Parliamentary questions
Jamie Stone
587 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
24 Aug 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to modify public procurement practices so that smaller contractors in remote areas secure a fair proportion of available business.
Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has taken a number of steps to ensure that its procurement processes provide small businesses with a fair opportunity to bid for public contracts. These include the introduction of the Suppliers Charter, the adoption of Six Simple Step…
11 Aug 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) lowest, (b) average and (c) highest percentage rent increase or decrease imposed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise on rents for commercial premises owned by it in the Inner Moray Firth area and leased to business was in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09 and is proposed for 2009-…
Answer · Jim Mather: Setting the levels of rent for commercial properties owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is an operational matter for HIE.</p> <p >I have written to HIE''s Chief Executive asking him to respond to you directly on this issue.</p>
11 Aug 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) lowest, (b) average and (c) highest percentage rent increase or decrease imposed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise on rents for commercial premises owned by it in the Caithness and Sutherland area and leased to business was in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09 and is proposed fo…
Answer · Jim Mather: Setting the level of rent for commercial properties owned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is an operational matter for HIE.</p> <p >I have written to HIE''s Chief Executive asking him to respond to you directly on this issue.</p>
29 Jul 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-25256 by Alex Neil on 22 July 2009, what the outcome of the meeting between the Minister for Housing and Communities and the UK Government Housing Minister was with regard to whether or not and how the historic housing debt can be erased.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Minister for Housing and Communities and the UK Government Housing Minister discussed many points of common interest including local authority housing debt at their meeting of 7 July. The meeting was not specifically about debt and did not discuss in deta…
29 Jul 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-25252 by Alex Neil on 21 July 2009, how it is promoting the finance available from the European Investment Bank to housing associations.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has made housing associations aware that funding is available from the European Investment Bank through The Housing Finance Corporation (THFC) and that this may be a further funding option for them. THFC have the lead in promoting thi…
20 Jul 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve access to orthodontic treatment in Caithness and Sutherland.
Answer · Shona Robison: This is a matter for NHS Highland. However, I understand from NHS Highland that the orthodontic service in Caithness is currently staffed by a visiting consulting service which is focusing on the completion of active treatment, and that all new referrals for …
17 Jul 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people living in the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency it expects to be waiting to be registered with NHS dental practices in June 2010.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Highland has a development plan in place for increasing access to primary care dental services over the period 2009-13. Information about the board''s plans can be obtained from Dr Ken Proctor, Associate Medical Director (Primary Care), NHS Highland, Assy…
17 Jul 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the planned number of dentists in post is per 1,000 population in the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency in June 2010.
Answer · Shona Robison: NHS Highland has a development plan in place for increasing access to primary care dental services over the period 2009-13. Information about the board''s plans can be obtained from Dr Ken Proctor, Associate Medical Director (Primary Care), NHS Highland, Assy…
17 Jul 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what change there has been since June 2008 to the number of people living in the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency waiting to be registered with NHS dental practices.
Answer · Shona Robison: This is a matter for NHS Highland. This information is not held centrally.</p> <p >NHS Highland has been allocated £5.64 million under the primary and community care premises modernisation programme funding. Within this, funding has been provided for the dev…
17 Jul 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists per 1,000 population have taken up post in the Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency since June 2008.
Answer · Shona Robison: The number of General Dental Service (GDS) dentists per 1,000 population that have taken up post in Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency since June 2008 is shown in the table below. The table also shows GDS dentists active in Caithness, Sutherla…
17 Jul 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of its total budget is allocated to (a) health improvement initiatives, (b) health promotion and (c) public health in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The following table shows the proportion of the Scottish Government budget allocated specifically for health improvement initiatives, health promotion and public health within the Health portfolio.</p> <p >However these only reflect new policy initiatives as…
17 Jul 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of its health budget is allocated to (a) health improvement initiatives, (b) health promotion and (c) public health in (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The following table shows the proportion of the health budget allocated specifically for health improvement initiatives, health promotion and for public health within the health portfolio.</p> <p >However these only reflect new policy initiatives as much of …
25 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist NHS staff trained in delivering smoking cessation services there have been in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board and type of service.
Answer · Shona Robison: A wide range of NHS staff are involved in the provision of smoking cessation services in Scotland. However, while the National Smoking Cessation Database (NSCD) set up by Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland captures information on people presenting t…
24 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding abolishing the historical housing debt; when these discussions took place, and what the outcomes were.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth wrote to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 26 September 2007 asking under what circumstances other than housing stock transfer would debt attached to local authorities'' housing revenue accounts be…
24 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its announcement in a news release of 15 June 2009 of an extra £31 million to support new housing, how it will use the rest of the Barnett consequentials arising from housing spending in the 2009-10 UK Budget.
Answer · John Swinney: In addition to the £31 million allocation for new housing which was announced on 15 June, the Scottish Government will be investing £12 million in further education capital projects and £16.1 million into bolstering capacity in the further education sector bo…
24 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of its affordable housing investment plans are dependent on additional funding from the European Investment Bank.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-25252 on 21 July 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/B…
24 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it would spend any funding from the European Investment Bank for affordable housing.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-25252 on 21 July 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/B…
24 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the European Investment Bank for funding for affordable housing; how much funding has been requested, and what the outcomes of those representations were.
Answer · Alex Neil: The European Investment Bank (EIB) periodically makes funds available for affordable housing across the UK through The Housing Finance Corporation (THFC). There is regular contact between officials and lenders, including THFC, as part of supporting the provis…
24 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many units were refurbished and subsequently let with assistance from the Rural Empty Properties Grant scheme in each year since its inception.
Answer · Alex Neil: Since April 1999,104 units have been or are in the process of being refurbished with the assistance of Rural Empty Property Grant (REPG). Seventy-four of these units are complete and have been let. We do not retain figures for re-lets.</p>
24 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote the Rural Empty Properties Grant scheme.
Answer · Alex Neil: Details of the Rural Empty Property Grant are provided on the Scottish Government website and information and advice on the scheme is available from the local Scottish Government Housing Investment Division offices across Scotland.</p> <p >Many local authori…
24 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the number of empty rural properties.
Answer · Alex Neil: The General Register Office for Scotland collects data on domestic properties, information on vacant dwellings, including unoccupied dwellings that are exempt from council tax, and dwellings subject to a long-term empty property discount.</p> <p >The followi…
24 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many awards were made under the Rural Empty Properties Grant scheme in each year since its inception and what the total value of the awards was.
Answer · Alex Neil: Since April 1999, £2.851 million of Rural Empty Property Grant (REPG) has been awarded on 51 projects.</p> <p >The following table shows how many awards were made under REPG scheme in each year since 1999-2000 and what the total value of awards was.</p> <ta…
24 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications were made to the Rural Empty Properties Grant scheme in each year since its inception and what percentage of applications was successful.
Answer · Alex Neil: Since April 1999 there have been 51 successful applications for Rural Empty Property Grant (REPG). The following table details how many properties have benefitted from the REPG scheme since financial year 1999-2000.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpad…
19 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of its funding for cancer research is spent on lung cancer research.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) within the Scottish Government has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and healthcare needs in Scotland. CSO does not ring fence funds for specific areas of research but supports projects of a su…
19 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has made available for lung cancer research in each of the last five years.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) within the Scottish Government has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and healthcare needs in Scotland. CSO does not ring fence funds for specific areas of research but supports projects of a su…
19 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on specialist lung cancer services in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) type of service.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally. Funding of services for individuals with lung cancer is primarily the responsibility of NHS boards to plan, in the light of the needs of their resident population, from the unified budgets which are made available to th…
19 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist nurses dealing with lung cancer there were in each NHS board in each of the last five years.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is only available for 2007 and 2008 and is presented in the following table:</b></p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <thead> <tr > <td width=211 valign=top > <p align=center >Clinical Nurse Specialists “ </…
19 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve the five-year survival rate for people with lung cancer.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: <i >Better Cancer Care: an Action Plan,</i> published in October 2008, outlines the Scottish Governments'' commitments to improving cancer care and outcomes for all those with a cancer diagnosis, including lung cancer. The Scottish Cancer Taskforce has been e…
19 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people in each NHS board area compared to the national average (a) were diagnosed with and (b) died from lung cancer in each of the last five years.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: (a) Data on the percentage (expressed as crude rate: number of people per 100,000 of population) of people diagnosed with lung cancer are available for Scotland by NHS region and NHS board, for years 1985 to 2006, on the Information Services Division website …
19 Jun 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have died from lung cancer in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Data on the number of people who died from lung cancer are available for Scotland by NHS region and NHS board, for years 1985 to 2007, on the Information Services Division website at <a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1451.html">http://www.isdscotland.or…