Parliamentary questions
Maureen Macmillan
249 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the planned safety measures at the North Kessock junction on the A9 will be in place and how much these measures will cost.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The planned safety measuresfor the A9 North Kessock junction will be in place by the end of this month,except for two of the four vehicle activated signs, which will be in place bythe end of November 2003. The estimated cost of the work is £80,000.</p>
11 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any guidelines for NHS boards about minimising air travel costs for consultants and others contracted to carry out work for boards through advance ticket booking and what monitoring it carries out on this issue.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: No such guidelines are in place. Travel costs incurred by NHS boards are a matter for local management and NHS boards are expected to manage such costs in an efficient, effective and economical manner.</p>
23 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service to procurators fiscal regarding liaison with youth justice teams in their area.
Answer · Colin Boyd: The <I>National Standards for Youth Justice</I> clarify the roles of, respectively, Youth Justice Services Teams and Youth Justice Strategy Groups, and their desired membership. Around the country many procurators fiscal have been invited to participate in th…
25 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when an announcement is expected on the proposal to build a 2.0-megawatt hydro-electric generating station at Garrogie in the Highlands.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I can announce that the Scottish ministers have granted consent on this proposal in terms of section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. Additionally, this consent carries deemed planning permission in terms of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.
2 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make public the recommendations by BEAR Scotland Ltd about safety at the north Kessock junction on the A9 that are due to be submitted to the Executive at the end of June 2003.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The road safety investigation report for the A9 North Kessock junction, in common with all such reports, may contain potentially sensitive information from the police and therefore it would not be appropriate to place it in the public domain. However, the Exe…
29 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will include the Elgin bypass in its planned improvements to the A96.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive has no plans to construct a bypass for Elgin. However, we are working with Moray Council to examine other solutions to improve traffic flow in the town.
27 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to progress phase 2 of the works at Wick Harbour and ensure that there is no deterioration in the phase 1 emergency repairs to the harbour.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Highland Council, as the Coast Protection Authority, has prepared a scheme to safeguard Wick harbour to ensure the on-going level of flood protection to the town. The council is presently taking forward the necessary statutory procedures to allow the work to …
19 May 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will commence its review of existing bridge tolls and enter into negotiations to end tolling on the Skye Bridge.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The matter is already under consideration within the Executive. We have made initial contact with Skye Bridge Limited with a view to starting discussions shortly.
12 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in developing new air routes between Inverness Airport and Europe.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Highlands and Islands Airports Limited and consultants appointed by the Executive to progress the Interim Route Development Fund have been in discussions with a number of airlines regarding European routes from Inverness airport. Negotiations are continuing b…
12 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when work will begin on reconfiguring the north Kessock junction on the A9.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-75 today, in which I confirmed that BEAR Scotland Ltd has been commissioned to identify any short-term safety improvements at the North Kessock junction by the end of June 2003. All answers to written par…
12 May 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will impose a 50 mph speed limit on both carriageways at the north Kessock junction on the A9 until work commences on reconfiguring the junction.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive has instructed BEAR Scotland Ltd to investigate and report on the safety of the North Kessock junction by the end of June 2003. This investigation has been commissioned to identify any short-term safety improvements, which includes consideration…
17 Mar 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in its policy on the location and relocation of public sector jobs.
Answer · Ross Finnie: We have made good progress, in addition to the 650 posts already dispersed throughout Scotland under this policy a number of relocation reviews are nearing conclusion and the results will be announced shortly. <P>And today I am announcing that around 250 post…
17 Mar 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the extension of its relocation policy announced on 25 October 2002 covering small units of location-independent work.
Answer · Peter Peacock: We have made good progress. The Executive is committed to its policy of dispersing jobs from Edinburgh and wants the benefits of these jobs to be widely available across Scotland. Last autumn, we announced a further relocation initiative aimed at rural and mo…
17 Mar 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement on the proposal to build a 3.5-megawatt hydro-electric generating station at Kingairloch in the Highlands.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I can announce that the Scottish ministers have granted consent on this proposal in terms of section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. Additionally this consent carries deemed planning permission in terms of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 <P>…
17 Mar 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement on the proposal to build a 2.2-megawatt hydro-electric generating station at Braevallich in Argyll and Bute.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I can announce that the Scottish ministers have granted consent on this proposal in terms of section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989. Additionally this consent carries deemed planning permission in terms of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997. <P…
17 Mar 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will make an announcement on the proposal to build a 56-megawatt wind-powered generating station at Paul's Hill in Moray.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I can announce that the Scottish ministers have granted consent on this proposal in terms of section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.<P>The section 36 consent for the Paul's Hill proposal in Moray was subject to a thorough consultation process. Moray Council, …
19 Feb 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in protecting biodiversity.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is taking forward the implementation in Scotland of the UK obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity as part of our commitment to sustainable development. We intend to ensure that the Nature Conservation Bill establishes …
30 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its annual report on tackling drug misuse in Scotland for 2002.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Our annual report for 2002 is being published today. The report sets out progress made in 2002 across the four pillars of our drugs strategy, namely young people, communities, treatment and availability. Also outlined is the action we plan to take with our pa…
7 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has received about whether any judgements from (a) Scottish or (b) other UK courts would prevent introduction of fluoride into public water supplies.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The legality of any approach to the question of water fluoridation would depend on the precise nature of any scheme which might be proposed. <P>Water fluoridation is one of the options on which views are sought in our current consultation paper <I>Towards Bet…
7 Jan 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications would be of introducing fluoride into public water supplies, with specific regard to the European Convention on Human Rights.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Any such implications would depend on the precise nature of any scheme which might be proposed. <P>Water fluoridation is one of the options on which views are sought in our current consultation paper <I>Towards Better Oral Health in Children</I>, and, as stat…
4 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is due to publish its annual report and accounts for 2001-02.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is due to publish its sixth annual report and accounts on 6 December. The report contains details of SEPA's achievements and activities during the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, the agency's sixth year …
4 Dec 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to address housing shortages in rural areas.
Answer · Margaret Curran: A wide range of factors affect the supply of housing in rural areas. Overall, it is for local authorities to analyse housing needs in their areas and make plans to meet those needs. Central government funding is available through a number of schemes to provid…
27 Nov 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it received to its consultation on the review of area tourist boards and when it expects to announce its conclusions.
Answer · Elaine Murray: The consultation period on current area tourist board arrangements ran from 27 May 2002 to 27 September 2002, and a total of 324 responses were received. We expect to announce the results of the consultation in the new year.
30 Oct 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage men to take up careers in childcare.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Executive is keen to encourage both men and women to take up careers in childcare. In 2000 it launched <I>Childcare: The Training Challenge - An Action Plan for the Training and Development of Workers in Early Education, Childcare and Playwork</I>. It has…
25 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in its policy on the location and relocation of public sector jobs.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has made good progress in locating public sector jobs around Scotland. The Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department is now wholly located in Glasgow, The Food Standards Agency has been set up in Aberdeen, The Public Guardians office …
12 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in view of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Gaelic's report on the urgency of establishing the Gaelic Development Agency, Bord Gaidhlig na h-Alba, it will ensure that the chair and board members of the agency are appointed by the beginning of December 2002 so that the National …
Answer · Mike Watson: The applications for chair and other members of Bòrd Gàidhlig na h-Alba, the Gaelic Development Agency, are being considered with a view to the appointments being made by the beginning of December 2002.<P>The Scottish Executive has provided the …
28 Aug 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it arrived at its recently announced target for eliminating fuel poverty.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive is committed to ending fuel poverty by 2016 and has set an interim target that the number of households in fuel poverty will fall by 30% between 2002 and 2006. This target was set following discussions with the Fuel Poverty Advisory Gro…
26 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to take forward its proposals to tender the Clyde and Hebrides ferry service currently operated by Caledonian MacBrayne.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I have today published, for consultation, the draft Invitation to Tender (ITT), which includes the service specification, for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services currently operated by Caledonian MacBrayne. This sets out our proposals for tendering. I have a…
28 May 2002 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer how the Parliament will develop its commitment to Gaelic and what support the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will give to the Parliament's Gaelic Officer to ensure that this commitment is fulfilled.
Answer · David Steel: The Parliament's Gaelic Service will be discussed by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body shortly, in the context of the Parliament's policy on languages generally. I will write to let you know the outcome after that meeting.
9 May 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support is currently available for the training of people involved in supporting victims of domestic abuse.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund is currently funding six projects which provide training to people involved in supporting victims of domestic abuse, at a total cost of £158,311 per year, matched by local partners.<P>In addition, the Executive prov…