- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5066 by Susan Deacon on 21 March 2000, why it considers it unnecessary to hold information on measures to detect osteoporosis centrally and whether it will arrange for details of any measures taken to detect osteoporosis at a local level to be held centrally.
Answer
Strategies for the care of patients with a wide variety of conditions, including osteoporosis, are the responsibility of health boards and their associated NHS Trusts, who are best suited to assess local needs. If the Scottish Executive required detailed reports on every aspect of patient care for every condition from boards and Trusts it would be a very time-consuming and therefore costly exercise. I am not convinced that this would be a good use of NHS funds.
Guidance to help health boards devise their strategies was issued by the Health Department in 1997, in the form of a Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) on osteoporosis. This gave the conclusions of a group of experts drawn from within the NHS on the current situation in Scotland, a review of recent research, and options for the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any Scottish Minister could allow his or her name to be associated with any particular company or businesses by authorising the use of his or her photograph on its products.
Answer
Scottish Ministers are expected to behave in accordance with the provisions of the Scottish Ministerial Code. One of the provisions is that they are expected to order their affairs so that no conflict arises or is thought to arise between their private interests (financial or otherwise) and their public duties.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 5 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive in what ways it supports the work of Young Enterprise Scotland and what measures it will introduce to allow secondary school pupils to gain experience in business.
Answer
The Executive is highly supportive of the work of Young Enterprise Scotland in its efforts to promote enterprise in schools and support the development of "core" skills. We are particularly encouraged by the degree of private sector involvement in the organisation. Education for Work and Enterprise in schools is delivered in a variety of ways and by a wide range of bodies. The agenda includes programmes offering practical work experience for secondary school pupils, curriculum guidelines on delivering enterprise education and support for the National Centre: Education for Work and Enterprise which provides strategic direction to the agenda.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 5 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a progress report on the Digital Scotland Task Force.
Answer
The Digital Scotland Task Force published its report on the Internet on 22 May, and invited public comments on its recommendations. The public consultation period lasts until 30 June. The Scottish Executive will respond to the task force report as soon as possible thereafter, in the light of the results of the consultation.Full details of the task force report, relevant links, and arrangements for public consultation can be found on the Digital Scotland website at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/digitalscotland/.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor which indicates that an increased incidence of entrepreneurship among the total population of a country leads to a higher level of economic growth, what measures it will take to increase the level of entrepreneurship in Scotland and whether any such measures will be targeted at school pupils.
Answer
We have a number of positive measures in hand to encourage and increase the level of entrepreneurship in Scotland, including initiatives targeted at school pupils. The Education for Work and Enterprise agenda covers a wide range of school-based and other activities which are designed to raise awareness of the role of enterprise and entrepreneurship. For example, Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire Business Partnership has supported a range of enterprise activities designed to support the 5-14 curriculum. These include a "Mini Enterprise" programme for primary schools in Lanarkshire. In addition, the Achievers International programme supports the development of entrepreneurial skills through the innovative use of information technology.
Scottish Enterprise has also published a discussion paper detailing the progress made under the Business Birth Rate Strategy since its launch in 1993, and we are continuing to work with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise in improving their support for enterprise and business creation.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive in what ways it supports the work of The National Centre: Education for Work and Enterprise at Strathclyde University and whether it will offer further assistance.
Answer
The Executive were very heavily involved in the establishment of the National Centre in 1998. It came into being following an initiative by Brian Wilson MP who was then Minister for Education and Industry at the Scottish Office. The Executive continues to support the centre through core funding. There are no immediate plans to offer further financial support. Officials are in regular contact with the centre management to discuss on-going strategic and operational matters. It is anticipated that the good working relationship which exists between the Executive and the centre will continue.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has already taken to make enterprise education available to every primary school child and what steps it will take to make it available in the school year 2000-01.
Answer
At least one teacher in 80% of primary schools in Scotland has undertaken some training in delivering enterprise education. There are currently no plans to make enterprise education available to all primary schools in 2000-01. The curriculum in Scotland is not prescribed by statute but enterprise education can be delivered as part of a number of areas of the curriculum including, in particular, Environmental Studies.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated financial loss to public bodies and businesses was as a result of the "love-bug" computer virus.
Answer
The love-bug virus did not penetrate the Scottish Executive virus protection system and therefore no financial loss was incurred.
We have no ready means of making an estimate of any financial loss to businesses.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure protection for public bodies and businesses against problems resulting from possible computer viruses similar to the recent "love-bug" computer virus.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's virus protection system has been enhanced to cope with the "Iloveyou" virus and all its known variants and clones.
The Executive continue to liaise with other Government agencies regarding all IT security issues including viruses but is not directly responsible for the physical protection of their IT systems.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its plans to promote e-commerce in the light of problems arising from the recent "love-bug" computer virus.
Answer
The "Iloveyou" virus was spread by e-mail, which is not the main vehicle for e-commerce transactions.