Parliamentary questions
Christine Grahame
3,532 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
17 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek views on the impact of replacing daily hot meals with frozen meals during its Strategy for an Ageing Population consultation.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The consultation on the <i>Strategyfor a Scotland with an Ageing Population</i> has six broad ranging questions, anddoes not ask about any particular existing service. However, it encourages respondentsto contribute their views on a wide range of topics, incl…
17 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been undertaken into the social and medical impact on vulnerable, frail and elderly people of the replacement of a meals-on-wheels service with a frozen-meals service.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has notcarried out any such research and is not aware of any other research into the socialand medical impact of a frozen meals service.</p>
17 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities provide a frozen-meals delivery service as standard to vulnerable, frail and elderly people.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>
17 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost would be of extending the national concessionary fare scheme to the carers of those entitled to a pass.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The Scotland-wide Free Bus Schemefor Older and Disabled People will provide free travel for companions where assistanceis required to travel. The cost of concessionary travel for companions will be coveredby the £159 million capped budget for 2006-07.</p>
17 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the national concessionary travel scheme to carers whose assistance is necessary to enable those entitled to a pass to use it and, if so, whether a GP’s certification would be sufficient to determine eligibility or what other evidence would be required.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The Scotland-wide Free Bus Schemefor Older and Disabled People will provide free travel for companions where assistanceis required to travel. The eligibility criteria for companions is set out in TheNational Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Older and Disabled…
17 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals are eligible for the national concessionary travel scheme, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The information requested isprovided in the following table.</p><p>The estimate of the number ofpeople eligible for the Scotland–wide Free Bus Scheme has been calculated by usingthe numbers of older people for each local authority obtained from the 2001 censu…
17 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been received for the national concessionary travel scheme, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The information requested isprovided in the following table.</p><p>Number of Applicationsto the Scotland-Wide Free Bus Scheme for Each Local Authority as at 17 March 2006</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td nowrap valign=bottom…
17 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments made by the Minister for Transport and Telecommunications on 15 March 2006 in respect of my national concessionary travel pass application (Official Report c. 24045), whether his assurance on timescales applies to all individuals whose applications have been recei…
Answer · Tavish Scott: We will make every effort toensure that everyone who submitted a valid application before 20 March will receivetheir entitlement card by 1 April 2006. Those who for whatever reason do not have a new EntitlementCard by 1 April will be able to use their old tra…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what investigation has been undertaken into the health impact on the population of areas affected by the Chernobyl incident.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The only potential effect onpublic health that might be anticipated as a result of exposure to radioactivematerials from the Chernobyl incident is an increase in the incidence of someforms of cancer such as thyroid cancer in children. However, no trends incan…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been paid put in compensation to farms affected by emergency prohibition orders related to the Chernobyl incident in each year since 1999.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The total amount of compensationpaid to Scottish farmers since 1999 as a result of the Chernobyl incidentamounts to approximately £398,000. Details for each financial year are set out inthe following table.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <th…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether livestock grazing takes place on farms affected by emergency prohibition orders related to the Chernobyl incident under and, if so, why that livestock is considered safe for human consumption.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I am advisedby the Food Standards Agency that restrictions resulting from the Chernobyl incidentstill apply to sheep on a small number of restricted farms.</p><p>These farms are subject to statutorycontrols under the terms of the Food and Environment Protecti…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates emergency prohibition orders related to the Chernobyl incident will be revoked, in part or in whole.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I am advised by the FoodStandards Agency that Chernobyl-related restrictions will continue until thereis no longer a risk of sheep which exceed the control level entering the foodchain.</p><p>Since1987, the number of restricted farms in Scotland has gradually…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what restrictions emergency prohibition orders related to the Chernobyl incident place on the affected farms.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I am advised by the Food StandardsAgency that affected farms are subject to statutory controls under the terms of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 and the current restrictions are specifiedin the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Radioacti…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which farms are affected by emergency prohibition orders related to the Chernobyl incident.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I am advised by the Food StandardsAgency that 10 farms in Scotland, comprising nine in East Ayrshire Council Area and onein Stirling Council Area, are still subject to restrictions as a result of the Chernobyl incident.The restricted areas are defined in the …
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any further plans to amend how poverty levels are calculated and, if so, what these plans are.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Department for Work and Pensionsare developing a long-term measure of child poverty – which the Executive will adopt.This is being introduced this year in two stages. Future low income estimates forall individuals, working age adults and pensioners will b…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average net income of households would be if they had no associated housing costs.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Median net income per householdin Scotland in 2004-05 is estimated to be £332 per week.</p><p>Net income is the total incomefrom all sources (including benefits and tax credits) after deductions for tax,national insurance, council tax, pension contributions a…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how households should treat housing costs when calculating their household budgets, given the approach adopted by Scottish ministers to determine poverty levels.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Households should treat housing costs as they would any other relatively, fixed item of expenditure for budgeting purposes. The Scottish Executive publishes low income thresholds on both a “before housing costs” basis and an “after housing costs” basis. This …
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to undertake a detailed independent study to determine the underlying factors which result in child poverty and what additional measures will be required to ensure that existing targets to eradicate child poverty are met.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has noplans to commission an independent study into the determinants of child poverty.Extensive independent research already exists, such as the annual Joseph RowntreeFoundation/New Policy Institute report on <i>Monitoring Poverty and S…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has undertaken on the comparative rates of child poverty in Scotland with the rest of the United Kingdom, examining in which social groups or family units child poverty is more or less prevalent.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has notundertaken comparative studies between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. We will producea briefing shortly that interrogates the Scottish statistics by family unit breakdownbut this will not make comparisons with Great…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of children living in poverty are from an non-ethnic minority group, expressed also a percentage of the total non-ethnic minority population.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is only possible to identifythe ethnic group of the head of household.</p><p>In Scotland in 2002-03to 2004-05, after housing costs, an estimated 94% of children living in householdsthat are in relative low income poverty, have a non-minority ethnic head of…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of children living in poverty are from an ethnic minority group, expressed also as a percentage of the total ethnic minority population.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is only possible to identifythe ethnic group of the head of household.</p><p>In Scotland in 2002-03to 2004-05, after housing costs, an estimated 6% of children living in householdsthat are in relative low income poverty, have a minority ethnic head of hous…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government about the impact on targets for eradicating child poverty of amending the Scotland Act 1998, particularly in respect of Scottish Ministers having direct powers over the tax and benefits system and the setting of a national minimum wage in…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive remainsin regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including theeradication of child poverty. As and when contact on any issue results in agreedproposals for amending the legislative competence of the Scottish P…
15 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which specific Executive policy or policies will lead to the eradication of child poverty by 2020.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We are working with the UK Governmentto tackle poverty in Scotland, taking forward activities at our own hand through ourClosing the Opportunity Gap approach.</p><p><i>Details of Scottish ExecutiveSpending on Initiatives Aimed at Eradicating Child Poverty</i>…
14 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether delivery of the nationwide concessionary travel scheme passes to those who have applied for them will be completed by 1 April 2006.
Answer · Tavish Scott: We have made it clear throughoutthat the best way to ensure that individuals have the National Entitlement Cardwhich they will need to access the Scotland-wide Free Bus Scheme was to submit theirapplications early. We will make every effort to ensure that eve…
10 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has to eradicate malnutrition in Scotland.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Although the Executive is notaware of evidence to suggest Scotland has a particular problem with malnutrition, the NHS QualityImprovement Scotland standards on food, fluid and nutritional care in hospital putScotland at the forefront in the UK for dealing wit…
10 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from professional bodies or individuals in Scotland with regard to malnutrition rates across all age groups.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive has received anumber of letters and parliamentary questions from MSPs in recent weeks.</p>
10 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases malnutrition was described on the death certificate as a cause of death in each year since 1999, broken down by age group.
Answer · George Lyon: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-19956 on 17 November 2005. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…
10 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors hospital patients diagnosed with malnutrition who are still suffering from malnutrition on discharge from hospital.
Answer · Andy Kerr: This is a matter for NHSboards.</p>
10 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients who were diagnosed with malnutrition on entering hospital were still suffering from malnutrition (a) on discharge and (b) four weeks after discharge in each year since 1999, broken down by age group.
Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>
7 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning has made to the Ministry of Defence in respect of the Robert Noble contract for weaving the tartan for, and separately the making of, kilts for Scottish soldiers and, in particular, on whether the armed forces are exem…
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive is inregular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues including defence.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) advise that it is not possible for them to stipulatethat manufacture of a non-warlike product should take place in a p…