- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 28 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had, and with whom, on a railway link to Edinburgh Airport and what the outcome was.
Answer
The Scottish Executive, along with British Airports Authority, Scottish Enterprise, the Strategic Rail Authority and the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions, has just commissioned a study into rail links at Glasgow and Edinburgh Airports. The study is expected to take eight months to complete.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 28 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the programme is for future review of local government constituencies and how it will ensure that the wider implications of such review are taken into account.
Answer
The next statutory review of local authority electoral wards is scheduled to take place between 2006 and 2010. Any implications arising from that review will be considered at that time.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Sunday, 03 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 6 June 2001
To ask the First Minister whether the waiting time targets for the NHS have been achieved and what the reasons are for any instances where these targets have not been met.
Answer
On 31 March 2001, the national waiting time guarantee of 12 months for inpatient and day case treatment was met across Scotland.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 6 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what further discussions have been held with Motorola and what percentage of employees being made redundant from the Bathgate plant have secured other employment.
Answer
The Motorola task force, comprising representatives from Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, the Employment Service, West Lothian Council, the Careers Service and the Benefits Agency have been in regular contact with the company with a view to supporting those workers who are losing their jobs.200 employees, approximately 6.5% of the workforce, have been granted early release in order to take up new employment. A further 50 employees, 1.6% of the workforce, are currently on job-specific training and are guaranteed employment when the training ends.The figures do not take into account those employees who have a job offer but have not yet left Motorola. We hope to have a more complete picture when the tracking scheme for employees comes into effect.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 29 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, during the First Minister's recent meeting with President George W Bush, a possible visit to Scotland by the President was discussed.
Answer
During my meeting with President Bush on April 5 we discussed a number of topics of mutual interest. I took the opportunity of extending an informal invitation to the President to visit Scotland during any future trip to Britain.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) sheep, (b) cattle and (c) pigs there were in Scotland immediately prior to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease; how many of each it estimates there are currently; how many of each it estimates there will be once the outbreak is over, according to current predictions on the likely course of the outbreak, and what percentage of the number of each that there was immediately prior to the outbreak will survive it.
Answer
Only historical census figures and the numbers of animals culled to date are available. These are shown in the table below. It is impossible to predict how many will eventually be culled. The focus of our strategy is to restrict advancement of the disease, hence restricting further culling.
| | June 2000 Census (Main & Minor Holdings) | December 2000 Census (Main Holdings Only) | FMD Cull as at 8 May 2001 |
| Cattle | 2,027,956 | 1,958,243 | 87,019 |
| Sheep | 9,183,847 | * 6,213,012 | 634,225 |
| Pigs | 558,082 | 515,739 | 943 |
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 3 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-2911 by Susan Deacon on 8 February 2001, whether the Health Technology Board for Scotland's advice on beta interferon is currently expected to be available in September.
Answer
The Health Technology Board for Scotland will report on beta interferons following the publication of the NICE guidance which is expected in September 2001. The Board is working closely with NICE to ensure that its Comment follows the NICE Guidance promptly.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 17 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review or change the Scottish Ministerial Code.
Answer
I have no plans at present to amend the Scottish Ministerial Code.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 17 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the guidelines relating to the working relationships between Ministers and civil servants are the same in Scotland as in the rest of the UK.
Answer
Yes.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 17 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its principles of good practice for Ministers with regard to the requirement for civil servants to be impartial and non-party political are to be changed.
Answer
No.
