Parliamentary questions
Mary Scanlon
4,514 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
27 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which baseload generating stations are planned for decommissioning as a result of the additional generating output from wind farms.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government does not make decisions on decommissioning specific generating stations. The draft Electricity Generating Policy Statement (EGPS) published in March 2012: http://scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/EGPS2012 sets out the p…
27 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to reward universities and colleges for assisting students to find work.
Answer · Angela Constance: We invest around £2 billion every year in colleges and universities and we expect both sectors to have a strong focus on increasing the employability of learners. Our reforms of the college sector will ensure that provision is closely aligned with the needs …
21 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it is giving to encouraging the use of winter tyres.
Answer · Keith Brown: There has been much consideration given to encouraging the use of winter tyres. In October 2011 the Cabinet Secretary for Justice launched the ‘Ready Scotland’ website which provides preparedness information on winter travel, including a section on winter tyr…
21 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken regarding generic testing for inherited heart diseases.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We have supported the establishment of the Familial Arrhythmia Network Scotland (FANS). The network aims to raise awareness of familial arrhythmias, define and agree referral protocols, develop national guidance for clinical and genetic testing and establish …
21 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-07454 by Fergus Ewing on 13 June 2012, what percentage of the 30% emissions target has been achieved.
Answer · John Swinney: The latest published performance data for the Scottish Government is for 2009-10 and shows a decrease in CO2 from energy use of 3.7% from the baseline year of 1999-2000. This published report can be found at: www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2011/11/01111158/…
21 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-07455 by Fergus Ewing on 13 June 2012, whether it will provide the information that was requested.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government published Conserve and Save: The Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland in October 2010. This plan introduced, for the first time, a headline target to reduce final energy (end-use) consumption by 12% by 2020 using a 2005-07 baseli…
13 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many accidents there have been on the A9 between Perth and Inverness in each year since 2007 and, in light of this, whether it plans to bring forward the duelling of the road.
Answer · Keith Brown: The following table shows the number of accidents which resulted in personal injury on the A9 between Perth and Inverness in each year since 2007. Transport Scotland collates information on reported personal injury accidents on trunk roads in Scotland and th…
13 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-07459 by Aileen Campbell on 7 June 2012, what information it has on the cost of training and education required for a support worker in a care at home service to qualify for SVQ level 2.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The cost of training and education required for a support worker in a care at home service to qualify to SVQ level 2 will vary depending on the individual’s existing knowledge and the chosen training provider. Skills Development Scotland offer a contribution…
13 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what occupational health services are available to small businesses.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government provides funding for the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives. The Centre, as a Directorate of NHS Health Scotland, provides a range of services to promote health, safety and wellbeing in and through the workplace. This includes a…
13 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average collection charge is in each local authority for council tax and water charges.
Answer · John Swinney: The cost of collecting council tax (and water charges) is an Accounts Commission Performance Indicator. Data by local authority for 2010-11 is published by Audit Scotland under “Corporate management” (indicator 5) and can be accessed at: http://www.audit-sco…
13 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to ensure that there is a trained and educated workforce to meet the future needs of the oil and gas industry.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Through the Energy Skills Action Group the public sector is working with industry to address the skills needs of the energy sector in Scotland, and oil and gas is a key priority for this group. This government has committed to fund 25,000 Modern Apprenticeshi…
13 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the fee is for registration with the Scottish Social Services Council for each category of employment and whether changes to the fees are planned.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: All registrants with the Scottish Social Services Council pay an initial application fee to register, an annual fee to maintain their registration and a fee to renew their registration after a specified period of either three or five years. Current fee levels…
6 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to reduce bureaucracy and enable more small and medium-sized businesses to bid for public sector contracts.
Answer · Alex Neil: The government has taken a number of steps to reduce bureaucracy and enable more small and medium enterprises to bid for contracts, for example: providing full visibility of contract opportunities on the Public Contracts Scotland (PCS) website. During calend…
6 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to assist the private sector to compete to deliver services on behalf of government.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answers to questions S4W-07663 answered on 13 June 2012 and S4W-07688 answered on 21 June 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at h…
6 Jun 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to encourage enterprise activity among unemployed or economically inactive young people.
Answer · Angela Constance: At the Business in Parliament Conference on 8 June, the First Minister announced that Scottish Enterprise, through the Scottish Investment Bank, had allocated £1 million of funding in 2012-13 to the Revolving Loan Fund. Administered by Prince’s Trust Youth Bu…
31 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of single rooms is available in each hospital in each NHS board area.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the percentage of single rooms available for use in each hospital is for NHS boards to manage and is not held centrally. The Single Room Provision Steering Group Report published in December 2008 included information on the number of single ro…
31 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to ensure that its procurement contracts benefit businesses based in Scotland.
Answer · Alex Neil: As the member will be aware European public procurement rules do not allow public bodies to discriminate in favour of local suppliers. The government is lobbying the European Commission for the rules to be simplified and making the case for public bodies to b…
29 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what grants it has received from the EU to help finance the construction and upgrading of (a) transmission lines and (b) subsea interconnectors in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has received no funding for such projects from the European Union.
24 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to using community benefit funds from wind farms for enhanced energy efficiency in the local community.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government welcomes the recently published report from Consumer Focus Scotland, Reaping the Benefits of Renewables - The role of community benefit funds in tackling fuel poverty and energy efficiency, and is committed to working in partnership wi…
24 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to encourage young people to train in the hospitality industry.
Answer · Angela Constance: In March, to tie in with Scottish Tourism week, Skills Development Scotland held the Scottish Tourism Careers Festival which ran many events around the country designed to encourage young people to consider careers within the sector. Skills Development Scotl…
24 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what public procurement action is being taken to increase the purchase of food and drink produced in Scotland.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government is committed to encouraging those involved in public procurement to buy more fresh, seasonal, and quality produce, which often may be best sourced from local producers and suppliers. In line with our national food and drink policy we a…
24 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what reduction in homecare it estimates will result from an increase in telecare health support.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Telecare enables the more appropriate use of face-to-face interventions as part of service redesign and, as such, there are no specific estimates in place associated with reductions in home care provision.
24 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what telecare health support is provided to older people, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) product.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not centrally held.
24 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to ensure that home carers are trained to SVQ 3 level and registered with the Scottish Social Services Council.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Executive established the Scottish Social Services Council as the regulator of the social services workforce in Scotland. As well as maintaining registers of groups of workers, the SSSC has a duty to promote high standards of education and traini…
24 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether energy efficiency targets for public sector buildings have been achieved since 2007.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Conserve and Save: Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland states that we will work in partnership with public sector representatives and the Carbon Trust to develop a methodology for setting appropriate energy saving targets for the public sector in S…
24 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the energy efficiency target is for government buildings.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has set a target to reduce CO2 emissions from energy used in its buildings by 30% by 2020, from a 1999-2000 baseline year.
23 May 2012 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the registration of home support workers with the Scottish Social Services Council is being brought forward.
Answer · Michael Matheson: My policy officials are currently reviewing the timetable in relation to the registration of groups for whom registration has not yet commenced. These groups are supervisors and support workers in both care at home services and housing support services. We s…
11 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to promote franchised business.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government recognises the vital contribution small business start-ups make to our economy as we move forward with economic recovery and growth, and is firmly committed to maintaining a supportive business environment, ensuring that appropriate me…
8 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-06002 by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 March 2012, what its analysis is of The Prostate Cancer Charity’s draft national standards for quality prostate cancer care and whether it will commit to implementing them when they are finalised.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has reviewed the draft standards and also contacted the regional cancer networks to ask the tumour specific groups for their views. Overall the feedback has been positive and supportive of the principles and ethos of the standards. How…
8 May 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-06002 by Nicola Sturgeon on 8 March 2012, what steps it is taking to ensure that men at higher risk of prostate cancer are made aware of the prostate cancer quality performance indicators and that the indicators meet plain English guidelines.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Quality Performance Indicators (QPIs) have been developed to asses the quality of a service and are not specifically intended for high risk groups. Patients have been involved in the development process for each of the tumour specific QPI groups. Part of the…