Parliamentary questions

Mr Brian Monteith

1,042 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

17 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much capital funding it has provided to (a) state and (b) independent special schools since 1997, broken down by sector and local authority area.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive does notprovide capital funding direct to either state or independent special schools. Capitalfunding is provided to local authorities, but they themselves decide on the detailsof their expenditure programmes.

17 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people who have been sectioned under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 in each year since 1997 were believed to have autistic spectrum disorder.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: This information is not heldcentrally. However, the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland is notifiedof detentions under the 1984 act and may be able to provide some information inrelation to this query. The Commission have recently undertaken a study to pro…

17 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people have been sectioned under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 in each year since 1997 after leaving special school provision.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: This information is not heldcentrally. However, the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland is notified of detentionsunder the 1984 act and may be able to provide some information in relation to thisquery. They may be contacted at:The Mental Welfare Com…

17 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish children have been referred to independent special schools outwith Scotland in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) home and (b) destination local authority.

Answer · Euan Robson: This information is not heldcentrally.

17 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines it has issued to local authorities regarding access to continuing education for young people with learning difficulties, in particular autistic spectrum disorder, once they leave compulsory education.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Ensuring that everyone has thechance to learn regardless of their background or current personal circumstancesis one of the five people-centred goals of our lifelong learning strategy. The Executiveprovides guidance to the Scottish Further Education Funding C…

1 Jun 2005 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the total annual cost isof internal lighting for Holyrood.

Answer · John Scott: The estimated annual cost of internal lighting for Holyrood including labour, lamp replacement, overheads and running costs is approximately £160,000. Once the Parliament has been occupied for a full calendar year, a more accurate estimate will be possible.</…

1 Jun 2005 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the estimated annual cost is of internal lights in Holyrood that are always switched on, including maintenance and bulb replacement, and what the estimated annual cost is of these lights for their use outside office hours of 9.00 am to 5.00 pm.

Answer · John Scott: The total cost of maintaining, running and replacing bulbs in the lights that are permanently left on is estimated to be £15,000, approximately 9% of the total annual lighting costs. The annual estimated running costs for these lamps outside the hours of 9.0…

1 Jun 2005 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how many internal lights inside Holyrood are on permanently.

Answer · John Scott: Mainly due to Health and Safety requirements, approximately 550 to 600 lights are on permanently within Holyrood. This is approximately 12% of the total number of lights. The majority of lights are switched off by an automated computer lighting system, presen…

31 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15533 by Mr Andy Kerr on 14 April 2005, what the average working life is of a PET scanner.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The replacement of medical equipment is a matter for NHS boards. NHS boards are given an annual capital allocation and it is for them to determine, based on their local knowledge and taking into account other local and national priorities, how these resources…

18 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) CT and (b) MRI scanners are in operation across Scotland; when they were commissioned and brought into use; when they will come to the end of their working lives, and when the Executive plans to replace each of them.

Answer · Andy Kerr: On the number of CT and MRI scanners in Scotland I refer the member to the answers to questions S2W-11192 on 2 November 2004, and S2W-16171 on 5 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search fac…

10 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when (a) Gartnavel General Hospital and (b) the Western Infirmary in Glasgow will receive an up-to-date CT scanner.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The replacement of medical equipment, including CT scanners, is a matter for NHS boards. NHS boards are given general revenue and capital allocations and it is for the boards to decide, based on their local knowledge, of local needs, how these resources shoul…

10 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards are using out-of-date CT scanners and other equipment in hospitals.

Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally. The replacement of medical equipment, including CT scanners, is a matter for NHS boards. The Audit Scotland Report Better Equipped to Care? – Follow-up report on managing medical equipment recognised that …

10 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much the NHS has spent on capital equipment since 1990 in (a) cash and (b) real terms, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The NHS expenditure on Capital Equipment since 1990 in (a) cash (b) real terms is shown in the following tables. This is broken down by NHS board from 1993 but we are unable to provide the break down for earlier years. <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellp…

6 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its announcement on 28 April 2005 of £1.1 million funding for the "hydrogen office", how much the office building will cost to maintain and what its lifespan will be.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Hydrogen Office will have a lifespan of a conventional modern office building. The core renewable electrical generation technologies have a proven lifespan of 20 years. The annualised cost of the hydrogen system will be £11,000. This is expected to decrea…

6 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its announcement on 28 April 2005 of £1.1 million funding for the "hydrogen office", how many fuel cells the office will require; how much each hydrogen fuel cell will cost; what materials they will be made from, and how much energy will be used in the production of each one.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Hydrogen Office will be powered by a 5 kilowatt fuel cell, costing an estimated £10,000. Information on materials used to make the fuel cell is not available. However, it will be no larger than a domestic fridge and is not expected to have a high embodied…

6 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its announcement on 28 April 2005 of £1.1 million funding for the "hydrogen office", whether the hydrogen will be transported to the office building by cable or by road and how it will be converted into electricity when it reaches the building.

Answer · Jim Wallace: All hydrogen will be generated on the site of the Hydrogen Office. The project will use a combination of on site wind turbines and photovoltaic panels to produce electricity. During periods of excess generation some of this electricity will be converted to hy…

6 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its announcement on 28 April 2005 of £1.1 million funding for the "hydrogen office", how much electricity will be used to obtain the hydrogen from water and what the fuel source of this electricity will be.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Hydrogen Office will use a renewable energy system to generate hydrogen. This system will consist of two 10 kilowatt (kW) wind turbines, 25 kilowatt-peak (kWp) of roof mounted photovoltaic panels, a 10kW electrolyser, 333 kilowatt-hour (kWh) of hydrogen s…

3 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the best ways are of measuring the impact of Safer Routes to Schools road safety initiatives.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive guidance booklet How To Run A Safer Routes To School Scheme gives advice on the essential elements which are necessary for all successful schemes. A Safer Routes to School Scheme does not involve a single pre-defined approach. Sche…

3 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research or evaluations have been carried out to establish the effectiveness and impact of individual Safer Routes to Schools road safety initiatives.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive research reports Safely To School: A Study Of Safer Routes To School In The Classroom (2003) and Review Of Safer Routes To School In Scotland (1999) are available from the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. numbers 30304 …

3 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds in respect of traffic volumes and speeds on the B822 between the entrance from the north and the exit to the south of Kippen.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for Stirling Council as the local roads authority. The information requested is not held centrally.

3 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents causing injuries have occurred in each of the last 10 years on the B822 between the entrance from the north and the exit to the south of Kippen.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the Police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the “Stats 19” statistical report forms. The Scottish Executive’s road accident statistics database is designed to provide information about the n…

3 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total revenue from non-domestic rates would be in 2005-06 if the poundage rate was reduced to 41.5p.

Answer · Tom McCabe: In 2005-06, if the poundage rate was reduced from 46.1p to 41.5p, the forecast of non-domestic rate income would be £1,756 million.

3 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total revenue from non-domestic rates would be in 2005-06 if the poundage rate was reduced to 42.2p.

Answer · Tom McCabe: In 2005-06, if the poundage rate was reduced from 46.1p to 42.2p, forecast non-domestic rate income would be £1,786 million.

3 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total revenue from non-domestic rates was after transitional relief in 2004-05 and what the estimated revenue is for 2005-06.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The total revenue from non-domestic rates in 2004-05 is estimated to be £1,813 million. The most recent forecast of non-domestic rates income for 2005-06 is £1,951 million. Both figures are taken from Annex 7 of Finance Circular 08/2004, a copy of which is av…

28 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in respect of the disposal of the MV pioneer, there were any special factors which would have justified any derogation from the normal course of action on the disposal of surplus assets, as set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16255 on 12 May 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 Parliament.uk/webapp/wa…

28 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Caledonian MacBrayne received other expressions of interest in the MV Pioneer prior to its disposal and whether these parties were given the opportunity of submitting a formal bid.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16255 on 12 May 2005. 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/webapp/wa…

28 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the MV Pioneer was sold on the open market and, if not, how the sale met best value criteria.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The vessel was not sold on the open market, but was disposed of privately at a price some 22.2% higher than a current independent valuation and that minimised lay up and other costs. The company acted reasonably in its disposal of this surplus asset and secur…

28 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the MV Pioneer was disposed of in accordance with the guidelines on the disposal of surplus assets, as set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual, and, if so, whether it was sold for the best possible price.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The disposal of the MV Pioneer by Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd was carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Scottish Public Finance Manual, which states that “holdings of assets should be kept under constant review with a view to disposing of surplus …

19 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects horse passport regulations to be brought before the Parliament for consideration.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Horse Passports (Scotland) Regulations2005 were made on 21 April 2005 and laid before Parliament on 22 April 2005.

1 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers NHS boards have in rationalising managerial posts following the abolition of NHS trusts and the formation of operating divisions and whether there are any pay or condition arrangements or general employment procedures restricting them in rationalising such posts.

Answer · Andy Kerr: This is a matter for NHS boards,who make their own decisions about internal management arrangements. That discretionis of course subject to normal employment legislation, good practice relating toemployee relations and the rights of staff under national pay a…