- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 1 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what information is normally recorded in cases where the cause of death is recorded as being alcohol-related.
Answer
Every death that occurs in Scotland is registered under the civil registration system which is operated by local councils on behalf of the Registrar General. The information collected and processed through the registration system creates the death registers of Scotland and these can be viewed by any member of the public. A computerised statistical record of the death registration is also created. This is used to answer customer and other enquiries and to produce the statistics that appear in the publications of the Registrar General. The statistical database can provide information at an individual level or data can be grouped together to provide counts for many different demographic or personal variables.
The registration process and the nature of the information that is required to register a death is the same for every death irrespective of the cause (or causes) of death. All causes of death that are recorded by the certifying doctor are coded according to the rules and regulations of the World Health Organization as defined in their publication The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems – Tenth Revision (ICD10).
There is no definitive methodology for deciding if a particular death was alcohol-related. The staff of the Registrar General normally use a pre-determined list of ICD10 codes to identify those causes of death regarded as being most directly the result of alcohol consumption. The list is not exhaustive and indeed the Office for National Statistics have just completed a consultation exercise seeking views or comments on an expansion of the list that they presently use to identify alcohol-related deaths. Depending on the outcome it is likely that Scotland will follow their recommendations for purposes of comparability.
The ICD10 codes that are normally used to answer questions about alcohol-related deaths cover key causes of death that are known to be associated with alcohol and comprise:
F10: Mental and behavioural disorders due to the use of alcohol.
I42.6: Alcoholic cardiomyopathy.
K70: Alcoholic liver disease.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 30 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, under the terms of the Memorandum of Understanding or other means of communication, it has been advised by the Foreign Office that it should now be admitted that an unknown number of rendition flights have used facilities at UK airports but that Her Majesty’s Government will refer to the US Secretary of State’s assurance that such flights are not used to carry prisoners to be tortured in sovereign regimes and, if investigations currently being pursued in other countries indicate that the US Secretary of State has been mistaken, what measures will be instigated in Scotland to prevent any complicity in the illegal transport of prisoners.
Answer
No such advice has been received by the Scottish Executive from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 30 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when the report on commencement of sections 25 to 29 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990 will be published, in light of the Minister for Justice’s statement on 29 September 2005 that it was due “shortly” (Official Report c. 19663).
Answer
The final report of the Research Working Group on the Legal Services Market in Scotland, which covers a range of issues including the possible commencement of sections 25 to 29 of the Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990, will be published as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 26 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the elevation of Baroness Clark of Calton to the Scottish bench, it will instigate discussions with HM Government in respect of any adjustment needed to the position and responsibilities of the Advocate General.
Answer
The Advocate General for Scotland is a member of the UK Government. The Office is established under the Scotland Act 1998. It is for the UK Government to determine whether any adjustment is required to the position and responsibilities. Any alteration in the position would require to be consistent with the Scotland Act.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 26 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of written evidence in respect of the safety implications of siting wind farms under air traffic routes from National Air Traffic Services Ltd to the Enterprise and Culture Committee’s Renewable Energy in Scotland inquiry, whether the Executive’s strategy to increase wind farms across Scotland, particularly in the central belt, may reach a point that compromises air passenger safety.
Answer
The safeguarding arrangements in the planning system in respect of aviation are there to ensure that no wind farm will be approved that would compromise air passengers.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
-
Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 18 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body when it will publish details of the Parliament’s energy performance, as required by the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive which came into force on 4 January 2006.
Answer
The SPCB is awaiting full guidance from the Scottish Building Standards Agency on how the energy performance of the Parliament should be calculated and published. In the meantime, we will continue to implement our environmental policy which aims to use energy efficiently and work towards ISO 14001 certification.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 23 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a list of all interdepartmental meetings held in 2005, giving attendees and dates, including those held under condition A2.3 of the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements.
Answer
Scottish Executive ministersand officials have held a large number of interdepartmental meetings, both withinthe Scottish Executive and with ministers and officials of the UK Government andthe Devolved Administrations, throughout 2005. The details of these are not heldcentrally.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 9 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the proceedings of meetings of joint ministerial committees and sub-committees, given that the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 is now operational.
Answer
Publication of theproceedings of Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) or sub committee meetings mustbe agreed jointly by those in attendance and are published by the UK Governmentin the form of a communiqué on behalf of all parties. These appear on thefollowing website:
http://www.dca.gov.uk/constitution/devolution/jmc.htm.Paragraph A1.11 of theMemorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UKGovernment and the devolved administrations describes the remit and structureof the Joint Ministerial Committee. It provides that "the proceedings ofeach meeting of the JMC will be regarded as confidential by the participants,in order to permit free and candid discussion,” and therefore the issues discussed at each meeting are not necessarilydisclosed.
The Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 includes provision to protect informationof this nature.
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Monday, 28 November 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 8 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the joint ministerial (a) committee and (b) sub-committee meetings held since May 2004, including attendees.
Answer
There have been no meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee since 1 May 2004.
The following table provides a complete list of Scottish Executive ministerial attendance at all Joint Ministerial Sub-Committee meetings that have taken place since 1 May 2004.
| Subject | Date | Venue | Scottish Minister |
| Europe | 27 May 2004 | London | Minister for Finance and Public Services |
| Europe | 23 June 2004 | London | No Executive Minister was able to participate |
| Europe | 20 July 2004 | London | No Executive Minister was able to participate |
| Europe | 14 September 2004 | London | Minister for Health and Community Care |
| Europe | 20 October 2004 | London | Minister for Parliamentary Business |
| Europe | 29 November 2004 | London | Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform |
| Europe | 24 January 2005 | London | Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning |
| Europe | 15 March 2005 | London | Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform |
| Europe | 25 May 2005 | London | Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform |
| Europe | 14 June 2005 | London | Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform |
| Europe | 14 September 2005 | London | Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform |
| Europe | 11 October 2005 | London | Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning |
| Europe | 14 November 2005 | London | Deputy Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform |
- Asked by: Margo MacDonald, MSP for Lothians, Independent
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2005
-
Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 3 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will update the Parliament on its efforts in helping the people of Malawi and Pakistan.
Answer
As announced by the First Minister on 2 November, following the first round of its International Development Fund, the Scottish Executive is providing £2.4 million over the next three years for 18 projects focused on Malawi.
In addition, we are in discussion with the Department for International Development about how we might provide direct support in response to the impending food shortages in Malawi.
With regard to Pakistan, as the Deputy First Minister reported at last week’s First Minister’s Questions, we have offered staff to the Disasters Emergency Committee to help out and we stand ready to respond to requests over the weeks and months ahead.
