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-14798

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 9 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is monitoring the work of the Time Out centre in Glasgow.

Question reference: S2W-14801

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 9 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the status is of A Better Way: The Report of the Ministerial Working Group on Offending.

A Better Way was published in February 2002 and has formed thebasis for developing sentencing options for women who offend. The report didnot make specific recommendations but drew some important conclusions. As a result,the Executive has taken forward or introduced a number of initiatives,including:

The 218 Time Out Centre, nowestablished in Glasgow as a criminal justice focussed community resourcefor women offenders.

The current piloting ofmandatory Supervised Attendance Orders in Glasgow District Court (including theStipendiary Court) and Ayr Sheriff Court to deal with minor fine defaulters.

The national roll-out of DrugTreatment and Testing Orders, due for completion later this year.

The current piloting of sixArrest Referral schemes, three of which have a particular focus on women.

The forthcoming StructuredDeferred Sentence pilots in four areas, two of which will have a specific focuson women.

Question reference: S2W-14716

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 8 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of patients suffering from rheumatological conditions are prescribed anti-TNF drugs; what information it has on how this figure compares with international data in respect of the prescription of anti-TNF drugs for patients suffering from rheumatological conditions, and what the reasons are for any variance in these figures.

This information is not available centrally. Prescription of the anti-TNF agents should be undertaken by consultant rheumatologists specialising in their use. Data on drugs dispensed in hospitals are not available centrally. Centrally collected data relate to prescribed items dispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors. These data are not patient specific.

Where NHS Quality Improvement Scotland or the Scottish Medicines Consortium has issued advice on the use of anti-TNF drugs, NHSScotland should take account of the advice and ensure that these drugs are made available to meet clinical need.

Question reference: S2O-05638

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what contribution it envisages can be made to its climate change programme by waste-to-energy schemes.

Question reference: S2W-14673

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 1 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what statutory provisions have been made to enable MSPs, councillors and community councillors to participate in community planning.

The Local Government in ScotlandAct 2003 provides the statutory basis for community planning. It does not specificallymention MSPs or community councillors.

Section 15(1) places a duty onlocal authorities to initiate, facilitate and maintain a community planning processto plan and provide public services provided in their area. It specifies that thereshould be consultation among:

· “all the public bodies (includingthe local authority)” responsible for providing services, and with

· “such community bodies and other bodiesor persons as is appropriate”.

The Community Planning StatutoryGuidance (paragraph 2) explains that: “this duty has been placed on local authoritiesbecause they are unique as democratically accountable bodies with a broad rangeof responsibilities which impact significantly, and directly, on communities.” CommunityPlanning Advice Note 7, on the Role of Elected and Board Members, describes thedifferent levels of engagement of elected members in the community planning process.

Paragraph 5.1 of the StatutoryGuidance states that the definition of “community body” in Section 15(4) of theact is “deliberately broad in order to avoid excluding any particular communities”.It also emphasises that local authorities should consult and co-operate with a widerange of interests including “Community Councils fulfilling their role as representativesof their local area”. Further details are given in Community Planning Advice Note5 on Effective Community Engagement.

Community Planning Statutory Guidance is available online at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/localgov/cpsg-00.asp.

Community Planning Advice Notesare available online at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/localgov/cpan-00.asp.

Question reference: S2W-14687

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 24 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are planned regarding investigating and regulating lap dancing and associated activities.

The Executive intends to take a stronger approach to adult entertainment activity – including lap dancing – recognising the concerns being expressed about it. We are taking a two stage approach to the issue that will lead to new powers to regulate adult entertainment and an independent review of this area.

Firstly, the Licensing (Scotland) Bill, which will be introduced shortly, will contain powers which will be used to prescribe measures for regulating adult entertainment on licensed premises. The Executive will introduce regulations for mandatory national licence conditions – as proposed by the expert reference group – which are as wide-ranging and effective as possible. We are considering whether any additional licence conditions should be imposed.

Secondly, we are setting up a time-limited working group to review the scope and impact of adult entertainment activity and make recommendations on the way forward. The group will be able to commission robust and reliable research and consider adult entertainment activity wherever it takes place, not just on licensed premises.

The terms of reference for the working group are as follows:

to identify all relevant activities (whilst recognising the need not to suppress artistic freedom)

to consult with all relevant interest groups (including women’s groups, and employees and employers in the adult entertainment industry)

to commission research into the activities and associated impacts (using anonymous sources where appropriate) to identify and assess relevant types of controls, including the implementation and impact of any controls

to recognise the need to balance local and national interests

to take account of concurrent work on prostitution and regulations for lap dancing in licensed premises

to report to ministers with recommendations.

I am pleased to announce that Mrs Linda Costelloe Baker, the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman, has agreed to chair the working group. Further details about the composition and operation of the group will be announced shortly.

These measures clearly show that the Executive takes adult entertainment issues seriously. In taking this forward, work will be carried out to look at any impact of adult entertainment activity on local communities and the dancers themselves, and a key issue will be the protection of the people who work in this area.

Question reference: S2O-05360

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact centralisation of cardiothoracic services at the Golden Jubilee National Hospital will have on NHS Greater Glasgow's acute services review.

Question reference: S2O-05109

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 27 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be used to determine the provision of accident and emergency services in Glasgow.

Question reference: S2O-04836

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 13 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to encourage the recycling of Christmas cards, trees and packaging.

Question reference: S2W-12036

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 17 December 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to invest any savings made from the erection of ticket barriers at railway stations as part of the ScotRail franchise.