Parliamentary questions

Alasdair Morgan

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

2 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the section of the former rail line from Dumfries to Stranraer which lies between Dumfries and Maxwelltown still legally exists and, if so, whether current track recovery work will jeopardise that legal existence.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The former line between Nithviaduct and Maxwelltown is owned by British Railways Board (Residuary) Ltd andis currently being conveyed to Railway Paths Limited for use as part of theNational Cycle Network.This scheme will not bedeveloped in such a way a…

25 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who has responsibility for dealing with the removal of carcases stranded between high and low water marks.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Marine mammals die every day from a wide range of causes, wash ashore and strand between high and low water. The carcases are dealt with on a case-by-case basis depending on individual circumstances.In many instances, it is considered unnecessary to re…

18 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated absolute and percentage loss of water has been from each reservoir and its associated water delivery system owned by Scottish Water in each of the last three years.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: This is an operational matterfor Scottish Water. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to you with his response.

12 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria for the administration of Rural Service Priority Area grants were provided to local authorities when the grants were announced in 2005.

Answer · Ross Finnie: This funding has been allocatedon the basis of £100,000 per Rural Service Priority Area and will reach the CommunityPlanning Partnership (CPP) delivery agents through their relevant local authorities.It was for CPPs to decide how best to spend this money to m…

21 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will attempt to recover from the Crown Estate any costs incurred by the Executive and Dumfries and Galloway Council in the disposal of the carcass of the fin whale stranded on Barlocco Isle earlier this month.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: No. The Crown Estate has noresponsibility for dealing with Royal Fish (i.e., whales 25 feet in length).

21 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to enforce the prevention of cockle fishing in the Solway Firth after the close of the current season on 28 April 2006.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive will continueto facilitate a multi-agency approach to enforcing the closure of the Solway Firth cocklefishery during its closed season.

21 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fisheries officers are in post on the cockle fishing grounds of the Solway Firth and what powers these officers have to prevent unlicensed cockling.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Solway Shellfish ManagementAssociation has two officers involved in enforcing the Solway Firth Regulated Fishery(Scotland) Order 2006.Fishing for cockles in the Solwaywithout a licence granted by the association is an offence. Under Section 3 of th…

21 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to enforce the prevention of cockle fishing by unlicensed operators in the Solway Firth.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has facilitateda multi-agency approach to the enforcement of the Solway Firth cockle fishery, involvingin particular the Solway Shellfish Management Association, Dumfries and GallowayConstabulary, the Health and Safety Executive, Dumfri…

20 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-24055 by George Lyon on 22 March 2006, whether it expects to make any changes to the provision in the local government settlement for 2007-08 for the compilation and maintenance of the electoral register if the UK Electoral Administration Bill is ena…

Answer · George Lyon: It is expected thatadditional provision will be made for 2007-08 but the details have yet to beestablished and these are the subject of current discussions.

19 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what factors were taken into account in determining the changes in private sector housing grant to individual local authorities from 2005-06 to 2006-07.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:The main factor in determiningthe change in Private Sector Housing Grant (PSHG) to local authorities in 2006-07is the reduction in the level o…

21 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be made available through Communities Scotland for local authority private sector housing grants in 2006-07, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:In 2006-07, £67.335 million hasbeen provided to local authorities through Private Sector Housing Grant. This issummarised in the following tab…

21 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was made available through Communities Scotland for local authority private sector housing grants in 2005-06, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:In 2005-06, £79.302 million hasbeen provided to local authorities through private sector housing grant whichincluded additional resources of £…

9 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what allowance is made in the annual local government financial settlement for the compilation and maintenance of the electoral register.

Answer · George Lyon: The allowances made in the localgovernment financial settlement for the compilation and maintenance of the electoralregister for the financial years 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 are set out in thefollowing table, along with the projected allocation for 2007-0…

9 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the net value to the Scottish economy of the annual surplus in electricity generation over electricity consumption in Scotland.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The latest year for which suchwe have such data is 2002, taken from the Scottish Executive funded Energy Studypublished earlier this year. In Scotland in 2002 the electricity generation which was in excessof customer demand (allowing for transmission and dist…

27 Feb 2006 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether there are any plans to review the Scottish Executive¿s policy on nuclear power.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The Executive policy remains,as set out in the document A Partnership for a better Scotland: we willnot support the development of new nuclear power stations while wastemanagement issues remain unresolved.

23 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost per year is of providing working clothing to those sentenced to community service; what the source of the funds is, and whether any proportion of the cost is recovered from the offender.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Local authorities are responsiblefor the operation of community service order schemes. Information onthe total cost per year of providing working clothing to those sentenced by courtsto community service orders is not held centrally.

22 Feb 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the current revenue funding to universities adequately reflects the costs of operating multi-campus operations such as the Crichton in Dumfries.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Responsibility for decisionson the funding of individual higher education institutions lies with the fundingcouncil. The present system of current revenue funding is designed to allow thegreatest financial flexibility to funded institutions who then make thei…

20 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21935 by Mr Andy Kerr on 23 January 2006, whether the figures refer to the numbers of people whose deaths were registered in each NHS board area or the numbers of people resident in each NHS board area where cancer was cited as the primary cause of t…

Answer · Andy Kerr: The information presented in the answer to question S2W-21935 was compiled by the General Register Office for Scotland using its standard methodology. For residents of Scotland, deaths are allocated to the area of usual residence. For persons usually resident…

17 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the report prepared by Tayside Police in 2000 into aspects of the Shirley McKie case.

Answer · Colin Boyd: No. I am very concerned aboutthe apparent leaking of part of the report by Tayside Police into the Shirley McKiecase.The report is a confidentialpolice report and relates to an investigation into allegations of criminal conductby a number of individual…

9 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21935 by Mr Andy Kerr on 23 January 2006, how many deaths where cancer has been cited as other than the primary cause there were in each NHS board area in each year since the Chernobyl incident.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21936 on 23 January 2006. 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/webap…

9 Feb 2006 · Written Question

8 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures exist for monitoring radiation levels in Dumfries and Galloway.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Environmental monitoring forradioactivity is an operational matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency(SEPA). The results of this monitoring are published annually in the Radioactivityin Food and the Environment reports (RIFE). Copies of the RIFE r…

27 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to the results of its Finding Practical Solutions to Complex Needs consultation.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The consultation exercise onFinding Practical Solutions to Complex Needs closed on 31 October 2005 anda summary of responses was published on the Scottish Executive website on 27 January 2006.We are currently consideringoptions on how best to meet the …

26 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the cost to local authorities of implementing section 9 of the UK Electoral Administration Bill.

Answer · George Lyon: Section 9 of the UK Electoral Administration Bill places a duty on electoral registration officers to take all necessary steps to register eligible electors. The Scottish Executive has no functions in relation to electoral registration.

18 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost would be to NHS Scotland of prescribing paracetamol co-formulations containing methionine, rather than formulations without any antidote.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22459 on 26 January 2006. 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/weba…

18 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether paracetamol co-formulations, such as Paradote™, which contain methionine antidote are available in Scotland on NHS prescription.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The licensing and safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA has advised that a methionine containing paracetamol product (co-methiamol) is authorised in the UK …

15 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the annual cost to the NHS of treatment of patients suffering as a result of paracetamol overdose.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested is not available centrally.

15 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated annual cost would be to the NHS of prescribing paracetamol co-formulations with acetylsteine rather than paracetamol formulations without any antidote.

Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not available. There are no products on the UK market containing paracetamol and acetylcysteine.

15 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether paracetamol co-formulations containing acetylcysteine antidote are available in Scotland.

Answer · Andy Kerr: There are no products on the UK market containing paracetamol and acetylcysteine.

15 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have died from the effects of paracetamol overdose in each year since 1999.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The following table gives the numbers of deaths from poisoning where paracetamol (including compound preparations containing paracetamol) was known to be involved. The figures include deaths where other drugs were known to be involved. For some of these, the …