Parliamentary questions
Alex Salmond
122 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
16 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7100 by Mr Jim Wallace on 7 June 2000, what (a) the basic staff requirement for officers and (b) the number of officers in post was for each prison on 31 December 2000.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The table shows (a) the staffing complement and (b) the Staff-In-Post (SIP) on 31 December 2000, for prison officers and operat…
10 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Deputy Minister for Rural Affairs will reply to my letter of 21 November 2000 regarding third country imports of fish.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The response required input from several different sources and a reply was issued on 17 January.
5 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of the requirements of the Data Protection Acts on the collection and monitoring of cancer registration data.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive Health Department is currently assessing the impact of the Data Protection Act 1998 on the Scottish cancer registration system. Guidance will be issued to the NHSScotland before 1 October 2001.
5 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to issue a ministerial response to my letter of 10 November 2000 to the Lord Advocate regarding Mrs S Murdoch.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Mr Salmond's letter to the Lord Advocate was passed to me for reply. I have now had an opportunity to look into this matter and a reply will be sent to Mr Salmond as soon as possible.
5 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Deputy Minister for Rural Development will reply to my letters of 13 and 24 October regarding the Salmon Conservation (Scotland) Bill.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: A reply will be issued shortly.
5 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made, or is making, of the effects on fishing communities of a cut in fishing quotas.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Such an assessment remains premature. While quotas have now been set, we need to reflect fully on the impact of the 2001 quotas on the industry. I intend to discuss these issues with the fishing industry early in the New Year. I have also asked Scottish Enter…
4 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the letter of 15 February 2000 to me from the Minister for Health and Community Care regarding haemophiliacs infected with hepatitis C, when the Minister expects to be able to write again to me as promised on this matter.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I would refer you to my answer to your previous question S1W-10432 on 24 October in which I indicated that the report had been published that day and that a copy had been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">A copy of my response to …
4 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Transport and the Environment will reply to my letter of 3 October 2000 regarding the A98.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I wrote to Mr Salmond on 8 January 2001.
4 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Health and Community Care will reply to my letter of 7 August 2000 regarding my constituent Mr T Graham.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-10415 on 9 January 2001.
21 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what importance it is attaching to training in developing its Strategy for Scottish agriculture.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Training is regarded as an important issue in the development of the Strategy for Scottish Agriculture. The importance of training, and other related issues such as the development of business skills, better use of technology, communication and the transmissi…
20 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the location is of each Scottish Ambulance Service station.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-11405.
20 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish Ambulance Service stations are located in sparsely populated areas.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I understand that, on 19 December, you met with Mr Adrian Lucas, the Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, to discuss ambulance cover in Banff and Buchan. Following that meeting he wrote to you to confirm that you will receive the further data wh…
20 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what importance it attaches to the retention of a skilled labour force in the countryside and what role machinery rings can play in this.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department currently has a £300,000 contract with Lantra, the National Training Organisation for the land-based sector, which aims to promote the uptake of training in agriculture and production horticulture. The training …
20 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Deputy Minister for Rural Affairs will reply to my letter of 9 October 2000 regarding Mr Peter Strachan.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: I replied on 22 November.
14 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is in Banff and Buchan to register with an NHS dentist.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer Alex Salmond to my answer to question S1W-11197.
14 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are on a waiting list to register with an NHS dentist in Banff and Buchan.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Individual general dental practitioners who are independent contractors may hold lists of patients wishing to be treated in their practices but no lists are held centrally.
14 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS dentists there are in Banff and Buchan.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The number of NHS dentists in Banff and Buchan is not available centrally. NHS dentists would include those providing NHS general, community and hospital dental services. Grampian Primary Care NHS Trust maintains a list of the dentists providing NHS general d…
14 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that there is adequate provision for new NHS patients to register with dentists in Banff and Buchan.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The Executive's Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland outlines a series of measures to improve oral health and access to NHS dental services throughout Scotland. An implementation support group has been set up to support and prioritise the proposals in …
7 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Health intends to reply to my letter of 20 September 2000 regarding the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Answer · Susan Deacon: My reply was issued to Mr Salmond on 14 November.
24 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to make an announcement on the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer Alex Salmond to my response to the member's business debate motion S1M-1096 on 25 October 2000.
24 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether safety grants made available under the recently announced fishing industry aid package are available for fishing vessels whose construction commenced prior to the introduction of the aid package and, if not, whether it will approve grants for such vessels.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The safety training and equipment grant measures I announced yesterday will be available regardless of the date of construction of any fishing vessels involved.
24 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the commencement date is for fishing vessel safety grants under the fishing industry aid package announced recently.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The safety training measures I announced yesterday are intended to be implemented from 1 April next year, following the necessary course development and other preparatory work. Grants for the testing and trials of innovative or experimental safety equipment w…
24 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what amount is allocated for fishing vessel safety in the aid package for the fishing industry announced recently.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: As I announced yesterday, a key concern is to promote an improved safety culture in the fishing industry. We therefore propose to make up to £0.5 million available in each of the next three financial years to promote and deliver safety training for fishermen …
24 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) organisations and (b) individuals responded to its consultation paper on salmon conservation.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: A total of 87 responses were received. 64 of these were from organisations and 23 from individuals.
24 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why those individuals who responded to its consultation paper on salmon conservation were not informed that the Salmon Conservation (Scotland) Bill had been introduced.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: A press release issued on the day of introduction of the Salmon Conservation (Scotland) Bill was copied for information to the 350 organisations that were sent the initial consultation paper. Copies of the consultation list, as well as a note of the indi…
24 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is the practice of the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department to notify persons who have responded to a consultation paper when a related Bill has been introduced and pass their names to the relevant parliamentary committee so that the committee can invite responses to the…
Answer · Rhona Brankin: There are no hard and fast rules about this issue. The policy is to consider the form of each consultation exercise individually and to ensure that we engage key interest groups while at the same time ensuring that the views of the Scottish public are taken o…
17 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Rural Affairs Department has any plans to reintroduce the five-year set aside scheme.
Answer · Ross Finnie: No. The five-year set-aside scheme was a stand-alone EU scheme for taking land out of agricultural production and pre-dated the Arable Area Payments Scheme.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">It is now closed and there are no plans to re-introduce it.
13 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Health and Community Care will reply to my letter of 8 August 2000 concerning my constituent Mr H McKean.
Answer · Susan Deacon: My officials are currently investigating the matters raised in that letter. I will reply as soon as possible.
13 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-2321 by Susan Deacon on 28 September 2000, whether it has established an exact date for publication of the report into hepatitis C and heat treatment of blood products for haemophiliacs and its response to this report.
Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-6273.
13 Oct 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Children and Education will reply to my letter of 31 August 2000 regarding my constituent Mr T Durie.
Answer · Jack McConnell: A reply has now been issued to the member.