- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific actions have been taken to implement its commitment, referred to in A Science Strategy for Scotland, to ensure the effective use of scientific evidence in policy formulation and resource allocation by government and to review regularly the policies and spending of each of its departments against the key objectives of the strategy and related priorities; what early results have been achieved by these actions, and what the responses have been from the academic and business communities to such actions.
Answer
The Scottish Executivesubscribes to all the principles of the Government Chief Scientific Adviser’sGuidelines on the use of science in government, and implements these as fullyas it can.
The Executive usesscientific evidence, along with many other forms of evidence, as an integraland fundamental part of the policy-making process. An example is the work bythe Health Economics Research Unit, funded by the Scottish Executive, to helpinform policy on banning smoking in public places. Since A Science Strategyfor Scotland was published in 2001, the Executive’s departments which spendsignificantly on scientific research have developed strategies to help targetspending more effectively on research which will help to improve the health andquality of life of the people of Scotland.
The Executive has formed anindependent Scottish Science Advisory Committee, drawn from the academic,business and other parts of the science community, to advise it on prioritiesfor science. This committee has published a number of reports evaluating theExecutive’s progress on meeting science priorities. The Executive has alsoimproved internal co-ordination through regular meetings of the ScienceCross-cutting Group, comprising senior officials having responsibilities formanaging science.
The Executive will befurther strengthening its management of science this year by appointing a LeadChief Scientific Adviser. The post-holder will oversee activity to improvefurther the management of science in the Executive, in partnership with therecently appointed Chief Scientific Adviser in the Environment and RuralAffairs Department and the Chief Scientist in Health Department.
The Executive plans topublish a report very shortly detailing progress on all areas of the sciencestrategy, which will provide further details and examples of the use of sciencein policy-making. The Executive intends over the course of the next year torefresh the science strategy.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has collected to monitor Scotland’s progress in maintaining or expanding its science and technology links across the United Kingdom, Europe and beyond.
Answer
The Scottish Executive doesnot collect information routinely which monitors links between the science andtechnology base in Scotland and elsewhere. Such links can take a very widevariety of forms, ranging from informal networking and conferences to formalcollaborations between universities, businesses and research institutes. Animportant example is the Edinburgh to Stanford link, funded by a £6 milliongrant from Scottish Enterprise, which is making excellent progress. the Executive has recently asked the Scottish Funding Council and UniversitiesScotland to consider the feasibility of collecting information routinely tomonitor research collaborations between universities here and outside Scotland.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21634 by Cathy Jamieson on 16 January 2006, whether any of its departments or agencies outwith the Scottish Prison Service hold information on comparative prison staff turnover in each (a) OECD nation and (b) EU member state.
Answer
Scottish Executive departmentsand agencies outwith the Scottish Prison Service do not hold any information oncomparative prison staff turnover.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20694 by Cathy Jamieson on 28 November 2005, whether the Assess, Compare, Evaluation and Verify (ACE-V) process is fallible and what evidence it has to justify its reply.
Answer
The process of Assess, Compare,Evaluation and Verify (ACE-V) is the description of the scientific approach to fingerprintanalysis adopted by fingerprint professionals and criminal justice agencies world-wide.It is a qualitative approach rather than an arbitrary quantitative approach wherebythe likelihood of error is minimised because the quality of the mark is the basisfrom which the identification is made.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-21579 and S2W-21580 by Cathy Jamieson on 22 December 2005, whether these indicate that the Executive’s position is that it would expect the police to take action in the circumstances referred to in the questions.
Answer
The investigation of crime isa matter for the police. The police will act if there is specific, credible informationto justify such action.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20694 by Cathy Jamieson on 28 November 2005, how the Minister for Justice reconciles her reply that the Scottish Fingerprint Service has a “consistent approach to fingerprint identification which is followed by all fingerprint officers” with her reply to question S2W-20244 on 9 November 2005 which confirms the existence of disagreements between the Aberdeen Fingerprint Bureau and the Scottish Criminal Record Office.
Answer
The fact that there is a disagreementover a single specific historical fingerprint identification does not imply an inconsistentapproach to fingerprint identification. There is no disagreement in the ScottishFingerprint Service (SFS) about the basis of fingerprint identification and allfingerprint identifications are carried out using the Assess, Compare, Evaluation and Verify (ACE-V) process, and are subject to internal quality assurance and to external independent auditunder the ISO 9001:2000 Certificate to which the SFS is accredited.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-21304 and S2W-21305 by Tavish Scott on 15 December 2005, whether it will confirm that the number of bidders for the A68 Dalkeith Bypass tender is now reduced to two and that the tenders for the third generation term contracts for management and maintenance of the Scottish trunk network for the north west and south west units let on 8 December 2005 had only two bidders each, and whether these developments might lead the Executive to reconsider these answers.
Answer
We can confirm that there arenow two bidders for the A68 Dalkeith Bypass and that there were two bidders foreach of the recently awarded trunk road maintenance contracts. The answers providedto the earlier questions are still applicable.
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
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21585 by Cathy Jamieson on 22 December 2005, whether it will now discuss the allegations made by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, given the ongoing media reports that US agencies have used Scottish airports to refuel flights carrying individuals suspected of being involved in acts of terrorism to countries that practice torture.
Answer
As we have made clear on numerousoccasions, torture is a crime under Scots law and anyone who claims to have informationto suggest that a crime has been committed in Scotland should take that informationto the police.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21577 by Cathy Jamieson on 22 December 2005, whether it has given specific consideration to the opinions expressed by Lord Steyn.
Answer
The opinions expressed by LordSteyn have been noted.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 24 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what its opinion is of the claims by Swiss Senator, Dick Marty, in his report presented to the Legal Affairs and Human Rights Committee of the Council of Europe, that the allegations that the CIA has abducted and illegally transported terror suspects across European borders are credible in relation to the allegations that US agencies have used Scottish airports as refuelling stops for flights in which it is alleged that suspected terrorists are being carried to countries where the practice of torture is used for the purposes of interrogation.
Answer
The Scottish Executive will contribute as required to any UK response to Senator Martys report, once the report is published in full.
