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-02537

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to the concerns raised in the Water Customer Consultation Panel report on water charges to small businesses.

Question reference: S2W-02539

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 24 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive which of its departments, Executive agencies or non-departmental public bodies are currently considering relocation and when decisions on any relocations are expected to be made.

The Scottish Executive is committed to the relocation policy and there is currently 13 relocationreviews under way or planned.

Accountant in Bankruptcy	Decision expected, end 2003
NHS Health Scotland	Decision expected, end 2003
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education	Decision expected, end 2003
Mental Health Tribunal Service	Decision expected, end 2003
NHS Education for Scotland	Decision expected, end 2003
Risk Management Authority	Decision expected, end 2003
VisitScotland	Decision expected, end 2003
NHS Quality Improvement	Decision expected, end 2004
Registers of Scotland	Decision expected, end 2004
Scottish Arts Council	Decision expected, end 2004
Scottish Building Standards Agency	Decision expected, end 2004
Sportscotland	Decision expected, end 2004
Mental Welfare Commission	Decision expected, early 2005

Question reference: S2W-01811

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 23 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive which organisation initiated the production of Galas and Events on the Trunk Road Network: Draft Guidance to Organisers.

Question reference: S2W-01812

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 23 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reimburse Dumfries and Galloway Council, or the organisers of galas and events in Dumfries and Galloway, for the costs incurred in implementing Galas and Events on the Trunk Road Network: Draft Guidance to Organisers in respect of the closure of trunk roads.

Question reference: S2W-02164

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 22 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to resolve the issues raised in petition PE14 from the Carbeth Hutters' Association.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30533 on 7 November 2002. 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/search_wa.

We are aware thatconstructive discussions continue at local level to resolve the difficulties atCarbeth. It would not be appropriate for the Executive to seek to intervene inprivate negotiations between landlord and tenants, but we would encourage localresolution of such difficulties.

Question reference: S2W-02148

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 19 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time was for completion of an (a) Supervised Attendance Order and (b) Community Service Order in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.

Information on the averagetime for completion of Community Service Orders (CSOs) and SupervisedAttendance Orders (SAOs) is not held within the Executive. Audit Scotlandcollect information on average hours and average hours completed per week forCSOs completed during the year. Data for 2000-01 and 2001-02 was published inthe pamphlet “Performance Indicators: Housing and Social Work” in January 2003.This pamphlet is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre and on Audit Scotland’swebsite.

Question reference: S2W-02149

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 19 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding each local authority has received to undertake (a) Supervised Attendance Orders and (b) Community Service Orders in each year since 1997.

Question reference: S2W-02147

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 19 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) Supervised Attendance Orders and (b) Community Service Orders have been completed in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.

Figuresfor completed orders are available since 1999 for Community Service Orders(CSOs) and since 2001 for Supervised Attendance Orders (SAOs). The breakdown bylocal authority area is given in the following table:

Local Authority	CSOs	SAOs
1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2000-01	2001-02
Aberdeen City	116	117	111	66	42
Aberdeenshire	52	54	35	29	23
Angus	69	55	61	122	111
Argyll and Bute	26	25	51	4	8
Clackmannanshire	28	31	34	25	11
Dumfries and Galloway	71	69	83	41	49
Dundee City	154	145	101	147	95
East Ayrshire	87	84	135	72	205
East Dunbartonshire	44	30	29	0	3
East Lothian	52	47	62	8	4
East Renfrewshire	30	38	22	4	7
Edinburgh, City of	289	270	302	53	70
Eilean Siar	13	9	12	0	0
Falkirk	46	48	43	84	89
Fife	54	119	115	57	51
Glasgow City	654	475	533	164	163
Highland	130	121	134	49	54
Inverclyde	51	64	53	43	49
Midlothian	50	44	53	5	4
Moray	36	19	18	7	9
North Ayrshire	54	64	78	21	47
North Lanarkshire	211	188	165	44	28
Orkney Islands	5	8	4	0	0
Perth and Kinross	36	31	33	104	121
Renfrewshire	162	85	89	6	42
Scottish Borders	19	45	51	55	30
Shetland Islands	8	2	4	3	1
South Ayrshire	60	54	58	80	141
South Lanarkshire	44	72	113	23	55
Stirling	38	21	24	63	65
West Dunbartonshire	67	55	52	22	30
West Lothian	70	21	60	17	40
Total	2,826	2,510	2,718	1,418	1,647

Question reference: S2W-02150

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase the number of medical students studying in Scotland.

The allocation of places tosubject areas is a matter for the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council(SHEFC). Ministers are precluded by legislation from directing funds or placesto particular courses or institutions.

Professor Sir Kenneth Calmanis currently leading a review of aspects underpinning undergraduate medicaleducation in Scotland. He has been given a broad and challenging remit,which includes consideration of access to medical education in Scotland, thenumber of student places and the contribution of basic medical education to thesupport and development of the NHS in Scotland. Sir Kenneth is expected toreport later this year, after which Scottish ministers will consider hisproposals.

Question reference: S2W-02316

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 9 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs within the Scottish Executive, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies have been relocated since 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Since 1999, around 650public sector posts have been relocated. The following table details the bodiesconcerned and the number of jobs broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Education, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department	Glasow Kelvin	160
Food Standards Agency	Aberdeen Central	45
Public Guardian's Office	Falkirk West	40
Scottish Social Services Council and Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care	Dundee West	160
Scottish Public Pensions Agency	Tweeddale Ettrick and Lauderdale	175
Scottish Water HQ	Dunfermline West	50+
Forest Enterprise (Scotland)	Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber	2

Relocation announcements inrespect of Scottish Natural Heritage, the Common Services Agency, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, and the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters' Unit havealso been made but accommodation arrangements have yet to be finalised in thecase of these bodies.