Parliamentary questions

Nanette Milne

1,264 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

22 Jan 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive , following the end of the public inquiry into the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, when ministers will report on the final decision.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The last sitting day of the Public Local Inquiry was 10 December 2008. It is anticipated at this stage that it will be the end of January before all the closing submissions have been received by the reporters. On receipt of the reporters'' report, c…

15 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new farmers have entered the farming industry under the new entrants scheme.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The New Entrants measure (known formally as the Setting up of Young Farmers‘Interest Rate Relief option) is one of a range of measures under the Scotland Rural Development Programme aimed at supporting new and young farmers. It is still early days in the life…

15 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to require primary care practices to meet the same standards of hygiene and infection control as those required in secondary care.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The revised NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Standards are applied to all health care settings to assess both organisational structures and practical delivery of HAI policies.

15 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to monitor standards of hygiene and infection control in primary care.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19831 on 23 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps…

8 Jan 2009 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to develop cultural exchanges and visits for young people abroad from Scotland and vice versa.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: This PQ was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0108-01.htm">http://www.scottish.p…

18 Dec 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address the number of people breaching community service orders.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: We are taking further steps to reduce breach by more pro-active sentence management. The proposals we announced yesterday in response to the Prisons Commission set out our plans for regular sentence review. Our aim is to speed up and simplify how breaches are…

17 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for flood prevention funding are in progress, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Michael Russell: None. Flood prevention funding was included in the local government finance settlement for 2008-11.

10 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many halls have received grant aid from the Local Capital Grants Scheme in each year since 1999, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Local Capital Grants Scheme (LCGS) was one element of the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund (SRPF). The scheme closed to new applications in 2005. It is not now readily possible to provide the detailed breakdown requested. However, funding of around £1 mill…

10 Dec 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many halls have received grant aid from the Local Capital Grants Scheme in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Local Capital Grants Scheme (LCGS) was one element of the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund (SRPF). The Scheme closed to new applications in 2005. Details of the final round of SRPF, including £1.5 million for LCGS, can be viewed at the Scottish Government …

27 Nov 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on progress in relation to the creation of Creative Scotland.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: We recently announced the appointment of Ewan Brown as chair designate of the new limited company to be established to manage the practicalities of the transition process towards Creative Scotland. The company will be set up by the turn of the year and a smal…

18 Nov 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many small-scale renewable schemes have been funded under the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative in each year since it started, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Jim Mather: Information on the number of small-scale renewable schemes that have been funded each year under the household stream of the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative, by local authority is detailed in the following table. In addition, a furthe…

31 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to advise the general public of the dangers of thrombosis, including deep vein thrombosis.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) is reviewing SIGN Guideline 62 on Prophylaxis of Venous Thromboembolism and is using this opportunity to incorporate recommendations on diagnosis and management of deep vein thrombosis (D…

31 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much will be invested in raising awareness of the dangers of thrombosis, including deep vein thrombosis, in 2009.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government will continue to invest in a wide range of work aimed at the prevention of cardiovascular disease, in particular, given that the majority of deaths from thrombosis are associated with heart attacks or strokes, the revision of our natio…

31 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been invested in raising awareness of the dangers of thrombosis, including deep vein thrombosis, in the last five years.

Answer · Shona Robison: In April 2007, the Scottish Government awarded Lifeblood, the Thrombosis Charity, a £15,000 grant to develop a general information leaflet on DVT and to promote awareness of thrombosis. This leaflet has been distribut…

18 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on the replacement of cat's eyes on the trunk road network in each year since 1999.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Annual costs of replacement of road studs (commonly known as cat''s eyes) are not readily available. However, more than £1.8 million has been spent on the replacement of road studs since records began in April 2001. This cost does not include replacement of r…

18 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what programme of investment there is to replace broken cat's eyes on the trunk road network.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The programme of investment in the replacement of road studs, commonly known as cat''s eyes, is assessed each year along with other condition assessments, such as signs, footways and drainage. Funds are then prioritised across all these competing needs.

18 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the level of broken cat's eyes on the trunk road network.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The condition of the road studs (commonly known as cat''s eyes) is assessed every six months. The reflectivity is inspected at intervals of two weeks or monthly, dependent on the season. In addition, weekly safety inspections can identify defective road studs…

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the events advertised in the events calendar for Homecoming Scotland 2009 meet the tourist potential of every community across Scotland.

Answer · Jim Mather: The events planned for the Homecoming Scotland 2009 programme are intended, within the bounds of available funding, to cover the whole of Scotland. There are currently over 100 events ranging from the Shetlands Islands to Wigtown and from Barra to Aberdeen.</…

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the events advertised in the events calendar for Homecoming Scotland 2009 meet the tourist potential of every community in Scotland.

4 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the events advertised in the events calendar for Homecoming Scotland 2009 were chosen and what the criteria were for events being advertised in the calendar.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Homecoming Scotland Events Guide currently lists all events that are being directly funded through the Homecoming project. Funding has been allocated through three programmes: the Signature Programme; the Themed Events Programme, and the Rolling Programme…

1 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of raven predation on (a) other bird species and (b) lambs.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: No direct assessment of the impact of raven predation on lambs has been undertaken by the Scottish Government or Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). However, in view of the recent interest in raven predation, SNH, in conjunction with RSPB and the Aberdeen Centre…

1 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive by how much it estimates that the raven population has increased in the last 10 years.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The UK Breeding Bird Survey which undertakes counts in the breeding season in more than 3,000 one kilometre squares in the UK. Currently data exists from 1994 to 2007 and indicates long-term increase in raven numbers in the UK of more than 50%. The Scottish p…

1 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to reverse the ban on the docking of tails of working dogs.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has no immediate plans to reverse the ban on the docking of tails of working dogs but has contributed £10,000 towards a UK case control study, to estimate the risk of tail injury to dogs. This is due to end in the spring of 2009. When …

23 Jul 2008 · Written Question

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Funding for measures within the Scotland rural development programme is allocated over the life of the programme (2007 to 2013) and not on an annual basis. The indicative financial breakdown includes £10 million for the new entrants measure.

23 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new entrants to farming there have been as a result of the new entrants scheme.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The new entrants measure, along with other measures included within Land Management Contracts - Rural Priorities, opened for submission of proposals in July 2008. It is too early, therefore, for the measure to have had a quantifiable impact on the number of n…

18 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times are for hearing aids in each NHS board area, also broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Answer · Shona Robison: Information on audiology average waiting times is not available centrally. Audiology waiting times will be included within the 18-week referral to treatment standards by 2011 and systems are being developed to report progress towards that target. Information …

11 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the value is of backlogged road repairs in each local authority, also broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: This information is not held centrally. The Scottish Government provides local authorities with funding for roads and transport through the core local government finance settlement and each council is responsible for the maintenance and improvement of local r…

8 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it made to the UK Government to seek a full public consultation in Scotland on the matter of the creation of in vitro human cloned embryos or human admixed embryos for research from cells originating in an adult with incapacity and without his or her express consent, …

Answer · Shona Robison: As the content of the Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill is reserved, the issue of consultation is for the UK Government.

8 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns that Schedule 7 of the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill which seeks to amend the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 would undermine the protection given to adults with incapacity in Scotland, in particular the requirements relating to ethics c…

Answer · Shona Robison: No. The regulation of ethics committees in Scotland under the terms of The Adults with Incapacity (Ethics Committee) (Scotland) Regulations 2002, as amended, are unaffected. The effect of the amendment excludes the adults with incapacity research con…

8 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Scottish Parliament should have been consulted before proposals to amend the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 were introduced through the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill to enable the creation in vitro of human cloned embryos or human adm…

Answer · Shona Robison: The content of the Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill is reserved and the associated amendments are consequential on the reserved purpose.