Parliamentary questions

Elaine Murray

2,411 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

2 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the eligibility criteria for the next phase of the central heating programme.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I announced the detail of thenext phase of the Executive’s Fuel Poverty Programmes on 14 March 2006. I confirmedthat the central heating programme will continue and from 1 January 2007 the eligibilitycriteria will be widened so that pensionersin receipt of th…

24 Jul 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce regulations under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 to protect greyhounds which have been retired from racing.

Answer · Ross Finnie: It is our intention to introduceregulations on the welfare of racing greyhounds under the Animal Health and Welfare(Scotland) Act 2006. These regulations will deal with the responsibility of the ownerof the dogs for making acceptable arrangements for their we…

10 Jul 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why Loreburn Housing Association in Dumfries and Galloway did not receive notification of its grant allocation for disabled aids and adaptations for 2006-07 until 3 July 2006.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is asfollows:The allocation of funds for thenational programme was announced by ministers on 8 May 2006. The specific allocationof £11.267 million funding …

30 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to alert GPs, health visitors and mothers about positional plagiocephaly in newborn infants and the means by which the severity of the condition may be reduced.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Parents of children withthis benign condition are given advice on diagnosis as well as furtherinformation about the condition. Thecurrent advice and treatment include supervised‘tummy time’ while the child is awake and, reinforcing the Back to Sleepmessage, p…

15 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25444 by Tavish Scott on 8 May 2006, when it now hopes to publish the results of the consultation on its review of trunk road and motorway tourist signposting policy.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Trunk Road and Motorway Tourist Signposting Policy andGuidance will be published in July. It isalso intention to publish the results of the consultation at the same time.Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area and can be …

13 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether noise created by animals or birds kept in domestic locations is included in the provisions of the Antisocial Behaviour (Noise Control) (Scotland) Regulations 2005 and, if not, what legislation and regulation applies in such circumstances.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Yes.The Antisocial Behaviour (NoiseControl) Regulations 2005 do not specify the noise source other than it must beemitted from a domestic dwelling; therefore, it can include the noise caused byanimals.There are also other legislativeprovisions a…

8 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or Transport Scotland intends to monitor changes in the usage of individual long-distance bus routes as a consequence of the entitlement of pensioners to free national bus travel.

Answer · Tavish Scott: It is anticipated by both usand bus operators that there will be growth in the usage of long distance servicesas a result of the new Scheme. It is ultimately a commercial issue for the bus industryto decide how best to meet demand. However, Transport Scotland…

8 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action can be taken against landowners who use moveable objects such as tractors or animal feeding troughs to obstruct, or to create access problems for, pedestrians wishing to use rights of way.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Action may be taken by the relevantlocal authority in these circumstances. If it is a right of way, local authoritieshave the duty and powers under the Countryside (Scotland) Act 1967, section 46,to keep any right of way free of obstruction. The authority may…

6 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26263 by Tavish Scott on 2 June 2006, whether it has any concerns that pensioners who are wheelchair users may not be able to take advantage of their entitlement to free national bus travel because some bus operators do not operate wheelchair-accessi…

Answer · Tavish Scott: Research has been carried outas part of the Partnership Agreement Commitment to access improved public transportconcessions for disabled people. The research findings entitled Improved PublicTransport for Disabled People were published on 19 May 2006. …

6 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends that the Scottish Screen Locations Service, currently operated by Scottish Screen, will be transferred to CreativeScotland or to another agency.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: As I set out in Scotland’sCulture, published in January this year, it is the policy of the ScottishExecutive that the new cultural development agency Creative Scotland should takeover the majority of the current functions of Scottish Screen and the Sco…

5 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been (a) charged and (b) successfully prosecuted under the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The available information isgiven in the following table.Persons Proceeded Against inScottish Courts for Offences Under the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act20021, 2002-03 to 2004-05.<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <…

5 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to make a decision on the future funding of Arrest Referral schemes.

Answer · Hugh Henry: A decision on the future of the Arrest Referral schemes will be made once I have had a chance to considerthe independent evaluation.

5 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the evaluation of the pilot Arrest Referral schemes will be completed.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The evaluation of the ArrestReferral pilot schemes is currently being finalised with publication planned forJuly 2006.

31 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26062 by Johann Lamont on 31 May 2006, how many pensioner households lived in (a) the DG postcode and (b) Scotland in (i) 2001-02, (ii) 2002-03, (iii) 2003-04, (iv) 2004-05 and (v) 2005-06.

Answer · George Lyon: The latest available informationis from the 2001 census. The number of all-pensioner households in the DG postcode andScotland were 17,797 and 514,692, respectively.

31 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26066 by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 May 2006, whether Dumfries and Galloway Council will receive any additional funding for (a) specific bids, (b) disabled adaptations or (c) care and repair in 2006-07 and what the reasons are for its position on additio…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:In 2006-07 Dumfries and GallowayCouncil will get £2,252,000 of Private Sector Housing Grant funding to cover specificrequirements including di…

31 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26066 by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 May 2006, what the specific bids were for which Dumfries and Galloway Council received Private Sector Housing Grant worth £2.78 million in both 2004-05 and 2005-06.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is asfollows:Dumfries and Galloway received £2.478 million in each of 2004-05 and 2005-06for project specific bids. The bids are shown in the follow…

31 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26064 by Hugh Henry on 31 May 2006, whether it took into consideration the findings of Estimating the National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Misuse in Scotland, published by the Centre for Drug Misuse Research and the Scottish Centre for Infec…

Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-26432 on 8 June 2006. 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.s…

31 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26064 by Hugh Henry on 31 May 2006, what the basis is for Dumfries and Galloway having received 1.4% of the Scottish specific funding allocation for drug treatment in 2004-05 and 2% in 2005-06 and 2006-07, given that Dumfries and Galloway has 2.96% o…

Answer · Hugh Henry: Funding for drug treatment servicesfor 2005-07 was allocated on the basis of several factors including Arbuthnott formula,population and prevalence.Dumfries and Galloway have received a 289% increase in funding between 2000-01and 2006-07.

30 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to provide financial support to the providers of long-distance bus services to support the entitlement of pensioners in rural areas to free off-peak nationwide bus travel.

Answer · Tavish Scott: All localregistered bus services and long-distance scheduled coach services in Scotland arepart of the Scotland-wide free bus scheme for older and disabled people. All busoperators will be paid at the rate of 73.6% of the average adult single fare toensure th…

25 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-13866 by Lewis Macdonald on 8 February 2005, whether it has identified a legislative opportunity to extend the statutory nuisance provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to include light pollution and when it hopes to introduce such legis…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: I can confirm that it isstill the intention of the Scottish Executive to extend the statutory nuisanceprovisions of the Environment Protection Act 1990 to include light in a similarway to what’s recently been introduced by the UK Government in England. Nosuit…

24 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that disabled pensioners have the opportunity to gain as much benefit from their entitlement to free national travel as able-bodied pensioners.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Confederation ofPassenger Transport and local authority and disability representatives wereincluded on task groups set up to advise on the development of theScotland-wide free bus scheme for older and disabled people. These task groups consideredaspects o…

23 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether oxygen cylinders of a capacity smaller than 460 litres can be provided on prescription in Scotland.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Portable oxygen has been availableon prescription since 1 April 2004.The preferred cylinders for thesupply of portable oxygen at present on the Scottish Drug Tariff are 300 litresPD and 430 litres B2i cylinders.

19 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25625 by Tavish Scott on 18 May 2006, what the reason was for the delay in publishing the draft orders for the A7 Auchenrivock scheme.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Environmental Statement,which has to be published with the draft orders, required additional work to meetthe quality requirements of Transport Scotland.Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for mor…