Parliamentary questions

Rhona Brankin

707 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

24 May 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases there are in Scotland where the European Commission has sought information or other material from the Executive in order to investigate alleged infractions of EU environmental directives or regulations.

Answer · Michael Russell: There are currently 27 such cases.

24 May 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many species or habitats, identified by the UK Biodiversity Action Plan process as requiring conservation action through agri-environment measures, there are in Scotland and, of these, what percentage are (a) increasing, (b) stable and (c) declining.

Answer · Michael Russell: The number of species or habitatsin the UK Biodiversity Action Plan requiring action which could be addressed throughagri-environment measures in Scotland are:UKBAP Species/Habitats Expectedto Benefit Through Agri-Environment Measures<table border=…

24 May 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of features within Scotland’s Special Protection Areas or Special Areas of Conservation, classified under the EU birds or habitats directives, are in unfavourable condition; what steps it has taken to identify the management required to rectify this, and how much such meas…

Answer · Michael Russell: Based on the features assessedthrough the Site Condition Monitoringprogramme so far (the following table 1),the proportions of features that are in unfavourable condition and are not recovering(the management of the site hasnot already been adjusted to favour…

24 May 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what total area of Scotland is classified as a Special Protection Area or Special Area of Conservation under the EU birds or habitats directives; what percentage of this area benefits from management payments from (a) Scottish Natural Heritage’s Natural Care scheme and (b) the Executive’s…

Answer · Michael Russell: The total land area of Scotland classifiedas a Special Protection Area under the EU birds directive is 586,966 hectares. Thetotal area designated as a Special Area of Conservation under the EU habitats directiveis 601,428 hectares. Due to some overlap of thes…

24 May 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total area of utilisable agricultural land was in the most recent year for which figures are available; what percentage of this was subject to agri-environment agreements, and what the equivalent percentages were in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) the Europea…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The figures requested areset out in the following table.2005<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width=118 valign=top> Region </td> <td width=179 valign=top> Utilisable Agricultural Land</…

24 May 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average agri-environment payment was per hectare of utilisable agricultural land for the last year for which figures are available and what comparative information it has for (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) the European Union as a whole.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The average agri-environmentpayment in Scotland in 2005 per hectare of utilisable agriculturalland was £3.02. The comparable figures for (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) NorthernIreland and (d) the European Union as a whole are (a) £21.31, (b) £33.22, (c) £10.00an…

24 May 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many farmers and crofters’ Rural Stewardship Scheme agreements will come to an end during 2007; what the cost to the Executive would be of these agreements being extended for one year, and what plans it has to extend such agreements until the Scottish Rural Development Plan is agreed.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: A total of 226 RuralStewardship Scheme agreements are due to come to an end during 2007. A furtheryear of management payments under these agreements would cost £2,188,247.30.There are no plans to extendsuch agreements. The Rural Stewardship Scheme came…

22 Sep 2004 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to support the Scottish film and television industry.

Answer · Frank McAveety: We support the screen industries through Scottish Screen, which presently receives nearly £3 million in annual funding. Although broadcasting itself is a reserved matter, we established the Screen Industries Summit Group last year to help channel Scottish Exe…

2 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Water still provides concessionary fishing permits for pensioners and people with disabilities.

Answer · Ross Finnie: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water.

2 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what Scottish Water's policy is on fishing permits for older people and people with disabilities.

Answer · Ross Finnie: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water.

2 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how Scottish Water ensures that fish stocks in its reservoirs are kept at healthy levels.

Answer · Ross Finnie: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water.

2 Sep 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who holds the fishing rights for each reservoir owned by Scottish Water, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

Answer · Ross Finnie: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water.

13 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish figures on the incidence of methycillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in each hospital in each of the last five years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Data is available on the ratesof episodes of MRSA bacteraemia (blood poisoning) by health board to allow for monitoringof trends in infection. The data was not collected before 2001 and information forindividual hospitals can be unreliable and misleading, or …

13 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what strategies are in place to combat hospital-acquired infections such as methycillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has put in place a range of measures to tackle healthcare associated infection(HAI), including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. These include theintroduction of service standards by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland for infec…

13 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of methycillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have occurred in the last year, broken down by individual hospital and NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested isnot held centrally. Data are available on the ratesof episodes of MRSA bacteraemia (blood poisoning) by health board. The informationis published quarterly by the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health(see <a…

13 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the financial benefits to the NHS of investment in preventative measures to reduce the incidence of conditions such as osteoporosis.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive does not hold information specific to osteoporosis on the possible financial benefits to the NHS of investment in such preventive measures. The only known preventive measures which may reduce the chances of some people developing osteoporosis ar…

13 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what strategy it has for reducing the incidence of osteoporosis amongst women.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: At present there is no strategy specifically to reduce incidence of osteoporosis in women. However, the Executive's measures to improve lifestyle, generally, by encouraging people to eat healthily, stop smoking, exercise sensibly, and if they drink alcohol to…

13 Aug 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many women have access to DEXA scanners for osteoporosis.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The majority of healthboards are able to provide DEXA scans. In those board areas where there is no scanneravailable locally, arrangements can be made with neighbouring boards to providethis service.I am aware that there can belengthy waiting times for…

29 Jul 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Registrar General for Scotland will publish his Annual Report for 2003.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Scotland’s Population 2003: the Registrar General’s AnnualReview of Demographic Trends is published today. As well as containing information about births, deaths and marriages, the report focuses on migration, which is one of the issues affecting the m…

30 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Children's Reporter Administration's Corporate Plan for 2004-06 has been approved.

Answer · Euan Robson: The Scottish ministers have approved the plan for 2004-06 and copies have been laid in the Parliamentary Information Centre (Bib. number 33105). I have written to the partner agencies of the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration to explain that the admi…

23 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce a policy, financial and management review of the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Executive is committed to ensuring that each public body is subject to a Policy, Financial and Management Review approximately every five years. A Review of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) will start in August 2004. The review will be con…

16 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its commitment to stimulating creativity in young people, what provision it makes available to schools and colleges to develop seeing and drawing skills and to ensure that adequate craft skills are in place to allow a high standard of artistic impression to be delivered and w…

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive supported the production of a publication Creativity in Education, published by Learning and Teaching Scotland which was further enhanced through a practical toolkit for teachers, Creativity Counts. These publications supp…

16 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what facilities it funds (a) directly and (b) indirectly through grant aid to local authorities to ensure that stained glass from buildings being demolished or altered is adequately stored, conserved and where possible reused.

Answer · Frank McAveety: I have asked Graeme Munro, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland, to answer. His response is as follows:Where stained glass windows form part of a listed building or a building within an outstanding Conservation Area, Historic Scotland may grant aid the…

16 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the contribution that Scotland has made, and is making, to stained glass design and construction, what measures it is taking to ensure that design and craft skills are being taught in a manner, and to an extent, that will ensure the maintenance of the tradition of creating st…

Answer · Frank McAveety: The Scottish Executive sets the framework for Higher and Further Education and its funding. It is for institutions themselves to decide which courses to provide to fulfil perceived needs. However, a Sector Skills Council for the Creative and Cultural Industri…

2 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that historic buildings in private ownership do not become a danger to the public.

Answer · Frank McAveety: There is no legal obligation on the owner of a historic building to keep it in good repair. However, there are statutory powers under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997 which permit a planning authority and Scottish min…

2 Jun 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that local authorities protect the built heritage.

Answer · Frank McAveety: Local authorities have an important role to play in protecting the historic environment. They have a range of powers available to them to ensure the protection of the built heritage in their area. For example, they have a duty under the Planning (Listed Build…

27 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether homeopathic treatments are available on the NHS throughout Scotland.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive recognises thevalue of homeopathic treatment. We do not hold full information on NHS provisioncentrally, but Greater Glasgow, Highland and Lothian all provide homeopathic treatment throughhospitals and clinics. Approximately 25% of GPs hold qua…

27 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to compare the cost of prescribing conventional prescribed drugs with alternative and complementary therapies.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Given the wide range of treatmentsavailable through both conventional prescribed drugs and alternative and complementarytherapies, it would be very difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions about theirrelative costs as a whole.The National Research …

27 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to develop patient access to complementary therapies and alternative treatments in the NHS.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answergiven to S2W-7650 on 5 May 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa"…

26 May 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the key performance targets it has set Historic Scotland for 2004-05.

Answer · Frank McAveety: I have set Historic Scotland the following key performance measures and targets for 2004-05Measures Protecting Scotland’s Built Heritage<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=656> <tr> <td> 1. Number of parishes where the sch…