- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 21 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding is provided to police forces to ensure that they adequately comply with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answer
It is for Scottish police forces to comply with the law, including any relevant provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, from within the resources available to them.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 16 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take in order to reduce the time taken for the completion of assessments for special educational needs.
Answer
Current Scottish Executive guidance to education authorities recommends that the assessment and recording process should not exceed 6 months.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 8 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many disabled students have attended courses at university, higher and further education establishments over the last five years.
Answer
Information on students in Higher Education Institutions in Scotland who have declared a registered or unregistered disability is provided in the table below. This includes all full-time and part-time students regardless of domicile and level of course. Information on disability is not currently collected from students attending Further Education Institutions.
Table 1: Students with a Disability in Higher Education Institutions in Scotland (HESA statistics)
| | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 |
| Total | 3,402 | 2,774 | 5,556 | 6,220 | 6,787 |
It is proposed that students attending institutions in Scotland in receipt of the Disabled Students' Allowance paid by the Students Awards Agency for Scotland should be exempt from the Graduate Endowment when the new student support arrangements are introduced in 2001-02. The total numbers in receipt of such an allowance are:
Table 2: Scottish students in receipt of Disabled Students' Allowance in Scotland in 1998-99 (SAAS statistics)
| Location of institution | Higher Education Inst. | Further Education Inst. | other | Total |
| Scotland | 599 | 219 | 12 | 830 |
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 8 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive which health boards and NHS Trusts apply charges for services they provide to local hospices.
Answer
The only item of any significance for which health boards and NHS Trusts apply charges to local hospices relates to pharmaceutical services.There is no uniform approach to the way in which hospices' drug costs are met. The degree to which a health board supports the pharmaceutical element of a hospice's work is a matter for negotiation between health board and hospice when discussing the terms of their service agreement each year.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 8 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1266 by Susan Deacon on 14 September 1999, what percentage of funding is currently provided to each hospice in Scotland by health boards in relation to the overall running costs of each hospice.
Answer
The Scottish Partnership Agency for Palliative and Cancer Care conducts an annual survey of Scottish hospices to monitor the level of NHS funding they receive. With regard to the latest survey, questionnaires were sent to 13 hospices and returns for 1999-2000 were received from 12.
The percentage of funding currently provided to each hospice in Scotland by health boards in relation to the overall running costs of each hospice is as follows:
| Health Board | Hospice | Total Health Board Funding | % Revenue Expenditure from Contracts |
| Ayrshire & Arran | Ayrshire | 888,277 | 39 |
| Argyll & Clyde | Accord | 372,332 | 35 |
| | Ardgowan | 347,786 | 31 |
| | St. Vincent's | 299,758 | 31 |
| Forth Valley | Strathcarron | 927,830 | 40 |
| Greater Glasgow | Marie Curie Hunters Hill | 1,038,197 | 40 |
| | Prince & Princess of Wales | 704,541 | 40 |
| | St. Margaret's* | | |
| Highland | Highland | 384,000 | 32 |
| Lanarkshire | St. Andrews | 864,741 | 58 |
| Lothian | Marie Curie Fairmile | 876,017 | 42 |
| | St. Columba's | 1,105,000 | 36 |
| Western Isles | Bethesda | 113,300 | 50 |
| TOTAL | | 7,921,779 | |
| Av.% revenue cost covered by NHS | | | 40 |
*No return has been received from St. Margaret's Hospice.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 8 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to amend building regulations in relation to the provision of housing for disabled people.
Answer
An amendment to the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations was laid in the Scottish Parliament on 14 December 1999, to come into force on 17 April 2000, introducing substantial new provisions to give disabled people access to new dwellings.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of financial resources is provided to Central Scotland Police in order to address issues of emergency planning in the Grangemouth refinery area.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer I gave to question S1W-3745.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 8 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the number of hospices in Scotland whose NHS funding between 1998-99 and 1999-2000 has increased, remained the same or decreased.
Answer
NHS funding as a percentage of running costs compared to 1998-99 has increased for four hospices, remained the same for two hospices and decreased for six hospices.Total NHS funding for the 12 hospices has increased from £7,289,800 in 1998-99 to £7,921,800 in 1999-2000 which represents a cash increase of 9%.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 28 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the level of funding provided to Central Scotland Police in order to meet its major incident control responsibilities at the Grangemouth Oil Refinery.
Answer
Central Scotland Police receive civil defence grant to enable them to employ an officer at the rank of Inspector together with support staff. This allows the force to carry out its emergency planning functions throughout the force area, including Grangemouth Oil Refinery. Funding for 1999-2000 is £54,700.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 17 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1791 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 26 October 1999, what the reasons were for late decisions on ESF Objective 3 Grants.
Answer
I understand that the decisions on ESF Objective 3 grants for 1998 were delayed because of a changeover of administrative procedures. In order to prevent the adverse effects of these delays on small organisations in the voluntary sector which had become dependent upon continued ESF funding, it was agreed to provide the relatively modest funding under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to which the earlier reply referred.
