Brian Adam

13 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has instructed a review of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-795 on 19 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can befound at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.sea…

13 Jun 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any requirements for the Scottish Agricultural College to obtain consent from the Secretary of State for Scotland in terms of the memorandum of association dated 17 November 1987 and incorporated under the Companies Act 1985 have been formally transferred to the Scottish Ministers…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Section 117 of theScotland Act 1998 has the effect of altering all references in the Memorandum andArticles of Association of the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) dated 17 November 1987 from “the Secretary of State for Scotland” to “the Scottish Ministers”…

10 May 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact any changes to the criteria for qualification for concessionary bus travel have had on the eligibility of sufferers of fibromyalgia for concessionary bus travel.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Under the local concessionarybus travel schemes formerly administered by individual local authorities and StrathclydePassenger Transport Executive (SPTE), various eligibility criteria were appliedwhich entitled some sufferers of fibromyalgia to receive free b…

10 May 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what changes have been made to the criteria for qualification for concessionary bus travel.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The qualifying criteria set outunder Article 3 of the National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Older and DisabledPersons (Eligible Persons and Eligible Services) (Scotland) Order 2006 have remainedin force since their introduction on  1 April 2006. These cri…

15 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport or the First Minister have taken to fulfil their pledges that the Executive would support Aberdeen City Council’s bid for a 50-metre swimming pool for the city.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2O-12443 on 22 March 2007, which is available on the Parliaments website: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-07/sor0322-02.htm#Col33490">http://www.scottish.pa…

15 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action Aberdeen City Council requires to take to ensure that its bid for a 50-metre swimming pool for the city is acceptable.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2O-12443 on 22 March 2007, which is available on the Parliaments website: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-07/sor0322-02.htm#Col33490">http://www.scottish.pa…

15 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has rejected Aberdeen City Council’s bid for a 50-metre swimming pool for the city and, if so, on what grounds.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2O-12443 on 22 March 2007, which is available on the Parliaments website: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-07/sor0322-02.htm#Col33490">http://www.scottish.pa…

15 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what approaches sportscotland has received from Aberdeen City Council in respect of its bid for a 50-metre swimming pool for the city since its initial bid of August 2006.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2O-12443 on 22 March 2007, which is available on the Parliaments website: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-07/sor0322-02.htm#Col33490">http://www.scottish.pa…

15 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what approaches it has received from Aberdeen City Council in respect of its bid for a 50-metre swimming pool for the city since its initial bid of August 2006.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2O-12443 on 22March 2007, which is available on the Parliaments website: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-07/sor0322-02.htm#Col33490">http://www.scottish.par…

15 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how often and by what means it has communicated its decision on Aberdeen City Council’s bid for a 50-metre swimming pool for the city.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2O-12443 on 22 March 2007, which is available on the Parliaments website: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-07/sor0322-02.htm#Col33490">http://www.scottish.pa…

15 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has responded to Aberdeen City Council’s bid for a 50-metre swimming pool and, if so, whether it will publish its response.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: I refer the member to the answer to question S2O-12443 on 22 March 2007, which is available on the Parliaments website: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-07/sor0322-02.htm#Col33490">http://www.scottish.pa…

9 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for future pensions provision for fire and rescue services’ staff.

Answer · Johann Lamont: Pension costs are met in fullfrom grant aided expenditure. The Government Actuary’s Department is currently undertakingan audit of Scottish fire services pension commitments and the results of this exercisewill inform funding decisions taken as part of the fo…

15 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-31407 by Patricia Ferguson on 13 February 2007, whether it has made any representations to the UK Government on the implications for sports projects, such as the 50-metre swimming pool for Aberdeen, if sports lottery funding is diverted to pay for ad…

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Scottish ministers have a goodworking relationship with their UK counterparts and will continue to engage constructivelywith them to maximise the benefits of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games forScotland and to minimise the impact of any reduction in lott…

2 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-31300 by Robert Brown on 1 February 2007, whether it will consider setting up a fund to support local authorities in providing increased teaching of English as an additional language.

Answer · Robert Brown: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-31301 on 1 February 2007. All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…

1 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many central heating programme contractors have been (a) approved and (b) appointed by Scottish Gas and where they are located, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Des McNulty: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is asfollows:</p><p>Scottish Gas has appointed34 contractors and a further seven are currently in the registration processfor inclusion on the programme. Informati…

1 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many central heating programme and Warm Deal installations have been (a) approved and (b) installed since the operation of the programme transferred to Scottish Gas, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Des McNulty: I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>Information is not held by localauthority area. The total number of Warm Deal and central heating installationsapproved and installed by Scott…

1 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many installations under the central heating programme and Warm Deal have been completed in each year since inception of the central heating programme, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Des McNulty: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is asfollows:</p><p>Information is not held bylocal authority area. Information showing the total number of central heating andWarm Deal installations is shown in …

1 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12521 by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 December 2004, how many people under 60 receive the disability living allowance and how much it would cost to include them in the central heating programme, broken down into private tenants, owner occupiers and social h…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: In May 2006, Department of Workand Pensions (DWP) figures show that in Scotland about 190,000 (189,390) people under 60 received disabilityliving allowance.</p><p>We have completed the centralheating programme in the Social sector with the exception of Glasgo…

25 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the policy which means that dentists are no longer considered to be NHS-committed as a consequence of at least 10% of patients not visiting the dentist in the preceding 15 months is helping retain access to NHS dentistry for patients.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The policy which the member describesis not the policy of the Scottish Executive. It is, however, the policy of the ScottishExecutive to require dentists within NHS committed practices to maintain their registrationbase, unless there are exceptional circumsta…

25 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists have been deemed to be no longer NHS-committed as a consequence of at least 10% of patients not visiting the dentist in the last 15 months, where all other criteria are met, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-31413 on 8 February 2007. 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/…

25 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists have been deemed to be no longer NHS-committed as a consequence of at least 10% of patients not visiting them in the last 15 months, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Information as to why each patientwhose registration as an NHS patient has ceased is not held centrally.</p>

25 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications are for sports projects, such as a 50-metre swimming pool for Aberdeen, if sports lottery funding is diverted to pay for cost increases of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: No decision has yet been takenby the UK Government on how to fund the additional costs of the London 2012 OlympicGames. At present there are no implications for any projects, including the 50-metreswimming pool being considered by Aberdeen.</p><p>The 2012 Oly…

23 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were in care because of parental alcohol and substance abuse in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Information about the numberof children in care because of parental alcohol and substance abuse in each yearsince 1999 is not held centrally.</p>

23 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children there were in care in each local authority area in each year since 1999.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The information requested iscontained in a number of published documents, the details of which are outlinedbelow. Copies of the documents are availablein the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.</p><p>2006: <i>Looked After Children</i>2005-06 (Bib. number …

23 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to increase the amount of funding for teaching English as an additional language.

Answer · Robert Brown: The overall core localgovernment finance settlement for 2007-08 will amount to over £8.7 billion andthis includes an additional £120.5 million which has been allocated toauthorities to spend on the basis of their own local needs and priorities.Local authoriti…

23 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding each local authority has received to assist the teaching of English as an additional language in the most recent year for which figures are available and what the reasons are for the distribution method used for this funding.

Answer · Robert Brown: There is no funding allocatedspecifically to assist the teaching of English as an additional language;however there are a number of GAE lines authorities could use to support theeducation of these children, such as, for example, the line “teachers forminority…

3 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-30162 by Lewis Macdonald on 11 December 2006, when the study into drinking at harmful levels and the availability of treatment services in local areas will be published.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I intimated in myresponse to your constituent on 27 December 2006 thatI could not take up his invitation at this time but that he may wish to approachmy officials regarding attendance at the proposed meeting.</p><p>The Executive’s consultationon proposals to …

3 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-30162 by Lewis Macdonald on 11 December 2006, when the study into drinking at harmful levels and the availability of treatment services in local areas will be published.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We are finalising the detailof the specification for the study with the Scottish Association of Drug andAlcohol Action Teams who will be putting the work out to competitive tender inthe near future. This study should be completed by February 2008.</p>

3 Jan 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the adult population were registered with an NHS dentist in Aberdeen and Scotland in 1997 and in 2006.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Dentists registered52% of Scottish adults as NHS patients in 1997, and 47% in 2006. Equivalent figuresare not collected by local authority area.</p>

19 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether landlords have any duty to supply carbon monoxide detectors and, if so, whether addressing the special needs of people who are deaf and hard of hearing is part of any such duty.

Answer · Des McNulty: Landlords are required, underthe Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, to have all gas appliancesand flues checked annually and to issue a copy of the gas safety certificate tothe tenant. There is no duty on landlords to supply carbon monoxide d…