To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been employed on adult literacy projects in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding Air Passenger Duty and its impact on tourism.

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has regarding the amount of Air Passenger Duty collected from passengers in Scotland and any consequential impact on the economy, visitor numbers...

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the recent ruling by the European Court of Human Rights on night flights to and from Heathrow will have on the number of flights to and from Scottish...

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the PFI project for the new passenger terminal at Inverness airport, (a) when the PFI project was entered into, (b) what advice was taken and from...

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to cut alcohol misuse and to create a new national committee to implement such a strategy since the publication of Towards a Healthier...

To ask the Scottish Executive why the Health Technology Board for Scotland has not carried out a Health Technology Assessment on the results of the recently completed NHS pilot studies on...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Health Technology Board for Scotland will reach a decision on the introduction of liquid-based cytology for cervical screening programmes and, if not,...

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost for all women across Scotland to be tested for cervical cancer with the liquid-based cytology/human papilloma virus test, compared to how much...

To ask the Scottish Executive what its evaluation is of what the proven detection rates would be if liquid-based cytology/human papilloma virus tests were applied universally in Scotland.

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-3930 by Susan Deacon on 25 October 2001, whether sufficient information is available to the public concerning the increased...

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision has been made to ensure equity of access to oncology services and treatment machines across Scotland and, in particular, to meet the current and...

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS consultant oncologists in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area were (a) invited to participate and (b) participated in the membership of the Scottish...

To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies for NHS consultant oncology posts there currently are in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area and how many are anticipated to become vacant in...

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has received from North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust or Greater Glasgow Health Board on any implications for patients awaiting or...

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to establish a regional cancer advisory group for the Greater Glasgow Health Board area.

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the impact on specialist cancer services in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area of meeting previously unmet needs.

To ask the Scottish Executive how many council houses in Glasgow will have central heating installed under the central heating installation programme in the financial years (a) 2001-02, (b)...

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the estimated 141,000 tenants have applied under the central heating installation programme since April 2001 and how many have benefited.

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18237 by Jackie Baillie on 8 October 2001, how many local authority and housing association tenants in the Glasgow Kelvin...

To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil servants have been posted to Helsinki since May 1999, detailing their grade and the nature of their posting there.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether people who have been assessed as requiring care in their own homes are eligible for direct payments for their care from local authorities.

To ask the Scottish Executive why net expenditure on social work for all Community Care Client groups fell by £44.97 million between 1996-97 and 1999-2000, as detailed on page 78 of the...

To ask the Scottish Executive what grants have been made under the Challenge Competition Fund to each local authority for closed circuit television in each year since 1997.

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18922 by Susan Deacon on 23 October 2001, what plans it has to target the promotion of better dental care specifically at...

To ask the Scottish Executive why the ratio of dentists to population in Scotland is less than in England.

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the 53% of new dentists added to the dentists’ register in the year 2000 who were drawn from abroad have received training, experience...

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is assisting social economy organisations to set up or expand their existing services.

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend the programme for digital hearing aids on the NHS as recommended by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (Scotland).

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to extend programmes such as the Domestic Violence Probation Project in Edinburgh and Midlothian and the Fergus Project in Angus to other areas of...

To ask the Scottish Executive for what period is Mr David Sibbald, its e-commerce advisor, contracted to work for it and what periods he has worked.

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18456 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 5 October 2001, what action it intends to take to encourage an increase in expenditure on...

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to meet the bio-diversity conventions agreed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992.

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15395 by Rhona Brankin on 10 May 2001, what progress it has made in improving the protection of Scotland’s soil resource.

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what effect the European Commission’s proposed Physical Agents directive will have on the economy and (b) what strategies it proposes to handle any effects...

To ask the Scottish Executive what volume of traffic using the new continental ferry from Rosyth could be carried to and from the port by rail if a rail link is created.

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to reduce the number of accidents caused by fireworks.

To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of injuries caused by fireworks to (a) domestic pets and (b) other animals were reported (i) prior to 5 November, (ii) on 5 November and (iii)...

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the total capacity of the whitefish fleet is represented by (a) the total number of applications made and (b) the qualifying offers for entry into...

To ask the Scottish Executive how many inspections have been carried out on imported processed food including sausages, pies and pâté since 1 July 1999.

To ask the Scottish Executive why it has identified Garlaff Landfill Site in East Ayrshire as a site for the disposal of ash derived from the pyres of foot-and-mouth disease infected cattle carcasses.

To ask the Scottish Executive what reassurances it has sought from UEFA and other international sporting bodies that any bid by the Scottish Football Association to host the European Football...

To ask the Scottish Executive by what process it prioritises projects seeking support under the Freight Facilities Grant scheme and on what criteria such prioritising is based.

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the further integration of entrepreneurship into further education curriculums.

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding has been provided to each further education college in each year since 1997.

To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring it undertakes of the use of antibiotics in hospitals.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any potential overlap of remits between the Scottish Medicines Consortium and the Health Technology Board for Scotland

To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit and membership of the Scottish Medicines Consortium will be.

To ask the Scottish Executive what the future role of area drugs and therapeutics committees will be once the Scottish Medicines Consortium is established.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether health boards will be required to adhere to any recommendations made by the Scottish Medicines Consortium on NHS prescription drugs.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage NHS Trusts to identify patients with a high risk of developing osteoporosis and ensure that these patients are offered appropriate...

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13521 by Susan Deacon on 12 March 2001, when it will publish the results of the review of progress towards the elimination of...

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17830 by Susan Deacon on 12 October 2001, whether sufficient resources are accessible throughout Scotland to treat sleep...

To ask the Scottish Executive what health funding, in addition to the annual budget assignment, was allocated to Lanarkshire Health Board in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99, (c) 1999-2000 and (d) 2000-01.

To ask the Scottish Executive what factors lead to a patient being classified as high-risk for the purposes of podiatry and chiropody.

To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been carried out into the delivery of clot-busting drugs by paramedics before patients are taken to hospital for emergency treatment.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to prescribe selenium supplements to people suffering from diabetes and obesity.

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question to S1W-15240 by Susan Deacon on 24 May 2001, how it plans to address any concerns of parents with children diagnosed with...

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding has been provided to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council in each year since 1997.

To ask the Scottish Executive which ministers have met representatives of the Historic Buildings Council for Scotland since 1 July 1999 and on which occasions.

To ask the Scottish Executive which ministers have met representatives of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland since 1 July 1999 and on which occasions.

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage the appointment of dedicated home safety officers in each local authority area.

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6807 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 30 May 2000, whether it would intervene in any plans to demolish housing stock in Glasgow that...

To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements will be in place for the re-housing of tenants and owner-occupiers of any buildings demolished as part of the proposed transfer of Glasgow City...

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-2340 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 5 October 2001, (a) what types of jobs would be created through the potential net additional...

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what the full costs were of establishing Communities Scotland, including the costs of any external consultants for design purposes and (b) what the full costs...

To ask the Scottish Executive when the ballot on housing stock transfer in Glasgow will take place.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the £415 million allocated to Glasgow City Council for new social housing building in Glasgow will be allocated to the council if council house tenants...

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in the consultation on Protecting Our Rights: A Human Rights Commission for Scotland and when it expects to be able to inform the...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake an investigation into the effectiveness of personal identity cards in combating and preventing crime in countries where such cards have...

To ask the Scottish Executive how many court cases were cancelled in (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01 and what the total cost of such cancellations was in each year.

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the number of court rooms in the High Court building in Edinburgh from two to three and what effect any such increase will have on the...

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessments it has made, or have been made on its behalf, of the effects of the draft Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1971 (Privative Jurisdiction and Summary...

To ask the Scottish Executive what comparative assessments have been made in respect of the recovery of judicial expenses between claimants of damages for reparation for personal injuries in...

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had, or have been held on its behalf, with the Rules Council of the Court of Session and the Sheriff Court Rules Council on the likely...

To ask the Scottish Executive how expenditure of public money under the Scottish Land Fund is audited.

To ask the Scottish Executive what long-term studies have been carried out to monitor the quantity and types of hazardous emissions around landfill sites.

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18739 by Mr Jim Wallace on 30 October 2001 and with regard to the fact that transfer of land under Udal law may occur without...

To ask the Scottish Executive when the report and recommendations of the Review of Legal Advice and Information Provision in Scotland Working Group will be published.

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial and other support it provides to the Association of Scottish Community Councils.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to alter the geographical boundaries of local authorities.

To ask the Scottish Executive what schemes have been implemented for the improvement of maternity services, including the upgrading of maternity units; how much has been spent on the improvement...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether inspections of imported processed meat since 1 July 1999 have found any disease or health hazards which would have affected consumers following consumption.

To ask the Scottish Executive what projects aimed at supporting young people with mental health problems it is currently funding.

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the completed projects funded by the Mental Illness Specific Grant Scheme in 2000-01 were (a) eligible for mainstreaming and (b) actually mainstreamed.

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Deputy Minister for Rural Development will reply to my letter of 24 September 2001 regarding my constituent Mr R Stephen of Cairnbulg.

To ask the Scottish Executive what its planned expenditure on NHS modernisation initiatives was in each quarter from November 1998 to date.

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the closure of the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, will have on waiting times at accident and emergency departments in Glasgow.

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total budget for the New Deal for Young People was in Scotland at its inception and how much has been spent to date

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make any representations to the Robert Gordon University with regard to restoring the learning disability branch programme of its Diploma in Higher...

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to address any skills shortage in the oil and gas industry.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to assist local authority social work departments in overcoming any delays in making alterations to the homes of people with disabilities...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will conduct an audit of the extent of delays by local authorities in making alterations to the homes of people with disabilities.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to simplify the administrative process for applications from people with disabilities in respect of alterations to their homes that will...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether guidance will be issued to local authorities about considering the impact on TV reception of applications for planning permission before planning consent is...

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-3351 by Lewis Macdonald on 31 July 2001, whether it has any plans to include third party rights of appeal in the planning system.

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16218 by Lewis Macdonald on 31 July 2001, how it plans to secure more effective public involvement in the planning process.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it monitors, or has carried out any research into, the effectiveness of measures to encourage public participation in the planning process, particularly the...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its leaflet A Guide to the Planning System in Scotland is made routinely available to those wishing to lodge an objection to a planning application or appear...

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to members of the public who have lodged objections to a planning application to prepare for and appear at a public inquiry.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it monitors the use of enforcement procedures under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, Part VI in regard to the breach of conditions attached...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it monitors the impact of a development on a local community where permission has been granted following a public inquiry.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities are legally obliged to apply bio-diversity principles when considering all planning applications and if so, when this obligation came into...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, where planning permission for the erection of residential property is granted and there is a privately-owned existing road or pathway, there should be a...

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to amend sections 37 or 75 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 following the publication of The Use and Effectiveness of Planning...

To ask the Scottish Executive what methodology is used for establishing the number of police officers employed by individual police forces and what account is taken of the number of police...

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the closure of workshops and other prisoner programmes due to the removal of staff for escort duty, as identified in the Visiting...

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Annual Report of the Cornton Vale (under 21) Visiting Committee, how many "lock-ups" there were at the prison in 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001...

To ask the Scottish Executive how the work of MSPs and others representing prisoners will be affected by the decision of the Scottish Prison Service to require the explicit written consent of a...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the decision by the Scottish Prison Service with regard to the application of the Data Protection Act 1984 in relation to correspondence from MSPs on behalf...

To ask the Scottish Executive how many senior management staff are currently employed at the headquarters of the Scottish Prison Service and how many of these have had work experience within a...

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage public bodies to purchase or lease vehicles which are capable of running on liquefied petroleum gas.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the explanation given by the Minister for Finance and Local Government in his interview with the Irvine Times published on 2 November 2001 for the decision...

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it will make available to local authorities in Level Playing Field Support for Public/Private Partnership projects in (i) the current financial year...

To ask the Scottish Executive how many racist incidents have been reported to the police since 11 September 2001 to date, broken down by police force area; how many of these incidents have been...

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government regarding the impact of any scarcity of rail signalling resources on the development of rail...

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had, or plans to have, with the special railway administrators of Railtrack plc to ensure continuity of rail services in Scotland.

To ask the Scottish Executive what forms of support are available from it and Her Majesty’s Government for the production of wind energy.

To ask the Scottish Executive why local authorities reduced their charges for residents in residential care homes for physically disabled people from a weekly charge of £750 in the year 1999...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to arrange a ministerial visit to the Ballinluig junction on the A9 Inverness to Perth trunk road in order to inspect the safety of the junction.

To ask the Scottish Executive what penalties are contained in the BEAR Scotland Ltd trunk road contract for failure to clear snow and ice.

To ask the Scottish Executive who has responsibility for monitoring compliance by BEAR Scotland Ltd with the requirements of its trunk road contract.

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18283 by Allan Wilson on 15 October 2001, how many meetings of the Health and Safety Commission’s Adventure Activities...

To ask the Scottish Executive what contracts with a value of £100,000 and over it and the Scottish Office placed with PricewaterhouseCoopers and their predecessors, Price Waterhouse and...

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of the report The Public Defence Solicitors’ Office in Edinburgh: An Independent Evaluation , giving a breakdown of the costs for (a)...

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of publishing, producing and distributing its report, Creating our Future: Minding our Past: National Cultural Strategy , First Annual Report.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that there is an independent investigation into the actions and conduct of Scottish Natural Heritage in relation to the designation of Sunart...

To ask the Scottish Executive what National Heritage Areas have been created under the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether urban fringe areas can be included in Natural Heritage Areas or whether this would require legislative amendment to the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991.

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what organisations which do not provide clinical services it funds to provide sexual health advice and (b) what level of funding each organisation has received...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the land currently occupied by British Aerospace, formerly Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd in Scotstoun, Glasgow, has been sold and, if so, what implications this...

To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to publish its Social Justice Annual Report.

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of social work supervision is available to (a) life sentence prisoners, (b) determinate sentence prisoners serving over four years, (c) registered sex...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to provide additional funding and other forms of assistance for children with special educational needs in the current financial year.

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve the provision of speech therapy for children under five in the light of the British Stammering Association’s Parental...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the business rate liability for indoor equestrian arenas.

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a detailed breakdown of how much was spent on the bid for the Ryder Cup golf championship and of the expenditure heads from which the money was...

To ask the Scottish Executive what reassurances it has sought from international sporting bodies that any bids to host international sporting events in Scotland in the future will not be...

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on any implications for any future bids to host international sporting events in...

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18956 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 6 November 2001, when the contract awarded to the Student Loans Company Ltd to administer the...

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18955 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 6 November 2001, whether the debt owners have changed since 31 March 2001 and, if so, who the...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, as part of its broadband strategy, it has information on how many telephone operators, other than British Telecom (BT), are installing Asymmetrical Digital...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether VisitScotland has made any agreement to make payment of any sum to Mr Rod Lynch; if so (a) what the amount of the sum is, (b) what such money would otherwise...

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take to promote direct air links with Canada.

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average amount spent by visitors to Scotland from Canada was in each year since 1997.

To ask the Scottish Executive how many visitors there were from Canada to Scotland in each year since 1999 to date.

To ask the Scottish Executive how many visitors to Scotland arrived in (a) a Scottish airport and (b) elsewhere in the United Kingdom on a direct flight from Canada in each year since 1997.

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make representations to both Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the local enterprise companies to provide matching funding towards the costs...

To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities will be able to apply for funding to the Strategic Waste Fund once the Area Waste Plan relevant to their particular local area has been...

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is encouraging the development of CFC recovery technology.

To ask the Scottish Executive what funds it will make available to develop and implement the Priority Waste Stream Projects.

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Priority Waste Stream Projects are due to commence.

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17121 by Rhona Brankin on 30 August 2001, when it now expects all 11 Area Waste Plans to be completed.

To ask the Scottish Executive what the collection rate for non-domestic water charges as a percentage of the total amount billed was in each water authority in each year from 1995-96 to 2000-01.

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that persistent young offenders are brought before the courts more speedily than at present.