- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 3 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15009 by Fergus Ewing on Wednesday 3 September 2008, whether it will list the occasions on which each minister has met Mr Osama Saeed of the Scottish Islamic Foundation in that or any other capacity, also showing the location of the meeting and what topics were discussed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15009 on 3 September 2008. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 3 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to address the fact that NHS Lothian has the highest number of delayed discharges of any NHS board as of October 2008.
Answer
The Lothian NHS/local authority partnership, along with every partnership in Scotland, achieved the target to have no-one delayed outwith the agreed six week discharge planning period at April 2008. This has risen in Lothian, which had 27 such delays at October. This compares with 55 at October 2007 and 119 at October 2006. The figures peaked at July 2002 when there were 319 patients delayed in Lothian for longer than six weeks.
The principal reasons for delay in Lothian were awaiting care home place availability and awaiting social care assessments.
I expect the partners in Lothian, and all partnerships who are not sustaining the zero level, to be back on track at the January census.
The Joint Improvement Team has been invited to help tackle the problem in East Lothian.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 3 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when (a) ministers and (b) officials have met UK ministers or officials from the Home Office to discuss identity cards and what concerns were expressed at the meetings.
Answer
Ministers have been in communication with the Home Office both by telephone and by letter throughout the year. These communications have explored the implications for Scotland of the National Identity Scheme and latterly, the launch of ID cards for foreign nationals.
In October, at the request of the IPS, Scottish Government officials met with IPS officials to discuss if and how the ID card proposals might impact on the functions of Scottish ministers. No decisions were made at that meeting and the discussions have not yet concluded.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 1 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much radioactive waste from Hunterston B and Torness power stations has been sent to England for storage since May 2007.
Answer
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) authorises disposals of radioactive waste for treatment, storage and disposal from sites in Scotland, including Hunterston B and Torness, under the Radioactive Substances Act 1993. Copies of these authorisations, on which SEPA consults publicly, are available on request by telephoning SEPA on 01786 457 700. This information is therefore not held centrally.
Information on specific radioactive waste disposal shipments made under such authorisations is held by the operators of the individual sites.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 1 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to involve former MSPs in its work.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to involving the whole of Scottish society in its work, and does so through mechanisms such as public consultation and by drawing on the specialist knowledge and expertise which particular individuals with experience of the private, public and third sectors have to offer.
This approach to government is exemplified not only by the National Conversation, which has reached out to citizens and communities across Scotland, but also by the work of independent bodies such as the Scottish Broadcasting Commission (both Henry McLeish and Chris Ballance served as members of the Scottish Broadcasting Commission, as did two former MPs - Lord Fraser of Carmyllie and the late Baroness Michie of Gallanach) and the Scottish Prisons Commission (chaired by Henry McLeish).
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 27 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail all occasions when Cabinet ministers, including the First Minister, have met newspaper editors since May 2007.
Answer
The detailed information requested is currently being collated and I will write to the member as soon as the information is available. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47031).
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 27 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the rise and fall in the oil price; how that information is relayed to ministers, and at what frequency and level of detail.
Answer
Government Officials monitor changes in the price of oil on a daily basis and report changes to ministers, normally on a weekly basis. If significant variations occur then they are informed more frequently.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 27 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what official engagements were undertaken by each member of the Cabinet between 1 October and 6 November 2008.
Answer
The detailed information requested is currently being collated and I will write to the member as soon as the information is available. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47030).
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 27 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when the oil fund study referred to by the First Minister on BBC Scotland’s Politics Show on Sunday 8 June 2008 was set up; who sits on the body; whether the minutes are publicly available; what the budget is, and when it expects to report to the Parliament.
Answer
The report is being compiled internally by officials in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser. There are no additional budgetary costs. The work is ongoing and will report to the Parliament in due course.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 November 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many officials were involved in the preparation of the speech on identity cards delivered by Fergus Ewing on 19 November 2008 (Official Report c. 12499) and from which directorate.
Answer
One official, from the Public Service Reform Directorate, Identity and Privacy Policy Branch, prepared the speech, supported by two members of that Branch.
