Parliamentary questions
Des McNulty
1,840 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it envisages Planning Aid for Scotland playing in undertaking community engagement in respect of National Planning Framework 2.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We are currently consideringwhether there is a role for Planning Aid for Scotland in our community engagement for the National Planning Framework 2.</p>
18 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what community engagement it intends to undertake in respect of National Planning Framework 2.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Details of the community engagement we will carry out in respect of the National Planning Framework 2 are contained in the Participation Statement, which is available on the National Planning Framework webpage (<a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/plann…
18 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide enhanced funding of Planning Aid for Scotland to facilitate greater community engagement in the planning system as envisaged in the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Planning Aid for Scotland has already received increased funding for its workin facilitating community engagement in planning with £161,711 in 2005-06, £253,307 in 06-07 and up to £282,159 in the current financial year.</p><p>Future fundingfor Planning Aid fo…
18 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding and other resources it considers are needed to deliver greater community engagement to ensure that the culture change envisaged in the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 takes place.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The financialmemorandum to the Planning Act set out estimated costs for planning authoritiesin implementing the act. Planning authorities will have a key role to play inensuring a greater degree of community engagement in both development planningand developm…
18 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding levels provided by government sources to Planning Aid in England over the next three years are used as a benchmark for the funding requirement for Planning Aid for Scotland.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: No - we will makefunding decisions in Scotland based on our own needs and priorities.</p>
18 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what core and project funding has been provided to Planning Aid for Scotland in the most recent year for which figures are available and what information is available on how this level of funding compares with that provided by government sources of Planning Aid in England and Wales.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: In financial year2006-7, the Scottish Government provided Planning Aid for Scotland with core funding of £120,047 and project funding of£133,260 - £253,307 in total.</p><p>In2006-07 the Department forCommunities and Local Government provided £1.7 millionfor P…
11 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2935 by Shona Robison on 23 August 2007, what discretion Dr Andrew Walker has to undertake a full option appraisal as part of his independent scrutiny of proposals for service change to accident and emergency services in Lanarkshire and Ayrshire.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I referthe member to the answer to question S3W-2934 on 23 August 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.…
10 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3067 by Linda Fabiani on 20 August 2007, when it will make a decision on the replacement for the First Secretary for Scottish Affairs in the United States of America.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: I hope that the issueof the filling of this post will be resolved shortly.</p>
10 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why Transport Scotland has not yet adopted an energy policy.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Energy usage and conservationis a key concern of the agency, activity in this area includes:</p><p>working to sourcea new electricity supplier for the trunk road network (21% of the energy suppliedto the network from March 2008 will be provided from green po…
10 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether every local authority will have used the additional funding announced on 20 June 2007 to employ an extra 300 teachers to secure the employment of probationary teachers by 19 September 2007 and, if not, which councils will have been unable to do so.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Funding has beenprovided to local authorities which will allow the employment of 300 additionalteachers. The timing of the employment and the deployment of the extra teachersis a matter for each local authority.</p><p>As at end August,we are aware there were …
10 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many probationary teachers who completed their probationary year in 2007 will not have secured employment by 19 September 2007.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Patterns ofemployment will not be available until the General Teaching Council forScotland (GTCS) have conducted their annual survey of newly qualified teachersin October and the results of the 2007 teacher census are published in March2008. GTCS research las…
10 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2938 by Shona Robison on 27 August 2007, what information it has been given by NHS Ayrshire and Arran regarding the anticipated impact of the retention of accident and emergency services at two hospitals on resources available to deliver the board’s …
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: None.</p>
10 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2932 by Shona Robison on 27 August 2007, what information it has been given by NHS Lanarkshire regarding the anticipated impact of the retention of accident and emergency services at three hospitals on resources available to deliver the board’s prim…
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: None.</p>
10 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many illegal drug-related deaths there have been in (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire in each year since 1996.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The followingfigures were compiled by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS).</p><p>Drug-Related Deaths, by Local Authority Area, 1996-2006</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td valign=top> <p>Local Authority Area</p>…
10 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many alcohol-related deaths there have been in (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire since 1996.
Answer · Shona Robison: The informationrequested is given in the following table. It uses a definition ofalcohol-related deaths agreed with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in2006 following wide consultation. Figures only include cases where the selectedcauses were the main …
10 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure quicker diagnosis of patients with treatable forms of wet age-related macular degeneration.
Answer · Shona Robison: Recentdevelopments in eye care mean that optometrists can refer patients directly tothe hospital when their condition requires this. One of the expected benefitsof the new NHS eye examination will be to encourage the early detection ofco-morbidity and improve…
10 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether photodynamic therapy treatment, which is currently provided for people with classic wet age-related macular degeneration with no occult subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation, in accordance with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance, will be considered by …
Answer · Shona Robison: The NationalInstitute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has found that photodynamictherapy may provide most benefit to people who have wet age related maculardegeneration which is classic with no occult subfoveal choroidalneovascularisation and who ha…
10 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that NHS boards give sufficient priority to ensuring that patients with age-related macular degeneration who require photodynamic therapy treatment receive it and to implementing the appropriate clinical patient pathways for such patients.
Answer · Shona Robison: Patient pathwaysfor this condition have been developed and we expect patients to be treated byNHS boards according to their circumstances.</p>
10 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-31920 by Mr Andy Kerr on 27 February 2007, whether, following the approval of Lucentis® (ranibizumab) on 22 January 2007 by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency, the Scottish Medicines Consortium has made a recommendation regarding the use of thi…
Answer · Shona Robison: The ScottishMedicines Consortium recommended Lucentis for use in NHS Scotland on 11 June 2007. Further information is available at: <ahref="http://www.scottishmedicines.org/">www.scottishmedicines.org</a>.</p>
5 Sep 2007 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address concerns raised by Jonathan Mills, Edinburgh International Festival Director, that it was £200,000 cheaper to import Cologne Opera¿s production of Richard Strauss¿s Capriccio than to engage Scottish Opera for a new production.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: The programme forthe Edinburgh International Festival is a matter for the Festival Director,Jonathan Mills. Four of the five National Performing Companies did appear atthe 2007 Festival. I understand that Jonathan Mills and the General Director ofScottish Ope…
3 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive a report from its expert group on road safety.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The panel ofexperts will contribute their knowledge and expertise at various stages in thedevelopment of the Scottish Road Safety Strategy. There is no requirement forthem to submit a formal report.</p>
3 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to provide a road environment that caters for the needs of international visitors.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Governmentis very aware of the need to ensure a safe environment for all road users, includinginternational visitors. Roads are designed to national standards and these standardshave been developed through research, which often includes informati…
3 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to encourage international visitors to use Scottish roads safely.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Road SafetyScotland, funded by the Scottish Government, produces a multilingual leafletfor foreign visitors, which provides advice on how to drive safely on Scotland’s roads. A new series of leaflets, aimed particularlyat migrant workers, was issued in April …
3 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any information on what proportion of road accidents in Scotland involved an international visitor.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Data about injuryroad accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Governmentusing the Stats 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidentsin which one or more people were injured and which become known to the police…
3 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost to the Executive is of road accidents and what information it has on the annual cost to Scotland of road accidents.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Tables 10 and 11of Road Accidents Scotland 2005, a copy of which is available in the Scottish ParliamentInformation Centre (Bib. number 41118), show the result of applying Departmentfor Transport estimates of the average costs of accidents and casualties ofdi…
3 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it plans to commit to promote driver education and safer road user behaviour.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Governmentprovides funding to Road Safety Scotland for the development of road safety educationresources and publicity messages. Details of Road Safety Scotland’s budget for 2007-08,showing a breakdown of expenditure, can be accessed at <ahref="h…
3 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information is available concerning progress in meeting the targets contained in Tomorrow’s Roads: safer for everyone.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Progress towardstargets is given in section 5, tables 3-5 and the charts on page 6 of <i>Key2006 Road Accident Statistics</i> published by the Scottish Executive in June2007 a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre(Bib. numbe…
3 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road safety blackspots it has identified.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Governmentdoes not hold this information on a national basis.</p><p>In relation to thetrunk road network Transport Scotland undertake approximately 100 accident investigationand prevention schemes annually. These schemes can be either at accident…
3 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to use the land use planning system to lower road safety risks.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Land use planningguides future development and use of land in the long-term public interest. Theplanning system has a role in encouraging integrated transport which includes ensuringprovision of direct and safe access to local facilities by a choice of transp…
3 Sep 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers are involved in enforcing traffic laws on roads on a daily basis.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: All uniformed officersare authorised to enforce road traffic laws, for example, seatbelts, mobile phonesand road traffic collisions and so the number of police officersinvolved in this activity will vary from day-to-day. The road policing units ofScotland’s e…