Parliamentary questions
Kay Ullrich
157 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
27 Feb 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people suffer from Wegener's Granulomatosis; what the prescribed medication is for the illness; how many sufferers have to pay for their medication, and why some sufferers are receiving the necessary medication free.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We are currently aware of about 20 people in Scotland who suffer from Wegener's Granulomatosis. Treatment is usually by steroids and cyclophosphamide but the drugs used are not specific treatments for Wegener's Granulomatosis.<P>Details of the number of suffe…
16 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which minister and department is responsible for deciding which towns appear on trunk road boundary signs.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Local authorities, not Scottish ministers, are responsible for deciding the names of the towns appearing on trunk road boundary signs within their local government area.
7 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32545 by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 January 2003, whether it will provide a breakdown by age of the information provided on how many people died within seven days of discharge.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The number of people dying within seven days of discharge from in-patient or day case care, and the percentage of all discharges that these cases represent, is shown in the following table:<P>Deaths Within Seven Days of Hospital Discharge<SUP>1</SUP>, Number …
18 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-30382, S1W-31275 and S1W-32194 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 November, 2 December and 13 December 2002 respectively, what specific document records the policy and practice of Scottish ministers in relation to changes or alterations to trunk road signs; w…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32724 today. 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/webapp/searc…
18 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-30382, S1W-31275 and S1W-32194 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 November, 2 December and 13 December 2002 respectively, whether it would be acting within its legal powers in requiring local authorities to meet the cost of changes or alterations to trunk roa…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The practice of the Scottish ministers of requesting local authorities to meet the cost of changes or alterations to trunk road signs not instigated by the Executive is a matter of policy, and is not based on statutory provision or any specific document. It i…
11 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a breakdown by NHS board area of the incidence of patients dying within seven days of having been discharged from hospital or having been seen by a hospital accident and emergency department in each year since May 1999 and whether records in relation to such deaths…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the number of people who died within seven days of their discharge from general acute in-patient or day case care. Information on people dying after attending an accident and emergency department is not held centrally.<P>It may be po…
3 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-30382 and S1W-31275 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 November and 2 December 2002, under what specific powers under which pieces of legislation local authorities may be held responsible for meeting the cost of changes or alterations to signage erected along…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: It is the policy and practice of Scottish ministers to recover the costs incurred in making changes or alterations to trunk road signs which are not instigated by the Scottish Executive.
5 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30382 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 November 2002, who would meet the costs of changing or altering signage alongside trunk roads after proposals for a change or alteration had been submitted by a local authority and approved by the Scottish Executive.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to my letter of 19 September in reply to her letter of 5 September on this matter, in which I explained that any costs associated with changes to trunk road signing requested by a local authority to reflect local needs will require to be me…
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when construction of the Ardrossan - Saltcoats - Stevenston bypass will begin and when the road is expected to be operational.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Tenders are due to be issued this month to construct the Ardrossan to Stevenston Bypass and work is expected to begin in summer 2003. The road will be open to traffic in 2005.
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the specific powers under each piece of legislation that currently hold local authorities responsible for the maintenance and/or alteration in any way of signage erected alongside trunk roads.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive, not the local authorities, is responsible for the provision and maintenance of signs on the trunk road network. However, it is the policy and practice of Scottish ministers that it is for local authorities to take a view on whether an …
8 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27945 by Mr Jim Wallace on 22 August 2002, what the source was for the information given on the level of recorded crime in the Strathclyde Police Force area since 1975.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The recorded crime information given in the answer to question S1W-27945 was extracted from the statistical collection collated centrally by the Justice Department.<P>The statistical form provides a simple count by crime type of the numbers of crimes and offe…
25 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the level of recorded crime in the Strathclyde Police force area has increased since the force's inception in 1975 and, if so, by how much in actual and percentage terms.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the following table. As the date of inception of Strathclyde police force was 16 May 1975, figures for recorded crime in Strathclyde police force area for the full calendar year 1975 are not available.<P>Recorded Crimes i…
25 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many officers there were in the Strathclyde Police force at its inception in 1975 and how many such officers there are currently.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The information requested is shown in the following table:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=406><TR><TD WIDTH="42%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="33%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>31 December 1975</TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>30 June 2002</TD></T…
24 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed new Health Resource Centre for Largs is on schedule for completion and when it is expected to be operational.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It is the responsibility of NHS boards and trusts to address issues relating to the provision of services in their areas.<P>The information requested is available from Ayrshire and Arran Primary Care NHS Trust.
24 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Health Department's business case procedure could result in a capital project being delayed while funding is pursued from outwith the public sector.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It can extend the timescale for beginning construction work in particular cases but overall it speeds up the delivery of capital projects.
24 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Health Department's business case procedure requires that, prior to monies being allocated to a capital project from public funds, private finance must first be pursued and whether there is any minimum cost figure that applies before private finance must be sought.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Health Department's business case procedure requires NHS trusts and boards to fully examine all procurement options in developing capital projects. The only projects which will be pursued as PPP/PFI however, will be those that are both affordable to the N…
12 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many and (b) what percentage of ambulances responding to emergency calls do not have a trained paramedic on board, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The table shows, for each Ambulance Service Division, the number of emergency responses made and the percentage of those where a trained paramedic was on board. Across Scotland this represents a 54% paramedic response rate. The service aim to achieve a 100% p…
28 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether North Ayshire Council should reconsider the outline planning permission granted to Border Biofuels Limited in relation to the building of an experimental biomass power plant close to the village of Whiting Bay on the Isle of Arran given that, since permission was granted to Border…
Answer · Hugh Henry: This is a matter for North Ayrshire Council, as planning authority, to consider.
28 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would call in the application by Border Biofuels Limited to build an experimental biomass power plant close to the village of Whiting Bay on the Isle of Arran, currently lodged with North Ayrshire Council.
Answer · Hugh Henry: North Ayrshire Council do not currently have such a planning application before them.
28 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether outline planning permission, subject to conditions, should be granted by a local authority in a situation where the permission being granted relates to an experimental facility and where the local authority may not have the expertise to monitor that the conditions applied will be…
Answer · Hugh Henry: It is for each individual planning authority to consider whether planning permission should be granted and the means of monitoring any conditions which they may attach.
28 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether pyrolysis liquid (Bio-Oil) is a ha'ardous substance.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The terms pyrolysis liquid and bio-oil are used to refer to a number of different substances. While these generally will not be hazardous, the precise answer in individual cases will be for the relevant firm to consider with the relevant regulatory bodies, su…
28 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the building of an experimental biomass power plant close to the village of Whiting Bay on the Isle of Arran would have any effect on the tourist industry on the island and what the basis is of its position on this matter.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Any matters relating to the proposed biomass plant on Arran are for the local planning authority, North Ayrshire Council, to consider.
28 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a proposal to build an experimental biomass power plant close to the village of Whiting Bay on the Isle of Arran, which would rely on the pyrolysis process and the burning of diesel, would be compatible with current environmental legislation.
Answer · Ross Finnie: This was a matter for the local planning authority, North Ayrshire Council, to consider as part of the outline planning consent process.
9 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether money awarded to local authorities under the special islands needs allowance scheme should be used specifically to meet the special needs of islands and whether any monitoring is carried out to determine what use local authorities put such money to.
Answer · Andy Kerr: No, special islands needs allowance, like the vast majority of grant provided to local authorities, is unhypothecated. It is up to each local authority how it allocates its resources.
9 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulance paramedics there currently are; whether this is the optimum number required and, if not, what the required optimum number is, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the current numbers of paramedics in each Ambulance Service Division. Across Scotland, this represents an increase of nearly 180, or 30%, on the numbers in post in 1999. Over the next three years, the service plans to train around 25…
9 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how often front-line ambulance vehicles should be replaced.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Ambulance Service's vehicle procurement programme provides for 64 front-line emergency ambulances being commissioned into service each year. These will replace vehicles that are seven years old.
14 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will arrange for the trunk road maintenance contractor to carry out the alterations to the signage on the A78 trunk road at West Kilbride and Seamill, as detailed in the North Ayrshire Council drawings submitted to the Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Lea…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: No. Any alterations to the boundary signing on the A78 trunk road will only be considered on the basis of proposals which have been put forward and endorsed by North Ayrshire Council.<P>The new signs as proposed by Councillor McLardy are not in accordance wit…
12 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23462 by Allan Wilson on 11 March 2002, whether, when attempting to determine the source of the "Largs Hum", any body or organisation has carried out (a) a geological survey of the area where any noise has been most pronounced, (b) a survey of noise …
Answer · Allan Wilson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24017.
12 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23462 by Allan Wilson on 11 March 2002, of which expert bodies it made wide-ranging enquiries in respect of the "Largs Hum"; on what dates each such enquiry was made; what the nature of the enquiries was, and whether it will publish the responses rec…
Answer · Allan Wilson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-13098 on 9 March 2001 and also to the answer given to question S1W-23462 on 11 March 2002.
7 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward legislation to ensure that all forms of public transport are accessible to people with physical impairments.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The regulatory powers in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 require all new land based public transport vehicles to be accessible to disabled people are reserved for the UK Parliament.