answer
I am pleased to announce today that five LEADER Local Action groups will receive awards under the Broadband Challenge Fund announced on 1 July 2010.
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-34982 on 1 July 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
These are Borders, Forth Valley and Lomond, Outer Hebrides, Orkney and South Lanarkshire.
Thirteen local action groups bid for the funding. Unfortunately, this far outstripped the resources of ‚¬1 million available. The assessment panel comprised of the government and external experts in rural community development and IT judged the winning bids as providing the maximum value for money in terms of advancing our rural development objectives and deploying relevant broadband provision. The estimate is that around 88 businesses will be supported from these bids. In Lomond Valley alone, the estimate is that 100 new jobs will be created.
Nevertheless, I commend all the local action groups which applied. This was a tough decision. I hope that local action groups who did not succeed will be able to take some of the local projects forward using existing allocations as part of achieving its local development strategy.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 November 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 December 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of savings generated by the withdrawal of testing strips for type 2 diabetes is being reinvested in insulin pump therapy in each NHS board.
Answer
This information is not centrally held.
Questions relating to the prescribing practice of individual boards should be addressed to the chief executive of the board concerned.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 November 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 December 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with type 2 diabetes have had their access to testing strips for type 2 diabetes on prescription withdrawn in the last 12 months.
Answer
This information is not centrally held.
An evidence note published by NHS QIS in January 2009, suggests that for some people with type 2 diabetes, self-monitoring may lack significant benefit, with little, or no effect on people''s glycaemic control.
We would however expect any change to a person''s self-management regimen, including home blood glucose monitoring, to be made in close consultation with the person concerned, and in line with the advice set out in SIGN Guideline 116 on the management of diabetes.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 November 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 December 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what savings each NHS board has made by withdrawing testing strips for type 2 diabetes.
Answer
This information is not centrally held.
Questions relating to the prescribing practice of individual boards should be addressed to the chief executive of the board concerned.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 27 August 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 24 September 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the reported comments of former FBI scientist Frederic Whitehurst implying that the FBI laboratory in Washington DC may constitute an additional crime scene with regard to the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie.
Answer
There is no evidence of any criminal act having been carried out in relation to any of the forensic evidence in the Lockerbie investigation.
A fragment of electronic timer recovered from the wreckage of flight Pan Am 103, known as PT35, was taken to the FBI laboratory in Washington DC by Scottish police officers and a British forensic scientist in June 1990 as part of the investigation into the Lockerbie bombing. The fragment remained in the custody and control of the Scottish police officers and the British forensic scientist during the visit to the United States and was subsequently identified as having come from an electronic timer manufactured by a Swiss company, MEBO, to the order of the Libyan intelligence service.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 27 August 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 24 September 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any information it holds related to payments reportedly made by US authorities to key witnesses either before or after the trial of Mr Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, specifically payments to Tony Gauci, in relation to evidence he gave into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie.
Answer
The only forum in which the Scottish Government or the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) can make public any information connected to witnesses involved in the investigation and prosecution of the Lockerbie bombing is in judicial proceedings in Scotland.
