- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether during the appeal proceedings any offer was made by Noel Ruddle's legal advisers to settle the appeal by agreeing to a conditional discharge, and if such an offer was made, what were the grounds for refusing it.
Answer
I refer to the Lord Advocate's letter of 10 September 1999 to Mrs Graham which addressed this point. A copy of that letter was placed at the time in SPICe.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what was the nature of the legal advice, given on or around 19 March 1998, which led to the transfer of Noel Ruddle to Broadmoor not proceeding and who gave that advice.
Answer
I refer to the answer given to question S1W-1356.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when on 9 April 1998 the Carstairs medical subcommittee told Noel Ruddle and the appropriate Scottish Office departments that it was recommending discharge, further legal advice was sought with regard to Mr Ruddle's appeal and, if so, what advice was received.
Answer
The Scottish Executive cannot provide information about the actions of the previous administration.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, once the Noel Ruddle hearing was in progress, what legal advice was received on the prospects of resisting the application for discharge, in particular given that the responsible medical officer had changed his views to support those of the Carstairs medical subcommittee.
Answer
Mr Ruddle's appeal was heard in April and May 1999. The Scottish Executive cannot provide information about the actions of the previous administration.On 2 September the Lord Advocate and I gave Parliament a full account of the significant events in relation to Mr Ruddle's appeal. The additional information sought would mean disclosing confidential medical and legal advice, which I am not prepared to do.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 17 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has evidence to support recent claims from organisations representing the elderly regarding the extent of discrimination in the NHS, and whether it will now initiate a full and comprehensive investigation.
Answer
There is no evidence to suggest that elderly people are being refused NHS care solely on the grounds of age.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 8 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding the recent increase in pension rates for Scottish pensioners.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with United Kingdom Government Ministers and Departments on a wide range of issues, including pensions.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 16 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1933 by Iain Gray on 7 October 1999, what guidelines have been issued about what constitutes appropriate facilities to meet the needs of people under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and how these are monitored.
Answer
Guidance on the care needs of frail older people and adult day care provision was issued to local authorities on 28 July and 17 August 1998 respectively. I am arranging for copies to be sent. Plans for service provision are monitored through Community Care Plans; and the Scottish Executive collects data on existing service provision from local authorities.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 16 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1933 by Iain Gray on 7 October 1999, how many elderly and frail people are currently in day care centres in East Lothian and the Borders, how many applications for such facilities have been refused over the past twelve months, how many are pending, and how many people are on waiting lists for such facilities.
Answer
The following two tables show (a) the number of elderly and frail people in day care centres, and (b) the number of clients on waiting lists for day care centre facilities for East Lothian and Scottish Borders. These tables relate to March 1998. Information relating to refusal of applications for such facilities and pending applications is not available.Number of Elderly and Frail People in Day Care Centres in East Lothian and Scottish Borders, 1998
1| Local authority | Number of elderly and frail people2 in day care centres3 |
| East Lothian | 27 |
| Scottish Borders | 387 |
Source: D1-B census form (Community Care Statistics Division)
Notes:
1. The most recent census was undertaken in the week ending 29 March 1998.
2. These figures include all clients aged 65 years or over attending day centres plus clients with dementia aged under 65 years.
3. The figures exclude centres with less than 4 places, as these are usually attached to residential homes.Number of People on Waiting Lists for Day Care Centre Facilities in East Lothian and Scottish Borders, 19981
| Local Authority | Number of people on waiting lists2 for day care centres3 |
| East Lothian | 4 |
| Scottish Borders | 11 |
Source: D1-B census form (Community Care Statistics Division)
Notes:
1. The most recent census was undertaken in the week ending 29 March 1998.
2. These figures are for all client groups - figures specifically for the elderly and frail people are not available but would be a subset of the total given.3. The figures exclude centres with less than 4 places, as these are usually attached to residential homes.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 29 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the upgrading of the A1 trunk route from Berwick to Edinburgh.
Answer
Construction of a new stretch of dual carriageway on the A1 between Spott Road and Oswald Dean in East Lothian is currently underway and this scheme is expected to be open to traffic next month. A proposed upgrading to dual carriageway between Haddington and Dunbar is one of the schemes under consideration in the Strategic Roads Review. Other improvements to the route will be implemented in line with the A1 Route Action Plan, as resources permit.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 15 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it will make to ensure payment is made immediately to the 60 students at the Galashiels Heriot-Watt campus who have not yet received their loan cheques.
Answer
The Student Awards Agency for Scotland is currently processing the vast majority of properly completed applications within its target of 28 days from the date of receipt and is passing the necessary information on loans to the Student Loans Company Limited. Neither the Agency nor the Company is aware of any particular problem relating to students attending the Galashiels Heriot-Watt campus, although some recently received applications will still be in the course of being dealt with.
If there are individual cases of particular difficulty, the Chief Executive of the Agency will be happy to make enquiries on receipt of the relevant details.Students who are experiencing financial difficulty because their loan cheque is not available can seek temporary help from the University's Access Funds.
