- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 27 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many planned home births were not possible in 2002 due to staff shortages or rotas, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1163 by Mr Tom McCabe on 16 July 2003, whether its target of making ambulatory oxygen cylinders available on GP prescription by the end of the summer will be achieved.
Answer
Yes. We intend to make ambulatory oxygen cylinders a GP prescribable item by the end of the summer.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with an autistic spectrum disorder are held in (a) a prison or (b) secure accommodation.
Answer
The number is not known. This information is not collected in (a) prisons or (b) secure accommodation.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 15 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to legislate to ensure that women can access pregnancy termination services free from harassment by anti-abortion campaigners.
Answer
It is unacceptable that any woman exercising her right to seek a legal abortion within the Abortion Act 1967, or to ask for the prescription of legally licensed emergency contraception, should be obstructed or intimidated. However, there is already provision in Scots law for redress against harassment. Section 53 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 currently makes it an offence for two or more persons to obstruct the lawful passage of others in a public place and to fail to move away on being required to do so by a constable in uniform. The common law offence of "breach of the peace" may also cover any type of behaviour which causes alarm and distress that may arise from groups gathering together. Enforcement would be a matter for the police.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 14 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for a decision on the proposed closure of Craighead School by South Lanarkshire Council.
Answer
This is a matter for South Lanarkshire Council unless and until the proposed closure is referred to the Scottish ministers.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 12 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish regulations on unsuitable accommodation under the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1534 today, which is 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: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 12 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether section 9 of the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 provides a power to ban the provision of bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless families.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1534 today, which is 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: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will include proposals in its national sexual health strategy to fund the cost of providing free access to the morning-after pill at dispensing points.
Answer
The expert group, set up to take forward the development of a National Sexual Health Strategy for Scotland, are in the final stages of their work. We expect to receive their final report soon. We will then go out to wide public consultation on the report in the autumn, in the light of which the strategy will be finalised.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 12 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is regarding the placing of homeless families in bed and breakfast accommodation.
Answer
We expect all local authorities to end the inappropriate use of bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless families with children and progress is being monitored closely. As recommended by the Homelessness Task Force, existing guidance, developed in consultation with COSLA and others, requires councils to identify in their homelessness strategies actions and targets for eliminating the use of bed and breakfast for families. Strategies are being assessed at present. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 introduced a requirement on local authorities to have regard to the best interests of dependent children in exercising their homelessness functions. The Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 strengthens this requirement to make clear that the final accommodation provided must be suitable for occupation by such children so far as is consistent with their best interests. The power introduced to the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 by section 9 of the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003 would enable ministers to specify accommodation which is unsuitable for use as interim accommodation for homeless households. It is a broad power which can be exercised subject to conditions or exceptions and which can be used to make different provision for different purposes and different areas. As such regulations under section 9 could be used to specify bed and breakfast accommodation as unsuitable interim accommodation for families. The Executive will consult in due course on use of the regulatory power introduced by section 9 of the 2003 act. The timing of the consultation will be informed by the assessment of local authority homelessness strategies.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will include proposals in its national sexual health strategy to ensure there is equal access to pregnancy termination services across Scotland.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1529 today, which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.