Parliamentary questions

Marlyn Glen

917 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

16 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the people within the 13 to16 year age range are estimated to carry out the minimum levels of physical activity recommended in Let's Make Scotland More Active.

Answer · Andy Kerr: In the Scottish Health Survey(SHS) children are classed as aged 15 and under. In the most recent SHS in 2003,the percentage of boys in the 12 to 15 age range achieving the minimum recommendedlevel of physical activity of 60 minutes per day was 68%. The number…

16 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of adults are estimated to carry out the minimum levels of physical activity recommended in Let's Make Scotland More Active.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Based on the results of the ScottishHealth Survey (SHS) 2003, the percentage of adult males (aged 16 to 74) achievingthe minimum recommended level of physical activity of 30 minutes per day increasedfrom 41% in 1998 to 44% in 2003. The percentage of adult wom…

16 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the proportion of adults who consume at least five portions of fruit and vegetables per day.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Health Survey (2003)[SHeS] has a large sample size and is the primary source of this data.SHeS data on the proportion ofadults consuming a minimum of five portions of fruit and vegetables per day showsthat 20% of men and 22% of women consu…

16 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of drugs prescribed in NHS Tayside in each of the last three years have been generic drugs.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The following table shows thepercentage of drugs prescribed generically in NHS Tayside during the financial yearsending 31 March 2004 to 2006 inclusive. Data given refer to prescriptionsdispensed in the community, but do not take into account medicines dispen…

16 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spending on medicines in hospitals in NHS Tayside in each of the past three years.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The following table shows expenditureon medicines in hospitals in NHS Tayside for the latest three years for whichfigures are available. The figures include expenditure on drugs for hospitaluse (excluding radio-diagnostic x-ray drugs) and hospital prescriptio…

16 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions have been issued and what the cost has been of the drugs prescribed by GPs in NHS Tayside in each of the last three years.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The following table shows thenumber of prescription items and cost for prescription items issued by General Practitionersin NHS Tayside during the financial years ending 31 March 2004 to 2006 inclusive.Data given refer to prescriptions dispensed in the commun…

15 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the capital allocation to NHS Tayside has been in each year since 2003-04, expressed also at constant prices.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The formula capital allocationto NHS Tayside in each year since 2003-04 is as shown in the following table. Theformula capital allocations have been deflated to show what they would have beenif held at 2003-04 prices and these are as shown in the column of th…

15 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people presented at accident and emergency departments in NHS Tayside in each of the last three years.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested isnot held centrally. However, NHS Tayside has provided the information shown in thefollowing table on total attendances at accident and emergency department in theyears in question.<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <…

9 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals in the Tayside police force area have had a charge proved in court for carrying a knife or being in possession of an offensive weapon in each of the last two years for which statistics are available.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The available information isgiven in the following table.Persons in the Tayside PoliceForce Area with a Charge Proved for Carrying Knives or Offensive Weapons1,2003-04 and 2004-05<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr>…

7 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of households have a broadband connection, broken down by parliamentary constituency and local authority area.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This information is not heldcentrally.

7 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research it is carrying out into the extent to which beneficial changes in eating habits are being achieved through the Hungry for Success programme.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The implementation of the ScottishExecutive’s Hungry for Success initiative is being monitored by HM Inspectorateof Education.Since August 2004, an inspectionprogramme has been undertaken in primary and special schools which, by June 2006,will have see…

7 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs have been created outside Edinburgh as a result of the relocation of staff in each Executive department, agency and non-departmental public body and how many of these are regarded as newly-created jobs.

Answer · George Lyon: The numbers of jobs located outsideEdinburgh associated with each relocation of staff in each Executive department, agencyand non-departmental public body are set out in a table on the Executive’s website.This can be accessed through the following link:<p…

7 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs in each Executive department, agency and non-departmental public body are currently being considered for relocation.

Answer · George Lyon: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-26602 on 19 June 2006. All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.s…

30 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the development of the route utilisation strategy in Scotland and whether it will outline any potential impact on passenger services and routes in the north east.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Network Rail haveresponsibility for developing the Route Utilisation Strategy for Scotland andwill be issuing a draft for consultation around August. The Route UtilisationStrategy considers whether better use can be made of the network, includingroutes in the…

30 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has paid any subsidy to the operators of any of the cross-border passenger transport services in the last five years and what level of subsidy is proposed for the coming five years.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The cross-border railpassenger services are fully funded by the Department for Transport in London aspart of the rail devolution settlement. The Scottish Executive has made nosubsidy payments to the train operators providing these services and has nocurrent p…

30 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps First ScotRail is taking to address the issues raised in Women and Transport: Moving Forward.

Answer · Tavish Scott: First ScotRail are committedto delivering a number of improvements over the life of the current rail franchiseas part of its £40 million Station Investment Programme. These include theinstallation of CCTV at 13 stations, Customer Information Systems at 44stat…

30 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring is in place to ensure compliance by transport operators with the Women and Transport: Moving Forward guidelines.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Women and Transport:Guidance and Checklist was issued tolocal authorities, Strathclyde Passenger Transport and transport providers in Scotland inJuly 2002. How the guidance is put into practice is not monitored centrally.

24 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated average cost was of a first out-patient appointment at a consultant-led out-patient clinic in the last year for which figures are available.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Cost information relating specificallyto first out-patient appointments is not available.However, the average cost ofa consultant out-patient appointment, based on total attendances (i.e. first andfollow-up appointments) is available. This equalled £98…

24 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent under the Sure Start Scotland programme in (a) Dundee, (b) Angus and (c) Aberdeenshire since 1999.

Answer · Robert Brown: Since 1999, Dundee, Angusand Aberdeenshire have received £7,704,000; £4,420,000 and £8,939,000 respectivelyunder the Sure Start Scotland programme.

23 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of households had a domestic connection to the internet on the last date for which information is available, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) socio-economic group.

Answer · George Lyon: The 2003-2004 Scottish HouseholdSurvey (SHS) report contains the most recent information on access to the internet.However, the survey does not provide data broken down by parliamentary constituencyor by social class.Instead, helpful information…

18 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are employed by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) in Dundee; how many of these jobs have resulted from civil service dispersal, and how many new posts have been created as a result of locating OSCR in Dundee.

Answer · Johann Lamont: The Office of the Scottish CharityRegulator (OSCR) currently employs 36 staff, all of them based in Dundee. Two ofthese jobs resulted from civil service dispersal – the posts were previously basedin the Scottish Charities Office within the Crown Office. Thirt…

18 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for how many European language graduates the (a) business services, (b) wholesale and retail, (c) manufacturing, (d) banking and finance and (e) transport and communications sector was the first employment destination in the last three years for which information is available.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Tables (a) to (e) show how manyUKor EU domiciled full time higher education European language graduates from Scottishinstitutions took their first job (six months after graduation) in the specifiedindustries in the UK.(a) European LanguageGraduates: Fi…

18 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the employment rate after graduation was for students of (a) English, (b) mathematics, (c) science and (d) psychology in the last three years for which information is available.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following tables show theemployment, unemployment and further study/training rates for full-time higher educationstudents from the UK or the EU six months after graduation from Scottish institutionsin the following subjects, for each of the last three yea…

18 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the employment rate after graduation was for students of (a) French, (b) German, (c) Spanish, (d) Italian and (e) other European languages in the last three years for which information is available.

18 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it offers to businesses to develop European language skills among their employees.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The enterprise networksprovide assistance to businesses on a wide range of issues, including information,advice and guidance on European language skills. Their websites provide accessto resources such as free online courses in a variety of European languagesf…

18 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the value was of Scottish exports to each other country within the European Union in the last year for which figures are available, also expressed as a percentage of the total value of Scottish exports to EU countries.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following table details thevalue and percentage of Scottish Exports to other countries within the EuropeanUnion for 2004.Table 1: EstimatedScottish Exports to EU countries, 2004<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td wi…

15 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many money advisers there are in each local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table gives thenumber of money advice posts paid for through Scottish Executive funding streamsin each local authority area in 2005. Local authorities also fund money advice poststhrough their own revenue streams. Up-to-date information on such …

15 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it is providing this year to organisations offering financial literacy training.

Answer · Johann Lamont: In March 2005 we announced supportfor three separate financial education pilot projects totalling £1.4 million overtwo years, in partnership with Citizens Advice Scotland, Greater Easterhouse MoneyAdvice Project and Young Scot. The aim of these projects was t…

10 May 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline any recommendations arising from the research discussed at the seminar which it organised with the Economic and Social Research Council on 3 May 2006 on private arrangements for parent-child contacts.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This seminar was one in a seriesjointly hosted by the Executive and Social Research Council. The seminar examinedhow other countries have experienced and researched private contact arrangementsand how we might learn from this. We are now considering how to ta…

14 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many biomedical scientists are employed by each NHS board in (a) clinical chemistry, (b) haematology, (c) microbiology and (d) pathology.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The latest available figuresfor the number of biomedical scientists employed by each NHS board areavailable from Information Services Division, NHS National Services Scotlandvia the following web link <ahref="http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/files/WFF01_HB.xls"…