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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.

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Question reference: S1W-26119

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2002
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 June 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average time is from GP referral to the first consultation with a neurologist in respect of a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease in each NHS board area.

The information requested is not held centrally. Data on waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant is collected at speciality level only. The median waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant in Neurology, following referral by a General Medical Practitioner, in the year ending 31 December 2001, by NHS board of residence, is given in the table.NHSScotland: Median Waiting Times for a First Out-patient Appointment with a Consultant in Neurology, Following Referral by a General Medical Practitioner, by NHS Board of Residence. Year Ending 31 December 2001^P

NHS Board	Median Wait
Argyll and Clyde	80 days
Ayrshire and Arran	97 days
Borders	78 days
Dumfries and Galloway	101 days
Fife	66 days
Forth Valley	70 days
Grampian	88 days
Greater Glasgow	95 days
Highland	59 days
Lanark	106 days
Lothian	28 days
Orkney	120 days
Shetland	97 days
Tayside	66 days
Western Isles	56 days
Scotland	69 days

^pProvisional.Source: ISD Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-26126

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2002
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 June 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what figures are available regarding the number of threats, assaults and other criminal activity involving sub-postmasters.

Question reference: S1W-26123

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2002
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 5 June 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered, or will consider, making business advisers available to sub-postmasters in rural and deprived urban areas, on a similar basis to the use of the #700,000 spent under the Phoenix Fund for such a scheme in England.

Responsibility for business support services in Scotland rests largely with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) networks. Access to business advisers for small businesses in Scotland, including sub-postmasters, is already available. It is accessible in the Scottish Enterprise area through the Small Business Gateway and in the HIE area by contacting the Local Enterprise Company (LEC) direct. Dedicated training for subpostmasters on business planning and diversification has been offered in a number of Scottish Enterprise LEC areas, and more is planned in the HIE area.

Question reference: S1W-25933

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 5 June 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the number of summary criminal trials adjourned in advance of the trial date due to the unavailability of police officers.

Police officers inform the procurator fiscal, in the report which they submit, of any dates on which they will not be available. Procurators Fiscal take that information into account in accepting suggested trial diets. Lothian and Borders Police are, with the co-operation of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Scottish Court Service piloting arrangements for police rostering, leave and availability to be checked immediately before trials are fixed. Early indications are that significant reductions in adjournments are being achieved as a result. Grampian Police are also, with the co-operation of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Scottish Court Service, piloting a similar process but one based on direct computer access in court. Such measures are designed to ensure that, so far as possible, trial dates are fixed when police officers will be available.

Question reference: S1W-25925

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 5 June 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service prioritise cases; whether there is any guidance to staff of these offices on how to prioritise cases, and whether any such guidance will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

The training received and written guidance held by procurators fiscal identifies particular classes of case as generally requiring priority. These include, for example, cases involving children, cases in which the accused is in custody and cases in which a time bar is approaching. The allocation of priorities as between the several cases which a given member of staff or a given office requires to deal with at a particular time is a matter for professional judgement in light of training and experience and depends on consideration of all of the circumstances of each case.

Question reference: S1W-25919

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 5 June 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25069 by Colin Boyd on 29 April 2002, what steps it is taking to reduce the number of cases marked "no proceedings" as a result of delay by the police and other reporting agencies.

Question reference: S1W-25918

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 5 June 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25069 by Colin Boyd on 29 April 2002, what the reason is for the rise in the number of cases marked "no proceedings" as a result of delay by the police and other reporting agencies since 1998-99.

Question reference: S1W-25927

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 5 June 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reason is for the decline in the number and proportion of cases reported to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service being sent to the district court since 1997-98.

Question reference: S1W-25921

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 5 June 2002

Question reference: S1W-25922

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 May 2002
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 5 June 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25069 by Colin Boyd on 29 April 2002, what the reason is for the rise in the number of cases marked "no proceedings" due to a time-bar under section 136 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 since 1998-99.