- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 23 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to encourage the take-up of applied research and knowledge transfer activities by employers from universities other than Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews universities.
Answer
The Executive sponsors applied research and knowledge transfer activities such as TCS and Faraday partnerships, which are available to all universities. Following the report on the Knowledge Economy Cross-Cutting Initiative, published in February 2001, an additional £1.5 million was allocated to these schemes. The Executive is also a founding member of Technology Ventures Scotland, which aims to promote and accelerate commercialisation and knowledge transfer in Scotland.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 22 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what timescale has been set for the modernisation of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service announced on 4 March 2002 and what financial investment will be allocated to it.
Answer
The Report of the Review of the Planning, Allocation and Management of Resources in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service published on 4 March considered that it would take up to two years to implement fully its recommendations. I have moved quickly to appoint a Chief Executive to lead the introduction of the necessary changes and I look to him to do this with appropriate speed. Consultation on some of the report's recommendations, including in relation to future area and management structures will take several weeks and recruitment of significant numbers of additional qualified managerial and legal staff will take time. The current annual expenditure of the COPFS is some £64 million. The Executive have agreed that significant additional resources will be allocated to the department in 2002-03 and beyond.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made at the Beatson Oncology Centre.
Answer
On-going recruitment of consultants has resulted in two further recent appointments. An additional £2 million ring-fenced investment will see the recruitment of up to 35 more nurses and other clinical support posts, additional and replacement equipment and the commissioning of additional space for chemotherapy at Gartnavel Hospital.NHS Greater Glasgow published a comprehensive progress report on Monday 4 March 2002. The published agenda, papers and minutes of the NHS Greater Glasgow Board also document the position at 19 March when the report of the Expert Review Team was considered. Progress is also being made on the preparation of the full business case to support the Phase II West of Scotland Cancer Centre at Gartnavel.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what categories of children are eligible for legal aid.
Answer
Legal aid is available to any child as long as the matter is one of Scots law, the child meets the relevant statutory tests and the court or Tribunal concerned is prescribed in the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986, or relevant subordinate legislation.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the Scottish Ambulance Service's proposals for modernising its operations (control) rooms functions and for implementing priority-based dispatch.
Answer
Yes. The Executive supports these proposals and has today advised the Scottish Ambulance Service that it should proceed with the operations rooms changes and with the implementation of priority based dispatch. I, alongside the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, will be making a full statement later today.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Elaine Murray on 15 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the New Opportunities for PE and Sport in Schools fund announced on 19 March 2002 will include support for measures to improve swimming lessons for school children and encourage their provision.
Answer
Under the New Opportunities for PE and Sport in Schools fund, announced on 19 March, up to £21.75 million will be committed throughout Scotland to support out of school hours programmes, organised through schools, which offer children and young people a wide range of sporting and cultural activities.Each local authority has been given a provisional allocation to fund these activities from the spring of 2003. Swimming lessons for children and young people aged five to 16 could be funded, provided they meet programme priorities, eligibility and assessment criteria.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 12 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to encourage research collaboration between Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews universities and other newer universities.
Answer
This is a matter for the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. However, my Guidance Letter to the council stated that delivery of the Executive's objectives for higher education will require collaboration with a wide range of other bodies, both on the part of the council and individual institutions. Key partners include schools and colleges, the Scottish Further Education Funding Council, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the business community and recently created bodies, such as learndirect scotland. I look to the council to provide leadership on this and to promote a culture of partnership and co-operation across the sector and beyond, in particular to meet the challenges of creating a lifelong learning culture.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving to adult male survivors of childhood abuse.
Answer
The support referred to in the answer to question S1W-23416 is for all survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Mental health and community care services provided to, amongst others, survivors of childhood sexual abuse are provided regardless of gender.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 28 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring will be undertaken of the Glasgow Housing Association's housing allocation policy should there be a yes vote in the Glasgow housing stock transfer ballot for tenants.
Answer
If tenants vote yes in the Glasgow housing stock transfer ballot, Communities Scotland, as the statutory regulator of Registered Social Landlords will be responsible for monitoring of the Glasgow Housing Association's housing allocation policy.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 26 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what learning providers in the Glasgow Kelvin parliamentary constituency area have been recipients of Individual Learning Account payments and what the total value was of such payments.
Answer
The following learning providers, based in Glasgow Kelvin parliamentary constituency, have been recipients of Individual Learning Account payments: Alliance Francaise de Glasgow - £21,073AMT International - £5,219BPP Glasgow - £13,382British Red Cross Scotland - £360Catersafe Food Hygiene - £750Centre for Educational Systems - £1,800Centro Espanol Lorca - £22,005College of Holistic Medicine - £4,650Garnethill Centre - £450Glasgow Caledonian University - £64,513Glasgow Media Access Centre - £155Goethe-Institut Glasgow - £14,344Gosta Training - £701Harmony Kinesiology College - £655Informatics Group UK Ltd - £750International Correspondence Schools - £42,106Internet Exchange - £30,000ITC-Skills Ltd - £289,221Kinharvie - £1,950Learning and Teaching Scotland - £23,816Mindstore - £1,350Netcon-X Enterprise Ltd - £1,200Network Driver Training - £600PCT Professional Development - £300Scot-Train - £45,220Scottish College of Complementary Medicine - £2,400Scottish Screen - £1,805Scottish Training & Counselling Services (SCOTACS) - £5,920Scottish Yoga Teachers' Association - £1,350Services to Software Ltd - £600Share - £2,143Sports Rehab and Education Services - £857Stow College - £283,490University of Glasgow - Adult & Continuing Education - £134,703University of Glasgow - Language Centre - £3,528University of Glasgow - Universal Training Solution - £23,769University of Strathclyde - Centre for Lifelong Learning - £40,773University of Strathclyde - Centre for Professional Legal Studies - £28,000University of Strathclyde - Languages for Business - £600The total value of payments to these providers is: £1,116,508.