Parliamentary questions
Cathie Craigie
239 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
14 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the electricity generated in Scotland from December 2009 to March 2010 was generated by wind power.
Answer · Jim Mather: The information requested is not held centrally. Annual figures for electricity generation from renewable sources in Scotland are published online at: </p> <p ><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/…
14 Apr 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much electricity was generated in Scotland from December 2009 to March 2010.
Answer · Jim Mather: The information requested is not held centrally. Annual figures for electricity generation in Scotland are published online at <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business<…
11 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the national housing trust initiative proposes offering tenants a short assured tenancy.
Answer · Alex Neil : The national housing trust (NHT) scheme aims to provide affordable good quality homes for rent by tenants on low to moderate incomes who would struggle to afford private renting or to buy a home, but are unlikely to be able to access social rented housing in …
11 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the national housing trust initiative will have cost implications for local authority housing revenue accounts.
Answer · Alex Neil: The National Housing Trust model should not have any direct cost implications for local authority housing revenue accounts.</p>
11 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how tenants will be involved in the national housing trust initiative.
Answer · Alex Neil: The National Housing Trust initiative is being developed in partnership with local government. It will be for local authorities to determine the target tenants for any homes acquired under the scheme and the tenant involvement arrangements that should operate…
11 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the national housing trust initiative will be funded.
Answer · Alex Neil: The national housing trust model anticipates that funding would be split 65% public and 35% private sector. Public funding is expected to be secured through the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) utilising the prudential borrowing powers of participating local au…
11 Mar 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities are involved in the national housing trust initiative.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29892 on 7 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2…
22 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many members of staff are employed by the Small Business Gateway.
Answer · Jim Mather: Delivery of the Business Gateway (BG) national website and telephone enquiry fulfilment service is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I will ask its chief executive to write to you in this regard.</p> <p >Business Gateway local delivery is an ope…
22 Jan 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost has been of the Small Business Gateway since its creation.
Answer · Jim Mather: The Small Business Gateway (SBS), and its successor the Business Gateway (BG), was an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise until April 2008. At that date responsibility for BG local delivery contracts, in lowland Scotland, transferred to 12 lead local a…
14 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, given the lack of accurate records in relation to certain types of disability, for what reason there is only one proposed general question on disability in the 2011 census.
Answer · Alex Neil: It is proposed that the forthcoming 2011 Census in Scotland will give more attention to disability than any previous census, including a question on long-term health conditions with the aim of gathering statistics on the prevalence of certain broad types of c…
14 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-29132 by Shona Robison on 2 December 2009, for what reason Scotland cannot lead the world in gathering statistics on deaf, deafblind, deafened and hard of hearing people.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government Statistician Group is committed to meeting user and provider needs as well as possible. It aims to provide relevant and reliable statistical information, analysis and advice to government, business and the people of Scotland.</p> <p >…
10 Dec 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-28979 by Richard Lochhead on 18 November 2009, on what dates groups will receive 90% LEADER funding for projects that have been approved.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: From 1 January 2010 LEADER local action groups can choose to award up to 90% funding to new projects in their area. This is for a trial period of one year. It is for individual local action groups to determine the rate of grant for projects in their area.</p>…
20 Nov 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) skillseeker and (b) modern apprenticeship places were allocated to (i) North Lanarkshire and (ii) Glasgow in the (A) under-20 and (B) over-20 age group categories in each of the last three years.
Answer · Michael Russell: The following table shows the breakdown of skillseekers and modern apprenticeships new starts in Glasgow City Council and North Lanarkshire local authority areas by age. It is important to note that the table shows overall starts for each programme across the…
19 Nov 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that Scotland can be a world leader in gathering accurate statistics on deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing people.
Answer · Shona Robison: Information (statistics) on deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing people is not held centrally.</p> <p >Data on prevalence of deafness in Scotland, by age group, is published by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf (RNID) <a href="http://www.rnid.org.uk/a…
19 Nov 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on concerns expressed by the Scottish Council on Deafness about the impact on the planning of services of a lack of accurate statistics on deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing people.
Answer · Shona Robison: It is proposed that the forthcoming 2011 Census in Scotland will contain a question on long-term health conditions with the aim of gathering statistics on the prevalence of certain broad types of condition in the population. The proposed question contains res…
19 Nov 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it will be able to gather accurate statistics on the number of deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing people by means of the proposed long-term health conditions question in the 2011 Census that allows respondents to identify that they have deafness or partial heari…
Answer · Shona Robison: The aim of the proposed long-term health conditions question in the census is to gather statistics on the prevalence of certain broad types of condition in the population, rather than obtain exact numbers of those with very specific conditions. This means tha…
5 Nov 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will lay before the Parliament the first annual report of the Private Rented Housing Panel as required by section 29 of the Housing Scotland Act 2006.
Answer · Alex Neil: I have asked Isabel Montgomery, President of the Private Rented Housing Panel, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p> <p >My annual report of the Private Rented Housing Panel, as required by Section 29 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006, will be with th…
24 Sep 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive , further to the answer to question S3W-26597 by Alex Neil on 8 September 2009, which showed that no one had benefited from the mortgage to shared equity scheme by that date, what it considers to be the reason for such a low uptake of the scheme.
Answer · Alex Neil: Most applicants to the Home Owners'' Support Fund have less than 25% of the equity in their property and are therefore being helped through the Mortgage to Rent (MTR) scheme rather than the Mortgage to Shared Equity (MTSE) scheme. Others who have been eligibl…
17 Sep 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-26533 by Nicola Sturgeon on 14 September 2009, how many consultant outpatient appointments were not attended as a result of the failure of patient transport arrangements to collect the patient, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not collected centrally.</p>
18 Aug 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultant out-patient appointments were not attended by the patient in each of the last two years and what the cost to the NHS was of these missed appointments, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of patients who did not attend (DNA) a first out-patient appointment at a consultant-led clinic in 2007-08 and 2008-09 is provided below. The average cost of a first out-patient appointment in 2007-08 was approximately £110 - the la…
29 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20543 by Shona Robison on 19 February 2009, what progress has been made regarding its examination of the merits of a Scotland-based inpatient mental health facility for deaf people.
Answer · Shona Robison: Examination of the merits of a Scotland-based in-patient facility “ and how we, in tandem, improve regional specialist community services “ continues.</p> <p >Following discussions with NHS regional planners and the mapping of current regional specialist pro…
29 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20543 by Shona Robison on 19 February 2009, what progress has been made on its plans to further improve regional specialist community services for deaf people.
Answer · Shona Robison: We continue to progress work on improving regional specialist community services “ in tandem with further examination of the merits of establishing an in-patient facility.</p> <p >Following discussions with NHS regional planners and the mapping of current re…
29 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20543 by Shona Robison on 19 February 2009, what steps it will take to ensure that deaf people who attend the outpatient service in Glasgow provided by the John Denmark Unit (JDU) in Manchester will receive the same level of service now that the JDU …
Answer · Shona Robison: The out-patient service in Glasgow provided by the John Denmark Unit (JDU) is carried out by a Clinical Nurse specialist who, if necessary, either refers patients to local psychiatric services, or to a psychiatrist at JDU if admission is considered appropriat…
29 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives to lip-reading tutors to ensure that lip reading classes are widely available given that one in five people has a degree of hearing loss and could benefit from classes.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is planning to conduct research to establish the most effective interventions in the rehabilitation of those who have a hearing loss. Following the result of the research, the Scottish Government''s Audiology Services Advisory Group (A…
29 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives to organisations to provide courses for people who want to train as a lip-reading tutors.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is currently developing a more strategic approach for the provision of rehabilitation of those with a hearing loss within a wider rehabilitation framework.</p> <p >The Scottish Government''s Audiology Services Advisory Group (ASAG) ha…
29 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to include training in lip-reading in the rehabilitation of people with hearing loss as part of the comprehensive review of health provision being undertaken under the Better Health, Better Care programme.
Answer · Shona Robison: Lip-reading is only one aspect of the rehabilitation of people who become deaf in adult life and recently the Audiology Services Advisory Group has agreed to work with the Scottish Government''s Chief Rehabilitation Officer who is responsible for the National…
15 Apr 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to preserve buildings of historical interest.
Answer · Michael Russell : <i> This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:</i></p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0423-01.htm">http://www.scott…
2 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the first supplementary to question S3O-4494 by John Swinney on 9 October 2008 (Official Report c. 11700), what progress ministers have made in supporting North Lanarkshire Council and Cumbernauld Housing Partnership address the exceptional investment requirement…
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has been working closely with North Lanarkshire Council and Cumbernauld Housing Partnership to identify a preferred way forward in addressing the problems of the Cumbernauld multi-storey flats, and has agreed, in principle, to provide …
23 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the announcement in a press release of 23 March 2009 of £25.5 million in investment in new vehicles for the Scottish Ambulance Service, what reduction in patient transport cancellations will be created by new patient transport vehicles funded by the investment.
Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22266, on 17 April 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2…
23 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the announcement in a press release of 23 March 2009 of £25.5 million in investment in new vehicles for the Scottish Ambulance Service, what increase in the number of patient journeys will be made by new patient transport vehicles funded by the investment.
Answer · Shona Robison: This investment in ambulance service vehicles will ensure the Scottish Ambulance Service has the right mix of modern vehicles to continue to offer the best possible care to patients.</p> <p >While this investment has no direct impact on the number of patient…