Parliamentary questions

Christine Grahame

3,532 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to alert businesses to the rise in fuel costs which will result from the introduction of the climate change levy on 1 April 2001 and enable them to adjust their budgets accordingly.

Answer · Henry McLeish: The climate change levy is a UK taxation measure, and the principal sources of information are DETR and HM Treasury, which have publicised it through a consultation document and communications with UK trade associations.In Scotland, informa…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what contacts it has had with whom and when with regard to the Borders cashmere industry and the implications of a possible 100% or more import tariff being imposed by the industry's main export market, the USA, and what assessment it has made of any effect this will have on the 2,000 ind…

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Ministers fully recognise the importance of the cashmere industry to the Borders and the potential impact on it of US punitive import tariffs. The Scottish Executive is working closely with Scottish Trade International, the Scotland Office, the Department of …

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it is currently providing to Scottish businesses and local authorities with regard to the climate change levy due to be implemented on 1 April 2001; what form this information takes; when it was made available, and what has been the take-up of such information.

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision it has made for grant assistance to businesses to enable them to make the capital investment required to enable them to meet the energy saving targets that must be set to qualify for an 80% rebate of the climate change levy.

Answer · Henry McLeish: As a UK taxation measure the climate change levy is a reserved matter. There are no plans to introduce a grant scheme. DETR is currently negotiating a series of agreements with various business sectoral organisations under which an 80% rebate on the levy will…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government asking why the climate change levy is being imposed on businesses in regions such as the south of Scotland, given the lack of any emissions problem in that area and that the UK is meeting its greenhouse gas emissions target …

Answer · Henry McLeish: As a UK taxation measure, the climate change levy is a reserved matter. The UK Government has sought to design the levy in a way that maximises its environmental effectiveness whilst protecting the competitiveness of UK firms.

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the proposed climate change levy will affect tomato growers in the Clyde Valley and whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government pressing for affected growers to receive 100% relief from this tax in line with their main European competitors in the Netherlands.

Answer · Henry McLeish: As a UK taxation measure the climate change levy is a reserved matter. The UK Government is not able to say with precision what the effects of the levy on individual sectors will be since this will depend on many factors, including take-up of incentives to im…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government pressing for an exemption for the hydro-electric industry in Scotland in relation to the climate change levy in line with other renewable forms of power like wind-power.

Answer · Henry McLeish: Businesses will be able to claim exemption from climate change levy in respect of consumption of electricity from qualifying renewable sources. There have been discussions with Her Majesty's Government about a range of issues including the treatment of electr…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the effect of the climate change levy on businesses, in particular small- to medium-si'ed enterprises in rural areas, will be neutral.

Answer · Henry McLeish: As a UK taxation measure the climate change levy is a reserved matter. Taking the levy package as a whole, the UK Government expects the manufacturing and services sectors to recover in reductions in National Insurance contributions, tax allowances and additi…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the climate change levy will have a negative effect on the Borders economy because of its impact on agriculture, textiles and electronics.

Answer · Henry McLeish: As a UK taxation measure the climate change levy is a reserved matter. Taking the levy package as a whole, the UK Government expects the manufacturing sector to recover in reductions in National Insurance contributions, tax allowances and additional support f…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the public sector is affected by the proposed Climate Change Levy (CCL); whether it took the impact of the CCL into account when arriving at the recent local authority financial settlement and, if so, what criteria were applied.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The Climate Change Levy will apply to all public and private sector organisations. It is intended to encourage organisations to become more energy efficient. It would be counter-productive to meet the cost of the levy on local authorities. However, there will…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding sources it is considering in relation to reinstatement of the Borders Railway.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: A working group headed by the Scottish Borders Council has been established to explore practical options (including funding) for re-opening the Borders railway. Individual railway infrastructure projects are eligible for support from public resources, for ins…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations have taken place with the Strategic Rail Authority with regard to funding the Borders Railway following the parliamentary debate on 1 June 2000 and what meetings have been arranged for the future.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Scottish Executive officials met officials from the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority on 12 June. A wide range of subjects was discussed, including the Scottish Borders railway line. I met the Chief Executive of the SSRA on June 2000.

7 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Deputy Minister for Community Care's statement in the debate on drugs misuse on 20 January 2000 (col 385), what plans it has to propose a debate on alcohol misuse.

Answer · Iain Gray: We intend to hold a debate at a date to be scheduled.

7 Jun 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had regarding the impact of the proposed climate change levy in Scotland.

Answer · Henry McLeish: The Climate Change Levy is a reserved matter. The Scottish Executive is engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the private and public sectors and has conveyed concerns, expressed by these sectors about the levy's impact in Scotland, to HM Government.

31 May 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Regional Selective Assistance boundaries will be finalised.

Answer · Henry McLeish: This is a reserved matter.I understand that agreement has not yet been reached between the UK Government and the European Commission on a revised Assisted Areas map.

24 May 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is the possible remit of Scottish Drugs Courts.

Answer · Angus MacKay: There is no doubt that there are important lessons to be learnt from the whole range of policies and practices adopted in other countries in response to the problem of drug related crime. The Scottish Executive is exploring how we might incorporate the most e…

23 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulance workers left the service on grounds of ill health in each year from 1995 to the present time and what percentage of the ambulance workforce these represented in each year.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested is not currently collected centrally. My officials have however obtained the information from The Scottish Ambulance Service and it is set out below. Occupational health and safety Minimum Datasets are currently in preparation for is…

23 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the term "emergency service" is defined and which services are currently classified as emergency services.

Answer · Jim Wallace: There is no general statutory definition of the term "emergency service". However, The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 made under the Road Traffic Act 1988 specify those vehicles designated as "emergency vehicles" which are empower…

17 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what projections were made before the introduction of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 which indicated when the whole of Scotland would be on the Land Register of Scotland.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The initial proposals announced during the passage of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 envisaged that the Land Register extension programme would last nine years from the date when the Land Register became operational. The Land Register first became …

11 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what counties are currently on the land register and what counties remain to be placed on it; (b) when the outstanding counties are projected to become active and (c) what proportion of Scotland is currently on the land register.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The land register is in operation in the counties shown in Table A. The operation of the land register will be extended to counties currently outwith the scope of its operations in accordance with the extension programme shown in Table B. Approximately 40% of…

4 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which illnesses GPs are required to report centrally for national statistical collation.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Public Health (Notification of Infectious Diseases) (Scotland) Regulations 1988 require medical practitioners to notify the following infectious diseases: AnthraxBacillary DysenteryChickenpox<P ALIG…

3 May 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce a water service charges benefit scheme aligned to the existing Council Tax Benefit Scheme.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The current arrangements linking water and sewerage charges to council tax bands already provide substantial assistance to many less well-off households. 27% of all households in Scotland occupy Band A properties. These households pay only one third of the ch…

26 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which bodies or organisations in Scotland carry out research into the condition myalgic encephalomyelitis and what level of funding they receive from it.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) has responsibility within The Scottish Executive Health Department for encouraging and supporting research into health services and patient care within the NHS in Scotland. Although CSO is not directly funding research into my…

25 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4693 by Sarah Boyack on 3 April 2000, whether it maintains data with regard to the environmental impact of low-level flying including complaints from the public, either individually or on a collective basis.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive maintains no data on the environmental impact of low-level flying, as aviation matters, both military and civil, are reserved to the UK Parliament.

6 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths as a consequence of hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy there have been in each of the last five years and how these figures are compiled.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information is in the following table:Numbers of deaths where the underlying cause of death was recorded as hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy (ICD 425.1*)<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=521><TR><TD WIDTH="43%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT F…

6 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any assessment in Scotland or UK-wide of existing screening methods for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer to my answer to question S1W-6079.

6 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether are any plans to develop an educational programme about hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy to alert those who may be at risk of the need to be screened.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer to my answer to question S1W-6079.

6 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1003 by Susan Deacon on 10 September 1999, when it will make the announcement referred to on advice from the UK National Screening Committee on hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy and, if it has already made this announcement, whether it will giv…

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer to my answer to question S1W-6079.

6 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details by health board area of current screening programmes for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy.

Answer · Susan Deacon: No population screening programmes for hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy are currently provided by the NHS anywhere in Scotland. If people are concerned that they might be at risk because of the condition, they can ask their GP to refer them to a cardio…

30 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many paediatric patients currently being treated at Edinburgh Sick Children's Hospital's cardiac unit are referrals from health board areas in the West of Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: During the 18-month period from April 1998 to September 1999, there were two patient referrals from a health board area in the West of Scotland to the Edinburgh Sick Children's Hospital. During the same 18-month period however, there were four referrals to Yo…