Parliamentary questions
Brian Adam
1,580 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Nov 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received on the effects of flooding on land and homes adjacent to railway lines in the north east.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland liaises with Network Rail with regard to preparing for adverse weather. It has received no representations on the effects of flooding on land and homes adjacent to railway lines in the north east.</p>
5 Nov 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed with Network Rail and landowners remedies for the repeated disruption to rail services between Aberdeen and Inverness and Aberdeen and Dundee due to flooding.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government meets regularly with Network Rail as owner of the rail infrastructure in Scotland to discuss a number of issues, including adverse weather preparation and remedial action arising from changing weather patterns across all Scottish route…
5 Nov 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times and for how long rail services between Aberdeen and Dundee and Aberdeen and Inverness were disrupted by flooding in each of the last five years.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: This is a matter for Network Rail. The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government in this form.</p>
29 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its performance was in answering ministerial correspondence in the second quarter of 2009.
Answer · Bruce Crawford: In the quarter April to June 2009, 8,667 letters were received by ministers and 96% received a reply within our target of 20 working days.</p>
22 Sep 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its performance was in answering ministerial correspondence in the first quarter of 2009.
Answer · Bruce Crawford: In the quarter January to March 2009, 7,194 letters were received by ministers and 94% received a reply within our target of 20 working days.</p>
3 Sep 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will give to further develop the biotechnology industries in Aberdeen.
Answer · Jim Mather : <i > This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:</i></p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0903-01.htm">http://www.scot…
20 Aug 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to encourage the growth of family history centres.
Answer · John Swinney: The ScotlandsPeople partnership between the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS), the National Archives of Scotland (NAS) and the Court of the Lord Lyon has made the key central government records more easily accessible “ at the ScotlandsPeople Centre …
20 Aug 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any joint family history centres and whether it will detail where they are located, broken down by local authority.
Answer · John Swinney: All local authorities offer assisted family history searches, provided by the registrar of births, deaths and marriages. A joint family history centre brings together that service with access to the other local authority sources of most interest to family his…
20 Aug 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage local history and oral history groups as well as local authorities to engage with their counterparts in communities with the same place names abroad to build on the success of Homecoming 2009.
Answer · Michael Russell: Homecoming Scotland 2009 has served as a great stimulus in encouraging individual local authorities and communities to engage with their counterparts in communities around the world that share the same place name.</p> <p >A number of local authorities have p…
21 Jul 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide family history societies with an index of records in digital format when the 1911 census is released.
Answer · John Swinney: Yes. We plan to release the personal details from the 1911 census in spring 2011, 100 years after the census was taken. Family historians, including family history societies, will be able to access the digital index of people recorded in the census through th…
3 Jul 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Scotland has any plans to procure Micron HME filters for people with laryngectomees, or any other form of filter that is designed to remove bacteria from the air, in light of the possibility of an influenza A (H1N1) pandemic.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Provox Micron Filter is being added to the Scottish Drug Tariff for August 2009 in parallel with a similar decision in England.</p>
25 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what calculations backed up the assurances of the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment on 10 June 2009 (Official Report c. 18164) that the announced levels of Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) 2010 funding were secure despite possible fluctuations in the value o…
Answer · Richard Lochhead: A total exchange rate gain of ‚¬33 million euro has been estimated as a result of the £/‚¬ exchange rate depreciation from the rate as originally assumed for the SRDP. ‚¬14 million of those gains have been realised through drawing fewer euros for the LFASS sc…
19 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timeline is for a decision on the business case for an Olympic-sized swimming pool in Aberdeen.
Answer · Shona Robison: It is for sportscotland to consider the business case for an Olympic-sized swimming pool in Aberdeen as part of the formal application process. I am pleased that a formal application has now been submitted to sportscotland by Aberdeen City Council.</p> <p >T…
18 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the debate in the Parliament on kinship care on 11 December 2008 (Official Report c. 13305), what information it has on the payment of allowances to kinship carers by Aberdeen City Council.
Answer · Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government understands that Aberdeen City Council pays an allowance to kinship carers and has plans to deliver in full on the concordat commitment by paying an allowance at a rate equivalent to that paid to foster carers by 2011.</p>
17 Jun 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts are being made to ensure that delayed discharges from NHS hospitals are kept to a minimum.
Answer · Shona Robison : <i > This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:</i></p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0625-01.htm">http://www.scot…
26 Mar 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is contributing to the economic recovery programme.
Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is working with Scottish Government to identify a range of ways to help businesses in the current economic climate. This work includes waiving SEPA''s application charges; working with Scottish Enterprise and …
19 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to support people who signed missives before the current economic difficulties and now find it difficult to get a mortgage.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to answer to question S3W-22116 on 30 March 2009. 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/Apps2/Busi…
19 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what protection is available to purchasers once they have signed missives to buy a new-build home.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22116 on 30 March 2009. 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/Apps2/…
19 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the housing industry on reforming the system of missives.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22116 on 30 March 2009. 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/Apps2/…
19 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it has supported plans to introduce a voluntary standard for missives in the housing industry.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22116 on 30 March 2009. 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/Apps2/…
19 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review the law on missives for housing.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-22116 on 30 March 2009. 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/Apps2/…
19 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government on reforming missives for housing.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Missives for the sale and purchase of property in Scotland consist of an exchange of formal letters framed by solicitors on behalf of the sellers and purchasers. The final formal letter concludes the bargain or contract between the parties. Scottish ministers…
12 Mar 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its performance was in answering ministerial correspondence in the fourth quarter of 2008.
Answer · Bruce Crawford: In the quarter October to December 2008, 9,629 </b>letters were received by ministers and 96 % received a reply within our target of 20 working days.</p>
12 Feb 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it gives to local authorities, police and health authorities on parking rights for health care professionals as part of their duties to deliver care in the community.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: <i > This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:</i></p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0212-01.htm">http://www.scot…
5 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs it estimates will be created or secured through Homecoming Scotland events in 2009.
Answer · Jim Mather: No target has been set for the number of jobs created or secured from Homecoming events in 2009. However, based on the target to deliver an additional £40 million in tourism revenue and using the Scottish Government''s Input-Output Model for 2004, analysis in…
5 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs are likely to be created or secured as a result of its budget spending in 2009.
Answer · John Swinney: The public sector is a vital part of the Scottish economy, providing key services including health, education and transport which have an important impact on Scotland''s economic competitiveness. In delivering these services the public sector employs 576,000 …
5 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs are likely to be created or secured as a result of Strategic Transport Projects Review projects in 2009.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Recent investment by Transport Scotland across road and rail - either in long term maintenance or specific infrastructure construction - has supported nearly 13,000 jobs and over £2.5 billion will be invested in Scotland''s strategic transport network over th…
4 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio of NHS dentists to patients has been in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is shown in the following table.</p> <p >Ratio of Dentist Providing NHS General Dental Services to Registered NHS Patients by Local Authority Area, in the Years Ending 31 March 1999-2008<sup>1, 2, 3</sup></p> <table border=1 cells…
2 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from employers about adult modern apprenticeships in tourism.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) are partly funded by UK Government and their primary role is to articulate employer skills needs through employer engagement and the production on Labour Market Intelligence.</p> <p >Our skills body, Skills Development Scotland,…
2 Feb 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many modern apprenticeship in tourism places were completed in each of the last five years.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Tourism is one pathway within the Hospitality Modern Apprenticeship framework.</p> <p >The numbers completing the hospitality modern apprenticeship framework for the last five years are as follows:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > …