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-34426

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 March 2003
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 10 March 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many weapons were taken out of circulation in each of the last two amnesties on illegal firearms.

Question reference: S1W-33621

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2003
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 14 February 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the A7 has been detrunked north of Galashiels; if so, when, and whether any public statement was made at that time.

Question reference: S1W-33162

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 January 2003
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 24 January 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reconviction rates have been for offenders (a) discharged from custody and (b) given non-custodial sentences in each year since 1996.

The available information on two-year reconviction rates for the disposals requested are given in the following table.Persons Released from a Custodial Sentence or Given a Non-Custodial Sentence in Each Year 1996 to 1999: Percentage Reconvicted Within Two Years, by Index Result¹

	1996	1997	1998	1999
All offenders	45	44	43	42
Index disposal: custody	66	63	63	61
Index disposal: non-custody	42	41	40	39

Note:1. Figures are provisional.

Question reference: S1W-32820

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2002
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 16 January 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications to join the fire service have been received in each of the last three years; how many were selected for appointment, and by what criteria they were selected.

The information available is not precisely in the form requested. The following table indicates the number of applications made to the fire service for the past three years and the number of applicants who received a contract of employment - the number selected for appointment will be limited in general to the number of available vacancies.Applications to Join the Fire Service in Scotland (Whole-time)

	1999-2000	2000-01¹	2001-02²
Applications made	1,951	5,953	3,113
Contracts awarded	129	232	171

Notes:1. Does not include data for Dumfries and Galloway and Highland and Islands.2. Does not include data for Grampian.Each fire authority makes their appointments in line with The Fire Services (Appointment and Promotions) (Scotland) Regulations 1978 and Point of Entry Selection Tests - the detail of which may vary from brigade to brigade - but will generally cover physical fitness, written tests and practical aptitude tests.

Question reference: S1O-06214

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 January 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 16 January 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Home Office or the relevant local authorities about the proposed accommodation centre for asylum seekers at RAF Turnhouse.

Question reference: S1W-32819

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 December 2002
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 15 January 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it holds any information on the (a) percentage and (b) number of firefighters that have additional jobs.

Question reference: S1W-32534

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2002
Current Status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 3 January 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set a timescale for implementing modernisation of audiology services based on digital technology.

Question reference: S1W-32533

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2002
Current Status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 3 January 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will institute a study on modernisation of audiology services based on digital technology.

Question reference: S1W-32532

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2002
Current Status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 3 January 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of the outcomes of modernisation of audiology services in England and Wales, it will make a commitment to modernisation of such services based on digital technology.

Question reference: S1W-32429

Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 December 2002
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 19 December 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of firefighters have a second paid job.

Year	Firearms	Ammunition	Other Weapons
1988	5,177	221,703	881
1996	3,428	104,161	466