- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the amount of payments made to agricultural producers in compensation for the effects of BSE.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally. BSE is a notifiable disease and cases are required to be notified to the Divisional Veterinary Manager at the local Animal Health Divisional Office of the State Veterinary Service, which operates throughout Great Britain. Since November 1988, 8,256 clinical cases of BSE have been notified in Scotland as at 20 September 2002. Compensation is paid at 100% of market value under the Transmittable Spongiform Encephalopathy (TSE) (Scotland) Regulations 2002. Compensation was increased from 50% to 100% in February 1990 and is paid by the Department of the Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs on behalf of all the GB Agriculture Departments. A further 75 cases of BSE in its pre-clinical phase have been detected in Scotland under the surveillance of fallen stock for bovines over 24 months. Compensation is not payable in these cases.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on increases in the net worth of agricultural producers from 1992 to date.
Answer
The Scottish Executive publishes figures on the net worth of Scottish agriculture each year in the
Economic Report on Scottish Agriculture (ERSA). The 2002 edition contains annual data back to 1993 (the 1992 figures can be found in the 2001 edition of ERSA). The same document also provides information on net worth by type and size of farm.ERSA can be accessed via the Scottish Executive website.The relevant editions of the economic report on Scottish agriculture can be found at the following addresses:ERSA 2002 Table A3;
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/agri/era2-06.asp ERSA 2001 Table A3;
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/agri/ersa01-07.asp.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the amount of payments made to agricultural producers in compensation for the effects of foot-and-mouth disease.
Answer
A total of 1,970 payments amounting to £177,033,102 were made to producers in Scotland by way of compensation for the loss of their animals culled due to foot-and-mouth disease.The Livestock Welfare Disposal Scheme and the Light Lamb Scheme paid out £13,058,811 and £1,895,147 for 119,164 animals and 187,861 light lambs respectively.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28692 by Mr Jim Wallace on 24 September 2002, whether the research for the review announced in April 2000 of the powers introduced in 1996 enabling the courts to impose aggravated sentences for offences committed while the offender was on bail will include consideration of the incidence of (a) failure to appear or be represented at court amongst accused persons admitted to bail, (b) offending by accused persons while admitted to bail and (c) intimidation of witnesses by accused persons while admitted to bail.
Answer
Aggravated sentences are only used to deal with offending while on bail and not other forms of bail abuse. Accordingly, the research is considering the incidence of and particularly the punishment imposed for offending while on bail.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it will give to legislation providing for a presumption of remand into custody where an accused person has tested positive for Class A drugs at arrest.
Answer
We have no immediate plans to consider making such provision in Scotland.We have, however, noted the proposal in the UK Government's recently published White Paper Justice for All to pilot such a presumption where a suspect tests positive for a class A drug at arrest but refuses treatment. We shall follow this pilot scheme with interest.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it has received from respondents to its consultation on the Scottish Prison Service Estates Review with postal addresses in the Strathkelvin and Bearsden constituency and of these responses how many expressed support (a) for the establishment of a new-build prison at the site of HM Prison Low Moss or (b) for an increase in the accommodation capacity for higher security category prisoners at the site of HM Prison Low Moss.
Answer
The information held by the Scottish Executive about respondents to the Prison Estates Review consultation is contained in the document Consultation Responses - Alphabetic Overview of the responses to the Scottish Executive Consultation on the Future of the Scottish Prison Estate, published by the Executive on 26 July 2002. A copy of that document is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 22959). That document includes the postal addresses of respondents where that information was supplied. In some cases, particularly where responses were provided by e-mail, respondents did not give their postal addresses.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 30 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, or plans to take, in order to ensure that current evidence and best practice on suicide prevention will be made widely available.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-29436 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 30 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it is giving to the introduction of national collaborative measures for the monitoring of non-fatal deliberate self-harm.
Answer
Information and Statistics Division, a division of the Common Services Agency, is currently working on an Improving Mental Health Information Programme which is addressing the monitoring of non-fatal deliberate self-harm. It is also planned that the Framework for the Reduction of Suicide and Self-harm, described in the answer to question S1W-29436 today, will include provision to ensure the collection of appropriate information on suicide and self-harm and dissemination of the results to local areas.All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 30 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, or considering, in order to promote mental well-being in the wider population.
Answer
The National Programme for Improving the Mental Health and Wellbeing of the Scottish Population, established in October 2001 and overseen by a National Advisory Group, (NAG) which I chair, is developing a range of initiatives to make progress on this vital component of our health improvement agenda. The programme's main objectives include raising awareness of mental health issues, promoting positive mental health, and the effective prevention of mental health problems. It links into initiatives both within and outwith the Executive, for example in the social justice, education and employment fields, to maximise the potential for mental health gain. This broad ranging approach is reflected in the membership of the NAG, which includes health, local authority, community, business, trades union and voluntary interests. An initial focus of the work is on early years, children and young people, workplace and communities. With initial funding of £4 million, current projects include an National Anti-Stigma Campaign which will be launched in October; the Breathing Space Helpline for people with low mood and depression, especially among young men; the Framework for the Prevention of Suicide and Self Harm, and a public attitude survey on mental health. Other initiatives include the development of a range of public mental health indicators; the establishment of a Public Mental Health/Mental Health Improvement library of evidence and practice, and a national project to help improve the mental health and well-being of communities and to support local community effort and capacity. A magazine Well? describing the aims of the programme has been issued widely and a copy has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 24027).
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 30 September 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will make available for promoting research on suicide and suicide prevention.
Answer
The Scottish Executive Health Department funds the Scottish work of the National Confidentiality Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness, a UK-wide study based at the University of Manchester. The first of the Inquiry's reports to include Scottish data "Safer Services" was published in 2001. The Inquiry Team is currently undertaking further research work and another report is expected in due course.The forthcoming Framework for the Reduction of Suicide and Self-harm in Scotland will include financial provision for the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Executive to commission appropriate research into the causes and effective prevention of suicide and self-harm.