Parliamentary questions
Alex Neil
3,059 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) serious accidents and (b) fatalities have occurred on the A77 between Ayr and Stranraer in each of the last five years.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The information requested is as follows:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p align=center>Year</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>Serious Accidents</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>Fatalities</p> </td> </tr> </t…
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) serious accidents and (b) fatalities have occurred on the A77 between Kilmarnock and Newton Mearns in each of the last five years.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The information requested is as follows:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p align=center>Year</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>Serious Accidents</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>Fatalities</p> </td> </tr> </t…
17 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12844 by Rhona Brankin on 16 December 2004, how much funding will be available to assist the roll-out of direct payments from 2006 onwards, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-13078, answered on 19 January 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: <ahref="http://www.scottish.par…
17 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12844 by Rhona Brankin on 16 December 2004, whether the statement that "funding will be available to local authorities from 2006 onwards to assist further roll-out" indicates that no additional funding has been made available to date.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Direct payments are made in lieu of services which a local authority would normally provide itself. No additional funds have been made available to local authorities for the period up until 2006. From 2006-07, £1.8 million, and for 2007 onwards £2 million wil…
16 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the working of NHS Lanarkshire.
Answer · Andy Kerr: NHS Lanarkshire is already subject to review by its auditors and by Audit Scotland; is held to account through financial and performance monitoring by the Executive and is subject to and annual accountability review which this year will be chaired by minister…
16 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it now expects to reach a decision on the planning application by Eden Waste Recycling Ltd for a landfill site at Greengairs in Lanarkshire.
Answer · Johann Lamont: The final decision is dependent on the satisfactory conclusion of a legal agreement between the applicant and North Lanarkshire Council. I understand the council hopes to conclude this agreement by early February. On receipt of the agreement Scottish minister…
16 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is in respect of the provision of financial support for the development and marketing of new visitor attractions.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Unless required to do so bythe Executive as part of our broader promotion of Scotlandstrategy, VisitScotland does not provide financial support for the developmentof visitor attractions. However, groups of businesses can apply for localmarketing funding from …
6 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will fund conservatoire teaching in drama schools.
Answer · Jim Wallace: In the current year, the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) provided funding of £5,027,000 to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (RSAMD). This provides funding for 594.6 places (full-time equivalent), divided as follows.</p><p>RSAMD:…
6 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children enrolled in primary 1 in each of the last five years.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The information requested can be found in Table 2.3 of the Statistical Bulletin <i>Pupils in Scotland 2003</i> which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 33356). The bulletin can also be accessed at <ahref="http://www.scotland.gov.uk…
6 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in each local authority area are defined as carers; how many people in each local authority area have been assessed under the extended right to assessment for informal carers in the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002 and how carers have been made aware of this r…
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The questions on numbers of carers and carers’ assessments are addressed in recent written answers. I refer the member to the questions S2W-11761 answered on 9 November 2004 and S2W-12399 answered on 2 December 2004. All answers to written parliamentary quest…
30 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the financial incentives available for attracting internationally-mobile research and development (R&D) projects to Scotland are competitive enough compared with those on offer from similar parts of the European Union.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Smart, Successful Scotland Strategy confirms our focus on targeting inward investment of a high value nature, including research and development (R&D) projects. Figures collected by Ernst & Young suggest that Scotland is succeeding in attracting more such…
30 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of Scotland's GDP it is targeting for research and development (R&D) spend by 2010, as defined in the Lisbon Agreement.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Lisbon Agreement set a target for 3% of GDP to be spent on R&D across all EU member States by 2010, with two thirds of this financed by business. The Executive does not have a specific 2010 target for R&D expenditure relative to GDP, but recognises the im…
22 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of 16 to 19- year-olds was not in education, employment or training in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age, (b) gender and (c) local authority area.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The proportion of 16 to 19-year-olds not in education, employment or training can be estimated from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). These estimates broken down by age, gender and local authority area for 1999 to 2003 are reported in Tables 1 and 2. The LFS was…
22 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people who migrated from each local authority area to the rest of the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years were (a) in employment, (b) unemployed and (c) economically inactive at the time of migration.
Answer · Tavish Scott: This information, provided in the following table, is only available for the year preceding the last Census, in 2001. </p><p>Number of Persons Living in Rest of UK (Outwith Scotland) who Lived in Scotland One Year Before the 2001 Census, Breakdown by Local Au…
22 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have migrated from each local authority area to the rest of the United Kingdom in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) reason for migration, (b) age, (c) gender and (d) region of the United Kingdom to which they migrated.
Answer · Tavish Scott: This information, provided inthe following table, is only available for the year preceding the last Census, in2001. The Census does not ask about the reason for migration.</p><p>Number of Persons Living in Restof UK (outwith Scotland) who Lived in Scotland On…
22 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people currently work part-time but want to work full-time, broken down by (a) reason for working part-time, (b) age, (c) gender and (d) local authority area.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Figures are not collected specifically for the number of people who work part-time but want to work full-time. However, the Labour Force Survey estimates the number of people working part-time who want to work more hours. These estimates by reason for working…
22 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) international labour organisation unemployment rate and (b) inactivity rate due to sickness or disability is, broken down by (i) age and (ii) gender and what equivalent information it has for (1) the United Kingdom and (2) each EU member state.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The international labour organisation (ILO) unemployment levels and rates for Scotland and the UK are reported in Tables 1 and 2.</p><p>Economic inactivity due to sickness or disability is available for Scotland only; levels and rates are reported in Tables 3…
22 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged between 50 and 65 have retired early in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) gender, (b) local authority area and (c) reason for retiring early.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Labour Force Survey (LFS) provides estimates for the number of people aged between 50 and 65 who have retired early in the last five years. The retirement age for males is 65 and the retirement age for females is 60. Thus females retiring at 59 or under a…
22 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are registered as economically inactive, broken down by (a) age, (b) gender, (c) local authority area and (d) reason for economic inactivity.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The number of working age people economically inactive can be estimated from the Labour Force Survey. These estimates broken down by age, gender, local authority area and reason for economic inactivity are reported in the following tables. </p><p>Table 1: Eco…
22 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were registered on each government training scheme in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age, (b) gender and (c) local authority area.
Answer · Jim Wallace: This is a matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
22 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average number of job vacancies has been in (a) each local authority area and (b) total in each of the last five years.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Jobcentre vacancy series has been suspended by the Office for National Statistics and the Department for Work and Pensions since May 2001. However, the number of notified vacancies for each month has been available since late 2002. Notified vacancies are …
22 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many people received incapacity benefit in each of the last five years as (a) claimants or (b) beneficiaries, broken down by (i) age, (ii) gender and (iii) local authority area, and how these figures compare with the United Kingdom as a whole.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive does not hold all of the information requested, as benefits are a reserved matter. The Department for Work and Pensions have general responsibility for information on benefits and have provided the requested figures for local authoritie…
22 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the First Minister’s statement to the Parliament on 7 September 2004 that “full employment is finally within our grasp” (Official Report, col 9879), what its definition is of full employment
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Executive’s definition of full employment is employment opportunity for all so that people are able to fulfil their potential. The Executive is committed to creating the right economic conditions which ensure opportunity and employment for all. We recogni…
22 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average working age population in employment has been in each of the last five years, shown also as a percentage of UK working age population in employment and broken down by (a) age, (b) gender and (c) local authority area.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The number of working age people in employment can be estimated from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). These estimates broken down by age, gender and local authority are reported in the following Tables 1 to 6.</p><p>The tables broken down by age and gender are …
17 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that it is legally competent for the new appointee to the single GP practice at the Rowallan Medical Centre in Blantyre to close the practice and integrate it within the Suckle practice.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Yes. The NHS (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995 specifically provided that a NHS board which was required to select a candidate for a medical practice vacancy could take into account any wish by the candidate to practise with other doctors…
17 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that it was legally competent for those people who were members of the area medical committee that nominated the Suckle practice to the Rowallan Medical Centre single practice vacancy in Blantyre to be subsequently involved in the rerun appointment process for that…
Answer · Andy Kerr: The way in which the successful candidate was selected was a matter for Lanarkshire NHS board.</p>
17 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what rules govern the composition of area medical committees and what approval is required from the Executive for the composition of such committees.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The composition of area medical committees is governed by Section 9 of the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978. Under this section, a NHS boardis obliged to recognise a committee as the area medical committee if it is satisfied that such a committee i…
17 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is legally competent for it to refuse to allow the failed applicant for the vacancy at the single GP practice at Rowallan Medical Centre in Blantyre the right of appeal and whether such refusal is consistent with human rights legislation.
Answer · Andy Kerr: In any case where a NHS board reconsiders applications for a medical practice vacancy under the provisions of the NHS (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995, which are kept in force by the General Medical Services (Transitional and Other Ancil…
17 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the National Health Service (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995 allow for a single GP practice vacancy to be filled by a multi-practice vacancy at the time of appointment.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Yes. It is a matter for the individual GP, either newly appointed or otherwise, whether to practise single-handed or with other GPs.</p>
17 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a copy of the contract between Dr Gilchrist and NHS Lanarkshire in respect of the single GP practice at the Rowallan Medical Centre in Blantyre available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The contract is between NHS Lanarkshire and the practice. Any request for a copy should be made to either of the parties to the contract.</p>