Mary Scanlon

19 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent landscape and natural scenic beauty are taken into account in determining planning permission for onshore wind farms.

Answer · Derek Mackay: Section 25 of the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 requires that planning applications are considered in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. It is for planning authorities to prepare development plans for t…

15 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual average number of passengers is for the Scrabster-Stromness ferry service.

Answer · Keith Brown: The information requested is given in table number 9.15, page number 207 of the Scottish Transport Statistics No 30 published by Transport Scotland in 2011 a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib. number 53570) or at …

14 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the scorecards for the Emissions Reduction Programme Board will be made publicly available, as recommended in the Audit Scotland report, Reducing Scottish Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government will consider how to enhance reporting on progress in meeting the emissions reduction targets set by the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 in light of the Audit Scotland recommendations.

14 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the public engagement strategy recommended in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 will be in place.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Low Carbon Scotland: Public Engagement Strategy was published in December 2010, fulfilling the requirement in the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009.

14 Dec 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy last met the chairs of NHS boards.

8 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-04140 by Nicola Sturgeon on 1 December 2011, what discussions it has had with the European Commission regarding the notification of the proposed measures since 2009 and whether it considers that these measures are notifiable under directive 98/34/EC.…

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish Government officials have discussed with the European Commission the Government's intended measures as regards minimum pricing in relation to the Alcohol (Minimum Pricing) (Scotland) Bill and, previously in relation to the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act…

29 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on recent research carried out by the University of Birmingham that concluded that "commercially provided weight management services are more effective and cheaper than primary care based services led by specially trained staff, which are ineffective."

Answer · Michael Matheson: This study provides useful data that will help to inform healthy weight management strategies in Scotland. However, care needs to be taken in applying its findings to alternative interventions that were not directly considered within the study. The Scottish …

29 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers to be the NHS's most effective weight reduction service and what evidence it has to support this.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Weight management programmes delivered by NHS boards include physical activity, dietary change and behavioural components which are key for effective weight reduction. The evidence base for this type of approach is detailed within the Scottish Intercollegiate…

29 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish how many men over 65 have died as a result of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The following table gives the numbers of deaths, registered in Scotland, of men, who were aged 65 or over, for which the underlying cause was an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Deaths of Men Aged 65 and Over1 for which the Underlying Cause was an Abdominal Aortic…

29 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged over 75 have requested a GP health check since the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 came into force.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not available.

21 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the European Commission (EC) regarding notification of proposed measures to prohibit the sale of alcohol below a minimum price and what advice it has received from the EC regarding notification.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish Government officials have discussed with the European Commission the Government's intended measures as regards minimum pricing, but no legal advice has been sought or was given.

10 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what public health interventions it has pursued since 2007 in order to reduce alcohol consumption.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Since 2007 we have consulted on and published a bold package of measures to tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland through Changing Scotland’s Relationship with Alcohol: A Framework for Action. We have placed a whole population approach at the heart of our Alcohol…

10 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact on exports of whisky will be of the proposed minimum unit price for alcohol.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: A minimum price would only apply at the point of sale and would have no bearing on exported Scotch Whisky. The Scottish Government’s minimum pricing proposal treats all products fairly, and makes no distinction between imported or domestic products.

4 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Office of Fair Trading regarding the minimum pricing of alcohol.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish Government officials have held discussions regarding minimum pricing of alcohol with representatives from the Office of Fair Trading.

4 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the European Commission regarding the minimum pricing of alcohol.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Scottish Government officials have held discussions regarding minimum pricing of alcohol with various relevant contacts within the European Commission and they are being kept informed of developments.

4 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has received from the European Commission regarding the proposal for a minimum unit price for alcohol.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: It is not the role of the European Commission to provide legal advice to Scottish Government. For that reason, no legal advice has been sought from them and none has been provided.

4 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many alcohol-related deaths there have been in each of the last five years.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Data on the number of alcohol-related deaths since 1979 are publicly available on the National Records of Scotland (NRS) website: http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/deaths/alcohol-related/index.html Source: National Records of Scot…

4 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has received from the Office of Fair Trading regarding the proposal for a minimum unit price for alcohol.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: It is not the role of the Office of Fair Trading to provide legal advice to Scottish Government. As for that reason no legal advice has been sought from them and none has been provided.

2 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the inclusion of (a) drug and (b) alcohol treatment as a core service for general practice patients.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: GPs use their professional judgement to work with their patients to agree the best and most appropriate care and treatment to support an individual’s recovery. This may involve drug or alcohol treatment, or referral of the patient to specialist services. Reco…

2 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on treating (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction in each year since 2007.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government allocates earmarked funding to NHS boards to tackle problematic drug and alcohol use. This funding is made via NHS boards to deliver prevention activity and recovery focussed treatment and support services on the basis of local need in…

2 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) progress and (b) achievements the Alcohol and Drug Partnerships have had in delivering the key process elements of recovery, including (i) personalised care packages and (ii) promoting peer support and mutual aid.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has been active in promoting a person-centred approach to recovery amongst Alcohol and Drug Partnerships (ADPs), since they were formed in September 2009. We established the HEAT A11 target to ensure that by March 2013, 90% of clients …

2 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how resources allocated to (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction services are (i) monitored and (ii) evaluated with regard to the progress of individuals moving (A) into recovery and (B) back to work.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03798 on 15 November 2011. 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…

2 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) cost and (b) outcome was of the Child Healthy Weight Intervention Programme for (i) 2008, (ii) 2009 and (iii) 2010.

Answer · Michael Matheson: (a) The cost of the Child Healthy Weight Intervention Programme for the three financial years to end March 2011 was £2 million per annum. (b) Progress in delivering the Child Healthy Weight Interventions Programme over financial years 2008-11 was measured in…

2 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to update the national guidelines for healthcare professionals to reflect the recovery agenda.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is currently looking to refresh the National Quality Standards for Substance Misuse Services which date back to 2006. This is to allow the standards to fully and robustly evidence the performance of recovery-focused local addiction ser…

2 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the assessment of progress toward recovery-focussed outcomes for (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction is recorded and how it uses this information to improve services.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Drug Misuse Database (SDMD) is a key national information source, which is based on the systematic recording of the demographic and behavioural characteristics of clients seen at a broad range of specialist drug treatment services in Scotland. Th…

2 Nov 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction service has delivered the best results in terms of long-term abstinence.

Answer · Michael Matheson: People affected by problematic alcohol and drug use may access a range of services and receive various types of treatment over the course of their recovery journey. Furthermore, different services and treatment types may be appropriate for different clients, …

26 Oct 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that local communities are fully consulted in the planning process.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The 2006 Planning Act and associated secondary legislation provide enhanced opportunities for communities and other stakeholders to get involved in the planning system.

25 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what reports it has received from the British Irish Parliamentary Assembly since May 2007 and how it has responded.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: We have received a copy of the 2010 BIPA report on the Irish Community in Britain. Copies of four further reports, An update on cross-border co-operation between police forces; The Common Travel Area: An Update; A Common European Defence and Foreign Policy; …

25 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that new-build homes are energy efficient.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The construction of new homes is subject to planning permission and building regulations. Energy standards within building regulations set challenging targets which limit carbon dioxide emissions and energy demand in new homes. This is verified by local autho…

25 Oct 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that (a) planning and (b) building regulations for new homes and other buildings ensure that they are (i) energy efficient and (ii) capable of supporting renewable energy technology.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Scottish Planning Policy approach to energy efficiency is set out in response to question S4W-03584 on 4 November 2011. There is no national planning requirement that buildings granted planning permission now, must be capable of supporting renewable energ…