SCOTS Project - www.scottishcorpus.ac.uk Document : 1183 Title : Scottish Parliament: Business Bulletin 42/1999 Author(s): Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Copyright holder(s): Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body: © Scottish Parliamentary copyright material is reproduced with the permission of the Queen's Printer for Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. Text BUSINESS BULLETIN 42/1999 Thursday 26 August 1999 Section B – Business Programme Section D – Oral questions selected for answer on 2 September 1999 Section E - New written questions lodged between 23 August 1999 and 25 August 1999 Section F - Motions and Amendments lodged between 23 August 1999 and 25 August 1999 Section G - Bills, amendments to Bills and proposals for members’ Bills Section H - Documents laid before the Parliament between 23 August 1999 and 25 August 1999 Section I – Progress of Parliamentary business Section J - Progress of Parliamentary business BUSINESS BULLETIN 42/1999 Thursday 26 August 1999 Section B – Business Programme Section B – Business Programme As agreed by the Parliament on Wednesday 1 September 2.30 pm Business Motion followed by Executive Business 5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members’ Business Thursday 2 September 9.30 am Executive Business 2.30 pm Question Time 3.00 pm Open Question Time followed by, no later than 3.15 pm Executive Business 5.00 pm Decision Time followed by Members’ Business BUSINESS BULLETIN 42/1999 Thursday 26 August 1999 Section D – Oral questions selected for answer on 2 September 1999 Question Time 1. Michael Russell: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it still endorses the contents of The Scotland Bill: A Guide, published by The Scottish Office in December 1997. (S1O-203) 2. Duncan McNeil: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will congratulate Inverclyde Council and their partners on the staging of the recent Tall Ships event in Greenock. (S1O-204) 3. Elaine Thomson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement on how it intends to use the internet to provide assistance for business start-ups. (S1O-231) 4. Bristow Muldoon: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make available resources to improve the frequency and quality of services on the Edinburgh-Shotts-Glasgow railway line. R (S1O-225) 5. Fiona McLeod: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to implement an integrated information strategy for Scotland. R (S1O-207) 6. Johann Lamont: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to monitor the effectiveness of town and city centre closed-circuit television systems. (S1O-223) 7. Cathie Craigie: To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has provided to enable improvements to be made to the Glasgow to Cumbernauld rail link and whether it intends to fund any new stations on this route. (S1O-222) 8. Alex Neil: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has set targets for the elimination of poverty in Scotland. (S1O-192) 9. Karen Gillon: To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to improve the frequency of bus services in Lanarkshire. (S1O-219) 10. Dr Richard Simpson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish an audit of the Parliamentary Questions it has been asked, broken down by MSP and topic. (S1O-206) 11. Mary Scanlon: To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it intends to take to address the decline in the numbers of tourists visiting Scotland. (S1O-233) 12. Bill Aitken: To ask the Scottish Executive how it will deal with submissions and responses to the Green Paper Investing in Modernisation – an Agenda for Scotland’s Housing. (S1O-221) 13. Bruce Crawford: To ask the Scottish Executive how many storage units exist in Scotland containing animal remains resulting from the BSE cattle cull and what are their locations. (S1O-201) 14. Karen Whitefield: To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve public services for the disabled. (S1O-226) 15. Ms Margo MacDonald: To ask the Scottish Executive if it is aware of new employment opportunities identified by the Local Enterprise Companies covering the Forth Valley, Fife and Lothian areas. (S1W-245) 16. Margaret Jamieson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement on what provision is being made to promote the take up of warm deal grants to pensioners and families on low incomes. (S1O-238) 17. Tavish Scott: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is working with the Ministry of Defence in preparing a plan for economic aid to the islands of Unst to help replace the jobs to be lost at the RAF Saxa Vord base, and when an announcement on the plan will be made to the people of Unst. (S1O-191) 18. Phil Gallie: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will examine public perceptions of the treatment of victims of crime by the judicial system. (S1O-239) 19. Mr John Munro: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that the Skye Bridge Company will reduce the toll on the bridge over the winter months, as in previous years. (S1O-244) 20. Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to be able to make an announcement with regard to lifting the beef-on-the-bone ban. (S1O-205) 21. Fergus Ewing: To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the level of fuel prices is having upon the number of visitors to the Highlands and Islands of Scotland this season and what steps it will take to address this issue. (S1O-198) 22. Nicola Sturgeon: To ask the Scottish Executive which elements of public spending on education and childcare in Scotland are not devolved to the Scottish Parliament. (S1O-243) 23. Andrew Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive what planned expenditure by The Scotland Office is included in the Scottish Budget in each year from 1999-2000 forward, in real terms, when this information was first published, and where. (S1O-216) 24. Donald Gorrie: To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the importance for voluntary youth bodies of it paying the proposed £10 charge for police checks on people working with young people. (S1O-211) 25. Ben Wallace: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans the it has for the future funding of Tourist Boards. (S1O-224) 26. Mr Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of its power to give grants for rail services, what representations it intends to make to Her Majesty’s Government in order to ensure that Scotland has adequate independent representation on the Strategic Rail Authority. (S1O-215) 27. Tricia Marwick: To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place in Scotland for the disposal of cattle over the age of 30 months that have been culled as part of the programme to eradicate BSE. (S1O-210) 28. Mr Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve rail services in Scotland. (S1O-214) 29. Mr Brian Monteith: To ask the Scottish Executive what is the average cost per pupil for primary school pupils attending schools with 65 or less pupils. (S1O-234) 30. Irene McGugan: To ask the Scottish Executive what in outline is the role of the Food Standards Agency in Scotland and the nature and degree of its areas of responsibility. (S1O-202) Open Question Time 1. Mr Alex Salmond: To ask the Scottish Executive what are the details of its transport policy. (S1O-194) 2. David McLetchie: To ask the Scottish Executive how its guidelines on collective decision making will improve the governance of Scotland. (S1O-236) 3. Malcolm Chisholm: To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take in relation to funding the Scottish Civic Forum. (S1O-200) BUSINESS BULLETIN 42/1999 Thursday 26 August 1999 Section E - Written questions lodged between 23 August and 25 August 1999 S1W-741 Robin Harper: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement regarding the justification for the genetic crop research being carried out in Scotland, and give an assurance that no experiment in respect of such research will endanger or compromise any near or adjacent organic farming enterprise. S1W-1017 Tricia Marwick: To ask the Scottish Executive what stores in Scotland are being used to store rendered material from 30 month old cattle as part of the programme to eradicate BSE and what are the names of the contractors responsible for the storage facilities. S1W-1018 Tricia Marwick: To ask the Scottish Executive what is the estimate of the number of tonnes of rendered material from 30 month old cattle currently being stored in Scotland and how many cattle this represents. S1W-1019 Tricia Marwick: To ask the Scottish Executive which of its departments was responsible for the awarding of contracts relating to the storage of rendered material from 30 month old cattle and when the contracts were awarded. S1W-1020 Tricia Marwick: To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are in place for the safe storage of rendered material from 30 month old cattle and what agency is responsible for the monitoring of the storage facilities. S1W-1021 Tricia Marwick: To ask the Scottish Executive what is the estimate of the length of time for which rendered material from 30 month old cattle will remain in store and what arrangements are being made for incineration of this material. S1W-1022 Mr Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be used in deciding the future of the Paediatric Cardiac Surgery Service in Scotland; who will be advising it on this issue; with whom consultation on this issue has taken or will take place, and when a final decision on the Service’s future will be made. S1W-1024 Dr Elaine Murray: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to designate the A701 Edinburgh to Moffat road as (a) a scenic trail or (b) an alternative tourist route. S1W-1025 Dr Elaine Murray: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to upgrade the A7 Carlisle to Edinburgh route, and in particular to tackle the problem of traffic congestion and public safety in Langholm. S1W-1026 Dr Elaine Murray: To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of the financial aid provided to local Women’s Aid groups (a) in total and (b) as received by each group over the past two years, and whether it plans to disburse funds directly to local Women’s Aid Groups in future years. S1W-1027 Dr Elaine Murray: To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of the additional funding made available to local authorities for repairs to school buildings since May 1997. S1W-1028 Dr Elaine Murray: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the indicators of social deprivation to take into account rural population patterns. S1W-1029 Alex Neil: To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of the expenditure on external contracts for public relations and lobbying activities by each of the Non Departmental Public Bodies for which it is responsible for each of the past two years and their respective budgets for the current financial year. S1W-1030 Alex Neil: To ask the Scottish Executive to provide a breakdown of the expenditure to date, including the allowance element, on each New Deal programme other than the New Deal for Young People in Scotland. S1W-1031 Alex Neil: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-303 and S1W-304 by Henry McLeish on 29 July 1999, whether the maximum percentage of employers who have signed a New Deal employer agreement in Scotland and have also recruited a New Deal employee is 29%, and if so what steps are being taken to encourage the other 71% to recruit. S1W-1032 Alex Neil: To ask the Scottish Executive to publish, by option, the latest available destination statistics for the New Deal for Young People and the other New Deal programmes. S1W-1033 Alex Neil: To ask the Scottish Executive what are the performance and impact measurements in place to monitor the success of the New Deal for Young People and the other New Deal programmes. S1W-1034 Alex Neil: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-302 by Henry McLeish on 29 July 1999, how many employers recruited the 5,570 people who obtained employment through the New Deal Gateway and how many of these employers had not signed a New Deal employer agreement prior to this recruitment. S1W-1035 Alex Neil: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-304 by Henry McLeish on 29 July 1999, how many employers have been involved in recruiting the 2,530 young people who have joined the New Deal employer option. S1W-1036 Alex Neil: To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of young people who have completed their 6 month period on the New Deal were in the same employment 13 weeks later. S1W-1037 Alex Neil: To ask the Scottish Executive whether the rules governing the membership of Local Enterprise Company Boards precludes the appointment of anyone who is a director of a lobbying company. S1W-1038 Alex Neil: To ask the Presiding Officer whether individuals, organisations and companies to be called to provide evidence to Parliamentary Committees will be required to formally declare any interests which they may have relating to the relevant subject matter prior to being interviewed or questioned by the Committee. S1W-1039 Mr Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the five main causes of death for males and females in Scotland aged 35 or younger, for the years 1984-1985 to 1998-1999. S1W-1040 Mr Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Executive why the white paper "Towards a Healthier Scotland" does not mention the issue of suicide and any co-ordinated action to prevent it. S1W-1041 Mr Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out seeking an explanation for the increased incidence of suicide among young people in Scotland in recent years. S1W-1042 Mr Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reduce the incidence of suicide in Scotland. S1W-1043 Mr Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Presiding Officer how the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body proposes to enforce the ban on MSPs and staff smoking in Parliament Headquarters. S1W-1044 Mr Duncan Hamilton: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the Department of Media, Culture and Sport in regard to ensuring that digital television coverage extends to all parts of the Highlands and Islands. S1W-1045 Robert Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive what financial provision it intends to make to enable further education colleges operating from unsuitable buildings to provide purpose-built campuses. S1W-1046 Robert Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take to ensure that further education colleges are advised of their annual financial allocations at an earlier stage than is currently the case. S1W-1047 Robert Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding the Scottish Further Education Funding Council has available to bring financial stability to further education colleges in the current financial year and what the procedure is for allocating these funds between colleges, including the precise basis for allocation. S1W-1048 Robert Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify, for each of the last 6 years, (a) the total number of students attending further education colleges in Scotland, broken down into full-time and part-time students (b) the total amount of capital and revenue support provided to further education colleges in Scotland, including the amount of money which is ring-fenced for specific purposes and (c) the number of further education colleges in Scotland showing a financial deficit and the amount of such deficit; and to specify the planned levels of financial support for further education colleges in Scotland over the next 3 years. S1W-1049 Christine Grahame: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is in possession of a copy of the Department of Trade and Industry’s report of its investigation into the closure of the Viasystems plant in the Scottish Borders and, if so, whether it will make a copy of this report available. S1W-1050 Christine Grahame: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government requesting that the Department of Trade and Industry reopen its investigation into the closure of the Viasystems plant in the Scottish Borders in order to investigate whether any Viasystems actions were in breach of the regulations governing the payment of Regional Selective Assistance. S1W-1051 Mr Duncan Hamilton: To ask the Scottish Executive when the Prescription Pricing Division of the Common Services Agency of the Scottish Health Service will begin the testing of its new prescription computer system, how long the testing process will take and when it will be completed. S1W-1052 Mr Duncan Hamilton: To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency plans are in place in the event of the new computer system in the Prescription Pricing Division of the Common Services Agency of the Scottish Health Service not being fully operational in time for the Prescription Pricing Division to be code blue for year 2000 compliance. S1W-1053 Mr Andrew Welsh: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received a copy of the Tayside University Hospital Trust working group report on the Stracathro Hospital Services and whether it will make public both this report and its response. S1W-1054 Mr Andrew Welsh: To ask the Scottish Executive what new investment in the Stroke Unit at Stracathro Hospital is planned. S1W-1055 Mr Kenneth Macintosh: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support the role of voluntary sector infrastructure bodies in building the capacity of excluded communities and helping them address the social problems which they face. S1W-1056 Mr Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Executive why survival rates for patients admitted following a stroke are significantly lower at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy Acute Hospital Trust than the Scottish average, to provide an explanation for the wide variation in survival rates in such cases across Scotland, and what plans it has to improve survival rates in such cases across all Scottish hospitals, particularly those with the lowest survival rates. S1W-1057 Euan Robson: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the current court running costs per case for the Edinburgh, Duns, Haddington, Jedburgh, Peebles and Selkirk courts in the categories of overall, solemn work and summary work. S1W-1058 Euan Robson: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the prosecution costs per case for the Edinburgh, Duns, Haddington, Jedburgh, Peebles and Selkirk courts in the categories of overall, solemn work and summary work. S1W-1059 Phil Gallie: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-900 by Mr Jim Wallace on 18 August 1999, whether emergency legislation to address the issues raised by the case of Noel Ruddle will be ready to introduce on 1 or 2 September. S1W-1060 Pauline McNeill: To ask the Scottish Executive how rising crime will be managed following the reported shortfall in the number of police officers employed in Scotland. S1W-1061 Pauline McNeill: To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is an intention to increase the number of civilians working in the police force in the future. S1W-1062 Pauline McNeill: To ask the Scottish Executive what steps will be taken to encourage other bus companies to follow the "overground" initiative announced by the First Bus Group in Glasgow this week. S1W-1063 Nicola Sturgeon: To ask the Scottish Executive to provide an estimate of pre-school grant payments to each local authority in (a) 1998-1999 and (b) 1999-2000. S1W-1064 Brian Adam: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce legislation relating to mental health issues other than the proposed Incapable Adults (Scotland) Bill. S1W-1065 Brian Adam: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to amend the Environmental Protection Act (1990) to give Environmental Protection Officers power to require a person to give their name and address in order to enforce penalties for littering. S1W-1066 Brian Adam: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to allocate funds to universities to develop techniques to produce new products out of recyclable waste. S1W-1067 Bruce Crawford: To ask the Scottish Executive how many contractors have already been paid for disposing of rendered material from the BSE cattle cull, who these contractors are, and how much each has been paid. S1W-1068 Bruce Crawford: To ask the Scottish Executive how it is intending to dispose of the rendered material from the BSE cattle cull which still remains in storage and what the estimated cost of disposing of the remaining materials is. S1W-1069 Bruce Crawford: To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of rendered material from the BSE cattle cull are currently held in storage and how much does it cost per storage location per month to store this material. S1W-1070 Bruce Crawford: To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of rendered material from the BSE cattle cull have been disposed off and what method has been used for its disposal. S1W-1071 Bruce Crawford: To ask the Scottish Executive whether any material from the BSE cattle cull other than rendered material has been disposed of and, if so, what was this material and how was it disposed of. S1W-1072 Bruce Crawford: To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of rendered material from the BSE cattle cull have been disposed of by dispersal on land. S1W-1073 Alex Neil: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to merge Local Enterprise Companies anywhere in Scotland with the economic or business development departments of local authorities. S1W-1074 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines are in place to ensure that there is no cross-pollination between fields involved in the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials and fields growing non genetically modified commercial crops. S1W-1075 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-164 by Ross Finnie on 23 June 1999, how many times the Ministerial Committee on Rural Development has met to date; how often its meetings are held; what subjects have been discussed, and what action has resulted from the meetings of the Committee. S1W-1076 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-136 by Ross Finnie on 17 June 1999, what consultation has taken place with regard to a replacement for Rural Forum. S1W-1077 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the amount and market value of Intervention Board beef held in Scotland on the first day of each calendar month since March 1996. S1W-1078 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the effects on the farming and the meat processing industries of (a) short-term and (b) long-term sales of Intervention Board beef; and whether it will make a statement on this matter. S1W-1079 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects a Scottish abattoir to be designated as "export only". S1W-1080 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it has had with Her Majesty’s Government regarding the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials on sites in Scotland. S1W-1081 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure the security and safety of sites in Scotland being used for the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials from environmental group interference; whether it will meet the cost of any security arrangements for these sites and, if so, what budgetary provision has been made for these costs. S1W-1082 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the total costs of the Scottish section of the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials it is contributing and, if this is less than 100%, what are the other funding sources. S1W-1083 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the number of Scottish sites involved in the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials, the location of each of these sites, the size of each site and the dates on which the trials commenced at each site. S1W-1084 Fergus Ewing: To ask the Scottish Executive when the "appointed day" in terms of clause 1 of the Scottish Law Commission’s draft Bill on the abolition of the feudal tenure will be. S1W-1085 Fergus Ewing: To ask the Scottish Executive to provide an estimate of the total annual value of feuduties exigible from properties in Scotland and the cost of collection. S1W-1086 Fergus Ewing: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-286 by Mr Jim Wallace on 30 June 1999, whether it will publish its proposed modifications to the Scottish Law Commission’s draft Bill on the abolition of feudal tenure and whether these will include changing the method of calculation of the amount of compensatory payment from that proposed in clause 9 of the draft Bill to a method using a fixed multiplier. S1W-1087 Fergus Ewing: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will require former superiors, who so wish, to claim compensation from former vassals within a shorter period than the two years proposed by the Scottish Law Commission and, if so, how long this period will be. S1W-1088 Fergus Ewing: To ask the Scottish Executive what legal expenses have been incurred by Highlands and Islands Enterprise in connection with the judicial review action raised by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) over the Cairn Gorm Funicular Railway, what sum has been awarded by way of judicial expenses and what sums have so far been paid in this respect by the RSPB and the WWF. S1W-1089 Michael Russell: To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that minority sports in Scotland are represented on sportscotland, given the opportunity that the two present vacancies offer to widen the range of sports involved in the management and supervision of the organisation. S1W-1090 Michael Russell: To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being made to ensure that sportscotland takes steps to recognise and encourage Scotland’s sporting heritage. S1W-1091 Michael Russell: To ask the Scottish Executive what means are being used to ensure that Scotland’s sporting heritage and culture is included in the Executive’s national cultural strategy. S1W-1092 Michael Russell: To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements are being made to ensure cross fertilisation between the focus group and consultation for the national cultural strategy and the work being done to implement the Sport 21 strategy. S1W-1093 Michael Russell: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that consultation and implementation of Sport 21 will include representatives of minority sports. S1W-1094 Michael Russell: To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with sportscotland regarding a re-location of their headquarters from Edinburgh. S1W-1095 Pauline McNeill: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to fund an equivalent Scottish audit to the Department of Health funded National Sentinel Audit into epilepsy-related deaths in England. S1W-1096 Christine Grahame: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will propose to Her Majesty’s Government that the appraisal methodology for Regional Selective Assistance be jointly reviewed in order to address the issues arising from the Viasystems case. S1W-1097 Colin Campbell: To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of the £3,500 fine levied on Edinburgh University in February 1999 for infringements of the Genetically Modified Organisms Regulations, it can assure the public that Scotland’s universities, institutes of further education, and research institutes are all currently meeting the highest standards of safety in their research into genetic modification. S1W-1098 Colin Campbell: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will obtain and publish details of all the infringements of the 1992 Genetically Modified Organisms Regulations which have taken place in Scottish universities and higher education and research institutes since these regulations came into force. S1W-1099 Donald Gorrie: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the amount of expenditure, adjusted for inflation, on Disabled Students’ Allowance for students in higher education in Scotland in each of the past ten years. S1W-1100 Donald Gorrie: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the amount of expenditure on tuition fees for students on full time higher education courses in Scotland in each of the last ten years (a) in cash terms and (b) adjusted for inflation. S1W-1101 Donald Gorrie: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the total numbers of higher education students in Scotland in each of the last ten years who (a) were in receipt of dependants’ allowance, and (b) had child dependants. S1W-1102 Donald Gorrie: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the amount of expenditure, adjusted for inflation, on the dependents’ allowance for students in higher education in Scotland in each of the last ten years. S1W-1103 Donald Gorrie: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the amount of expenditure, adjusted for inflation, on the standard maintenance allowance in Scotland in each of the ten years before its abolition. S1W-1104 Donald Gorrie: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the number of mature students (aged 26 and over) in full time higher education in Scotland in each of the last ten academic years. S1W-1105 Donald Gorrie: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the total number of students in full time education in Scotland in each of the past ten academic years. S1W-1106 Donald Gorrie: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify in constant terms, the amount spent on the mature students allowance in Scotland in each of the ten years prior to its abolition. S1W-1107 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish scientific, environmental and consumer health groups, were involved in the consultation period prior to the announcement of the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials. S1W-1108 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures have been undertaken to ensure that the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant crop trials in Scotland does not contravene EU Directive 96/220/EEC. S1W-1109 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring will be undertaken into the possible ecological effects from genetically modified organism cross-pollination outwith the trial sites during the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials in Scotland. S1W-1110 Hugh Henry: To ask the Scottish Executive what protocol exists for notifying constituency MSPs of Ministerial visits within a member’s constituency. S1W-1111 Hugh Henry: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will recognise Renfrewshire Council’s case for continued European Structural Funding when it is negotiating with Her Majesty’s Government. S1W-1112 Hugh Henry: To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take in the light of the recent comments on smoking by the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland. S1W-1113 Donald Gorrie: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the number of student award holders receiving Disabled Students’ Allowance in each of the past ten years. S1W-1114 Donald Gorrie: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-630 by Susan Deacon on 3 August 1999, whether it is satisfied with the accuracy of the reporting method used in the preparation of statistics such as those contained in the answer to S1W-630. S1W-1115 Mr Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review recent data indicating that internet websites encouraging suicide are contributing to the high level of suicides among young people in Scotland. S1W-1116 Mr Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to clarify the law relating to suicide in Scotland by introducing legislation similar to the Suicide Act 1961 or in any other way. S1W-1118 Richard Lochhead: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer given to question S1W-867 by John Home Robertson on 24 August 1999, who is representing the Scottish Executive and who is representing Her Majesty’s Government during discussions relating to the Memorandum of Understanding between Her Majesty’s Government and the Scottish Executive; when any discussion so far took place and when further discussions are scheduled; where the venue was for these discussions and what venues are planned for future discussions; whether any minutes were taken and, if so, when these minutes will be published; when a conclusion to these discussions is expected, and when discussions on the subsequent concordats are expected to begin and conclude. S1W-1119 Margaret Jamieson: To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce static permanent speed cameras on the A77 to improve road safety for users. S1W-1120 Margaret Jamieson: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to create a one stop registration for nursing homes and residential establishments. S1W-1121 Margaret Jamieson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish by Health Board area the costs of the programme of immunisation against Meningococcal C Infection. S1W-1122 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it is allocating to the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials on sites in Scotland. S1W-1123 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive what announcements it has made and what information it has released since 1 July 1999 regarding Scottish involvement in the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials. S1W-1124 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can withdraw from or implement a moratorium on Scottish participation in the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials and, if so, whether it will do so. S1W-1125 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive what announcements were made and what information was released regarding any commitments given in relation to Scottish participation in the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials in October 1998. S1W-1126 Alasdair Morgan: To ask the Scottish Executive what announcements were made and what information was released regarding the awarding of the contract to conduct the Scottish section of the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials to the Scottish Crop Research Institute in April 1999. S1W-1127 Mrs Margaret Ewing: To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to respond conclusively to the studies prepared by Moray Council in 1998 for the National Roads Directorate in relation to the A95 Keith to Aviemore route, a Route Accident Reduction Plan for the A95, and an Inception Report for traffic calming measures in Keith. S1W-1128 Mr Duncan Hamilton: To ask the Scottish Executive what is the timescale established by the Further Education Funding Council for the payment to companies running training courses in Further Education Colleges such as ASET (Accreditation Syndicate for Education and Training) course, and The Certificate in Drugs Awareness and how this differs from practice for English Further Education College courses. S1W-1129 Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Scottish Executive when it received notification of the lodging of an appeal on 8 July 1999 by Karl Tonner, currently residing at Carstairs State Hospital. S1W-1130 Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Scottish Executive when it received notification of the lodging of an appeal at Lanark Sheriff Court on 22 July 1999 by Brian Doherty, currently residing at Carstairs State Hospital. S1W-1131 Robert Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive to specify, for each of the last 3 years, the cost of administration to (a) the Student Awards Agency for Scotland, (b) the Student Loans Company and (c) further and higher education institutions of the assessment, collection and payment of student maintenance support and tuition fees. S1W-1132 Robert Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of introducing the new system of student tuition fees was, what the additional annual cost of the administration and collection of tuition fees is and what amount of tuition fees due in academic year 1998-99 remain uncollected. S1W-1134 Phil Gallie: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the question S1W-747 by Mr Colin Boyd on 10 August 1999, what current steps are being taken to bring a case against any persons who may be responsible for the death of Ian Godley, how many police officers are involved in the pursuit of further evidence and whether the police received any direction from the Crown Office on this matter. S1W-1135 Fiona McLeod: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the question S1W-579 by Susan Deacon on 23 August 1999, what steps it will take to ensure that the maximum waiting time guarantees correlate with the actual waiting times for outpatient appointments. S1W-1136 Michael Russell: To ask the Scottish Executive what measures will be contained in its proposed land reform legislation to prevent the type of cases seen in Lanarkshire and elsewhere, where house owners’ titles have been left vulnerable to challenge through no fault of their own, as a result of feudal land law or of parties taking positive measures to create exploitable defects in titles. S1W-1137 Michael Russell: To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take, prior to the enactment of relevant legislation, to curb the activities of those who profit by challenging the title of house owners whose title has been left vulnerable to such challenge, as seen recently in Lanarkshire. S1W-1138 Michael Russell: To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to assist house owners in Lanarkshire and elsewhere whose title has been left vulnerable to challenge and has been the subject of challenge as a result of feudal land law. S1W-1140 Bill Aitken: To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of the numbers of jobs involved and proposed dates of transfer of its Departments to different locations in Scotland. S1W-1141 Mr Brian Monteith: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had representations from student representatives requesting that it limits the number of places given to student representatives on the Independent Committee of Inquiry into Student Finance to one place, and if so from whom. S1W-1142 Mr Brian Monteith: To ask the Scottish Executive what is the level of administrative charge taken from the grant to partner providers in pre-school education by each local authority in Scotland. S1W-1143 Mr Brian Monteith: To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers have been dismissed in Scotland since 1992 for failing to maintain professional teaching standards, broken down by Local Authority. S1W-1144 Mary Scanlon: To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to address the problem of chlamydia in younger age groups. S1W-1145 Shona Robison: To ask the Scottish Executive what estimated level of abuse exists of the use of Orange badge parking spaces within each local authority area. S1W-1146 Shona Robison: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate whether the recent increase in fuel costs has had a disproportionate effect on the financial wellbeing of disabled people. S1W-1147 Shona Robison: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to amend the Census format to include questions on caring responsibilities. S1W-1148 Shona Robison: To ask the Presiding Officer what plans there are for disability awareness training for staff and members of the Scottish Parliament. S1W-1149 Shona Robison: To ask the Presiding Officer what plans there are for racial awareness training for staff and members of the Scottish Parliament. S1W-1150 Mary Scanlon: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the question S1W-100 by Susan Deacon on 19 July 1999, what specific measures have been taken by Health Boards and NHS Trusts to address bed-blocking in the light of the anticipated increase in admissions over the Millennium period. S1W-1151 Mr Kenneth Gibson: To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of Scottish Exports to European Union and non European Union destinations is exported directly from Scottish ports. S1W-1152 Mr David Davidson: To ask the Scottish Executive what support it intends to give to the campaign to maintain the facility of RAF Buchan, Peterhead, and whether it will set up an economic task force to investigate fully the potential impact on the local economy should the base be closed. S1W-1153 Mr Lloyd Quinan: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the question S1W-777 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 17 August, how many pensioners living in West Dunbartonshire Council owned accommodation (a) meet their rent without any payment from the DSS and (b) have all or part of their rent paid by the DSS, and to specify the total value of this assistance. S1W-1154 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements have been made for the undertaking of checks on animal feedstuffs to ensure that they meet common quality and safety standards. S1W-1155 Fergus Ewing: To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will take steps to install effective cooling equipment in the Parliament canteen to address effectively the working conditions of staff and, if so, what the timescale will be for completion of these works. S1W-1156 Mr Lloyd Quinan: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-887 by Susan Deacon on 24 August 1999, whether it will list the level of stocks of anti-tetanus injections held at each acci August dent and emergency department in the Argyll and Clyde Health Board area on (a) Friday 6 August, and (b) Saturday 7 August 1999, and whether it will make a statement on this matter. S1W-1157 Mr Jamie Stone: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans they have to (a) assist the local economies of the Highlands and other rural areas of Scotland following recent fuel increases, and (b) make representations to Her Majesty’s Government to look again into the effect of the present UK fuel tax in the Highlands and other rural areas. BUSINESS BULLETIN 42/1999 Thursday 26 August 1999 Section F - Motions and amendments lodged between 23 and 25 August 1999 The full text of all outstanding motions and amendments will appear in the Business Bulletin published on Monday 30 August. Items or names marked with an asterisk (*) are new. Asterisks in the text show the extent of alterations made. Motions which members wish to be considered for debate as Members’ Business in the Parliament are marked with a hash symbol (#). *S1M-96 Des McNulty: Membership of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association—That the Parliament agrees (a) to apply for admission to membership of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, such membership to be effective immediately on approval of the application by the General Assembly of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; (b) to abide by the provisions of the Constitution of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association; (c) that the required membership fee be paid to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, and (d) that this motion be communicated to the Secretariat of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association immediately following agreement. S1M-92# The closure of Oban and Pentland Coastguard stations (lodged on 13 August) Michael Russell* S1M-86# Wigtown, Scotland’s National Book Town (lodged on 2 July) Adam Ingram* S1M-84 Warrant Sales (lodged on 1 July ) Michael Russell* BUSINESS BULLETIN 42/1999 Thursday 26 August 1999 Section G - Bills, amendments to Bills and proposals for members’ Bills Proposals for Members’ Bills Names marked with an asterisk (*) are new names of support. Proposals that have attracted 11 supporters have those supporters’ names shown in bold. The member who lodged such a proposal has the right to introduce a Members’ Bill to give effect to that proposal under rule 9.14. Tommy Sheridan: Proposed Debtors (Amendment) Bill—Proposal for a Bill to amend the Debtors (Scotland) Act 1987 to remove the rights of a creditor (or an officer of court on his behalf) to apply for, and of a sheriff to grant, authority for poindings or warrant sales (lodged 19 August). Supported by: Alex Neil*, Michael Russell*, Margo MacDonald*, Adam Ingram*, Fiona Hyslop* BUSINESS BULLETIN 42/1999 Thursday 26 August 1999 Section H - Documents laid between 23 August and 25 August 1999 Other documents laid The following documents were laid before the Parliament on the dates shown in brackets and are not subject to Parliamentary proceedings— Making the Right Moves: Rights and Protection for Adults with Incapacity (SE/1999/24) (23 August) Statement of Guarantee—Forth Valley Primary Care National Health Service Trust (SE/1999/29) (23 August) laid under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978 Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland Report for 1998-99 (SE/1999/21) (25 August) BUSINESS BULLETIN 42/1999 Thursday 26 August 1999 Section I – Petitions lodged between 23 and 25 August 1999 The following Petition was lodged with the Parliament on 23 August— PE7— Petition from Mr R H Guild calling for the Parliament to establish an inquiry, commission or other procedure with a view to providing Edinburgh and SE Scotland with an effective integrated transport system. BUSINESS BULLETIN 42/1999 Monday 26 August 1999 Section J - Progress of Parliamentary business For further information on the progress of Bills, subordinate legislation and committees shown in this section, please contact either the relevant Clerk or web site (see end of Section for addresses) Subordinate legislation in progress Affirmative Instruments For approval by 13 September— The Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (East Coast) (Scotland) Order 1999 (SSI 1999/25) The Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (West Coast) (Scotland) Order 1999 (SSI 1999/26) The Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning) (Orkney) (Scotland) Order 1999 (SSI 1999/27) Negative Instruments Subject to annulment until 16 September— The Scotland Act 1998 (Agency Arrangements) (Specification) Order 1999 (SI 1999/1512) Subject to annulment until 9 October— The Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1999 (SSI 1999/1) The Food (Animal and Animal Products from Belgium) (Emergency Control) (Scotland) Order 1999 (SSI 1999/14) The Animal Feedingstuffs from Belgium (Control) (Scotland) Regulations 1999 (SSI 1999/15) The Plant Health (Amendment) (Scotland) Order 1999 (SSI 1999/22) Committee business in progress (Dates indicate when the next meeting is due to take place) Audit Committee no date established Audit and Finance Committees no date established Education, Culture and Sport Committee no date established Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee no date established Equal Opportunities Committee no date established European Committee no date established Finance Committee no date established Health and Community Care Committee no date established Justice and Home Affairs Committee no date established Local Government Committee no date established Procedures Committee no date established Public Petitions Committee no date established Rural Affairs Committee no date established Social Inclusion, Housing and Voluntary Sector Committee no date established Standards Committee no date established Subordinate Legislation Committee no date established Transport and Environment Committee no date established Note: A full agenda including details of location and timings, will be published on the day of the meeting [CENSORED: table inserted here in original giving contact information] This work is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. The SCOTS Project and the University of Glasgow do not necessarily endorse, support or recommend the views expressed in this document. Document source: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/businessBulletin/bb-99/bb-26-08.htm Information about document and author: Text Text audience General public: Audience size: 1000+ Text details Method of composition: Wordprocessed Year of composition: 1999 Word count: 7884 General description: Business Bulletin. See http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/businessBulletin/index.htm Text medium Web (webpages, discussion boards, newsgroups, chat rooms): Text publication details Published: Publisher: Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Publication year: 1999 Place of publication: www.scottish.parliament.uk Text setting Government/politics: Text type Prose: nonfiction: Author Author details Author id: 908 Surname: Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body