Rhoda Grant

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which fox destruction clubs in the Highlands and Islands it contacted to notify them that funding was to be withdrawn.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government wrote to the following fox destruction clubs in the Highlands and Islands:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td valign=top > <p align=left >Appin Fox Club</p> </td> <td valign=top > …

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16278 by Michael Russell on 25 September 2008, what consultation or investigation it carried out on the impact of withdrawing funding to fox destruction clubs in the Highlands and Islands prior to sending out the notification to the clubs in May 2008.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government has considered representations made in response to the letter issued to fox destruction clubs in May 2008. </p> <p >I have already committed to continue funding for the scheme for the 2008-09 season and I will be examining the scope …

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance can be funded through the new entrants scheme for farmers.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Funding for new entrants is available under the Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities scheme “ part of the Scotland Rural Development Programme. Under this scheme, there is a specific option aimed at helping young farmers who are starting a farming b…

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to promote the new entrants scheme for farmers.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Support for new entrants into farming is available under the Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities element of the Scotland Rural Development Programme.</p> <p >The new entrants measure, along with the rural priorities scheme as a whole, has been wid…

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how new entrants access the new entrants scheme for farmers.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: New entrants apply for this support as part of the Rural Development Contacts - Rural Priorities scheme under the Scotland Rural Development Programme.</p> <p >Applications are made online and applicants must first of all of all obtain a business reference n…

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of demand is for the new entrants scheme for farmers.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: To date, 17 applications which include new entrants elements have been submitted to the Rural Development Contracts “ Rural Priorities scheme.</p> <p >Three of these cases were approved at the first assessment round in August, sharing over £150,000 in fundin…

9 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to evidence to the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment on 8 October 2008, what budget any additional funds for the new entrants scheme for farmers would come from should the allocated £10 million be spent.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The new entrants measure is one of a wide range of measures within the Scotland Rural Development Programme and we have flexibility to re-profile expenditure under the programme as it is taken forward. Funding across all these measures will be closely monitor…

2 Oct 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to enforce existing provisions for controlling the sale of alcohol.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Enforcement is the responsibility of the local licensing boards and the relevant police forces under various powers in the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976.</p> <p >We are also implementing the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 to the timetable set out by the last …

17 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to answer S3W-15433 by Stewart Stevenson on 3 September 2008, whether it remains its view that there is no domestic legal impediment or European Union regulation that would prevent a publicly subsidised ferry service being run by an operator other than CalMac Ferries Ltd between …

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15433 on 3 September 2008. There has been no change in the Scottish Government''s position. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for whi…

16 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9536 by Stewart Stevenson on 5 March 2008 and the intervention made by the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change during the debate on ferry services on 10 September 2008 (Official Report c. 10640), whether there remains scope in t…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: On 5 March 2008 I indicated that there was scope within the budget to fund a ferry service from Castlebay and Lochboisdale to Mallaig. The current proposal from Storas Uibhist is not for a service from Castlebay and Lochboisdale to Mallaig, but for a dedicate…

16 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-12705 by Stewart Stevenson on 15 May 2008, what supplementary grant payments have been made to CalMac Ferries Ltd to cover increases in the cost of fuel.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Under the terms of the contract between Scottish ministers and CalMac Ferries Ltd which began on 1 October 2007, the Scottish Government has paid CalMac Ferries Ltd a total of £5.2 million in additional supplementary grant payments to cover the increases in …

16 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that front-line patient services will not be affected when NHS boards have to fully fund the costs of maintaining their own car parks after the transitional funding period ends on 31 March 2009.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards are required to meet the health care needs of their resident population from within the funding made available to them. Ending car park charges does not change that and brings those NHS boards which currently charge into line with the nine NHS boar…

16 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional costs it estimates that NHS Highland will incur in running its car parking facilities after 31 March 2009.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The additional cost which NHS boards will be required to manage is the loss of income from car park charging. NHS Highland have estimated that income to be around £610,000 in 2009-10.</p>

16 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the £1.4 million being made available to assist NHS boards that currently charge for parking is adequate to cover the ongoing costs of providing and managing hospital car parks.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Funding is being made available to assist those NHS boards which have factored car parking income into their financial plans over the financial year 2008-09. This action will give those NHS boards time to put in place measures to manage the financial implicat…

16 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the £1.4 million being made available to assist NHS boards that currently charge for car parking will be distributed.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The funding will be distributed on the basis of the estimated income to be received by those NHS boards in 2008-09.</p>

12 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it has carried out with crofters and farmers in the Highlands and Islands regarding the control of predatory foxes in that area.

Answer · Michael Russell: We wrote to each of the 22 recognised fox destruction clubs in May 2008 to inform them of the likelihood that funding to support their activities would no longer be available after spring 2008. We received only one response to this letter.</p>

12 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving to crofters and farmers in the Highlands and Islands to control fox numbers.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government currently provides financial assistance to fox destruction clubs by paying 50% of the costs incurred by the organisations recognised by the scheme. This scheme was established to assist in controlling the predation of lambs by foxes an…

12 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what payments have been or will be made to fox clubs in the Highlands and Islands by the Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08, (c) 2008-09 and (d) 2009-10.

Answer · Michael Russell: The payments made by the Scottish Government in support of fox destruction clubs located in the Highlands and Islands for the periods 2006-07 and 2007-08 were as follows:</p> <p >(a) 2006-07 - £31,765.95.</p> <p >(b) 2007-08 - £32,440.62.</p> <p >The esti…

13 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the results of the recent consultation on the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service strategy for the next five years and beyond will be published.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service plan to publish the results of the consultation on their strategy for the next five years by the end of September 2008.</p>

4 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what maximum response time is acceptable for ambulance call-outs (a) on the mainland and (b) in remote and island communities.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The objective of the Scottish Ambulance Service is to respond to emergency calls as promptly and safely as possible and within a response time that meets the clinical needs of the individual patient.</p> <p >The time taken to respond is affected by a number …

4 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria trigger independent scrutiny of an NHS board’s plans to reorganise GP cover.

Answer · Shona Robison: Independent scrutiny will only be applied to cases of major service change and only where the benefits outweigh the costs. This will be judged on a case-by-case basis by Ministers and the bar will be set high.</p>

4 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when NHS Orkney will be informed whether its plans to reorganise GP cover will be subject to independent scrutiny.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing wrote to the chair of NHS Orkney on 16 August 2008 regarding the matter of independent scrutiny for the reconfiguration of GP services.</p>

4 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Orkney’s plans to reorganise GP cover will be subject to independent scrutiny.

Answer · Shona Robison: No. After careful consideration we have concluded that NHS Orkney''s plans to reorganise GP cover will not be subject to independent scrutiny.</p>

4 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how funding is calculated for island NHS boards and what additional costs are envisaged in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The funding for hospital and community health services and GP prescribing is allocated to the 14 mainland and island NHS Boards via the Arbuthnott formula. The formula determines the share of funding received by each board based on the relative need for healt…

4 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Distant Islands Allowance is compensated for in the formula for allocating funds to island NHS boards.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The funding for hospital and community health services and GP prescribing is determined by the Arbuthnott formula. This formula is designed to take account of any unavoidable excess costs of supplying services to a board''s population, including the Distant I…

4 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which island NHS boards currently pay staff Distant Islands Allowance and what the total cost has been in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Distant Islands Allowance is paid to eligible staff by NHS Highland, NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland and NHS Western Isles. Total costs for each board have been as follows:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td valign=top > …

4 Aug 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the health funding per head of population is in (a) Orkney, (b) Shetland, (c) Western Isles and (d) the Argyll islands.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Health expenditure per head of population in 2006-07 was as follows:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td valign=top > <p >NHS Orkney</p> </td> <td valign=top > <p >£1,955</p> </td> </tr> <tr > <td valign=top > <p …

4 Jul 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the grant allocation has been for the Affordable Housing Investment Programme at the beginning of each financial year since 2003-04 to (a) Highland Council, (b) Orkney Islands Council, (c) Shetland Islands Council, (d) Western Isles Council, (e) Moray Council and (f) Argyll and Bute …

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The grant allocation from the Affordable Housing Investment Programme for the areas requested is set out in the answer to question S3W-14092 on 24 June 2008. This question asked about constant terms, this is the same as real terms. All answers to written parl…

19 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS dental patients had their registration status withdrawn in each of the last two years in (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) Mid Highland, (c) North Highland and (d) South East Highland community health partnerships.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is only available from March 2007. The table presents information for the quarters ending March, June, September and December 2007.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=190 nowrap rowspan…

19 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental practices began offering NHS general dental services in each of the last two years in (a) Argyll and Bute, (b) Mid Highland, (c) North Highland and (d) South East Highland community health partnerships.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is provided in the following table:</p> <p >Number of Practices that Started Providing NHS General Dental Services in the Years Ending 31 March</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=203 n…