Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

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 ��˿�� 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.

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Question reference: S1W-24591

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 18 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have signed up to the Better Government for Older People programme.

Question reference: S1W-24594

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 18 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any salaried posts, and the salary of each, in the Better Government for Older People network.

Question reference: S1W-24357

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to introduce scale fees for junior counsel appearing in the sheriff court in legally aided cases.

Fees for junior counsel in criminal proceedings in the sheriff court are prescribed in Schedule 2 of the Criminal Legal Aid (Scotland) (Fees) Regulations 1989. Legal aid fees for junior counsel undertaking civil work in the Sheriff Court are prescribed in Regulation 10(2) of the Civil Legal Aid (Scotland) (Fees) Regulations 1989. This is 90% of the amount of fees, which would be allowed for that work on a taxation of expenses between solicitor and client, third party paying, if the work done were not legal aid. My officials are in discussion with the Scottish Legal Aid Board about the need for a detailed table of legal aid fees for counsel involved in civil cases in the sheriff court.

Question reference: S1W-23709

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of civil legal aid cases (a) sought and (b) were refused a sanction for (i) junior and (ii) senior counsel in each of the past three years, broken down by subject matter (such as matrimonial, reparation or contract).

Question reference: S1W-23697

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 10 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that an anomaly has arisen as a consequence of the implementation of the McCrone Agreement in regard to the guarantee of a placement for the one probation year for new graduates which affects the 2-year probation of graduates intending to qualify in primary or secondary disciplines and who currently complete 2-year probationary placements in primary and secondary schools, and how many probationers this situation will effect.

Currently those teachers graduating with a teaching qualification in a secondary subject can teach their subject in a primary school. However, to gain full registration they must complete two years probation within a secondary setting. They cannot become fully registered as a primary teacher without further training and a further period of probation.The new scheme will guarantee all eligible probationary teachers a one-year training contract, teaching the subject in which they are qualified. In the case of those with a secondary qualification, this will be in a secondary school. This will lead to achievement of the standard for full registration and the opportunity to register as a fully qualified secondary teacher.The opportunity to teach in their subject in primary schools is still available but, as with the current situation, will not lead to full registration as a primary teacher.The Scottish Executive considers there is no anomaly in this situation and does not collect information on how many students are in this position.

Question reference: S1W-24376

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Richard Simpson on 9 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19094 by Iain Gray on 12 November 2001, what measures to encourage the use of alternatives to custody for female offenders are being considered by the ministerial group on women's offending.

The Ministerial Report on Women's Offending, A Better Way, was published on 28 February 2002.The report looks at the pressure points in the Criminal Justice System in respect of women offenders i.e. remands, imprisonment for fine default and short sentences and proposes specific action to address these problems. Specifically, the report proposes the development of a Time Out Centre in Glasgow to provide access to services and specific programmes including assessment, counselling and support for women either on a day or residential basis.

Question reference: S1W-24234

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to establish an open prison for women.

Question reference: S1W-24298

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 4 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for a young person to be placed in the Young People's Unit.

Question reference: S1W-24249

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive in which accounts HM Prison Kilmarnock appears as a "property asset", given that paragraph 4 of the Auditor General for Scotland's report in the Scottish Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts for 2000-01 states that the prison does not appear in the Scottish Prison Service's accounts as a "property asset".

Question reference: S1W-24075

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive when the full report on the cost of upgrading Peebles sheriff court will be made available and what factors, other than the cost of upgrading, will be taken into account in regard to the future of the court.