Parliamentary questions
Eleanor Scott
233 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been undertaken on the prevalence of New Zealand flatworms.
Answer · Ross Finnie: A wide-range of studies intoNew Zealand flatworms has been carried out. The Scottish Executiveand its research institutes have commissioned several of these studies.</p><p>Since 1990 a number of studieshas recorded the prevalence of New Zealand flatworms thro…
12 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had, or intends to have, with the UK Government in respect of a ban on tanker traffic through the Minches, in light of international acceptance of the shipping lanes defined by Norway.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The regulation of shipping activityin UK waters falls under merchant shipping legislation which is reserved to theUK Government, falling within the responsibility of the Department for Transportand its Maritime and Coastguard Agency. The Executive maintains r…
5 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) public, (b) private and (c) charity money has been spent on health and social care research into (i) heart disease, (ii) cancer, (iii) stroke and (iv) dementia in Scotland and what information it has on such funding for the United Kingdom as a whole over the last five years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-30375 on 15 December 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp…
5 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) public, (b) private and (c) charitable funding has been spent on medical and scientific research into (i) heart disease, (ii) cancer, (iii) stroke and (iv) dementia in Scotland and what information it has on such funding for the United Kingdom as a whole over the last five ye…
Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not heldcentrally.</p><p>The most comprehensive researchanalysis available is from the UK Clinical Research Collaboration website <ahref="http://www.ukcrc.org/">www.ukcrc.org</a> and specifically for cancer fromthe National Cancer Research…
5 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will divert any planned funding for the British Fluoridation Society to nursery and primary school projects teaching children to clean their teeth.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: No. Funding for oral health initiativessuch as nursery school toothbrushing schemes is provided from the new and additionalmonies allocated to the Action Plan for Improving Oral Health and Modernising NHSDental Services in Scotland.</p><p>In 2006-07, some £8 …
5 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to fund the British Fluoridation Society and, if so, by how much and when this amount was decided.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive currentlyprovides funding to the British Fluoridation Society (BFS). In June 2005, the ScottishExecutive agreed to provide a contribution, to core funding of BFS, for the followingthree years, as follows:</p><p>2005-06 £10,000</p><p>200…
5 Dec 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has contributed to the British Fluoridation Society towards its work promoting water fluoridation in each year since 1999.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive’s fundingof the British Fluoridation Society (BFS) is provided through section 16B of theNational Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978.</p><p>The amounts awarded since 1999are:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td wid…
29 Nov 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it proposes to address the incidence and severity of inland flooding.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Local authorities already havewide powers under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961 to mitigate the flooding of non-agriculturalland. The Scottish Executive has increased substantially the resources availableto support authorities’ plans for reducing flo…
22 Nov 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote marine tourism to the benefit of coastal communities and the marine environment.
Answer · Hugh Henry: VisitScotland promotes a largevariety of marine-related activities including fishing, sailing, diving and surfingthrough its consumer website and various brochures. The Executive is working withthe industry to ensure that all tourism in Scotland is sustainabl…
21 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of student nurses have dependent relatives.
Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not collectedcentrally.</p>
21 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out into the reasons for student nurses dropping out of their courses.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has notcarried out specific research into the reasons for nursing and midwifery studentsdropping out of their courses. However, we recognise that attrition from these coursesneeds to be addressed and a sub-group of Facing the Future has…
21 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider extending the council tax reduction to which student nurses are entitled for six months after qualifying.
Answer · George Lyon: We have no current plans to doso, but are examining a range of local taxation issues in light of the final reportof the Local Government Finance Review Committee.</p>
21 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider allowing student nurses to be eligible for student loans.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Eligible students who enter adegree course in nursing or midwifery in 2001-02 receive student support availablethrough the Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary Scheme. The Scottish Executivehas no current plans to allow student nurses to be eligible for stud…
21 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the level of bursary awarded to nursing students.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The nursing and midwifery studentbursary and associated allowances are kept under review on an on-going basis. Theyare increased annually for inflation.</p>
13 Sep 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether geographical considerations will be taken into account under new bed blocking guidelines if local care for vulnerable elderly people is unavailable.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I am aware of the difficultiesHighland Council is experiencing in meeting the community care needs of some olderpeople on discharge from hospital due to geographical considerations. I understandthat the council is addressing this issue and will submit a repor…
10 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to audit the use of the free central heating programme for pensioners.
Answer · Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>Independent quality assurancemonitoring and inspection is carried out to a range of key performance indicatorsand reports provided to Communit…
10 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether biomass heating systems will be eligible for support under the free central heating programs for pensioners, in light of increasing oil and gas prices.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I recently announced that weare running a two-year pilot project to assess the impact of renewable technologieson fuel poverty and evaluate the costs and benefits for the fuel poor of includingthese in the central heating programme. Biomass boilers will be on…
10 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that there are sufficient people with skills to install woodchip and pellet boilers in homes and public buildings as demand for biomass heating systems expands, in light of increasing fossil fuel prices.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish School of Forestryin Inverness received funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise(HIE) and the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) fora training facility and will provide courses on biomass heating, including boil…
9 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address the position whereby the children of parents in receipt of child tax credit with an annual income less than £13,910 are entitled to free school meals but the children of parents with an income below that sum who are in receipt of working tax credit are not.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The current threshold relatingto free school meal eligibility where an applicant is in receipt of Child Tax Credit,but not Working Tax Credit, is £14,155.</p><p>Scottish ministers invited comment on the current eligibility criteria forfree school meals as par…
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the advice from Scottish Natural Heritage that it is not currently possible to rule out damaging impacts from scallop dredging on the Firth of Lorn Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and in light of the findings of the European Court of Justice in case C-127/02, whether there…
Answer · Ross Finnie: Any decision to reopen the Firthof Lorn marine Special Area Of Conservation once it has been closed would be subjectto an appropriate assessment under Article 6(3) of the Habitats Directive.</p>
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has taken account of the reviews of scientific literature and conservation advice provided by the Countryside Commission for Wales and English Nature to inform the decisions to close the Pen Llyn a’r Sarnau Special Area of Conservation and Lyme Bay to protect rocky reefs when d…
Answer · Ross Finnie: The research into the scallopdredging on the Firth of Lorn marine Special Area of Conservation will provide informationon the possible physical impact in this site of this type of fishing and addressthe issue of the deposition of sediment. It will also provid…
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure implementation of the Firth of Lorn management committee’s agreement that research should be independent and peer reviewed, and that fishermen and other interested parties, such as local recreation and tourism operators, should be given an opportunity to provide inp…
Answer · Ross Finnie: Both the methodology proposedfor and the outputs from the research into the possible impacts of scallop dredgingin the Firth of Lorn marine Special Area of Conservation will be peer reviewed.The work will be overseen by a stakeholder liaison group.</p>
4 Aug 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that all relevant authorities take account of their duties under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP), underpinned by the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, to ensure that the appropriate special area of conservation management schemes are adequate to prot…
Answer · Ross Finnie: Regulation 34 of theConservation (Natural Habitats & C) Regulations 1994 includes provision forrelevant authorities to establish management schemes for Special Areas ofConservation (SAC) and Regulation 35 allows ministers to give directions to relevantaut…
19 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that farmers are treated fairly by supermarkets.
Answer · Ross Finnie: In all my meetings with themain supermarkets I stress the importance that the Executive attaches tosustainable trading relationships across the food supply chain.</p>
19 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what communications it has had with the Competition Commission in respect of the role of Scottish farmers in the grocery market.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-26957 on 13 July 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.s…
19 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made a submission to the Competition Commission’s inquiry into the grocery retail market and, if so, what the submission contained and whether the Executive will publish it.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-26957 on 13 July 2006. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.se…
19 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to draw the Competition Commission’s attention to the impact of market practices of supermarkets on Scottish producers.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I have responded to theCompetition Commission’s invitation to comment on its investigation into theretail grocery market in the UK. I recommended that the Competition Commissionaddress the importance of encouraging collaborative trading relationshipswithin th…
22 May 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the potential for farmed cod to host Calimus elongates sea lice and to transfer them to wild salmon.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The potential for farmed codto host the sea lice caligus elongatus and the impact this type of sea lice wouldhave on Atlantic salmon was addressed in a 2005 report by the Fisheries ResearchServices. It was concluded that this strain of sea lice posed only a m…
22 May 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, given that area management agreements (AMAs) are voluntary and their details are a matter for partners to tailor to their circumstances, the condition that an effective, integrated AMA should be in place is a sufficiently robust condition to impose in an assessment of a fish farm…
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The assessment of a fish farmlicense requires both a technical assessment and a decision making process. Thedecision making process has to be able to take account of stakeholder views andas such if the public raise issues related to area management agreements…
22 May 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the term “effective area management” in the context of finfish aquaculture has any legal status.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The tripartite working groupis a purely voluntary initiative put in place to develop best practice between thefinfish industry and the wild fish interests. In this context the term “effectivearea management” has no legal status.</p>