- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 10 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last contacted Scottish Borders Council and what issues were discussed.
Answer
There have been a number of recent contacts with Scottish Borders Council on matters of mutual interest.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 8 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been made to date for free central heating installation in the Scottish Borders area under its central heating programme; how many of these applications have been authorised, and how many installations have been carried out.
Answer
There have been 116 applications from the Borders area. Seventy-three of these are eligible and are to receive their package of measures shortly.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 7 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what statutory duties local authorities have for the gritting of roads and pedestrian routes.
Answer
As local roads authorities, councils have a general duty under section 1 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to maintain local roads in their area. Section 34 of the 1984 Act also places a duty on councils to "take such steps as they consider reasonable to prevent snow and ice endangering the safe passage of pedestrians and vehicles over public roads".
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 28 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its News Release SE1784/1999 of 27 December 1999, how many of the 160 projected call centre jobs at the refurbished Claridge Mill in Selkirk have now been secured.
Answer
The call centre company based at Claridge Mill currently employs 26 staff. A further eight individuals have been offered places and are due to start on 7 January.Given the current marketplace, it has taken longer than planned to secure contracts that provide for the employment of a larger number of staff. The company is currently in discussion with a number of potential clients, which if concluded successfully will lead to a rapid increase in the number of employees at the site.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 26 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20231 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 6 December 2001, (a) how much it will cost to support the Atlantic fixed wireless network until 2 January 2002, (b) how the sum will be split between it and the Department of Trade and Industry, (c) what the arrangements are with the Department of Trade and Industry to provide such support and (d) how much the messaging service will cost.
Answer
A maximum of £550,000 has been made available to keep the Atlantic Telecom fixed wireless network running until 2 January 2002. The Scottish Executive and Department of Trade & Industry have agreed to split the final costs equally.The cost of the messaging service is negligible and covered by overall running costs.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio of prisoners to general practitioners was in each prison in (a) 1998-99, (b) 1999-2000 and (c) 2000-01.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20320 18 December 2001.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many social workers provided social work services within prisons; what the distribution of these social workers was between prisons, and what the ratio of social workers to prisoners was in (i) 1998-99, (ii) 1999-2000, (iii) 2000-01 and (iv) to date in the current financial year.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:The available information is as follows:
Establishment | No. of Social Workers as at 30 November 2001 | Ratio of Social Workers to Prisoners as at 30 November 2001 |
Aberdeen | 3 | 1:67.3 |
Barlinnie | 11 | 1:96.5 |
Castle Huntly | 2 | 1:65.0 |
Cornton Vale | 3.5 | 1:75.7 |
Dumfries | 1.5 | 1:80.0 |
Edinburgh | 5 | 1:125.2 |
Greenock | 3.5 | 1:90.9 |
Inverness | 2 | 1:59.5 |
Low Moss | 2 | 1:168.5 |
Noranside | 2 | 1:56.0 |
Perth | 6 | 1:79.7 |
Peterhead | 5 | 1:57.8 |
Shotts | 6.5 | 1:78.8 |
This information in previous years is not readily available and could not be collected except at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the provision of the health-related services required by those with hearing deficiencies is adequate and what plans it has to improve such services.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20636 on 18 December 2001. The answer outlines the scope of the wide-ranging review of audiology services currently under way.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 18 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding was made available for tourism promotion (a) in Scotland and (b) to each area tourist board in (i)1999-2000 (ii) 2000-01 and (iii) 2001-02 to date.
Answer
VisitScotland is the national organisation with the remit to promote Scotland as a tourist destination. Its marketing budget for the last three years is as follows:
1999-2000 | £8 million |
2000-01 | £9.5 million |
2001-02 | £18 million |
Information on Area Tourist Boards marketing budgets is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what current and future target waiting times it has set for an appointment with an audiologist.
Answer
Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change sets out the Executive's commitment to ensuring that the patient's journey through the NHS is as swift and responsive as possible, and includes a number of waiting times targets in the priority areas of cancer and coronary heart disease. Although I have no present plans to set national waiting times targets for audiology, reducing waiting is a key priority for NHS Boards and they are currently developing local waiting time standards to reflect local clinical priorities.
