Parliamentary questions
Elaine Murray
2,411 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
20 Jan 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether consultation on the 20mph speed limit trial on the A7 has started and, if so, when.
Answer · Keith Brown: The consultation began at the end of January 2014 with Transport Scotland contacting the relevant local authorities.
6 Jan 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how often and (b) when Scottish Fire and Rescue Service board members have visited the service's control room in Dumfries.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: This is a matter for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. The information requested is not held centrally.
6 Jan 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how often and (b) when members of the Scottish Police Authority have visited the Police Scotland control room in Dumfries.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. This is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority (SPA). You may contact the Interim Chief Executive of SPA, John Foley, at: Scottish Police Authority, Elphinstone House, 65 West Regent Street, Glasgow,…
6 Jan 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the impact was of opening the sluice gates on Loch Doon on 30 December 2013 on flooding in (a) Moniaive and (b) other areas of Dumfries and Galloway.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Reservoir operators are required to manage reservoir levels in such a way as to protect the operational integrity of the dam and the integrity of the surrounding area. Whilst Moniaive did experience flooding on 30 December 2013, the Scottish Environmental Pr…
6 Jan 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government which areas of Dumfries and Galloway receive a full flood warning service from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and whether it plans to fund an increase in the provision of this service.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government has continuously funded improvements to Flood Warning in Scotland including providing the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) with £8.6 million to enhance their flood warning service by implementing Floodline’s Direct Warning…
6 Jan 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it considered funding part of Dumfries and Galloway Council’s bid for funding from the Town Centre Housing Fund and, if so, for what reason it did not do so.
Answer · Derek Mackay: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-19081 on 16 January 2014. 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/parliamentar…
6 Jan 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Dumfries and Galloway Council’s bid for £460,000 from the Town Centre Housing Fund was unsuccessful.
Answer · Derek Mackay: We announced successful Town Centre Housing Fund projects on 26 December 2013. Details of these can be accessed on our website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/regeneration/town-centres/housing-fund We have informed the individual ap…
6 Jan 2014 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will respond to recent flooding in Dumfriesshire and across the country.
9 Dec 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the decrease in new social housing completions will have on housing supply.
18 Nov 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the claim by the Institute for Fiscal Studies that an independent Scotland would face a fiscal gap of 1.9% of national income.
4 Nov 2013 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the increase in crimes of violence and indecency in Dumfries and Galloway in the period April to September 2013 compared with the same period in 2012.
28 Oct 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to address seasonal pressures on health services in Dumfries and Galloway.
3 Oct 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many traffic wardens Police Scotland employs, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government is aware that there are currently 84 traffic warden posts in Police Scotland, Police Scotland inherited these arrangements, which were agreed by the previous legacy police forces and local authorities across Scotland. The following tab…
3 Oct 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02470 by Roseanna Cunningham on 3 October 2013, how it will ensure that local knowledge is not lost when the call handling facility in Dumfries is closed.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Local knowledge is not vested in the physical location of control rooms but in the professional knowledge of our firefighters, including of course not only those firefighters in control rooms, but also the firefighters at fire stations across the country who …
3 Oct 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02470 by Roseanna Cunningham on 3 October 2013, whether all displaced employees will be offered relocation and redeployment in Dumfries and Galloway and, if not, what will happen to employees who are unable to accept relocation or deployment elsewhe…
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The best solution for each individual will be sought, and there will be no compulsory redundancies.
3 Oct 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02470 by Roseanna Cunningham on 3 October 2013, how many people other than firefighters are employed in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service call handling facility in Dumfries.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: All 15 staff at Dumfries and Galloway Fire Control are firefighters.
3 Oct 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17162 by Kenny MacAskill on 2 October 2013, which organisations that facilitate the reporting and detection of crime have received funding in each year since 2008-09 and how much each has received.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The following table sets out the funding that the police and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service received in each year since 2008-09. Police Year £000 2012-13 £1,408 2011-12 £1,370 2010-11 £1,412 2009-10 £1,388 2008-09 £1,307 Crown …
30 Sep 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its planned investment in 2014-15 using the non-profit distributing model has decreased by £164 million since September 2012.
29 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to increase awareness of (a) myasthenia gravis and (b) stiff person syndrome among medical staff.
Answer · Alex Neil: It is the aim of the Scottish Government to ensure that everyone with neurological conditions can access the care and support they need, and in support of this aim we are ensuring the Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s(HIS) Neurological Standards are implement…
29 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02429 by Keith Brown on 25 September 2013 (Official Report, c. 22874), which aspects of the Ellisland project (a) are being taken forward and (b) will be funded by (i) Dumfries and Galloway Council, (ii) SWESTRANS and (iii) Transport Scotland.
Answer · Keith Brown: A review of the cost and benefits of the Ellisland improvement was carried out and this has shown that the cost of the proposed scheme had increased and no longer provided value for money. Transport Scotland are currently not progressing any element of the El…
27 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16865 by Michael Russell on 24 September 2013, whether further education colleges are permitted to make it a condition of receiving a bursary that a student resides at a particular hall of residence and to withhold part of that bursary to pay the st…
Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Funding Council issue further education student support policy guidance to colleges each year. Within that policy framework, individual colleges may set their own accommodation policy which may contain further requirements. I have nonetheless ask…
23 Sep 2013 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs will be lost in Dumfries and Galloway if the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service transfers its call handling facility to Johnstone.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: No jobs will be lost. The Scottish Government has a clear policy of no compulsory redundancies within the public sector, which includes the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Employees who are displaced as a result of functions relocating will be presented wi…
16 Sep 2013 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce measures to improve the safety of the A76 between Dumfries and Kirkconnel.
12 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what actions it is considering taking to ensure that people with chronic pain are not criminalised when the offence of driving under the influence of drugs is introduced.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The proposed new offence of drug driving in section 5A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 contains a medical defence. This defence applies where the specified controlled drug, which the person has taken was prescribed or supplied for medical or dental purposes; whe…
12 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it will bring forward regulations on the controlled substances and impairment limits for the offence in Scotland of driving under the influence of drugs and whether it plans to hold a separate consultation from the UK Government’s consultation on the issue.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The UK Government consultation on “Regulations to specify the drugs and corresponding limits for the new offence of driving with a specified controlled drug in the body above the specified limit” covers Scotland following a request made by the Scottish Govern…
12 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has responded to the UK Government’s consultation on the controlled substances and impairment thresholds in relation to the offence of driving under the influence of drugs.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-17164 on 25 September 2013. 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/parliament…
12 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 it has made available to organisations that facilitate the reporting and detection of crime in each year since 2007-08.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The following amounts have been made available to organisations involved in facilitating the reporting and detection of crime: Police 2012-13 £0.730m 2011-12 £0.250m 2010-11 £0.250m 2009-10 £0.125m 2008-09 Nil 2007-08 Nil Crown Office and Pro…
12 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the shingles vaccination is being made available only to people aged between 70 and 79.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government and all other UK Health Departments take advice on immunisation issues from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Prior to the introduction of the shingles vaccination programme, the JCVI considered data from GP …
9 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the status is of the Scottish livestock traceability research team (ScotEID).
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The team are part of the ScotEID research project which is governed by the joint Scottish Government/Industry Working Group, whose aim is to deliver workable and practical solutions for the implementation of EU legislation on the identification and traceabili…
9 Sep 2013 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what (a) will happen to staff in the Scottish Animal Movement Unit and (b) safeguards will be put in place if monitoring of sheep and goat movements is transferred to the Scottish livestock traceability research team (ScotEID).
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The staff within the Scottish Animal Movement Unit will record sheep and goat movements on the ScotEID database system in the same way they currently enter them on the Scottish Animal Movement System.