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: S3W-15659

Asked by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how effective the Thistle Travel Card scheme has been and whether there are plans to increase awareness of it.

Question reference: S3W-15658

Asked by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 August 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 3 September 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to encourage home delivery and grocery services for elderly people in communities across Scotland, similar to the Food Train initiative currently being delivered in Dumfries and Galloway.

Support for community-led health projects, including provision of home delivery and grocery services for older people along the lines of the food train is a matter for NHS boards and local authorities to decide based on the needs they have identified.

Additional business support for local third sector community food initiatives is available through Community Food and Health (Scotland), which is funded by the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S3W-14420

Asked by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 17 July 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many convictions there have been against retailers for selling knives to underage customers in each of the last five years broken down by (a) police board and (b) local authority area.

The available information is given in the following tables.

Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts for Selling Knives to Underage Persons¹ by Police Force Area, 2002-03 to 2006-07

	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Dumfries and Galloway	-	-	-	1	-
Strathclyde	1	1	-	-	-
Tayside	-	1	-	-	-
Scotland	1	2	-	1	-

Note: 1. Where main offence. Includes offences under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 section 141A.

Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts for Selling Knives to Underage Persons¹ by Approximate Local Authority Area, 2002-03 to 2006-07

	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Angus	-	1	-	-	-
Dumfries and Galloway	-	-	-	1	-
East Ayrshire	1	-	-	-	-
Renfrewshire	-	1	-	-	-

Notes:

1. Where main offence. Includes offences under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 section 141A.

2. Incorporates an approximate mapping of sheriff courts into local authority areas. Some sheriff courts will deal with cases from more than one local authority area.

Question reference: S3W-14419

Asked by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 16 July 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been of retailers for selling knives to underage customers in each of the last five years broken down by (a) police board and (b) local authority area.

The available information is given in the following table.

Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish courts for Selling Knives to Underage Persons¹ by Police Force Area, 2002-03 to 2006-07.

	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Dumfries and Galloway	-	-	-	1	-
Strathclyde	1	1	-	-	-
Tayside	-	1	-	-	-
Scotland	1	2	-	1	-

Note: 1. Where main offence. Includes offences under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 section 141A.

Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Selling Knives to Underage Persons¹ by Approximate Local Authority Area , 2002-03 to 2006-07

	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Angus	-	1	-	-	-
Dumfries and Galloway	-	-	-	1	-
East Ayrshire	1	-	-	-	-
Renfrewshire	-	1	-	-	-

Notes:

1. Where main offence. Includes offences under the Criminal Justice Act 1988 section 141A.

2. Incorporates an approximate mapping of sheriff courts into local authority areas. Some sheriff courts will deal with cases from more than one local authority area.

Question reference: S3W-14471

Asked by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 15 July 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions for underage tobacco sales there have been in each of the last five years and, of these, how many convictions resulted, broken down by police force area.

The available information is given in the following table.

Persons Proceeded Against for Selling Tobacco to Persons Under 16¹, by Police Force Area 2002-03 to 2006-07

Police Force	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Dumfries and Galloway
Proceeded against	-	-	-	-	1
Charge proved	-	-	-	-	-
Grampian
Proceeded against	-	1	-	-	-
Charge proved	-	1	-	-	-
Lothian and Borders
Proceeded against	-	2	-	2	1
Charge proved	-	2	-	2	1
Northern
Proceeded against	-	-	-	-	4
Charge proved	-	-	-	-	3
Strathclyde
Proceeded against	-	-	-	-	1
Charge proved	-	-	-	-	1
Scotland
Proceeded against	-	3	-	2	7
Charge proved	-	3	-	2	5

Note: 1. Where main offence. Includes offences under the Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937 section 18.

Question reference: S3W-14421

Asked by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 15 July 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce the incidence of selling knives to underage customers.

The Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Act 2007 has given ministers the power to introduce a licensing scheme for knife dealers. As part of the licensing scheme, dealers will be required to keep records of how proof of age was established.

Discussions have taken place with the police about backing up the licensing scheme with a tougher enforcement regime which may include test purchasing where appropriate.

Question reference: S3W-14470

Asked by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 July 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to investigate the reasons for the sudden decline in bee population in Scotland.

Where higher than normal losses of bees are found after the winter, beekeepers can seek advice from the Scottish Agriculture College apiculture specialist as to the possible causes. In the majority of cases reported to the college, it has been possible to link these to poor management or to Varroa infestation and the secondary viruses associated with the Varroa mite which weakens the colony leaving it more prone to virus attack.

Beekeepers can also send samples to Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture for diagnostic examination.

Both of these services are funded by the Scottish Government and are free to beekeepers.

Question reference: S3W-14190

Asked by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 25 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to encourage global citizenship in schools.

There is a considerable amount of action being taken to encourage international education, including global citizenship, citizenship education and sustainable development education in all our schools. Building the Curriculum 3, published on 10 June, provides a framework for learning and teaching Curriculum for Excellence. This framework provides a guide for curriculum planners which includes the entitlement for all children and young people to experience a broad general education including understanding of the world and Scotland’s place in it and understanding of the environment.

One of the key aspirations of Curriculum for Excellence, enabling young people to develop as responsible citizens, is a central element in developing an understanding of environmental issues. Learning related to sustainable development and the environment can readily be addressed through the draft learning experiences and outcomes in a number of curriculum areas, including social studies and science. A key aim for technologies for example is the importance of young people contributing to building a better world by taking responsible ethical actions to improve their lives, and of others and the environment and being capable of making reasoned choices relating to the environment, sustainable development and ethical issues. The eco schools programme also raises awareness in schools of environmental and sustainable development issues throughout activities linked to curriculum subjects and areas.

Developing and delivering Curriculum for Excellence is one of the commitments in the concordat with local government. This commitment will depend on reflective professionals developing their own thinking and teaching, and working collaboratively. It does not depend on a roll-out of a specific curriculum with teachers having to become familiar with completely new material.

Teachers currently have opportunities to learn about International Education/Sustainable Development Education and Citizenship Education in a variety of ways including Learning and Teaching Scotland’s website, Local Authority international co-ordinators, the LTS Masterclass programme and through the International Chartered Teacher module launched on 26 April. The Scottish Government funds Learning and Teaching Scotland, British Council Scotland, and the Scottish Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (SCILT) to support teachers in their continuous professional development in international education

The Sustainable Development Education Liaison Group (SDELG) is an advisory group to Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS). They have provided a useful framework for developing thinking about the way in which the revised curriculum can encompass learning and teaching about sustainable development education in schools. The role, remit and date of the next SDELG meeting is a matter for LTS.

Question reference: S3W-14188

Asked by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 25 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that sustainable development education is mainstreamed in schools.

Question reference: S3W-14191

Asked by: Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 25 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of pupils left secondary school with a Higher level qualification in a second language in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority area.

The available information is given in the following table.

Per Cent of School Leavers with a Qualification in a Second Language at SCQF Level 6 (Higher) or Better

	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Aberdeen City	4	6	7	6	7	8	7	8	7	7
Aberdeenshire	9	9	9	10	10	13	11	11	9	8
Angus	6	7	7	7	7	8	8	6	9	6
Argyll and Bute	7	7	7	6	7	8	9	8	5	10
Clackmannanshire	5	5	4	6	7	4	5	8	4	7
Dumfries and Galloway	5	6	6	7	8	8	9	8	7	7
Dundee City	4	4	4	4	6	6	6	6	6	5
East Ayrshire	7	6	6	6	8	6	8	8	7	8
East Dunbartonshire	11	9	11	10	12	14	12	11	11	11
East Lothian	6	5	8	7	7	6	7	6	6	6
East Renfrewshire	7	7	8	9	10	13	12	14	15	16
Edinburgh City of	9	8	7	9	9	9	10	8	9	9
Eilean Siar	14	21	19	19	18	21	19	18	18	15
Falkirk	3	5	4	3	4	3	4	3	3	4
Fife	7	8	6	7	8	9	8	7	6	6
Glasgow City	3	3	4	4	4	4	5	4	5	5
Highland	8	8	8	8	9	9	10	8	8	9
Inverclyde	5	7	7	7	12	11	11	11	10	9
Midlothian	5	6	6	6	7	7	6	6	7	4
Moray	5	9	7	6	7	8	8	7	6	6
North Ayrshire	5	6	6	7	6	7	6	7	7	7
North Lanarkshire	5	5	5	5	5	6	6	5	6	5
Orkney Islands	8	5	12	9	9	8	7	6	11	7
Perth and Kinross	8	7	8	9	9	11	9	8	9	7
Renfrewshire	6	6	6	6	7	7	7	7	6	6
Scottish Borders	8	9	7	11	10	10	10	9	7	7
Shetland Islands	5	2	7	6	6	6	8	7	5	6
South Ayrshire	7	9	8	8	10	8	9	8	7	7
South Lanarkshire	5	6	7	7	7	8	7	7	7	6
Stirling	7	6	6	8	7	9	9	12	9	9
West Dunbartonshire	4	4	3	3	4	7	4	5	4	5
West Lothian	6	4	5	5	5	5	6	5	5	3

Note: includes modern foreign languages and Gaelic (Learners), excludes Latin and Greek.