Mary Scanlon

12 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how long it will take from application by local authorities to the issuing of orders decriminalising parking enforcement.

Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-18312 on 25 November 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamenta…

12 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many GP vacancies there are in each NHS board area.

Answer · Alex Neil: The information requested is not held centrally as this is a matter for individual GP contractors as employers. GP practices are mostly all independent contractors who are free to decide (within the context of the services they must provide under contract wit…

12 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to recruit GPs in remote and rural areas.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government continues to promote a range of initiatives to support GPs working in remote and rural areas. These include the Remote and Rural Fellowship Scheme for newly qualified GPs and the Remote and Rural Healthcare Educational Alliance. The S…

7 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the benefits are of the reclassification of further education colleges by the Office for National Statistics.

Answer · Michael Russell: None. The Scottish Government opposed this unnecessary move imposed upon Scotland. However, through the post 16 Education (Scotland) Act 2013, and previous legislation, we have established a relationship with colleges commensurate with the level and proportio…

5 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to ensure that the recommendations in Play Strategy for Scotland: Our Action Plan will be incorporated into the appropriate National Care Standards for children and young people.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The review of the National Care Standards will take account of the recommendations in a wide range of strategies, including the play strategy action plan. The Scottish Government will consult on the content of new standards in 2014.

5 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it has done to share staff and accommodation between Police Scotland and other agencies in order to maintain local public access to police stations.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This is an operational matter for Police Scotland. Police Scotland is committed to working in partnership with other agencies and public sector bodies where appropriate to provide effective and efficient public counter facilities. There are a number of exis…

31 Oct 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many breaches of the environmental quality standards for the use of teflubenzuron (Calicide) have been recorded in each year since 2007.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Information from SEPA indicates that the number of sites with analysis results demonstrating a failure to meet the relevant environmental quality standards in each year since 2007 is as follows: 2007: none 2008: none 2009: none 2010: none 2011: one 2012…

31 Oct 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many salmon farms are licensed to use teflubenzuron (Calicide). 

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: A total of 273 salmon farms in Scotland are licensed for the potential use of teflubenzuron (Calicide).

21 Oct 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding the proposed closure of three public counters and the reduction in hours at five stations across the Highlands and Islands.

8 Oct 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether all local authorities have put measures in place to ensure that there is adult supervision of all primary school children during breaks.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: Each local authority is responsible for the care, safety and welfare of pupils in school in their area and they are expected to make arrangements to ensure that schools take reasonable care of all children under their charge. Regulation 3(a) of the Schools (…

8 Oct 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students were studying for postgraduate qualifications in (a) colleges and (b) universities in each year since 2007-08.

Answer · Michael Russell: Postgraduate students are more likely to undertake their studies in universities rather than colleges, often straight after completing their undergraduate degrees. While higher education courses are delivered by colleges, unless the student articulates to un…

3 Oct 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to control the spread of the plant, ranunculus, in rivers with freshwater pearl mussel beds.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Research has shown that the presence of ranunculus may be detrimental to freshwater pearl mussels, particularly where the roots of the plant lead to a build-up of sediment which can smother the mussel beds. However, this is not well understood and other facto…

18 Sep 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to help ensure that there is sufficient production of maize, wheat and barley to meet the reported increase in demand for whisky.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: While it is the business of each individual producer to decide what crops to grow, the Scottish Government (SG) supports the cultivation of Scottish cereal crops through the provision of a range of services, knowledge, training and advice to growers. Industr…

13 Sep 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what VisitScotland is doing to promote the whisky industry and distillery visitor centres as an integral part of the tourism industry.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government is determined to maximise tourism growth and draw more visitors to Scotland. A strategy of delivering themed years aims to support and drive Scotland’s tourism and events industries by appealing to both domestic and international marke…

13 Sep 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the report by the Centre for Educational Sociology, University of Edinburgh, What’s the evidence? Comparing the impact of career websites and other career support, which concluded that the Skills Development Scotland’s website, My World of Work, “'had a limited im…

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government welcomes the report by the Centre for Educational Sociology as it reinforces some of the key recommendations of the Careers IAG Strategy. Given the timing of changes to the careers service however, this survey was carried out very ear…

13 Sep 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation’s finding that the number of Scotland-domiciled students from the most deprived quintile who attended university increased by 122 between 2007 and 2012, and what action it is taking to address this issue.

Answer · Michael Russell: This administration was elected on a manifesto commitment to do more to widen access. In making this commitment, the government recognised that while there had been progress around bringing students from non-traditional backgrounds into higher education, the …

8 Jul 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many doctors in each NHS board area have been reported to the General Medical Council in the last seven years and what disciplinary action was taken in each case.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The regulation of doctors in the UK is a reserved matter and is the statutory responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC). The following data was provided by the GMC and is based on enquiries and cases between 2007 and 2012, where a Scottish territori…

16 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money recorded by the National Fraud Initiative in Scotland in each of the last five years as overpayment (a) has been and (b) is still to be paid back.

Answer · John Swinney: The National Fraud Initiative (NFI) in Scotland is a counter-fraud exercise led by Audit Scotland and undertaken every two years. Audit Scotland assists the Auditor General in helping to ensure that public money is spent properly, efficiently and effectively.…

10 Jun 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to help people with mental health issues remain in employment.

5 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many complete wind turbine structures have been produced in Scotland in each year since 2007.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The information requested is not held centrally.

3 Jun 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the adequacy of the enforcement of requirements and implementation of recommendations by the Care Inspectorate for the care of older people.

2 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many train journeys between Edinburgh and Inverness have been reduced by (a) 35 minutes, (b) 25 minutes and (c) 15 minutes in the last year.

Answer · Keith Brown: In the last year, two services from Edinburgh to Inverness have reduced journey times of 16 minutes by comparing the December 2011 timetable with the December 2012 timetable. Further journey time improvements are linked to future projects on the Highland Main…

23 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether self-funding patients pay more for their care in publicly funded care homes than the fee paid by the local authority or NHS board for patients who do not pay for their care and, if so, for what reason.

Answer · Alex Neil: The amount paid by self-funding residents is a private matter between them and the care home provider irrespective of whether it is an independent or local authority care home. The level of payment for an older person funded by a local authority in a care ho…

23 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many care service registrations have been cancelled as a result of an application to a sheriff.

Answer · Alex Neil: The number of applications made to the sheriff by the Care Commission/Care Inspectorate for cancellation of registration, and granted, in each of the last five years, is as follows. Year Made Granted 2008-09 1 0 2009-10 2 1 2010-11 0 0 2011-12 1…

23 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many care services have been closed as a result of a failure to meet required standards in each of the last five years.

Answer · Alex Neil: The following table provides information on the number of cancellation of registration notices served by the Care Commission/Care Inspectorate to service providers in each of the last five years. Year Number 2008-09 7 2009-10 4 2010-11 6 2011-12 1 …

23 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) improvement and (b) condition notices have been issued in each NHS board area in each of the last five years.

Answer · Alex Neil: The information requested is available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 54990).

20 May 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of the findings of the Audit Scotland report, Managing early departures from the Scottish public sector.

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13915 by Derek Mackay on 18 April 2013, what action is taken when planning authorities fail to take appropriate action to protect the freshwater pearl mussel.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government expects a partnership approach between planning authorities, its agencies Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and others as regulators to provide the necessary actions. The member is also r…

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13914 by Derek Mackay on 18 April 2013, what action it will take with regard to planning authorities that fail to ensure that planning conditions are adequate to protect the freshwater pearl mussel.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The processing of planning applications, including the attachment of conditions and their enforcement, is a matter for the planning authority for the area. Ministers would seek to intervene in a particular application only where issues of national importance …

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13913 by Derek Mackay on 18 April 2013, what changes have been made to (a) the issuing of planning and energy consents and (b) monitoring and enforcement to ensure that the freshwater pearl mussel is protected from the environmental impacts of devel…

Answer · Derek Mackay: Scottish Government online renewables planning advice on hydro schemes (last updated in July 2012) states that: “Planning authorities should generally encourage developers to appoint Ecological Clerks of Works to ensure that agreed designs and construction t…