- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 25 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the Home Office over the recommendations made in the inspection reports on the Dungavel House immigration removal centre.
Answer
The Home Office isresponsible for the operation and management of Dungavel, including theconsideration of the recommendations following from the inspection of thecentre. The Home Office has had discussions with South Lanarkshire Council, HerMajesty’s Inspectorate of Education and the Executive on this issue.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 24 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address the issue of chronic underemployment in Glasgow.
Answer
The Executive is workingwith key partners to raise the economic activity rate in Glasgow fromits current rate of 68.7% during the 12 months to May 2003, closer to the Scotlandrate of 79%. This is being done by ensuring that more Glasgowresidents have the skills and the support to tackle particular barriers toemployment which will allow them to take advantage of job opportunities beingcreated in the city.
Recognising the need forgreater co-ordination of welfare to work initiatives, the Executive is workingwith the City Council, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Greater Glasgow HealthBoard, Careers Scotland, ESF, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, and JobcentrePlus to support the Glasgow Welfare to Work Forum, launched in June 2003. It isactively pursuing a number of actions to ensure that Glasgow hasa healthyand dynamic economy providing good quality jobs for Glasgowresidents.
Employment policy isreserved to the UK Government.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support Scottish involvement in UK Trade and Investment and the British Council's proposal to open a British music industry office in New York.
Answer
Scottish DevelopmentInternational works alongside UK Trade and Investment to support Scottish musiccompanies in world markets, and will work closely with any British Musicindustry office that is established in New York. Scottish Development International’sfield operations team in the USA can also offer tailored in-market support andtemporary office facilities in all major US cities where appropriate.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 19 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is given to bidders for the Scotrail franchise to ensure that the needs of cyclists are taken into account.
Answer
The new rolling stock beingfunded by the Scottish Executive will be fitted with 50% increased capacity forcarrying bicycles compared with existing similar stock. Bidders were informedthat the next ScotRail franchisee will be required to make use of these newunits.
In addition to this, bidderswere informed that the new franchisee will, at minimum, be required to maintainthe current capacity for the carriage of bicycles on trains and to ensure thatbicycles are carried free of charge (the new franchisee may operate areservation system, subject to appropriate agreement).
Bidders were also encouragedto consult with key stakeholders, including passengers’ representative groups,in the preparation of their bids.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive where forensic services are located in Scotland.
Answer
Police forensic science services in Scotland are based at four laboratories in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any immediate plans to review resources available to forensic services.
Answer
The provision of policeforensic science services in Scotland is currently under review as part of the widerreview of common police services. A project team led by the Association ofChief Police Officers in Scotland is examining the potential costs and benefits ofrationalisation, including bringing the existing laboratories under a singlemanagement structure. The project team is expected to complete its reportrecommending a future structure for police forensic science services by the endof 2003.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any issues concerning delays in provision of forensic services.
Answer
Increasing demand for policeforensic science services led to some delays during 2002. Forces have takensteps to address these problems and to improve service delivery whereverpossible.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to Audit Scotland's report Scottish Further Education Funding-performance management of the further education sector in Scotland.
Answer
We are pleased to note theimprovements in the performance of the sector which this report has highlighted,and we are working with the funding council to ensure that the recommendationsmade in the report are implemented to continue these improvements. For example,the new joint corporate plan includes new key performance indicators linked to ministerialpriorities, and Scottish Further Education Funding Council have recentlypublished the first annual report on performance indicators in the furthereducation sector, which includes student satisfaction measures.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to improve management and accountability in the further education sector.
Answer
The outcome of the Review of Governance and Accountability in the Further Education Sector was announced in March 2003. The consultation process upon which the review was primarily based found general support for existing arrangements, but with scope for modernisation in specific areas. Ministers announced a programme of 14 measures aimed at enhancing standards of governance and accountability in the further education sector.
Most of the measures can be implemented without the need for legislation (mainly through formal guidance by ministers and from the Association of Scottish Colleges).
We will be consulting shortly on the proposals to amend, by order, the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 in order to reduce the maximum length of board membership, and to relax the current statutory restriction on the appointment of a local authority employee or elected representative to the Chair of a college board.
We will consult separately on the other measures requiring primary legislation – to extend the remit of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman to further education and higher education complaints, and to give the Scottish Further Education Funding Council the right to attend meetings of college boards.
When announcing the outcome of the review, ministers indicated that they intend to assess the effectiveness of the new arrangements after two years.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 17 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider a central review of maternity services to determine the cross-flow of patients between NHS boards as a result of board decisions on maternity provision.
Answer
The Executive currently hasno plans conduct a central review to determine the cross-flow of maternitypatients between NHS boards. However, the overview report of the expert groupon acute maternity services (2002) states clearly the need for boards to take aregional approach to planning maternity services and consideration ofcross-flow of patients from other board areas should be part of this.
