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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-12923

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 14 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8788 by Sarah Boyack on 21 August 2000, whether it was aware at that time that the Scottish Borders Tourist Board report which informed the Borders railway feasibility study's conclusions on tourism pre-dated the feasibility study by three years and looked only at the effect a train line from Edinburgh to Galashiels could have on tourism and, if not, whether it adheres to its position that a supplementary study looking at the potential impact on tourism of the reopening of the line from Edinburgh to Carlisle is not necessary.

Question reference: S1W-12925

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10209 by Sarah Boyack on 28 November 2000, whether, in the absence of any publicly available documentary evidence on the impact of a Borders railway on tourism other than the Scottish Borders Tourist Board report dating from 1996 on the effect of a train line from Edinburgh to Galashiels on tourism in the Scottish Borders and Midlothian, it will now convert the information obtained in the consultants' interviews into a publishable form and publish this information.

Question reference: S1W-12469

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 9 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9643 by Henry McLeish on 19 September 2000, how many textile-related projects have been developed by (a) the enterprise network and (b) the textile industry, and which of these projects are receiving or are to receive financial support, specifying the amount of support in each case.

We are determined to help the textile sector in its transition from volume manufacturing to higher added-value markets. Since the Scottish Textile Forum was established on 6 June last year, nearly £3 million of public support has been provided to the textile sector in Scotland. The Scottish Executive and its agencies have over this period provided: over £2 million towards retraining of those made redundant by textile companies; £300,000 in Regional Selective Assistance to textile companies; £10,000 to support companies attending London Fashion Week; £449,000 over two years for the cashmere club; £20,000 support for in-store promotion; £20,000 for the development of a website for the Scottish textile industry; £15,000 to support companies attending industry trend presentations; and £20,000 support for the development of a national textile action plan. The DTI has also provided £70,000 under their Engineering Technicians programme to raise skill levels in the Borders and are currently considering support for various other projects from Scottish companies. The £3 million figure does not include a £1.2 million DTI Faraday award for the UK-wide Technitex project led by Heriot-Watt University in Galashiels.

Question reference: S1W-12468

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 8 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been made available to the textile industry in the Borders since 6 June 2000.

Companies are supported by a very wide variety of programmes from the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Enterprise Networks and other public sector bodies. Scottish Enterprise Borders received an additional £2.3 million in the current year to help meet the challenges the area is facing, the third year of increased funding. The LEC estimates that this has helped it to provide some £700,000 to textile companies in the Borders since 6 June 2000. In addition, a Faraday award of £1.2 million has been awarded by the DTI to the Technitex project, a collaborative project across the UK led by Heriot Watt at Galashiels. The total value of support is dependent on the extent to which companies and other bodies involved in the industry come forward with eligible projects and proposals.

Question reference: S1W-12834

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 8 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11310 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 30 November 2000, whether any local authorities have to date made applications for funding for flood prevention schemes in future years and, if so, whether it will provide details of each proposed scheme and specify the amount of funding (a) sought and (b) awarded in each case.

The non-housing programme capital allocation to local authorities provides resources for various capital work projects, including flood prevention schemes.

In addition, subject to completing the statutory process under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961, supplementary allocation may be available for the construction of major flood prevention schemes (FPS). Recently, flood prevention schemes have been confirmed for Bridge of Earn, Moredun, Paisley, River Kelvin, Collier Street, Johnston and Weem Village.

Following requests by councils, supplementary allocations have been provided recently to:

Perth and Kinross Council for Bridge of Earn FPS (£0.75 million)

Renfrewshire Council for Moredun, Paisley FPS (£1 million); and

East Dunbartonshire Council for the River Kelvin FPS (£8 million).

The amounts provided fully met the councils' requests.A further request from Renfrewshire Council for a supplementary allocation of £1 million for the Collier Street, Johnston FPS has just been received and is being considered.

Question reference: S1W-12835

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 8 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding was allocated to flood protection schemes in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99 and (c) 1999-2000 and which applicants received funding in each of these years, specifying the amount awarded to each project in each year.

The single allocation which local authorities receive in support of their non-housing capital programme includes provision for, among other things, expenditure on flood prevention. Separately, following flooding in recent years, resources for this programme have been enhanced to cater for major flood prevention schemes. In response to requests from councils who had experienced severe flooding in their areas, additional funding was issued to councils to support the development of flood prevention measures as shown in the table:

1997-98	Renfrewshire Council	£1.0 million
1998-99	Moray Council	£0.4 million
	East Dunbartonshire Council	£0.3 million
	Renfrewshire Council	£0.3 million
	East Ayrshire Council	£1.2 million
1999-2000	Renfrewshire Council	£1.0 million

In addition, awards from the former Central Challenge Fund were made to East Ayrshire Council for flood prevention measures in Kilmarnock and to Perth and Kinross Council for construction of the Perth Flood Prevention Scheme:

1997-98	East Ayrshire Council	£1.47 million
	Perth and Kinross Council	£1.82 million
1998-99	East Ayrshire Council	£0.41 million
	Perth and Kinross Council	£4.4 million
1999-2000	Perth and Kinross Council	£7.1 million

Question reference: S1W-11880

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 8 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used to define prisoners as having mental health problems.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

Unlike mental disorder or illness where medical diagnostic categories may be applied, there are no established criteria for determining mental health problems of prisoners.Establishments operate multidisciplinary mental health teams, including medical and nursing psychologist, social work and other staff. Inpatient beds are provided in three hub establishments (Barlinnie, Perth and Polmont).

Question reference: S1W-12235

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 6 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government to seek a change in the rules for Crisis Loans so that an applicant need not apply in person in remote areas of Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-09539

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1W-4682 by Iain Gray on 25 April 2000, what plans it has to (a) collate information about local authority funding for the training of (i) lip readers and (ii) teachers of lip reading and (b) provide for the funding of such training in the future.

Iain Gray's response on 25 April 2000 to Mr Duncan Hamilton informed him that no funding would be available from the Scottish Executive in the years 1999-2000 and 2000-01 to train (a) lip readers and (b) teachers of lipreading. The Scottish Executive did not know what funding was available for this purpose from local authorities or health boards as this information is not collected.Officials have now met with the Scottish Course to Train Tutors in Lipreading based at Donaldson's College, Edinburgh to explore the possibility of funding. Section 9 Grant under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 has now been awarded. This pump priming grant will provide a basis to extend local services and develop the links between Audiology Clinics and Further and Adult Education Provision.

Question reference: S1W-12426

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 26 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-2707 by Jackie Baillie on 14 December 2000, how many credit unions were extant in 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000 and in the current financial year; where those currently extant are located, and how many low cost insurance with rent schemes currently exist.

Figures on credit unions are available from the Registrar of Credit Unions now part of the Financial Services Authority. In 1997-98 the Registrar's annual report recorded that there were 124 credit unions in existence in Scotland. In 1998-99 this had risen to 135. The Registrar's report for 1999-2000 is not yet available but the FSA confirm that as of 16 January there were 138 credit unions registered in Scotland. The Registrar's report details the address of each credit union but aggregate figures are only provided for Scotland.

There are currently no details available on the number of low cost insurance schemes available but the Executive is in the process of establishing which local authorities provide such schemes. The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations operates a scheme on behalf of housing associations and approximately 80 housing associations participate.