Parliamentary questions
Bruce Crawford
999 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish Water about the need to ensure that adequate resources are available so that developments that incorporate affordable housing in rural areas are able to proceed.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive has an on-going dialogue with Scottish Water and its environmental and economic regulators, with Communities Scotland and other stakeholders about a wide range of issues.</p><p>In my statement on 9 February in Parliament, I outlined our objectiv…
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional financial resources will be made available to Stirling Council to deal with any extra costs associated with the holding of the G8 Summit.
Answer · Tom McCabe: It is for Stirling Council to decide how to spend the resources it has available to provide services to the public. The Executive has no plans at present to provide any additional financial assistance to the council in respect of the G8 Summit. However, the c…
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific discussions it has had with the Security Service, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Stirling Council about additional policing resources required to ensure that the G8 summit does not have a negative impact on the city of Stirling.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Decisions about the policing resources for Stirling at the time of the G8 summit are a matter for the Chief Constable of Central Scotland Police. The Executive is in regular touch with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Police and others about preparati…
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the Family Law (Scotland) Bill will have on the provision of local services for supporting families and how it will fund such services in the future.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The Executive has long recognised the importance of family relationship services - counselling and mediation - in helping families to resolve difficulties without recourse to the law or court intervention. This will continue to be the case under our proposed …
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide sustainable funding for Family Mediation Scotland over the next five years.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Family Mediation Scotland receives grant assistance under sections 9 & 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 paid through the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund. Awards of core grant are made on a three year cycle with the …
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it has had with Family Mediation Scotland, Couple Counselling Scotland, Scottish Marriage Care and Stepfamily Scotland in the last 12 months and what the specific purpose was of each meeting.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Meetings are held regularly between the Executive and Family Mediation Scotland, Couple Counselling Scotland, Scottish Marriage Care and Stepfamily Scotland to discuss matters of mutual interest. Over the last 12 months, officials have met these organisations…
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has provided to Stepfamily Scotland in each financial year since 1999.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-14276, answered on 7 March 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.parliam…
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has provided to Scottish Marriage Care in each financial year since 1999.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-14276, answered on 7 March 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.parliam…
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has provided to Couple Counselling Scotland in each financial year since 1999.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-14276 on 7 March 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/webapp/wa.s…
8 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has provided to Family Mediation Scotland in each financial year since 1999.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive funds four national family relationship support organisations in the voluntary sector – Family Mediation Scotland, Couple Counselling Scotland, Scottish Marriage Care and Stepfamily Scotland - under Section 10 of the Social Work (Scotla…
20 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what locations Scottish Water used to dispose of sewage waste in 2004; what tonnage was disposed of at each location, and what treatment the waste received prior to its disposal.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water. I have asked the Chief Executive to reply to you directly.</p>
20 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what methods Scottish Water will use to dispose of sewage waste in 2005 and how many tonnes will be disposed of through each method.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water. I have asked the Chief Executive to reply to you directly.</p>
20 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many tonnes of treated sewage waste Scottish Water sold to Scottish Power in 2004 and what the financial value of this waste was.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water. I have asked the Chief Executive to reply to you directly.</p>
20 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much sewage waste was treated by Scottish Water at its Daldowie plant in 2004.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water. I have asked the Chief Executive to reply to you directly.</p>
20 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what methods were used by Scottish Water to dispose of sewage in 2004 and what volumes of sewage waste were disposed of through each method.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water. I have asked the Chief Executive to reply to you directly.</p>
20 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much sewage waste Scottish Water expects to dispose of in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007 and (d) 2008.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water. I have asked the Chief Executive to reply to you directly.</p>
20 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much sewage waste was disposed of by Scottish Water in each calendar year since its inception.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This is an operational matter for Scottish Water. I have asked the Chief Executive to reply to you directly.</p>
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the cost to be of removing the requirement for people with asthma to pay prescription charges.
Answer · Andy Kerr: It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate because prescription data is not condition specific. However, an indication of the upper level of prescription charges can be derived from an analysis of the prescriptions for medicines that can be used in th…
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will request the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to provide technical advice on appropriate flood prevention measures to people in the Mid Scotland and Fife region who are affected by flooding.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) already provides technicaladvice to local authorities in connection with flood prevention. It also providespractical advice to the public on flood risk and what to do before, during and after a flood via the 2…
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what practical help it intends to provide to help people in Stirlingshire who have been affected by recent flooding events.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive recognises the misery and distress flooding can bring and has, therefore, ensured that local authorities have the powers and resources necessary to reduce flood risk and to address flood prevention. It is also local authorities that lead on prac…
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what new practices or procedures it intends to implement to help reduce the number of people who commit suicide.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: “Choose Life” the national strategy and action plan to prevent suicide was launched by the Scottish Executive in December 2002. Good progress is being made in implementing the main objectives and milestones set out in the strategy. In relation to new practice…
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people it estimates have been diagnosed with asthma in each year since 1999.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The table below gives estimates of the number of patients newly diagnosed with asthma by GPs in the five years from 1999 to 2003, the last year for which figures are available. These are derived from information collected under NHS National Services Informati…
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people it estimates have asthma, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Andy Kerr: This information is not held centrally in the form requested. An estimate derived from information collected under NHS National Services Information and Statistics Division’s Continuous Morbidity Recording system suggest that over the whole of Scotland in the…
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact of the Transport (Scotland) Bill will be on utilities' infrastructure investment programmes, including water and gas mains replacement and renewal and upgrading of electricity cables.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Provisions in the Transport (Scotland) Bill should benefit utility companies’ investment programmes by improving the planning and co-ordination of road works.</p>
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the impact of the roadworks provisions in the Transport (Scotland) Bill on urban regeneration.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The provisions within the Transport (Scotland) Bill are intended to improve the quality and co-ordination of utilities road works. There will be no direct impact on urban regeneration.</p>
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made in respect of any impact on fuel poverty of costs incurred by utility companies under the Transport (Scotland) Bill being passed on to the consumer.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: There should be no additional costs incurred by utility companies operating within the provisions of the Transport (Scotland) Bill and therefore there should be no impact on fuel poverty.</p>
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the costs for utilities of the roadworks provisions in the Transport (Scotland) Bill.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: There should be no additional cost to utility companies if they work within the legislative framework.</p>
14 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits it expects the roadworks provisions in the Transport (Scotland) Bill to bring; how these benefits will be measured, and how it will demonstrate the effectiveness of these provisions.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The road works provisions of the Transport (Scotland) Bill are intended to improve the planning, co-ordination and execution of utility company road works in Scotland. The Scottish Road Works Commissioner will monitor the effectiveness of the new arrangements…
13 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of research undertaken by Asthma UK that found that 71% of people with asthma say that free prescriptions will do the most to improve their lives; when it expects the consultation on prescription charges to be completed, and what consideration it has given to adding as…
Answer · Andy Kerr: We are aware of research undertaken by Asthma UK. Any published reports may well feature in the literature research project that is currently underway and which forms part of the Executive’s review of NHS prescription charge exemption policies. The public con…
13 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider adding asthma to the list of chronic conditions exempt from prescription charges, given that 390,000 people in Scotland have asthma.
Answer · Andy Kerr: We have no plans to extend the current list of chronic conditions that are exempt from NHS prescription charges. Any decisions to change the current exemption criteria will not be taken until the Executive’s review of exemption policies, for patients with chr…