Alasdair Morgan

26 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek information from the UK Government about its testing of demountable and temporary flood barriers and, if so, whether it will make such information available to Scottish local authorities.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive worksclosely with its counterparts in the UK Government to ensure the free flow of informationbetween the two administrations. Demountable defences have been used to good effecton the River Severn and I would expect the Environment Agen…

26 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage the testing of demountable and temporary flood barriers in order to assess whether they can be used in areas such as the Whitesands in Dumfries.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Although the Executive has notencouraged or funded the testing of demountable and temporary flood barriers, informationon a range of proprietary barriers is provided on the Scottish Environment ProtectionAgency’s Floodline website at <ahref="http://www.sepa.o…

26 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding for flood prevention can be allocated for the installation of temporary or demountable flood barriers.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Flood prevention schemes incorporatingdemountable flood barriers are being taken forward by some Scottish local authorities.Subject to the confirmation of such schemes by the Scottish ministers, the Executivewill consider the grant eligibility of the componen…

26 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received an application from Dumfries and Galloway Council for funds to undertake flood prevention at the Whitesands in Dumfries and, if so, when it will make a decision about allocating funds to this project.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Grants are available to localauthorities at 80% of eligible costs for confirmed flood prevention schemes. Inthe first instance it is for a local authority to bring forward flood preventionschemes. Dumfries and Galloway Council has not approached the Executive…

7 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the construction of the proposed railhead for timber traffic at Barrhill in Ayrshire.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Freight Facilities Grant fundingwas awarded to this project in December 2005. The overall project is coming to theend of the detailed planning and design phase and construction is expected to commenceon site in the spring of 2007.</p>

23 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have received from Practitioner Services multiple or inaccurate copies of letters of notification to attend to receive flu vaccinations.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The number of patients who havereceived multiple or inaccurate copies of letters this year is not centrally held.</p>

23 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations were undertaken before the responsibility for contacting patients receiving flu vaccinations was transferred from NHS boards to Practitioner Services.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The responsibility for contactingpatients has not transferred from NHS boards and it is their decision whether toissue the letter or not. The letter is issued by Atos Origin, on behalf of NHSboards, to all patients entitled to receive free flu vaccination bec…

8 Nov 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29250 by Patricia Ferguson on 7 November 2006, how long, after a museum makes an application for funding under the Significance Scheme for non-national museums, that organisation can expect to wait to hear whether its application has been successful.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Museums Councilpublished <i>Applicant Guidance for the Significance Scheme</i> on 26 October 2006, whenthe scheme was launched. The application process is in two stages, the first forrecognition under the scheme, and then (for museums successful …

27 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice or guidance it has provided to NHS boards about supporting the transportation of patients who have been referred to remote centres for specialist consultations and thus have long journeys to attend hospital appointments.

Answer · Andy Kerr: There are currently two statutoryschemes covering the reimbursement of travelling expenses incurred by patients travellingto hospital for treatment. A non-means tested Highlands and Islands Scheme forpatients resident or working in the former Highlands and Is…

24 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will be able to announce whether any additional funding will be available to the Wanlockhead Miners’ Library and Museum of Lead Mining.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The Executive is committed toproviding support for collections of national significance in the care of localauthorities and other organisations. That is why we gave one-off funding of £40,000to Wanlockhead in 2002-03 to clear its accumulated deficits and prev…

21 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authority areas, not featured on any shortlist under its relocation policy, contain locations which were listed for consideration in any review under the Small Units Initiative.

Answer · George Lyon: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28584 on 5 October 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

21 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authority areas have not featured on any shortlist in relation to its relocation policy.

Answer · George Lyon: Earlier this year, we publishedon our Relocation web page a list of priority locations for potential location reviews.These were identified by local authorities and local enterprise companies and includelocations in all local authority areas outside of Edinbu…

21 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the need to provide differential funding to NHS boards to take account of those differences between their areas’ patient transport, public transport and ambulance facilities which will influence their attempts to implement the Executive’s requirements on them to …

Answer · Andy Kerr: Ensuring the provision ofeffective transport arrangements for patients, carers, visitors and staff is asignificant issue which NHS boards, working in partnership with the new regionaltransport partnerships, the Scottish Ambulance Service and others, must take…

20 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has examined the case for legislating to make it possible for NHS boards to regulate parking in hospitals and other parking areas under their control more effectively.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has notexamined the case for legislating to make it possible for NHS boards to regulateparking in hospitals and other parking areas under their control as car park chargingon hospital sites is a matter for local NHS boards to determine …

13 Sep 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the current relationship between the NHS and GPs is sufficiently flexible to allow the provision or modernisation of local health facilities, such as health centres or GP surgeries, to go ahead in an expeditious manner.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Yes.</p><p>We already have a variety ofoptions utilising both public and private finance that are being used to deliverfirst class facilities.</p><p>A significant programme of Investmentin Primary Care infrastructure has been delivered since 1999.</p><p>Howev…

6 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the railway lines in Scotland which are in the ownership of BRB (Residuary) Ltd.

Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer the member to <ahref="http://www.brbr.gov.uk/property/property_listings">http://www.brbr.gov.uk/property/property_listings</a>where all BRB (Residuary) Ltd property is listed.</p>

9 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be made available to Scottish Natural Heritage to ensure that there is continuing monitoring, after the end of a management agreement, of moorland habitats which have been the subjects of management agreements between Scottish Natural Heritage and landowners and their te…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Where Scottish Natural Heritage(SNH) management agreements come to an end and are replaced by a new agreement,compliance monitoring will continue to take place to ensure that contractual obligationsare fulfilled. In other cases where an SNH management agreeme…

9 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be made available to Scottish Natural Heritage over the next five years for the purpose of monitoring the effectiveness of management agreements entered into with landowners and tenants in the south of Scotland for the improvement of moorland habitats.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)receives funding for all its activities in its annual Grant-in-Aid settlement. Decisionsabout the allocation of resources within the approved budget are a matter for theboard of SNH. SNH’s plans take account of the need to provi…

9 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive by what date it will be possible for charities to apply to the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator for approval to reorganise under the provisions of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.

Answer · Johann Lamont: As explained in the answer toquestion S2W-27584 on 17 August 2006, weare currently developing regulations undersection 39 of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, which willimplement a new regime for the reorganisation of charities, enabli…

9 Aug 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, for each project which has been considered for the award of a grant under the Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme, who the applicant was, how much grant was awarded, on what date the award was confirmed and what objective assessment processes were used to determine whether or not the applica…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: We introduced the Scottish ForestryGrants Scheme in June 2003, and details of the payments made (and those to be claimedonce the work has been satisfactorily completed), up to and including Friday 18 August 2006,have been published on the webpages of Forestry…

20 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its strategies for the allocation of grant funding to find means of (a) achieving a more balanced distribution of grant funds and (b) avoiding the need to close grant schemes early in future.

Answer · George Lyon: While we can and do review individualgrant schemes (a) to ensure that they continue to meet their aims, and (b) to ensurethat they remain within budget, the Scottish Executive currently has no plans fora wider review of its strategies for the allocation of gr…

20 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines were given to local authorities on the allocation of funds to applicants under the Private Sector Repair and Improvement Grants Scheme.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>The Housing (Scotland) Act1987 sets out the general types of work that are eligible for grant. These grantsare largely funded by Private Secto…

20 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what basis funds were allocated to projects under the Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Theeligibility for applications to the Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme (SFGS) was setout in the guidance for applicants placed on the web. The SFGS is now, however,under review, in preparation for the introduction of the new Rural Development Plannext year. De…

9 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider offering incentives to encourage local authorities to establish systems for the collection, treatment and use as a road fuel in local authority vehicles of waste vegetable oil from fast food outlets, restaurants, hotels and households.

Answer · Tavish Scott: There are no plans to offer suchincentives. The storage, collection, treatment and use of any waste is subject towaste regulation. However, the storage and use of fuels derived from waste vegetableoil are exempted from waste management licensing by paragraph …

9 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the potential for the use of straight vegetable oil as a renewable, carbon-neutral road transport fuel in diesel-engined vehicles.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Unprocessed (straight) vegetableoil is unlikely to be a useful source of vehicle fuel on a large scale, and a studyundertaken by the Department for Transport indicated that unprocessed vegetableoil increased emissions of air pollutants and that the quality of…

9 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any delays affecting the review of capacity promised in the Memorandum of Understanding between Scottish Water and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on the management of development constraints caused by sewerage systems and waste water treatment works and …

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The application of the Memorandumof Understanding is an ongoing operational matter for Scottish Water andSEPA, and the Scottish Executive receives regular updates on this issue. SEPAand Scottish Water have advised me that there are no delays in thisprocess.</…

9 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Water has published on its website the results of its meeting to review available capacity and constraints in all local authority areas, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between Scottish Water and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on the managem…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: In accordance with the requirementsof the Memorandum of Understanding<i>, </i>Scottish Water met with SEPA to undertakea review of all available capacity in all local authority areas. The results ofthis work were incorporated into Scottish Water’s <i>Strategi…

9 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Scottish Water have met to review available capacity and constraints in all local authority areas, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between Scottish Water and SEPA on the management of development constraints …

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Yes.</p>

9 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received from Scottish Water the report of the findings of its review of capacity, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between Scottish Water and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on the management of development constraints caused by sewerage system…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: We have received the reportas referred to in paragraph 4.5 of the Memorandum of Understanding. Inaddition, Scottish Water’s <i>Strategic Asset Capacity &amp; Development Plan</i>,which covers capacity availability for both water and wastewater and waspublishe…

8 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 which are due to come into force on 1 October 2006, it will review the current arrangements for Small Business Gateway start-up grants which are available only to applicants aged between 18 and 30 years.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This is an operational matterfor Scottish Enterprise.</p>