Mrs Margaret Ewing

7 Oct 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what changes will be made to charges for non-residential care services from October 2005, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This information is not held centrally.</p>

29 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what applications for funding it has made under Strand C of INTERREG III.

Answer · Allan Wilson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-19563 on 25 October 2005. 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/webap…

29 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what applications for funding it has made under Strand B of INTERREG III.

Answer · Allan Wilson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-19563 on<b> </b>25 October 2005. 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.u…

29 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any applications for funding under Strand A of INTERREG III.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Scotland participates in four INTERREG IIIB (Trans-national cooperation) programmes – Northern Periphery, North Sea, North West Europe and Atlantic Area - and the INTERREG IIIC (Inter-regional) programme. INTERREG IIIA focuses on co-operation in border region…

29 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the members of the task force addessing employment opportunities in Moray; how much expenditure has been involved so far; what interaction there has been between Executive departments, and what contact there has been between the Executive, the Ministry o…

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Moray Task Force comprises:Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) Moray, Moray Council, Jobcentre Plus, NHSGrampian and Communities Scotland, and draws on the expertise of others in the localcommunity planning partnership as required. Staffing and expendi…

29 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been (a) spent on or (b) allocated to the Scotland-Malawi projects, broken down by project or service.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the questions S2W-16849 answered on 8 June 2005 and S2W-19560 answered on 27 October 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:</p> <p><a…

29 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide the names of and background information on, the members of the Scotland-Malawi projects.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive received 102 applications for the first round of its International Development Fund and a rigorous evaluation process has taken place to determine which ones should be supported.</p> <p>We are in the process of informing applicants whet…

29 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals have been lodged with it against the erection of TETRA masts; how many were lodged by (a) individuals, (b) communities and (c) local authorities, and how many in each category were successful.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Statistics of the kind requested are not held. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, planning permission is required for the physical form of development proposed (such as a mast or antenna) rather than for the network or telecommunications system (such as…

27 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures and actions it has implemented to ensure that victims of domestic violence are at less risk of being abused again.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive’s strategicapproach to domestic abuse focuses around the themes of protection, prevention andprovision. All three themes contribute not only to stopping abuse occurring butalso to tackling repeat incidents. </p><p>For example, we have c…

27 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the financial benefits to Scotland are of having more citizens who have bi and/or multilingual skills.

Answer · Peter Peacock: No specific research has been carried out by the Scottish Executive on the financial benefits of having more citizens who have bilingual or multilingual skills. However, the report <i>Talking World Class: The Impact of Languages Skills on the UK Economy</i>, …

27 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out a study to ascertain the percentage of Scots who can speak a second language, if so, what the results were and, if not, whether it will do so.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive is committed to language learning in schools, to increasing the number of Gaelic speakers and to encouraging linguistic diversity in Scotland. Whilst the 2001 Census collected data on Gaelic speakers, the Executive has not carried out a…

27 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has set any targets for Scotland's population to speak a second language.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has guaranteed every school pupil the opportunity to learn a modern European language starting in the primary school: and aims to increase the number of pupils in Gaelic-medium primary education by 20% between 2005 and 2009. The Executi…

27 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage Scots, in particular schoolchildren, to learn a second language.

Answer · Peter Peacock: In <i>A Partnership for A Better Scotland </i>we guaranteed every pupil the opportunity to learn a modern European language starting in the primary school. A recent evaluation of languages provision in Scotland by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education shows…

26 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out a study into the feasibility of using non-cash limited expenditure for independent dental practitioners.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: General Dental Practitionersitem of service fees and allowances are already paid from the general dentalservices budget which is demand-led.</p>

26 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of total health expenditure has been spent on independent dental practitioners from (a) cash limited and (b) non-cash limited expenditure in each year since 2001.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The following table providesthe requested information:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>&nbsp;</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>2004-05</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>2003-04</p> </td> <td> <p align=ce…

13 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding or grants are available to people and communities in rural areas towards the cost of installing domestic telephone lines.

Answer · Tavish Scott: None. Telecoms regulation is a reserved matter and fixed landline access is within the scope of the universal service obligation (USO), the details of which are determined by the regulator, OFCOM.</p>

9 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from local authorities and other interested parties in respect of flood prevention schemes.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive receives a range of correspondence from local authorities and other interested parties about flood prevention schemes which may be promoted by local authorities. During the statutory process for confirmation under the Flood Prevention (…

9 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has offered to local authorities in respect of public inquiries into flood prevention schemes.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: There is no Scottish Executive guidance relating specifically to inquiries into flood prevention schemes. However, Scottish Office Development Department Circular 17/1998, <i>Planning and Compulsory Purchase Order Inquiries and Hearings: Procedures and Good P…

9 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to change the legislative framework for the approval of flood prevention proposals.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive gave a commitment in the recent White Paper, Modernising the Planning System, that consideration will be given to improving the interaction between the planning process and the statutory procedures for flood prevention schemes. The Executive has…

30 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards ensure that community dental services are made available to people with specific mental and physical disorders.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: All NHS boards should provide such services as the objectives of the community dental service includes providing a safety net service for the care of special groups, for example adults and children with special needs, who may have difficulty in receiving trea…

30 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much local authorities spent in total to support local advocacy services for vulnerable individuals in each of the last six years.

Answer · Tom McCabe: This level of information is not held centrally.</p>

30 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to bring forward proposals to ensure that vulnerable people have access to independent advice in respect of appropriate care plans.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Vulnerable adults across Scotland have access to a wide range of advocacy services on any aspect of their life. We have issued guidance to that effect to local authorities and the NHS as part of the implementation of single shared assessment and care manageme…

30 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are employed by advocacy services, broken down by local authority area and what the total cost is of employing such staff.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This information is not held centrally.</p>

26 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from interested parties regarding the graduate endowment scheme.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Before the introduction of theGraduate Endowment, there was wide ranging consultation both by the Cubie Committeeand the Scottish Executive. </p><p>Details of the Cubie Consultationcan be found in the document <i>Cubie – an independent enquiry into student fi…

26 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has allocated to make students aware of the graduate endowment scheme and its financial implications.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: No additional funding had beenmade available to make students aware of the graduate endowment scheme. Notificationof a student’s liability to the endowment was publicised using existing StudentAwards Agency for Scotland and Scottish Executive documentation.</…

26 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice and information it has given to students regarding the graduate endowment scheme.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Before the introduction of theGraduate Endowment, there were a number of public consultations and debates whichwere widely reported in the media. Following this, an information booklet for studentsand parents detailing what the graduate endowment was about, w…

26 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has had from interested parties concerning lymphoedema support networks and what action it has taken arising from such representations.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Since June 2004 correspondence has been received from 15 MSPs and two members of the public about lymphoedema services.</p> <p>In April 2005, £6 billion was allocated to NHS boards for 2005-06. It is a matter for NHS boards to decide where this money is direc…

26 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce targets for the provision of palliative care units in NHS board areas.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I do not intend to set targetsfor palliative care provision since circumstances will vary locally. However, since2001, every NHS board has completed a palliative care needs assessment, developeda palliative care strategy, or established a palliative care mana…

24 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people suffer from Alzheimer's disease and what the projected figures are for the future.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Precise data on the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease is not held centrally. NHS Health Scotland’s Needs Assessment Report. <i>Dementia and Older People, </i>published in October 2003 (Bib. number 37331) predicted the number of people over 65 with dementia in…

24 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce a full range of treatments to help people suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: It is the responsibility of NHS boards, working with their care partners, to assess the needs of their population and provide appropriate assessment and diagnostic services, care and support to meet those needs.</p> <p>Decisions on treatment and individual ca…