Parliamentary questions
Kay Ullrich
157 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice is issued to local authorities in respect of dealing with an outbreak of head lice in schools.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14342.
21 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice is issued to local authorities in respect of tracing the source of head lice infestation in schools.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The management of headlice infection is a local issue and each NHS board is responsible for putting in place a policy for its management which will be agreed with local authorities.<P>I have asked Scottish Executive officials to set up a working group to revi…
21 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13098 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 9 March 2001, whether it will publish the responses of Scottish Power, the Royal Navy, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Mr Leslie Mair of Glasgow Caledonian University to enquiries in relation to the low lev…
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The responses that we received to our enquiries on this matter from the above-named organisations and individuals were made by telephone. We are not therefore in a position to publish written responses. Further details on the conclusions reached by those we c…
21 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13098 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 9 March 2001, whether it will publish the content of its enquiries to Scottish Power, the Royal Navy, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Mr Leslie Mair of Glasgow Caledonian University in relation to the low l…
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Due to a tight deadline, our enquiries into this matter were made by telephone. It is therefore not possible to publish a record of them. Further information may be obtained by contacting the bodies and individuals that we consulted, as suggested in Sam Galbr…
21 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13071 by Sarah Boyack on 9 March 2001, what volume of traffic passes through Dalry, Ayrshire on the A737 between 7am and 9am, and between 4pm and 7pm, and how this compares with other towns of a similar si'e and population.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The average traffic volume recorded through Dalry, Ayrshire between 7am and 9am is 1310 and between 4pm and 7pm the average is 2346. The average daily traffic volume recorded through Dalry is 9982. These figures were derived from the 7 day hourly flow profile…
21 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13071 by Sarah Boyack on 9 March 2001, why peak time in the evening is considered to be between 4pm and 5pm.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The evening peak period of 4pm to 5pm through Dalry was determined by the highest traffic flow figure within a 24 hour period.
21 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13071 by Sarah Boyack on 9 March 2000, whether the volume of traffic passing through Dalry, Ayrshire at peak times represents a ha'ard to pedestrians or the environment.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive does not consider that peak traffic volumes represent an unreasonable hazard to pedestrians within Dalry. <P>The conditions for pedestrians within Dalry are similar to those in many other communities in Scotland through which strategic …
21 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance will be offered to operators in the tourist sector on Arran to ensure that businesses and the economy of the island survive the loss of revenue incurred as a result of the foot-and-mouth outbreak.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: Tourism businesses on the Island of Arran will benefit from the emergency package of measures that we announced on 28 March.
1 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding it will provide to local authorities to enable them to make places available immediately to all those people who have been assessed as requiring long-term nursing or residential care and who are currently on local authority waiting lists.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The local government settlement allocations we announced in December provided for a 6.4% increase in total Scottish Executive grant support for local authority expenditure on services between 2000-01 and 2001-02 with further above-inflation increases for the …
1 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue guidance on whether all local authorities are now required to act in accordance with Lord Hardie's judgement in the case of MacGregor v South Lanarkshire Council and what implications it expects the judgement to have for local authorities.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: South Lanarkshire Council have indicated that they intend to appeal Lord Hardie's decision and, thus, it would not be appropriate to comment directly on the case in the meantime. The Scottish Executive will decide whether or not councils require additional gu…
12 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12767 by Sarah Boyack on 7 February 2001, whether it has any plans to erect street lighting on the south side of the A78 through Largs on the stretch of Main Street between Largs railway station and Bath Street.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: There is an ongoing lighting replacement programme in Largs which will be progressed as and when funding permits.
12 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12767 by Sarah Boyack on 7 February 2001, whether any street lights along the A78 through Largs were relocated during the recent replacement programme and, if so, whether any residents who might be affected by any such relocations were consulted prio…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The new lighting columns were relocated to the centre of the footway in Main Street, Largs. Other columns along the A78 were generally located in similar locations to the previous columns. However, there may have been some which had to be relocated to avoid s…
12 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12767 by Sarah Boyack on 7 February 2001, whether particular local conditions can mean that additional or stronger lighting than the nationally recommended level of lighting is required.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Road lighting is designed in accordance with national guidelines laid down in the Design of Road Lighting for All Purpose Trunk Roads and BS5489, the British Standard Code for Road Lighting. These documents require that lighting schemes should be designed to …
12 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12767 by Sarah Boyack on 7 February 2001, whether any analysis was carried out in relation to the effectiveness of existing street lighting along the A78 through Largs prior to that street lighting being replaced.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Street lighting on all trunk roads is inspected annually as part of a lighting maintenance programme. During the annual inspection the street lighting in Largs was considered to be life expired and required replacement.
12 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive in what ways the objectives of traffic calming initiatives and road safety initiatives differ.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Traffic calming is generally provided over the whole length of a route through a town or village to improve safety and minimise the effect of through traffic on the environment. Traffic calming schemes often involve a diverse range of measures including signi…
12 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12766 by Sarah Boyack on 7 February 2001, whether any detailed cost-benefit analysis specific to the alterations currently being made at the junction of the A78 and Beachway in Largs was carried out prior to the alterations taking place.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: In all Accident Investigation and Prevention schemes it is standard practice to measure savings in terms of predicted reductions in injury accidents in the first year. These savings are then compared against the estimated cost of implementing the works.
12 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12766 by Sarah Boyack on 7 February 2001, whether the alterations currently being made at the A78's junction with Beachway in Largs have ever been described by it, or by North Ayrshire Council in any submissions to the Executive on this matter, as tr…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: No. These works are described as Accident Investigation and Prevention measures.
12 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12766 by Sarah Boyack on 7 February 2001, what consultation was undertaken, and with whom, before the re-location of a bus stop on the A78 in Largs near to its junction with Beachway and in what ways this change will improve pedestrian safety.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Police and Strathclyde Passenger Transport were consulted on the re-location of the bus stop. The new location will encourage pedestrians to cross to the bus stop away from the junction where vehicle turning movements can conflict with pedestrian movement…
12 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12766 by Sarah Boyack on 7 February 2001, what analysis has been undertaken to ascertain the degree of delays on the A78 that the alterations currently being made at the A78 at the junction with Beachway in Largs will cause.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The works are minor in nature and relate to safety issues. No analysis of delays has been carried out. The effectiveness of the works will be closely monitored over the next few months and if there are unacceptable delays to trunk road traffic adjustments to …
12 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12766 by Sarah Boyack on 7 February 2001, what comparisons were made with other roads, in terms of the number and seriousness of accidents, before the alterations currently being made to the A78 at the junction with Beachway in Largs were given the g…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The accident record on this section of trunk road was compared with the accident record over the complete trunk road network. Where localised sites are shown to have accidents arising from a common cause, accident reduction measures are implemented to address…
6 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12675 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 5 February 2001, which local expert bodies confirmed the opinion of North Ayrshire Council that the noise around Largs does not constitute a statutory nuisance; what methods were employed by these bodies to reach this con…
Answer · Sam Galbraith: As well as consulting North Ayrshire Council, the Executive contacted Scottish Power, the Royal Navy, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Mr Leslie Mair of Glasgow Caledonian University. Technical questions about the specific methods used to invest…
5 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what volume of traffic passes through the town of Dalry, Ayrshire on the A737 at peak times of day and whether this represents a ha'ard to pedestrians or the environment.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: At weekday morning peak times between 7am and 8am a total average of 838 vehicles flow through Dalry. A total average of 964 vehicles pass through at weekday evening peak times between 4pm and 5pm hours.
24 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new street lighting erected along parts of the A78 trunk road provides adequate illumination and represents an improvement on the previous level of lighting.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The new street lighting erected on the A78 in Largs is designed in accordance with the national guidelines and therefore provides the nationally recommended level of lighting.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>The new system of lighting was not installed to improve…
24 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the proposed alterations to the A78 trunk road at the junction with Beachway in Largs; whether the carriageway of the A78 at this junction will be narrowed due to the extension of the pavement by around four feet; if so, whether this will result in further traffi…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The works at the A78 junction with the Beachway, Largs are part of an Accident Investigation and Prevention scheme to improve pedestrian safety at the junction. The width of road to be crossed by pedestrians will be reduced at this location and will force dri…
22 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue instructions or make representations to all relevant bodies to investigate the source and cause of the low frequency noise around Largs, known locally as the "Largs Hum", and whether it has held any discussions with North Ayrshire Council on this matter.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: Under the Environment Protection Act 1990, each local authority must investigate complaints from residents within its area about noise to determine whether such noise amounts to a statutory nuisance. If a local authority considers there is a statutory nuisanc…
20 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to amend current legislation to ensure that an individual who raises a court action that results in a decision that expenses as taxed should be met by another party is not left having to meet the cost of those expenses, or part of them, when the person against whom they…
Answer · Jim Wallace: We have no plans to make such changes to Scottish bankruptcy law.
17 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the circumstances which led this week to the closure at short notice of Ardgowan Primary School in Greenock and whether it intends to carry out a full structural examination of all schools of similar construction and age.
Answer · Jack McConnell: Inverclyde Council decided to close the school temporarily as a precautionary measure to allow a technical and structural assessment to be made on load-bearing structures following the discovery of cracks in a sandstone column between the windows at the south…
25 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to raise the number of infection control nurses in Scotland to the internationally recommended figure of one per 250 beds in the light of the increase in cases of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureas in recent years.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Data on the number of infection control nurses is not collected separately by ISD Scotland, since they are included under general nursing.
8 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what warnings were given to GPs in relation to the potential reaction to the meningitis C vaccine that could occur in certain patients such as those with heart conditions.
Answer · Susan Deacon: In June, the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) completed a safety review into reports of suspected adverse reactions to Men C vaccines. It concluded that most of the reported suspected adverse reactions are non-serious, that the vaccine appears to be saf…
8 Sep 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many laboratory confirmed cases of meningitis C have been reported this year and how this compares with 1998 and 1999.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-9578 on 25 September.