Irene Oldfather

16 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many successful prosecutions there have been for the illegal setting of snares in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Information held on the Scottish Government Court Proceedings database indicates that in the financial years 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08, the last three years for which data is available, there was one prosecution in a Scottish court (in 2005-06) where the m…

16 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many animals have been illegally snared in each of the last three years for which information is available, broken down by animal type.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: This information is not collected.</p>

16 Dec 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many animals were legally snared in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009, broken down by animal type.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The information requested is not available. There is no requirement for operators of snares to keep records or submit returns on numbers of animals caught in snares.</p>

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the top 10 dishes served at Bute House in 2009, broken down by cost per head.

Answer · John Swinney: Menus for ministerial hospitality at Bute House are supplied by outside caterers. The Scottish Government aims to source sustainable, local produce, showcasing what Scotland has to offer. This therefore means suppliers and menus differ on most occasions, henc…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers have had recent discussions with stakeholders in North Ayrshire regarding marine conservation.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: There have been no recent ministerial meetings with stakeholders in North Ayrshire regarding marine conservation.</p> <p >There was a meeting of the Lamlash Bay Implementation Group on 26 November which officials attended.</p>

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to increase the uptake of the flu vaccination by at-risk groups.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Increased uptake of the seasonal flu vaccine amongst the at-risk groups remains a priority for the Scottish Government and in recent years we have made good progress in increasing uptake of the vaccine amongst this group.</p> <p >As in previous years, we hav…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to increase the uptake of the flu vaccination by older people.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Seasonal flu vaccination uptake amongst those aged 65 and over continues to be in excess of the 70% national target (and in the last three years has been around or in excess of the 75% World Health Organization target).</p> <p >Although we are currently exce…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in implementing proposals to combat illegal snaring announced on 20 February 2008.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I expect to lay an Order before Parliament very shortly, which will make changes to the regulation of snaring in Scotland. I expect any changes to the regulation of snaring which would require primary legislation to be progressed through the government''s pro…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many wildlife crime officers there are.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: All Scottish police forces have police officers whose responsibilities include dealing with wildlife crime. Information on numbers of officers who have a specific responsibility for such matters is not held centrally.</p> <p >The current number of police wil…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding animal experimentation.

Answer · Michael Russell: This is an issue reserved to the UK Government and Scottish ministers have had no discussions with them on this. However, the former Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, in her capacity as Minister for Science, wrote to the Minister for Stat…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with stakeholders regarding accessing funds from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to assist Diaego workers in Kilmarnock and whether it will list meetings ministers have had.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government is working closely with stakeholders to assist Diageo workers facing redundancy. Skills Development Scotland is leading local PACE teams and arrangements have been made to ensure that early support is being provided. The Scottish Gover…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding accessing funds from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to assist Diaego workers in Kilmarnock.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has had no discussions with the UK Government regarding accessing funds from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund because the interventions supported by the European Globalisation Fund are similar to those offered by PACE “ the S…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to respond to the EU 2020: a new strategy to make the EU a smarter, greener social market consultation.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government''s own economic strategy been in place for over two years now and very much aligned with the aims of the Lisbon Strategy. We welcome the consultation on the EU 2020, published on the 24 November 2009. The Scottish Government will be pu…

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the OECD and European Commission report, Teachers’ Professional Development: Europe in international comparison.

Answer · Michael Russell: Scotland did not take part in the OECD''s Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), which underpinned this report but the findings do provide interesting points of comparison with the Scottish system.</p> <p >For example, the report indicates that …

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was represented at the Education, Youth Affairs and Culture Council in Brussels on 26 to 27 November 2009.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: A Scottish Government minister was not able to attend the Education, Youth Affairs and Culture Council on that occasion due to parliamentary business requirements.</p>

30 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of She Figures 2009: Statistics and Indicators on Gender Equality in Science by the European Commission, what it is doing to encourage women to enter scientific disciplines and careers.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government recognises gender inequality as a significant issue in science and engineering careers in Scotland, as it is in the UK and indeed in most European countries, as is set out in the report referred to in the question. This is not just abo…

12 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made since May 2007 of the relocation of civil service jobs.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government''s relocation policy was launched on 28 January 2008, in conjunction with the report on the review of asset management. The relocation policy can be accessed at <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/govt-locations/location-policy/a…

12 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil service jobs have been relocated since May 2007.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22228 on 21 April 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/…

12 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that increasing passenger numbers at Glasgow Prestwick Airport can contribute to the regeneration of the Ayrshire economy.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Airports can contribute to economic growth at the local, regional or national level.</p>

12 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in identifying options regarding an air route development fund.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The European Commission has stated its intention to review its 2005 guidelines on start-up aid to examine their effectiveness and suitability. We will meanwhile continue to pursue our strategy to maintain and improve Scotland''s international air connectivity…

6 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether foie gras has been served at any official engagements in 2009 and, if so, whether it will list the date and occasion.

Answer · John Swinney: Foie gras has been served as a small part of the menu at two official engagements in 2009, a dinner hosted for China stakeholders on 3 February 2009 and a dinner for Scottish Businesses on 10 February 2009. </p> <p >The contents of the two menus were provide…

6 Nov 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the compatibility of the serving of foie gras with promoting good animal welfare standards.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The production of foie gras, which involves the force feeding of ducks or geese, is prohibited in Scotland as that production method would be a breach of animal welfare legislation. The Scottish Government has instructed companies who provide catering for off…

16 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total budget for grant funding for housing development projects was in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10 and will be in 2010-11, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Alex Neil: The total allocated Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP) budget for financial years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 broken down by local authority are detailed in the following table. The split of the programme for 2010-11 has not been decided.</p> <t…

16 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it anticipates that grant funding levels for housing development projects for all housing associations will be reduced in 2010-11.

Answer · Alex Neil: The draft 2010-11 Budget published on 17 September showed the Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP) budget for 2010-11 as £471 million. This is £120 million less for 2010-11 than originally planned at the start of the spending review period, simply a…

16 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it anticipates that grant funding levels for housing development projects will be reduced in North Ayrshire, as advised to ANCHO in July 2009.

Answer · Alex Neil: We anticipate that the North Ayrshire allocation will be affected by the overall reduction in the Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP) as published in the draft 2010-11 Budget on 17 September. This showed a reduction of £173 million in the AHIP budg…

16 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to restore the funding required for housing development projects proposed by ANCHO in June 2009.

Answer · Alex Neil: While the level of funding available for the Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP) in North Ayrshire remains uncertain, it is not possible to commit funding to additional projects. Future programme priorities will be determined in line with the Strat…

16 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it is unable to commit to progressing housing development projects proposed by ANCHO in June 2009.

Answer · Alex Neil: The North Ayrshire allocation of funding from the Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP) for 2010-11 is not yet decided. There is already a significant commitment from the budget to re-generate the Vineburgh area in Irvine, which is close to the locat…

16 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what grant funding for housing development in North Ayrshire will be available in 2010-11 and how this figure compares with 2009-10.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP) budget allocation for North Ayrshire for 2010-11 has not been decided. The AHIP budget for North Ayrshire for 2009-10 was £7.681 Housing.</p> <p align=left >2009-10 planned expenditure was published on:</p>…

9 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether hospital staff are entitled to share information with care home staff where the patient or resident has previously indicated that the primary point of contact should be the patient or resident, or the patient’s or resident’s representative.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Hospital staff wherever possible should respect the wishes of any patient who objects to particular information being shared within the health care team or with others providing care. However, there are limited circumstances e.g. legal requirement, in the int…

9 Oct 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues to GPs regarding the sharing of patient information with care home staff and whether written consent to information being shared is required from the patient or the patient’s representative.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has not published specific guidance for GPs on sharing information with non-NHS staff, as they are expected to use their own judgement about what information is shared with care home staff, in line with the General Medical Council''s g…