Parliamentary questions

Cathy Jamieson

1,344 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

23 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has allocated to (a) South Ayrshire Council and (b) East Ayrshire Council to allow them to offer match funding for local organisations bidding for funds from the Homecoming Scotland Themed Events programme.

Answer · Jim Mather: It is for each local authorityto decide how they allocate their funding to particular projects. A record levelof investment in local government is only one part of the package that we agreedwith COSLA in our concordat. It also contains a commitment to reduce …

23 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding their making match funding available to organisations bidding for funds from the Homecoming Scotland Themed Events programme.

Answer · Jim Mather: It is for each localauthority to decide how they allocate their funding to particular projects. A recordlevel of investment in local government is only one part of the package that weagreed with COSLA in our concordat. It also contains a commitment to reduce …

23 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that voluntary organisations and community groups will be disadvantaged in relation to local authorities and professional organisations in bidding for funding to hold events as part of the 2009 Year of Homecoming.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Homecoming ScotlandThemed Events programme is open to all event organisers. The range of awards (£5,000to £50,000) shows that the scale of activity funded will vary widely. It is a competitiveprocess and the key consideration in allocating funding will be…

23 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to provide additional resources to assist local authorities that have a significant number of planning applications for windfarm developments to process these applications timeously.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The councils receiveadditional resources in the form of a fee with each application for a wind farmmade under the Electricity Act or planning legislation. It is the responsibilityof the councils to allocate resources to their functions as planning authorities…

23 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received representations from local authorities regarding delays in the planning process due to the size or volume of renewable energy planning applications.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Governmentis aware that there are delays in some cases and that the size or volume of renewableenergy applications may be a factor in this.

23 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it recognises the burden that processing multiple renewable energy planning applications places on local authorities.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We recognise that,for some planning authorities, processing multiple renewable energy applicationscan be demanding.

23 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources have been provided to assist local authorities to ensure that they process renewable energy planning applications timeously.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The councils receiveresources in the form of a fee with each application made under electricity or planninglegislation for renewable energy development. It is for individual councils to allocateresources in line with their priorities. We are providing additio…

22 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28879 by Lewis Macdonald on 1 November 2006, what steps were taken following the findings of the critical incident review carried out by NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Answer · Shona Robison: The full adverse incidentreport with 30 recommendations was submitted to the Executive Medical Director atAyrshire and Arran Health Board and accepted in full on 24 October 2006. A detailed action plan was developed by the Head ofClinical Governance in Partne…

22 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29708 by Lewis Macdonald on 17 November 2006, what further action was taken in response to the findings of the inquiry panel into absconds from Ailsa Hospital.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-8759 on 4 February 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…

22 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29708 by Lewis Macdonald on 17 November 2006, whether it will detail the findings of the inquiry panel into absconds from Ailsa Hospital.

Answer · Shona Robison: The detail of thefull report with its findings is necessarily subject to restrictions placed on Ministersby the Data Protection Act 1998 and by the general law of patient confidentiality.Recommendations 6 and 11, which were directed to the Scottish Executive’…

18 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what net benefit to GAE in South Ayrshire is projected to be derived from the area’s small rural schools in each of the next three financial years, broken down by school.

Answer · Maureen Watt: GAE allocations arenot assessed or allocated on a school-by-school basis. They are a component of themore complex local government funding formula which is used to calculate a singlerevenue grant figure for each council. It is then a matter for each individua…

18 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what net benefit to GAE in South Ayrshire has been derived from the area’s small rural schools in each of the last three financial years, broken down by school.

18 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what net benefit to GAE in East Ayrshire is projected to be derived from the area’s small rural schools in each of the next three financial years, broken down by school.

18 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what net benefit to GAE in East Ayrshire has been derived from the area’s small rural schools in each of the last three financial years, broken down by school.

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it intends to have with the Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers about support for recreational sea angling.

Answer · Jim Mather: Officials have engaged with the Scottish Federation of Sea Anglers over a considerable period of time to discusssupport for recreational sea angling. These discussions continue, not least in connectionwith a study which the government is undertaking to seek t…

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is providing for sea angling.

Answer · Jim Mather: VisitScotland is representedon and has contributed funding to the Angling Development Tourism Group, which wasinstrumental in the development of the FishScotland website. VisitScotland alsohas a section on its own website dedicated to sea angling, along with …

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what weight it places on public consultation in the NHS given the restricted public input to independent scrutiny panels.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We place great importance onpublic involvement in the design and delivery of NHS services and this is reflectedin our recently published Better Health Better Care Action Plan which puts the interests of those who use the services at the heart of allthat we do…

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be used to refer decisions to independent scrutiny panels following NHS boards’ decisions on reviews of services.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The consultation on the futurearrangements to introduce Independent examination of proposals for major change in NHS services, is due to close on 25 January 2008. I will make anannouncement about future arrangements once the responses to this have been analys…

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what changes will be made to health, equality, access and treatment targets in respect of hospital delayed discharges.

Answer · Shona Robison: The current HEAT target, agreedwith NHS boards and local authorities, is to eliminate all inappropriate delaysoutwith the six week discharge planning period by April 2008. Following that weexpect that to be maintained as a standard, thereby ensuring no patien…

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring will be in place to measure hospital delayed discharges in 2008-09.

Answer · Shona Robison: Information on delayed dischargesis collected as a snapshot census on a quarterly basis by the Information ServicesDivision (ISD) of NHS Scotland. The census dates are on or around the 15 of January,April, July and October. The information is validated by ISD…

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5670 by Jim Mather on 8 November 2007, when it will make a decision on the (a) Mark Hill, (b) Arecleoch, (c) Dersalloch, (d) Afton, and (e) Kyle windfarm applications under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.

Answer · Jim Mather: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-5670 on 8 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

5 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to update Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 62, Prophylaxis of Venous Thromboembolism, published in 2002.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) is expected to consult on a revised version of Guideline 62 on Prophylaxis of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) during this year, with publication of the revised Guideline in autumn 2010.

5 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to protect patients in light of the 2007 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines on venous thromboembolism and recommendations from the Department of Health and the House of Commons Health Committee.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) is currently reviewing its Guideline 62 on Prophylaxis of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE), and as part of that process will take account of the NICE Guideline 46 on venous thromboembolism and the rec…

5 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to NHS boards on undertaking risk assessments of inpatients developing deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19378 on 15 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Busi…

5 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what directions have been issued to the NHS for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 62 on Prophylaxis of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) states that all patients admitted to hospital for major trauma (e.g. fracture causing immobilisation), major surgery (e.g. duration over 30 minu…

5 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the figures for suspensions and special leave in the health service, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government does not request information from NHS boards on the numbers of staff or details of staff taking special leave as this is an issue for the board as the employer. In addition, we do not request information on staff who have or are suspen…

20 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints have been registered by (a) individual members of the public and (b) organisations regarding the use of shop street advertising boards and fresh produce displays on trunk roads in each of the last 10 years, broken down by route.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland does not hold separate records for complaints bymembers of the public or representative organisations regarding the use ofadvertising and fresh produce displays broken down by route.

20 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Transport Scotland uniformly enforces the provisions of section 59 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 across the trunk road network.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland enforces the provisions of Section 59 of the Roads (Scotland) Act, which seeks to maintain safety for road users and pedestrians whilst reflecting local circumstances.

20 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance in relation to section 59 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 has been issued to contractors responsible for maintaining trunk roads.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: No specific guidance isissued to Trunk Road Operating Companies in relation to Section 59 of the Roads(Scotland) Act 1984, or Section 87 (powers of removal). The 3rd Generation TermContract for Management and Maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network,imp…

19 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the commitment in letter reference 2007/0030929 of September 2007, when the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism will meet representatives of SAS International and myself as the local constituency MSP.

Answer · Jim Mather: My private office hascontacted SAS International and a date for the meeting has been set for 19 February 2008.