Parliamentary questions

Rhoda Grant

2,396 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has to increase participation in angling among young people in the highlands and islands.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We recognise the issue of decliningyouth participation within angling and we are working with the sector to informyoung people about fish and to introduce them to angling.

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources it intends to make available to develop freshwater fishing.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Over the next three years wehave committed to make available £1.2 million towards management and developmentof freshwater fisheries.

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has in relation to growth in employment in the highlands and islands as a direct consequence of freshwater fishing.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We share the vision that is containedwithin the draft Strategic Framework for Scottish Freshwater Fisheries that Scotland willhave sustainably managed freshwater fish and fisheries that provide significanteconomic and social benefits for its people.

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to market the quality of river and loch angling in the highlands and islands as part of Scotland’s tourism industry.

Answer · Jim Mather: VisitScotland is responsiblefor promoting Scotland to potential tourists. The marketing aimedat fishing, which focuses on thequality of the wonderful fishing experience that is available in Scotland, is not specifically aimed at particular regions butpromotes…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to open up access to all inland waters in Scotland.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Fishing rights are held as privateheritable titles and access is, therefore, controlled by the fishery owner. A draftStrategic Framework for Scottish Freshwater Fisheries was published for consultationin September 2007, with a closing date for responses of 4 …

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made on creating a national freshwater fisheries policy.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has undertakena consultation on a draft framework for freshwater fisheries developed in associationwith stakeholders. It proposes a national policy that seeks to protect biodiversityand our environment as well as enhancing the economic…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to revoke any protection orders under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: There are currently no plansto revoke any protection order. However, the operation of protection orders is underconstant review, and any protection order may be revoked or varied where appropriate.

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to extend public access to areas currently covered by protection orders under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: When an area is granted a protectionorder it is on condition that wider public access is made available on terms andconditions that the Scottish ministers consider to be necessary. This access requiresto be maintained unless a different agreement is reached o…

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any criminal prosecutions as a result of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003 and, if so, how many.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries(Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003 came into force on 1 April 2005. Threepersons were proceeded against in Scottish courts for offences under this act in2005-06, the latest year for which data are available.

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering granting any further protection orders under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish ministers may onlymake a protection order upon application to them, and each application must be consideredon its merits. Currently, no applications are under consideration.

15 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many protection orders have been granted under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003 and which waters they cover.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: There has been one protectionorder made under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act2003, namely, by the Assynt-Coigach Area Protection Variation Order 2006 (SI 2006/488).This applies to the catchment area of all rivers entering th…

5 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on which criteria the Inverness trunk link route between the A9 and A82 fell short in determining whether it should be funded under plans announced as part of the Strategic Transport Projects Review.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19432 on 19 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/App…

5 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected traffic growth forecasts are for the A82 through Inverness for the period up to 2020.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19417 on 26 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions can be found on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2…

5 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the existing A82 trunk road through Inverness and connecting to the A9 is adequate for current circumstances and for projected traffic growth up to 2020.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The recently published Strategic Transport Projects Review has recommended 29 nationally strategic transport interventions over the next 20 years that will let us plan for the delivery of an efficient, integrated transport network fit for the 21st century.</p…

12 Dec 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the council tax freeze will benefit all household income deciles.

Answer · John Swinney: Yes. On average households inScotland across all income deciles and council tax bands will be better off witha council tax freeze.

5 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address housing shortages in rural areas.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The ScottishGovernment recognises that in recent years there has been an undersupply ofhousing across Scotland, in many rural areas as well as pressuredurban settlements, and is committed to increasing housing supply significantly.Our consultation F…

29 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to build 30,000 affordable homes over the next three years, as set out in the SNP manifesto, in light of the reduction in the affordable housing budget by 6% in real terms next year.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The SNP manifestomade no commitment to build 30,000 affordable homes over the next three years. In total, the spending plans for affordablehousing over the period 2008-11 are 19% higher than the spending plans for the period2005-08. With the additional fundin…

29 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to address the affordable housing shortage, in light of it no longer ring-fencing local authority funding specifically for this purpose.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: It is incorrectto say that funding for affordable housing is no longer ring-fenced. Table21.03 of the Scottish Budget document published on 14 November 2007 shows the affordable housing budget for the years2008-11. In addition, there is a further £119.1 milli…

29 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that the Protection from Abuse (Scotland) Act 2001 is effective in dealing with incidents of domestic violence involving an ex-spouse or ex-partner, in light of the increase in the number of domestic abuse incidents since 1999-2000 from 29% to 34%.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Governmentis committed to tackling domestic abuse and ensuring that those affected by itare given the support they need and those perpetrating it are dealt witheffectively. It will continue to look at how it can improve what it does toaddress dom…

29 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that those guilty of committing acts of domestic violence are properly punished.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: As part of awide-ranging strategy to combat domestic abuse, the Scottish Government ispromoting effective handling of criminal cases, through the development ofoptions for a Domestic Abuse Court in Glasgow and the production of a toolkit to encourageinnovati…

29 Nov 2007 · Written Question

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The following tableshows the Scottish Government’s funding for the Equality Unit and Educationbudgets, to provide support services for women and children affected by domesticabuse and those affected by the broader issues of violence against women(million):</p…

29 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to encourage more victims of domestic violence to report incidents.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: It is widelyacknowledged that many incidents of domestic abuse go unreported to the police.There are a number of reasons for this, for example, victims experience fearand shame as common effects of domestic abuse. In addition, under reporting mayalso be cause…

29 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to run the “Domestic Abuse: There is no excuse” campaign over the Christmas and New Year period to raise awareness of domestic violence and its consequences.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Yes. The campaignwill run again this year from 26 December 2007 until the endof January 2008.

29 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to address the increase in reported domestic abuse incidents in light of the recently published statistics which show a 7% increase from 45,812 in 2005-06 to 48,801 in 2006-07.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Governmentis continually looking to see how it can improve what is done to addressdomestic abuse in Scotland. We recognise that there is under-reportingof incidents of domestic abuse. The increase in reported incidents of domesticabuse may be att…

28 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has put in place to ensure that women’s aid services are safeguarded in the current spending review period and beyond.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Governmenthas shown its on-going commitment to the work to tackle violence against women,including domestic abuse through the allocation of more than £40 million over thenext three years to this agenda. For example, both the Violence Against Wome…

16 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from (a) Shetland Islands Council, (b) Orkney Islands Council, (c) Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, (d) Highland Council and (e) Argyll and Bute Council regarding air ambulance services.

Answer · Shona Robison: The new airambulance contract began on 1 April 2006. Since then,Orkney Islands Council have written to and met with the previous Minister forHealth and Community Care to discuss air ambulance services. The Convenor ofOrkney Islands Council has also written to…

16 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to review the air ambulance service.

Answer · Shona Robison: The ScottishAmbulance Service and its constituent operating divisions, which includes theair ambulance service, are the subject of continuous performance management bythe Scottish Government.

16 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what emergency plans are in place in the event of the air ambulance service being unable to attend an incident due to adverse weather conditions.

Answer · Shona Robison: The AmbulanceService will use the services of the Ministry of Defence or HM Coastguard forincidents where the weather is below the minimum safe operating limits, asgoverned by the Civil Aviation Authority, and the patient’s condition has thepotential to be li…

16 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many air ambulance flights have been subject to delay due to adverse weather conditions in each of the last three years.

Answer · Shona Robison: This informationis not collected. However, where there is likely to be a delay due to weatherconditions, the Scottish Ambulance Service will discuss this with the clinicianwho is requesting transport. In circumstances where the clinician decides thatthe patie…

16 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many air ambulance flights have been subject to delay as a result of shift changes in each of the last three years.

Answer · Shona Robison: This informationis not collected. The vast majority of missions carried out by the ScottishAmbulance Service’s air ambulance service are planned missions and are not timecritical. For such missions, shift changes can be worked into the schedule ofjourneys to …