Parliamentary questions
Nanette Milne
1,264 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many flood prevention scheme proposals are under consideration, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Three proposed flood prevention schemes are under consideration for confirmation under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961.</p> <p >Moray Council:</p> <p >Elgin Flood Prevention Scheme 2007.</p> <p >Forres (Findhorn and Pilmuir) Flood Prevention Sch…
21 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many flood prevention schemes are being constructed, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I am aware of 11 flood prevention schemes being constructed this year by the undernoted local authorities.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td width=308 valign=top > <p >Local Authority</p> </td> <td width=308 valign=top …
21 May 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authority schools in the north east are meeting the Scottish Government’s class size target of 18 pupils or fewer in primaries one to three.
Answer · Keith Brown: Sixty-one primary schools in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus and Dundee meet the commitment to reduce primary 1 to primary 3 classes to a maximum of 18 or fewer. This represents 20.8 per cent of primary schools in the area.</p>
7 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the cost has been of responding to hoax emergency calls in each year since 1999, broken down by fire and rescue service area.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: This information is not available to the level of detail requested. However, limited information is available in the report <i >Economic Cost of Fire: Estimates for 2004</i> published by the Office of The Deputy Prime Minister in April 2006. The report indica…
7 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the cost has been of responding to deliberately started fires in each year since 1999, broken down by fire and rescue service area.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: This information is not available to the level of detail requested. However, limited information is available in the report <i >Economic Cost of Fire: Estimates for 2004</i> published by the Office of The Deputy Prime Minister in April 2006. Table 4.5 of the …
7 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hoax emergency calls there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by fire and rescue service area.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The number of deliberate false alarms is given in the following table. The latest available published figures are for 2006.</p> <p >Deliberate False Fire Alarms by FRS Area, Scotland, 1999 to 2006</p> <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead>…
7 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many fires have been deliberately started in each year since 1999, broken down by fire and rescue service area.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The number of fires classified as deliberate by the fire and rescue services are given in the following tables. The latest available published figures are for 2006.</p> <p >Deliberate Primary Fires in Scotland by Fire and Rescue Service Area, 1999 to 2006</p…
7 May 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many second homes there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government does not hold numbers of second homes and long-term empty properties at parliamentary constituency level. However, the numbers of second homes and long-term empty properties in Scotland for the years 2005 to 2008, broken down by local …
29 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many newsagents there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · John Swinney: Data which separately identify newsagents is not held centrally.</p> <p >However, the number of outlets in Scotland whose main business activity is Retail sale by confectioners, tobacconists and newsagents (CTNs) is shown in the table below from 1999 to 2008…
2 Apr 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the law surrounding representation in court so that individuals in civil cases are given equal access to legal representation as those in criminal cases.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: We have recently made significant improvements to the financial eligibility rules for civil legal aid which should help ensure that a million more Scots have access to subsidised legal representation.</p> <p >There are important distinctions in the way in wh…
31 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many PET/CT scans have taken place in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: As part of the on-going planned development of a pan-Scotland NHS PET/CT service, information on the number of PET/CT scans carried out has been collected centrally since April 2006-07, see table below. Data were not routinely collected centrally prior to tha…
31 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many PET/CT scanners are available, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are currently three PET/CT scanners, situated in NHS Grampian (Aberdeen Royal Infirmary), NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Gartnavel General Hospital) and NHS Lothian (Western General Hospital, Edinburgh).</p>
18 Mar 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the 2008 woodfuel demand and usage data published by Forestry Commission Scotland, whether it considers that the biomass energy industry is sustainable.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham : <i > This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:</i></p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0326-01.htm">http://www.sco…
5 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths have been attributed to thrombosis in each year from 1998 to 2002.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is shown in the following table, and represents the best estimates available, rather an exact count, for the following reasons.</p> <p >This information uses groups of causes of deaths. In the case of some of the groups, it is thoug…
26 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many manufacturing jobs there were in each year since 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Jim Mather: Information on the number of employee jobs in the manufacturing sector is collected each year from the Annual Business Inquiry (ABI), which is the official source of employee jobs data. The ABI is run by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The most rece…
26 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the number of fathers who have claimed statutory paternity pay in each year since 2003, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Alex Neil: Information on the number of fathers claiming statutory paternity pay is not held by the Scottish Government.</p> <p >The Department for Work and Pensions have collected some information about the proportion of new fathers taking paternity leave and claiming…
23 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental nurses there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested from 1999 to 2006 is not centrally available. Data for dental nurses for 2007 and 2008, broken down by NHS board, can be found in the following table:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width…
23 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many volunteer groups there have been in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jim Mather: The number of voluntary organisations in Scotland, which by definition will use volunteers in some capacity, can not be identified with accuracy. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) has estimated there may be about 45,000 and the Office of…
23 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many volunteers there have been in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jim Mather: The essence of volunteering is that people just do it, often outside any formal setting or organisation, and without any requirement to register. Consequently there can be no precise quantification of the numbers.</p> <p >Research by Volunteering Development…
23 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its road safety strategy.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We expect the <i >Framework for Road Safety in </i><i >Scotland</i><i > to 2020</i> to be published in spring 2009.</p>
23 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the replacement road network for the Inveramsay Bridge will be dual carriageway.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) recommends major upgrades to the A96, including 2+1 sections, climbing lanes and overtaking lay-bys, local realignments/junction improvements, upgrading to dual carriageway between Inverness and Nairn, a bypass o…
23 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects work on the replacement of the Inveramsay Bridge to commence.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The STPR has recommended a package of proposed investments for the period 2012 and beyond, the delivery of which will be prioritised in future spending reviews.</p> <p >A timetable for undertaking the work on the A96 upgrades, including a new Inveramsay Brid…
23 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the UK Government regarding the retention of the opt-out to the working time directive.
Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government has consistently and fully supported the UK Government''s efforts to retain the individual opt-out.</p>
23 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the European Commission regarding the retention of the UK opt-out to the working time directive.
Answer · Jim Mather: No direct representations have been made to the European Commission on this reserved matter although the Scottish Government is in regular and on-going contact with the UK Government on this issue. Our shared policy position favours retaining the opt-out.</p>…
23 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects work on the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route to commence.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Subject to the satisfactory completion of the statutory procedures work is currently expected to start in 2010/2011.</p>
23 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on transport infrastructure projects in each year since 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government does not hold the information requested broken down by constituency.</p> <p >Details of expenditure on transport within the Scottish ministers'' responsibility from 1997-98 to 2007-08 can be found within table 11.1 in the Finance chap…
23 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have requested access to an NHS dentist in each year since 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Shona Robison: This information is not held.</p> <p >The majority of dentists are independent contractors who are responsible for managing access to NHS dental services at their own practices. Information on the number of patients directly approaching independent dentists …
23 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are registered with an NHS dentist, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information as at 30 September 2008 is published on Information Services Division''s website at:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/servlet/FileBuffer?namedFile=dent_reg_table2_sep08.xls&pContentDispositionType=attachment">http://www.is…
2 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what secondary legislation it (a) has implemented and (b) plans to implement under the provisions of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Prohibited Procedures on Protected Animals (Exemptions)(Scotland) Regulations 2007 were brought into force in April 2007 and the Prohibited Procedures on Protected Animals (Exemptions)(Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2009 were approved by the Scottish Par…
29 Jan 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has given to public bodies on selling land at the lowest point in the market.
Answer · John Swinney: Guidance to Scottish Government, its agencies and non-Departmental Public Bodies on the disposal of land and property is given in the Scottish Public Finance Manual. This guidance seeks to ensure that market value is obtained at any point in the economic cycl…