- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 30 October 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 13 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive who will represent Scotland at the next meeting of the European Community Fisheries Council.
Answer
I will attend the next meeting of the Fisheries Council, which will take place on 17 November in Brussels.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 9 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when a scheme will be introduced to help low income families pay their water charges.
Answer
Water charges are currently linked to council tax bands; this provides significant protection for a large number of low-income households. Despite this, the Executive recognises that recent increases in charges may have presented some households with difficulties, accordingly we are looking at ways of improving on this existing protection.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 6 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place in NHS Trusts to ensure that an adequate level of up-to-date and appropriate training is provided for medical staff and whether any new measures are planned to improve internal training audits.
Answer
The Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education is responsible for ensuring that all doctors in training receive adequate, appropriate and up-to-date training following the guidelines laid down by the Specialist Training Authority of the Medical Royal Colleges. It also collaborates with the NHS Trusts in supporting Continuing Professional Development in career grade doctors.
The regular appraisal of individual doctors within NHS Trusts together with the revalidation of doctors' registration by the General Medical Council will also confirm appropriate training and continuing professional development.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 6 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents involving violence and aggression were perpetrated against members of the Scottish Ambulance Service in each of the last five years broken down by division, showing the percentage increases or decreases for each year and including separate figures for physical and verbal abuse, and what steps are being taken to reduce the number of such incidents.
Answer
The statistical information requested is not available centrally. The Scottish Ambulance Service, however, has statistical data on violence towards its staff and that can be obtained by writing to Mr Adrian Lucas, Chief Executive, Scottish Ambulance Service, National Headquarters, Tipperlinn Road, Edinburgh, EH10 5UU. He will also be able to advise you about the action being taken locally with staff and the trade unions to protect staff.
With regard to the action being taken by the Scottish Executive Health Department to address the issue of violence towards staff, I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-10293.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 30 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents involving violence and aggression were perpetrated against members of the police service in each of the last five years broken down by police force, showing the percentage increases or decreases for each year and including separate figures for physical and verbal abuse, and what steps are being taken to reduce such incidents.
Answer
The information is not held centrally in the form requested. The following table shows the number of assaults on police officers in each of the last five years broken down by force, and the percentage increase or decrease for each year.
| | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | % | 1997-98 | % | 1998-99 | % | 1999-2000 | % |
Central | 262 | 204 | -22.14 | 241 | 18.14 | 233 | -3.32 | 267 | 14.59 |
D&G | 174 | 112 | -35.63 | 86 | -23.21 | 47 | -45.35 | 14 | -70.21 |
Fife | 233 | 233 | 0.00 | 257 | 10.30 | 55 | -78.60 | 53 | -3.64 |
Grampian | 485 | 310 | -36.08 | 259 | -16.45 | 172 | -33.59 | 68 | -60.47 |
L&B | 373 | 191 | -48.79 | 172 | -9.95 | 264 | 53.49 | 304 | 15.15 |
Northern | 188 | 190 | 1.06 | 202 | 6.32 | 194 | -3.96 | 215 | 10.82 |
Strathclyde | 8,035 | 8,892 | 10.67 | 8,609 | -3.18 | 8,970 | 4.19 | 8,713 | -2.87 |
Tayside | 322 | 330 | 2.48 | 329 | -0.30 | 204 | -37.99 | 276 | 35.29 |
Total | 10,072 | 10,462 | 3.87 | 10,155 | -2.93 | 10,139 | -0.15 | 9,910 | -2.25 |
Source: Annual Statistical Returns from forces.
The deployment and personal safety of officers is an operational matter for chief constables who have introduced a number of measures in an attempt to reduce the number of assaults. These include the introduction of the use of side handled batons, telescopic batons for officers in the CID, protective vests and CS spray. In addition, officers are trained to deal with aggressive members of the public to reduce the likelihood of assaults.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 October 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 30 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make additional resources available to voluntary groups dealing with stress in rural areas and, in particular, to those working with farmers.
Answer
The Executive gives funding to Stresswatch Scotland, which provides advice and support to sufferers of stress and their families across Scotland, including in rural communities. The Executive is also in regular contact with other bodies which help to tackle the causes of stress and promotes the services offered by these bodies. We have no plans to make additional funds available at this time.
The Executive also helps alleviate stress amongst farmers through financial and other measures to support farming incomes; and the steps that have been taken within the Rural Affairs Department to reduce the burden of red tape within the farming sector.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds are blocked in the NHS in Grampian.
Answer
Based on recent information from Grampian Health Board there were 256 patients experiencing a delay of 10 days or more in their discharge to alternative continuing care.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by John Home Robertson on 18 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the membership of each District Salmon Fishery Board.
Answer
This information is not yet held centrally. However, the Rural Affairs Department holds lists of the Chairperson and Clerk for each District Salmon Fishery Board and copies have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The department intends to compile a fuller database which will include the full membership of boards.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by John Home Robertson on 18 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the publication of Promoting and Protecting Freshwater Fisheries, whether it plans to initiate any legislation in addition to the Salmon Conservation Bill.
Answer
230 responses were received during the consultation period on "Protecting and Promoting" and these are currently being analysed. An announcement about future action will be made in due course.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by John Home Robertson on 18 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to increase the saithe quota for fishing vessels.
Answer
At last year's December Fisheries Council, we successfully invoked Hague Preference for West of Scotland Saithe. This provided an additional 1,840 tonnes of saithe for UK fishermen this year.
We shall examine closely the scientific advice on saithe and, at this year's December Council, will seek to maximise the quota available to the Scottish industry, in line with sustainable stock management practices.
Also, as a matter of routine, we approach other member states when UK uptake is high to see if we can obtain quota through an international swap. We have done so for North Sea saithe but EU uptake, particularly by the French who have the major share of this quota, is currently higher than UK catch levels. Other member states are therefore understandably reluctant to swap away any fish at present but we shall continue to monitor the position.
