- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 4 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government in respect of adding impingement syndrome of the shoulder to the list of prescribed diseases and whether it has made any representations to the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council about the matter and whether those who have sustained impingement syndrome of the shoulder as a result of their occupation should be entitled to receive compensation under the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme.
Answer
This is a reserved matter. Thedecision on which diseases should be prescribed for Industrial Injuries DisablementBenefit purposes is a matter for the Department of Work and Pensions acting on advicefrom the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council and that body is open to receivingany evidence which may pertain to the prescription of a condition as an industrialdisease.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 4 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8057 by Ross Finnie on 19 May 2004, which officials from its Environment and Rural Affairs Department, the Food Standards Agency, the State Veterinary Service and Forestry Commission Scotland are preparing the report for ministers on the conduct of recent culls in Glenfeshie.
Answer
The report was prepared withcontributions from all these bodies. It is current practice not to nameindividual officials.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 3 June 2004
To ask the Presiding Officer what the present estimate is of losses arising from the failure of Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Limited and whether this represents an increase from the total previously estimated.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to question S1W-30745 on 14 November 2002, and confirm that there has beenno change to the previously reported cost to the project of £3.85 million.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7432 by Ross Finnie on 4 May 2004, on what date it expects to receive the report on the culls in Glenfeshie.
Answer
Ministers received the reporton 26 May 2004.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 25 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people reside permanently in caravans and, of these, how many are travelling people.
Answer
The 2001 Census records 8,187people (4,547 households) living in a caravan or other mobile or temporary structureat the time of the census.
The total gypsy/traveller populationwas estimated in July 2003 to be 1,789 people (559 households), compared with anestimate of 1,353 people (410 households) in January 2003.
Estimates of numbers of gypsies/travellersare based on a twice yearly count in summer and winter undertaken by councils onbehalf of the Executive. The aim is to provide estimates covering numbers on councilsites, privately owned sites and unauthorised locations. All users of sites andencampments are included, whether they would consider themselves to be gypsies,travellers or Romany. It is also important to note that the figures include estimates,particularly for numbers on private sitesand unauthorised locations.
The full background to the methodologyused to compile the estimates can be found in
GYPSIES/ TRAVELLERS IN SCOTLAND The Twice-yearly Count - No. 4 : July 2003. Available on the Scottish Executive website at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/social/gts4-00.asp.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimate is of the final expenditure under the 2003 fishing vessel decommissioning scheme and, if this is less than the total of #40 million, whether the unused surplus will be earmarked for other financial assistance to the fishing industry and, if not, for what purpose it will be used.
Answer
We made provision for expenditureof up to £40 million on the 2003 decommissioning scheme. In the event, expenditureon decommissioning is expected to come to just over £30.5 million.
Any funds allocated to decommissioningand not used for that purpose will be available for reallocation. Ministers willcollectively consider that reallocation in the light of present and future spendingpriorities. An announcement on the use of all 2003-04 under spend will be made indue course by the Minister for Finance and Public Services.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 24 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7480 by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 May 2004, when it received the final report referred to in the answer; whether the final report will be published before the summer recess, and whether it intends to publish the preliminary report and what the reason is for its position on the matter.
Answer
The Temple Report –
SecuringFuture Practice – was commissioned by the Executive and submitted on 17 December 2003.
Following this, preliminary clarificationof the detail within the report was sought and provided.
Medical education can be consideredin terms of a continuum from entry to medical school until the end of the medicalcareer. To enable the fullest consideration of all the issues raised, it is beneficial for publication of the Temple Report to takeplace around the same time as the release of the related report, on Basic MedicalEducation, from the review group chaired by Professor Sir Ken Calman.
Officials are in the final stagesof securing a date for publication of Securing Future Practice. The reportwill be published before recess.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement on 21 April 2004 by the Minister for Justice on the prisoner escort and court custody services contract, whether the contract between the Scottish Prison Service and Reliance Secure Task Management Ltd was approved by the minister before it became final and binding and what the reasons are for the position on the matter; whether the contract contains any provision which entitles Reliance to withhold any part of the contract for commercial reasons and, if so, what such a provision is; whether there are any provisions in the contract that cannot be disclosed for reasons of law enforcement or prisoner security, and whether it is customary to include such provisions in a commercial contract of this nature.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
Ministers did not approve thecontract. It was approved by the Scottish Prison Service which is responsible foroperational and commercial matters involving the agency. The contract has been publishedtoday in line with all the Freedom of Information principles including those inrelation to protecting public safety and third party commercialconfidentiality.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement on 21 April by the Minister for Justice on the prisoner escort and court custody services contract, whether Reliance Secure Task Management Ltd will assume responsibility for the transfer of prisoners with a psychiatric mental health condition to, and from, prisons and hospitals and, if so, what training Reliance staff will receive before taking up their duties, how long such training will last, and what provision there is in the contract for this.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:
The contract with Reliance includesescorting those detained under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act1984. Risk assessments are undertaken in advance for every prisoner movement andappropriate arrangements put in place. Reliance has primary responsibility for thesecure custody of these patients whilst medical/nursing personnel retain responsibilityfor their medical care.
Prisoner Custody Officers (PCOs)undergo a six week training programme. The structure and topics of the trainingare detailed in the contract and the content of the training programme is validatedby the SPS. The training modules are based upon the relevant National training organisationstandards. All PCOs are required to pass this training in order to be certifiedas PCOs.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 19 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive which external officials are preparing a report for ministers on the conduct of recent culls in Glenfeshie and, in particular, the role of the Deer Commission for Scotland. The member has provided the following Gaelic translation: A dh' fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba cr iad na h-oifigearan `s an taobh a-muigh a tha ag ullachadh aithisg do mhinistearan mun spadadh-fhidh a ghabh `ite ann an Gleann Fhisidh bho chionn goirid agus, gu h-`raid, dh am p`irt a bhios aig Coimisean Fhidh na h-Alba ann an sin.
Answer
Thereport is being prepared by Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department officials,with input from the Food Standards Agency, the State Veterinary Service and ForestryCommission Scotland.
The minister has provided the following Gaelic translation:
Tha oifigich SEERAD ag ullachadhna h-aithisge, le cur-a-steach bhon Bhuidheann Inbhean Bidhe, Seirbheis Lighichean-sprèidhena Stàite agus Ùghdarras nan Coilltean Alba.
