- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 28 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) sports centres, (b) libraries, (c) community centres and (d) playing fields there have been in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.
Answer
This is a matter for local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many licences to sell alcohol have been withdrawn as a result of a breach of the licence in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not collect these statistics centrally. The Criminal Justice Statistics Unit within the Scottish Executive does, however, maintain and publish an annual series of Statistical Bulletins on Liquor Licences in Scotland. In 2003, statistics on the total number of licences that were suspended were collected for the first time.
Nineteen licences were suspended. This figure is broken down into local authority areas as follows:
Local Authority | Number of Licences Suspended |
Aberdeen City | 2 |
Aberdeenshire | 2 |
Angus | 1 |
Dundee City | 4 |
East Renfrewshire | 1 |
City of Edinburgh | 3 |
North Ayrshire | 2 |
North Lanarkshire | 2 |
Scottish Borders | 1 |
South Lanarkshire | 1 |
Total | 19 |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has produced for licensees on the responsible promotion of alcohol.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has not yet produced any guidance for licensees on the responsible promotion of alcohol. The Licensing (Scotland) Bill was introduced to Parliament on 28 February. The bill contains a number of measures that support ministers’ objectives of tackling binge and under-age drinking. Specifically, it outlaws nationally those irresponsible drinks promotions that can lead to binge drinking.
Ministers intend to issue guidance to licensees as part of their implementation of the new regime.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to ensure that fishing quotas are only allocated to active fishermen.
Answer
The distribution of fishing quotas is one of a number of issues which will be addressed in a forthcoming review of the UK’s quota management arrangements.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps were taken to secure for Scotland the headquarters of the recently-established United Kingdom Energy Research Centre.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has had no involvement in deciding the location of the headquarters of the United Kingdom Energy Research Centre. This decision was taken by a consortium of the relevant research institutions.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are grounds for exemption from its policy of inclusion of pupils with special needs in schools.
Answer
Section 15 of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc Act 2000 requires that an education authority shall provide education in a school other than a special school unless a mainstream setting would not be suited to the ability or aptitude of the child; or would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education for the children with whom the child would be educated; or would result in unreasonable public expenditure being incurred which would not ordinarily be incurred.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reverse its decision to allow the Chief Dental Officer (CDO) to undertake his post on a part-time basis at a time of pressures on dental services and what steps have been taken to ensure that the duties previously covered by this full-time post continue to be carried out.
Answer
No, the Executive does not intend to reverse its decision about the working arrangements of the CDO. The CDO will continue to play a lead role within the Executive in reforming NHS dentistry in Scotland. The work which he will undertake one day a week with NHS Education for Scotland is a vital part of securing the additional workforce needed to deliver the improvements to dental services. All of the duties of the CDO post will continue to be covered by the CDO himself, his deputy and the teams within the Executive which work with him.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been for the supply of alcohol to underage customers in each of the last five years, broken down by police board area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.
Answer
The available information is given in the table.
Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Sale of Drink to Persons Aged Under 181 by Police Force Area, 1998-02
Police Force Area | Number | Year-on-Year Percentage Change |
1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 20022 | 1998-1999 | 1999-2000 | 2000-2001 | 2001-20022 |
Central | 6 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 5 | -50 | 100 | -50 | 67 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 7 | 3 | - | - | - | -57 | -100 | - | - |
Fife | 5 | 1 | 8 | 2 | - | -80 | 700 | -75 | -100 |
Grampian | 12 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 5 | -42 | 0 | -57 | 67 |
Lothian and Borders | 19 | 4 | 7 | 10 | 11 | -79 | 75 | 43 | 10 |
Northern | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | -75 | 300 | -50 | 50 |
Strathclyde | 60 | 22 | 27 | 25 | 16 | -63 | 23 | -7 | -36 |
Tayside | 11 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 55 | -82 | 0 | 33 |
Scotland | 124 | 58 | 62 | 48 | 44 | -53 | 7 | -23 | -8 |
Notes:
1. Where main offence.
2. Figures may be underestimates due to time taken to record details of some court proceedings.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the new beef cattle scheme and when the first payments will be issued.
Answer
Following consultation with stakeholders, we have developed a scheme under the national envelope provisions which will be called the Scottish Beef Calf scheme. I will be bringing forward regulations relating to the scheme, shortly. Farmers and crofters have been kept informed of our intentions.
This will involve a flat rate payment for calves born in Scotland to beef-bred animals, with a higher rate payable for the first 10 animals. It is intended to support the supply of quality Scottish beef and safeguard the environment.
The first payments will be made after one year’s worth of claims have been received. I expect the first payments to be made in February to March 2006.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 9 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what value it places on the role of regional broadcasting in maintaining local culture and identity and what steps it has taken to protect this service.
Answer
Broadcasting is a reserved matter. We attach considerable importance to the role that regional broadcasting and programming play in nurturing local culture and identity. We have made our views clear in discussions with the broadcasters, Ofcom and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.