Fiona McLeod: I want to address the draft information strategy. We talk about an open, accessible and participative democracy, but to achieve it we need a high standard of parliamentary information services. Any information strategy for this Parliament must be part of an integrated information strategy for the whole country. Already, this small country has a plethora-indeed, some would say a surfeit-of...
Fiona McLeod: With its new Parliament, Scotland is ideally placed to become a world leader in the knowledge century that we are about to enter, but that will happen only if we heed the professionals and adopt a coherent, integrated approach to information management. I commend the work of Janet Seaton, Bill Bell and all the partner libraries. They worked to tight time scales and with often scant or...
Fiona McLeod: I wish to ask the minister two questions, one of which is being asked again. Why cannot the document be published before the end of July? As he knows, schools in Scotland are now well into the final countdown period to the summer holidays for both pupils and teachers, and, by delaying the publication of the document for two weeks, he is effectively taking six weeks from the consultation...
Fiona McLeod: To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to support efforts to bring major international sporting events to Scotland. (S1O-158)
Fiona McLeod: I notice that Ms Brankin made no mention of the Ryder cup. Is she aware of plans to prepare a bid to bring the Ryder cup to Scotland in 2009? That is a long way away, but it gives us time to set up a cross-party working group to support and promote that bid to bring a major supporting event to Scotland.
Fiona McLeod: I understand that the relevant golf associations need to be involved. The idea is to promote a cross-club bid, which would, in the first instance, bring the event to Scotland. That bid is coupled with the imaginative idea of establishing a youth Ryder cup at another club the week before the main tournament. Will the minister support such a bid?
Fiona McLeod: To ask the Presiding Officer what budgetary provision has been made to allow the 73 partner libraries to provide open access to the official publications of the Parliament.
Fiona McLeod: To ask the Scottish Executive what provision it intends to make to include non-teaching school staff, especially school librarians, in the consultation process for the Education Standards Bill.
Fiona McLeod: To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools will have access to the internet before the end of October 1999.
Fiona McLeod: To ask the Presiding Officer what was the number and content of responses received to the first childcare provision questionnaire.
Fiona McLeod: To ask the Presiding Officer when the next childcare survey of MSPs, their staff and Parliamentary staff will take place and whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will agree the remit, nature and content of that survey.
Fiona McLeod: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-355 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 15 July, what is the ratio of pupils to computers with access to the internet in these 1204 primary and 320 secondary schools.
Fiona McLeod: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-355 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 15 July, by what date will all primary and secondary schools have access to the internet.
Fiona McLeod: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-415 by Susan Deacon on 20 July, whether the current local outpatient waiting time guarantees for a first outpatient appointment following a general medical practitioner referral, are minimum, maximum or average times.
Fiona McLeod: To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any changes in the remit and title of any of its members, since its establishment and the reasons for any such changes.
Fiona McLeod: Can Ms Deacon explain how we will educate our young people about sexually transmitted diseases and teenage pregnancies when, in the next three years, the Health Education Board for Scotland budget will be frozen in real terms?
Fiona McLeod: rose-
Fiona McLeod: I, too, have to declare a registered interest. I am currently a member of the Library Association. To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to implement an integrated information strategy for Scotland. R (S1O-207)
Fiona McLeod: I am delighted to hear that. Will the minister give members the remit of digital Scotland to ensure that it encompasses all areas of the information profession, which is obviously interested in this, and the members of any working group that will be set up to look at that?
Fiona McLeod: I am delighted to hear about the sub-committee on digital Scotland, because I have been trying to find out about it since 2 July when I spoke to Mr McLeish. I would appreciate some early information on the remit and membership of digital Scotland.
