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-31424

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what denominations are covered by police custody protocols in respect of religion and belief.

Question reference: S2W-31421

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what police custody protocols are in place in respect of religion and belief.

Question reference: S2W-31423

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the implementation of police custody protocols in respect of religion and belief.

Forces monitor adherence to theircustody policies through internal supervisory structures. Her Majesty’s Inspectorateof Constabulary also regularly examines the care and custody of detainees, notesgood practice and makes recommendations to improveprisoner care.

External scrutiny is also provided by independent custodyvisitors (ICV) schemes. These visits are carried out regularly and without notice.ICVs are aware of the expected requirements laid out in force policies and speakto detainees during visits to confirm that their needs are being met.

Question reference: S2W-31422

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues in respect of the practice of religion and belief by those in police custody and what the status is of such guidance.

Question reference: S2W-31466

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 5 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average house price has been in the East Kilbride parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years.

The following table providesthe count, median and mean house price figures between 2001 and 2005 for the East Kilbrideparliamentary constituency. The analysis uses information provided by the Land ValueInformation Unit (LVIU) at Paisley University. LVIU in turn source their data from Registers of Scotland.The count and median relates to all sales recorded within the East Kilbride parliamentaryconstituency area in the specified time period. The mean value excludes all saleswith a value of less than £20,000 and over £1 million with the aim of excludingnon market sales and non-residential sales.

East Kilbride Parliamentary Constituency

Year	Count	Median	Mean
2001	2,282	£47,000	£ 63,248
2002	2,499	£49,000	£ 68,638
2003	2,871	£60,000	£ 81,291
2004	2,464	£70,000	£ 92,702
2005	2,709	£76,107	£110,777

Question reference: S2W-31200

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 19 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 2 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25531 by Patricia Ferguson on 22 May 2006, who the members are of the informal Cross Party Group on Fair Trade; how often the group has met since 25 January 2005; how the Fair Trade agenda and the aspiration for Scotland to become a Fair Trade Nation have progressed, and whether relevant criteria for a Fair Trade Nation have been established following liaison with the Fairtrade Foundation and the Welsh Assembly Government.

The members of the informalCross Party Group on Fair Trade ,to avoid confusion, now called the All PartyGroup on Fair Trade are:

Patricia Ferguson, Ministerfor Tourism, Culture and Sport (Chair)

Jamie Stone MSP, ScottishLiberal Democrats

Murdo Fraser MSP, ScottishConservative and Unionist Party

Mark Ballard MSP, ScottishGreen Party

Dennis Canavan MSP,Independent

Michael Matheson MSP,Scottish National Party

Des McNulty MSP, ScottishLabour (who resigned upon his appointment as Deputy Minister for Communities).

The group has met fourtimes: on 26 May 2005, 25 January 2006, 15 June 2006 and 16 November 2006.

During this time,significant progress has been made taking forward the fair trade agenda,particularly with reference to the structures required to deliver the aspirationto become a Fair Trade Nation. The first ever conference of the Fair Trademovement in Scotland took place on 27 January 2007 with the specific purpose ofdiscussing the creation of a Scottish Fair Trade Forum to co-ordinateimplementation. The next meeting of the All Party Group will consider anyrecommendations that come out of this conference.

The full Fair Trade Nationcriteria (announced by the First Minister on 3 July 2006) which were developed in consultationwith the Welsh Assembly Government and the Fairtrade Foundation, can be foundat http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/News-Extras/fair-trade.

Question reference: S2W-30702

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2006
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 24 January 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the protocol between it and the Home Office on asylum seeker children and whether the protocol will bring the treatment and protection of asylum seeker children in line with the provisions of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.

We have made good progress inimplementing the measures in the March 2006 Agreement referred to by the member.The joint inspection of local services for the children of asylum seekers – to assessthe quality of those services – took place in the autumn. We are close to agreementon lead professional arrangements with Glasgow City Council and the Home Office.

Support and protection of asylumseeker children is already in line with the Children (Scotland) Act1995. The act places duties on local authorities relative to the provision of servicesto safeguard and promote the welfare for all children in their area who are in need,except where disapplied by UK legislation.The measures being put in place through the March Agreement should ensure that therights, needs and interests of children in asylum seeker families are given earlierand on-going consideration.

Question reference: S2W-30700

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 24 January 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take, within its responsibilities, to improve its monitoring of asylum seekers in order to provide assistance to victims of trafficking.

The Scottish Executive does notroutinely monitor the reasons for which people seek asylum. Officials in the Immigrationand Nationality Directorate of the Home Office, who are responsible for handlingasylum claims, have been issued with guidance on identifying and handling victimsof human trafficking.

The Scottish Executive currentlysupports a pilot project in Glasgow under the Violence Against Women Fund which aims to determinethe need for support to trafficked women, as there is currently no specialist supportservice in Scotland. Funding for this project has been agreed for 2006-08.

Question reference: S2W-31020

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2007
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 January 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive in how many PPP contracts where land has been disposed of by local authorities that land has been transferred to the developer for disposal of surplus.

This information is not routinelycollected. Local authorities, as public sector procuring bodies, are required todemonstrate that the PPP projects they are undertaking represent value for moneyas compared to a conventional procurement approach. They are also bound by the dutyof Best Value as stated in the Local Government in Scotland Act (2003). Section74 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 allows for disposal of land at less than marketvalue but only in specific circumstances.

Question reference: S2W-30703

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2006
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 23 January 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the role of Scottish children’s services is in relation to asylum seeker children and how this has been affected by the protocol between the Executive and the Home Office.

All asylum seeker children havethe same right to help and support as other children – to get access to health,education and other services from local service providers.

We continue to implement theprovisions of the March 2006 Agreement with the Home Office, which focuses mainlyon the removal of failed asylum seekers and their children. The package agreed willmean that the rights, needs and interests of children in asylum seeker familiesare given earlier and on-going consideration.