- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 14 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed reduction or removal of funding to the Scottish Pre-school Playgroup Association by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer
It is entirely a matter for each local authority to establish its expenditure priorities within the budget available to it. It would not be appropriate for ministers to intervene in the individual spending decisions of a council.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 14 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the proposed reduction or removal of funding to Who Cares? Scotland by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer
I hope that it will be possible for Borders Council to resolve its budget difficulties without reducing funding to voluntary bodies carrying out important work. However, it is entirely a matter for each local authority to establish its expenditure priorities within the budget available to it. It would not be appropriate for ministers to intervene in the individual spending decisions of a council.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22102 by Mr Jim Wallace on 21 January 2002, whether the contracting out to a specialist provider of the escorting of prisoners will result in reduction in the staffing levels of prison officers and, if so, what the projected reduction is.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:The restructuring of prisoner escort arrangements will mean that the SPS will, over time, need about 200 fewer prison officer posts, but all our staff have been given a firm undertaking that that there will be no compulsory redundancies: any surplus staff will be suitably re-deployed.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 12 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21536 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 21 January 2002, when an offer of Regional Selective Assistance was made to Manpower plc, Selkirk; when that offer was accepted; what the total amount of the offer was, and to what conditions any payments will be subject and when they will be made.
Answer
An offer of Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) was made to Manpower in November 2000. The company has still to formally accept this offer. Details of the amount of RSA offers is made public in Labour Market Trends when the first instalment has been paid to a company; until then this remains commercially confidential. Similarly, details of the conditions attached to any offer are part of a contract between the company and the Scottish Executive and remain confidential.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 11 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of any impact of funding cuts by Scottish Borders Council, reported in The Southern Reporter on 24 January 2002, on voluntary organisations that provide essential services throughout the council area and what action it plans to take in respect of such cuts.
Answer
The funding of voluntary organisations by local authorities is a matter for individual local authorities to decide in light of local circumstances and priorities. However, the Executive has made a generous local authority settlement this year and our notification of indicative three-year funding should enable local authorities to plan their funding of local groups.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds the Young People's Unit in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital has; how many of these are currently available; what criteria are used in allocating the beds, and how the beds are currently allocated, broken down by each parliamentary constituency within the area covered by the unit.
Answer
As at 28 January 2002, there were 12 beds in the Young People's Unit in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital. Of these, nine are currently occupied (five by patients from NHS Lothian's area, three from NHS Forth Valley and one from NHS Borders). The beds are allocated on the basis of clinical need and priority. Funding for the unit is contributed on the basis of NHS Lothian having access to six beds, and NHS Forth Valley and NHS Borders having access to two beds each. The additional two beds are for the use of all Scottish NHS Boards, and give added flexibility to meet need.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the planned closures of swimming pools in Jedburgh, Eyemouth and Selkirk following recently announced cuts by Scottish Borders Council, reported in The Southern Reporter on 24 January 2002, and what measures it will take to prevent these closures.
Answer
It is entirely a matter for each local authority to establish its expenditure priorities within the budget available to it. It would not be appropriate for ministers to intervene in the individual spending decisions of a council.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies for positions in the Young People's unit in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital there currently are, broken down by post.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally. Information on vacancies for consultant and staff grade posts is collected at board and trust level only.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people are currently on the waiting list for the Young People's Unit in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
Answer
There are 88 young people currently on the Young People's Unit waiting list.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the planned withdrawal of core funding for the Gala Youth Project, reported in The Southern Reporter on 24 January 2002, and, in light of the number of young people in difficulty supported by the project, the support for the project of educationalists and the police and the possible closure of the project on 31 March 2002, what action it will take on the matter.
Answer
It is for each council to establish its expenditure priorities within unhypothecated resources available to it. It would not be appropriate for ministers to intervene in such circumstances.However, I am aware that Gala Youth Project was part of the bid put forward by Scottish Borders for resources allocated to drugs projects under the Changing Children's Services Fund. We understand that the full funding allocated by the Executive for the first year has been passed on to the Gala Youth Project. Officials will be seeking clarification from the council on the use of the resources to be allocated in years two and three of the project.
