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: S1W-09682

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8043 by Mr Jim Wallace on 31 August 2000, what date or approximate timescale is envisaged for announcing its decisions on the future of the Diversion from Prosecution scheme.

I announced my decision on the future of the Diversion from Prosecution scheme on 22 September.

Diversion will be made available to procurators fiscal throughout Scotland as an alternative to prosecution from next January. The expanded schemes will be targeted on those groups which research has shown benefit most from diversion. These are accused people who are experiencing mental health difficulties; those misusing drugs and alcohol; female accused; and young accused aged 16 and 17 years.

Additional funding is being made available and this, together with a redistribution of existing funding which reflects the refocusing and targeting of the schemes, will result in a total of £1 million being made available to support these schemes.

Question reference: S1W-09722

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 22 September 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list each (i) nursery school, (ii) primary school (iii) secondary school and (iv) further education college which have in place abuse prevention projects, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S1W-09720

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 22 September 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce abuse prevention projects into schools, pre-school establishments and informal education centres and whether it will: (a) provide training for teachers and other staff in these settings on the implementation of these programmes; (b) fund the training and implementation of these programmes and, if so, to what level; (c) provide a timescale for their introduction; (d) make the programmes mandatory for each educational category listed; (e) make available to these establishments the abuse prevention packs already produced by voluntary organisations, and whether it intends to consult further on this matter and, if so, whether it will list those organisations it intends to consult.

The Scottish Executive has no plans to introduce abuse prevention projects into schools.

All education authorities in Scotland have guidelines and procedures for child protection to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and young people and to protect those adults working with them.

Schools also play a part in the prevention of child abuse through the teaching they offer. Promoting Personal Safety and Child Protection in the Curriculum offers support to teachers in the planning and development of personal safety as an integral part of the curriculum. The Executive has also commissioned the University of Glasgow to create staff development materials, which will help schools to audit current practice and mount staff development activities.

A Commitment to Protect - Supervising Sex Offenders in the Community recommended that all education authorities should have in place a personal safety programme promoting pupils' skills, knowledge and understanding to assist them in living safely and feel empowered to reject inappropriate behaviour. Practical advice on this recommendation is being developed by the Expert Panel on Sex Offending.

Question reference: S1W-09719

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 September 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to ensure that a review is conducted of the law on sexual offences similar to that set out in Setting the Boundaries issued by the Home Office in July 2000 and, if so, what the timescale is for this review and which organisations it intends to consult.

Question reference: S1W-09721

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 22 September 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities currently have abuse prevention programmes in use in educational settings.

Question reference: S1W-08044

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 September 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the number of pilot schemes under the Diversion from Prosecution to Social Work and other Service Agencies pilot programme will be increased.

Question reference: S1W-08045

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 September 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether domestic abuse offenders, sex offenders and child abusers will continue to be considered appropriate referrals for diversion from prosecution.

Question reference: S1W-08043

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 August 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue to provide 100% funding to the Diversion from Prosecution to Social Work and other Service Agencies pilot programme.

The Scottish Executive, in conjunction with Crown Office, is currently considering policy on Diversion from Prosecution following the evaluation of 18 pilot schemes. We hope to be in a position to make an announcement about the future of Diversion from Prosecution shortly. Meanwhile a total of nearly £800,000 has been allocated to local authorities for Diversion projects in the current financial year.

Question reference: S1W-09058

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 04 August 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 25 August 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of the recent reports that CJD may be passed through sterilised dental equipment, it has any plans to investigate the possibility of any risk that the disease could be passed through equipment used in abattoirs.

Regulation of abattoirs is primarily within the remit of The Food Standards Agency. The Agency has informed me that the chances of infectivity entering an abattoir are very small. Checks operated by the Meat Hygiene Service ensure that each bovine animal entering the abattoir is subject to official inspection and all suspect BSE cases, and cattle aged over thirty months, are excluded by abattoirs processing meat for human consumption.

In addition, Regulations require that the equipment used for the removal of Specified Risk Material is dedicated to that purpose and is not used on meat destined for the human food chain.

The Agency has two relevant projects that are nearing completion. One project is looking at procedures for stunning and pithing and the other is investigating aerosol production when splitting carcases. The Agency is fully committed both to openness of information and to the overriding need to safeguard consumers. They will therefore urgently advise on any required action arising from the results of such research.

Question reference: S1W-07423

Asked by: Gil Paterson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any Public Transport Fund money will be available to re-open the Bathgate to Airdrie rail link.

Individual railway infrastructure projects such as the reopening of the Bathgate to Airdrie rail link are eligible for Public Transport Fund support (PTF). PTF, however, is allocated on a competitive basis. As a consequence, any such proposals would need to comply with the eligibility criteria for the Fund and any formal bid would be considered along with bids from other local authorities and the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive.