- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to including sufferers of cystic fibrosis on the list of those exempt from paying NHS prescription charges.
Answer
No decision on whether to changethe current criteria for exemption on medical grounds will be taken until the ScottishExecutive’s review of NHS prescription charges and exemption arrangements is complete.
The consultation phase of thereview is under way and responses are invited up to the closing date of 30 April 2006. The Executivewill subsequently consider what action to take, based on the outcome of the review.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 23 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the availability is of further and higher education courses in customer relations, or subjects associated with customer relations, and in which educational institutions these courses are taught.
Answer
Information on individual coursesdelivered in further and higher education institutions is not held centrally bythe Scottish Executive.
However, we are aware that thereare a number of colleges and higher education institutions which offer courses incustomer relations. There is also a wide range of courses which, while not teachingcustomer relations as a primary focus, incorporate aspects of this training in thecourse structure.
Information about these courses,and the institutions at which they are delivered, can be accessed through the websitesof Learndirect Scotland, and of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service,at:
http://www.learndirectscotland.com/Search/advancedcoursesearchhttp://www.ucas.com/search/index.html.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what total public expenditure on transport, both directly by it and by local authorities, has been in each year since 1999.
Answer
Information on total public expenditureincurred by the Scottish Executive on transport is included in its annual Core Departments’Resource Accounts, copies of which are available in the Scottish ParliamentInformation Centre (Bib. numbers 12591, 18347, 25810, 30395, 34776 and 38261).
Information on expenditure bylocal authorities can be obtained from the individual authorities’ annual auditedaccounts, or by reference to the Scottish Local Government Financial Statistics2004-05, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament InformationCentre (Bib. number 38657).
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-22467 by Patricia Ferguson on 31 January 2006, whether it will outline how it believes the investment made in transport by it in 2005-06 to 2007-08 will bring “competitive advantage” to Scotland.
Answer
Transport Scotland willwork with First ScotRail, Network Rail and industry partners to ensure that theservices delivered on these new links maximise the benefits to the people of Scotland andthe economy. In addition, the planned investment in rail links to Edinburgh andGlasgow Airports will improve Scotland’s connectivity.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to increase the provision of affordable housing.
Answer
The full extent of the Executive’scomprehensive programme to increase the provision of affordable housing in Scotlandis set out in our Housing Policy Statement, Homes for Scotland’s People http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/development/hfsphp.pdfpublished last year, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish ParliamentInformation Centre (Bib. number 35778). We are implementing the actions set outin the statement.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 22 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the possible consequences are resulting from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court 1998 and the International Criminal Court (Scotland) Act 2001 should State officials in Scotland refuse to investigate the crime of torture, were the crime to have international character under Articles 7(1)(f) or 8(2)(a)(ii) of the Rome Statute.
Answer
The Rome Statute of the InternationalCriminal Court 1998 permits the International Criminal Court to exercise its jurisdictionto investigate and prosecute crimes when the national authority is unable or unwillingto prosecute.
Scots law is perfectly equippedto deal with the crime of torture. In Scotland if there is credible and reliable information that acrime has been, or is to be committed, it is for the police to investigate. If theysecure sufficient evidence for consideration of criminal proceedings, the policewill report the result of their investigation to the Procurator Fiscal. Procuratorsfiscal and the police will act if and when the information available justifies suchaction.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 21 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Federal Bureau of Investigation regarding the Shirley McKie case.
Answer
None.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 21 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether consideration has been given to operating regular rail passenger services between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh Waverley via Cumbernauld station, or between Cumbernauld and Edinburgh Waverley.
Answer
There are no current plans toalter the existing service frequency between Glasgow Queen Street and EdinburghWaverley via Cumbernauld or between Cumbernauld and Edinburgh Waverley.
However, proposals to increasethe frequency of services between Cumbernauld and Glasgow and between Cumbernauldand Falkirk Grahamston are included in the A80/M80 Park and Ride study undertakenby Falkirk Council and recently submitted to Transport Scotland forconsideration.
Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the costs of recruiting the new Director of the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service.
Answer
This is an operationalmatter for Scottish Enterprise.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 February 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20247 by Cathy Jamieson on 9 November 2005, whether the reports by John McLeod in respect of his investigations into the Shirley McKie fingerprint case will now be made public and, if so, when they will be published; if not, what the reasons are for not publishing the reports and whether it will publish the terms of reference and the conclusions arising from these reports; whether the Executive or the Lord Advocate has commissioned any other reports into this case, and, if so, when these will be published, what the terms of reference were and what conclusions were reached.
Answer
It is not my intention tomake the MacLeod reports public. They were commissioned by the Executive aspart of its defence of the civil action brought by Shirley McKie. Publicationof the MacLeod reports would undermine the basic principle of Scots law thatneither party to a litigation is obliged to disclose reports commissioned forthe purpose of the litigation. The Scottish Executive has commissioned onefurther report as part of its defence of the civil action which will not bepublished for the same reason. The Lord Advocate also commissioned reports inthe course of criminal investigations linked to the Shirley McKie case. The Lord Advocatedoes not intend to publish these reports as they were prepared for the purposesof criminal investigations and as such are confidential.
