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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S1W-01290

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 15 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it will provide to ensure that businesses are year 2000 compliant, given that the award of training grants to deal with this problem has now been terminated.

The primary responsibility for taking action to prepare for the millennium bug rests with the business community. However, the Government have taken action to help businesses respond quickly and effectively. £2.6 million of Government money was made available to provide companies in Scotland with suitable training to tackle the millennium bug. We are on course to train 3,000 people before the end of the year.

The availability of free courses was always limited, and the demand has been such that the allocation has now been used up in some areas. However, assistance and advice are still available from a number of sources, including Action 2000, Local Enterprise Companies and Local Support Centres.Although many Scottish companies are on course in their preparations, others have done little or nothing to prepare yet. They should urgently make use of the available resources to ensure their operations are Year 2000 compliant.

Question reference: S1W-01291

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 15 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to encourage a greater number of tourist visits to Glasgow.

Question reference: S1W-01289

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for the completion of the M77 and M74, the envisaged timescale, and how these plans will be funded.

Question reference: S1W-00950

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it will give to former World War Two prisoners of war residing in Scotland and claiming compensation from Her Majesty's Government for suffering endured whilst captives of the Japanese.

Question reference: S1W-01117

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 14 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government requesting that internet websites which encourage suicide be prohibited, given the increased incidence of suicide among young people in Scotland in recent years.

Question reference: S1W-01214

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 13 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to develop nutritional education in schools.

Responsibility for the delivery and management of the curriculum rests with education authorities and school managers. Advice is provided by the Scottish Executive which seeks to ensure that health education, including nutritional education, has a secure place within the curriculum and is included in all schools.HMI monitor school and pre-school provision and their published reports cover health education as well as various aspects of health promotion within the school. The report Drug and Nutrition Education A Study of Provision in Schools and Community Education published in January 1999 identifies good practice and areas where action is needed.

Question reference: S1W-01212

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 13 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to maximise the take-up of free school meals.

Question reference: S1W-01213

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 13 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure minimum nutritional standards for school meals.

Each education authority is responsible for the nutritional standards in the school meal service which they administer.The Scottish Diet Action Plan Eating for Health made a large number of recommendations and included nutritional guidelines for catering specifications for the public sector, targeted primarily at pre-school and school age children. The Scottish Executive has initiated discussions with Directors of Education and progress in this area is being monitored through inspections by HM Inspectors of Schools. We will be considering the need for any further action in the light of inspection reports.

Question reference: S1W-01022

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 10 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be used in deciding the future of the Paediatric Cardiac Surgery Service in Scotland; who will be advising it on this issue; with whom consultation on this issue has taken or will take place, and when a final decision on the Service's future will be made.

The main criterion is to reach the decision which produces the highest quality of service for those children who require cardiac surgery. The other factors which we shall want to take into account are the effect of the decision on the range of other services currently provided at each hospital, as well as on the pattern of tertiary paediatric services in Scotland as a whole.

Advice on the issue is being formulated by the Chief Executive of the NHS in Scotland and the Chief Medical Officer, based on work already carried out by National Services Division of the Common Services Agency and jointly by Greater Glasgow and Lothian Health Boards. The NSD work canvassed a broad range of opinion, including users of the service. To ensure that their advice is based on the clearest possible understanding of all the issues, the Chief Executive and CMO have recently met senior representatives of both Trusts and the Medical Schools in Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as the 2 Health Boards.I expect to receive a report on this matter shortly and will announce my decision at that time.

Question reference: S1W-01491

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 9 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to use its planning powers to introduce a national moratorium on the erection of mobile telecommunication masts on school grounds and within densely populated areas such as multi-storey flats in line with the policy of "prudent avoidance" as recommended by Friends of the Earth.