- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the target timescale is for completion of an appeal regarding a Record of Needs.
Answer
There is no target timescale in legislation for completion of Record of Needs appeals referred to Scottish ministers. The time taken to complete individual cases can vary depending on a variety of factors.
The Record of Needs process, including the appeal system, is currently under review and it is expected that outline proposals for change will be published by the end of the year.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many successful appeals regarding Records of Needs there have been in 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000 to date and what this figure is as a percentage of the number received.
Answer
Year | Decisions in the parents' favour | As a % of appeals reaching decision |
1998-1999 | 8 | 40% |
1999-2000 | 16 | 64% |
2000-01 | 7 | 54% (excludes 7 still in progress) |
2001-02 no appeals yet reached decision |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals have been received regarding Records of Needs in 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000 to date.
Answer
The Scottish Executive received 24 appeals in 1998-99, 32 appeals in 1999-2000, 31 appeals in 2000-01 and has received 22 to date in 2001-02.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 27 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many questions to the Minister for Justice have been passed to Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), for answer.
Answer
This information is provided in the SPS Annual Reports, copies of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 7929). It is also available on the SPS website.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 27 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-17668 and S1W-17536 on 28 August 2001 by Mr Jim Wallace, why these questions on HM Prison Kilmarnock were referred for answer by Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, when the Scottish Prison Service does not hold information on this prison; whether the Executive holds such information and, if it does not, whether it will obtain such information from Premier Prison Services in order that it is in the public domain.
Answer
Paragraph 4.40 of the Framework Document governing the relationship between ministers and the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), provides for parliamentary questions related to matters delegated to the SPS to be referred to the Chief Executive for a response.
The SPS, as the customer of the services provided by the contractor, Premier Prison Services, seeks such information as is appropriate for monitoring the output performance of the contract. This does not include the sort of input information sought which is solely a matter for the contractor.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken in response to the letter of 10 August 2001 from the Director of Transport and Environmental Standards of Scottish Borders Council asking it to make representations to Her Majesty's Treasury regarding an exemption from the landfill tax for the council in respect of waste paper and cardboard, given the potential implications of the tax for the council's budget in the context of the current situation in the waste paper and cardboard recycling markets.
Answer
I replied to the letter from Scottish Borders Council on 5 September 2001 advising that the Scottish Executive would not be prepared to make representations to Her Majesty's Treasury on its behalf as requested.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has put in place any new environmental strategies designed to help local authorities in relation to the recycling of waste paper and cardboard, given the current situation in the waste paper and cardboard recycling market.
Answer
The Scottish Executive supports the Waste and Resources Action Programme which is a major programme (with over £40 million public funding) for England, Wales and Scotland aimed at creating and developing stable and efficient markets for recycled materials. One of its seven work programmes, launched in June 2001, is focused on developing the market for paper. This work aims to benefit local authority paper recycling schemes across the UK.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the spillage of 6,000 litres of ha'ardous liquid fuel at the Blue Circle factory near Dunbar last month, it is satisfied with production procedures at the factory.
Answer
The Executive is satisfied with the environmental and health and safety legislation which regulate the cement manufacturing process. Assessment of the effectiveness of pollution controls and health and safety procedures at particular sites is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Health and Safety Executive.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the report in the Sunday Herald on 19 August 2001 regarding toxin emissions in cement production at the Blue Circle factory near Dunbar, it will commission an independent analysis of the production processes there and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Executive has no plans to commission an analysis of the production processes at the Dunbar plant. The toxicity of substances used in building materials is controlled through environmental and health and safety legislation. Responsibility for assessing the effectiveness of monitoring procedures for emissions at particular sites lies with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and for occupational health matters with the Health and Safety Executive.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the report in the Sunday Herald on 19 August 2001 regarding toxin emissions in cement production at the Blue Circle factory near Dunbar, it will commission a study into any impact on cows' milk, farm crops and other food, whether for human or animal consumption, produced in and around the area.
Answer
This area of work is now the responsibility of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) which informs me that it currently has no plans to commission a study of food and feedstuffs produced in the vicinity of the Blue Circle cement factory.However, I am advised that the FSA, in its role as a statutory consultee of the regulator SEPA (the Scottish Environment Protection Agency), will shortly be reviewing the operations carried out by Blue Circle at Dunbar in the context of the company's application for a permit under the terms of the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000.If the agency has concerns about the impact of emissions on the foodchain, it will advise SEPA accordingly and will, if necessary, recommend that additional safeguards be instituted.
