Parliamentary questions
Malcolm Chisholm
362 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 Dec 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-03553 by Nicola Sturgeon on 14 November 2011, on what date it will publish for consultation a strategy for rare diseases.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The UK response to the European Council’s Recommendation on the development of a national plan for rare diseases is due by the end of 2013. Led by the Department of Health in collaboration with all UK administrations, a draft UK plan is currently being finali…
30 Nov 2011 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what success it is having in increasing employment opportunities.
6 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, households would have been in fuel poverty in each year since 1996 if the mean National Home Energy rating of the housing stock had remained at 4.5.
Answer · Alex Neil: Fuel poverty is determined by the relationship between income levels, fuel prices and energy efficiency at a household level. As a mean National Home Energy Rating of 4.5 across the housing stock could be achieved in a number of ways it is not possible to pro…
6 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, households would be in fuel poverty if the mean Standard Assessment Procedure score of the housing stock was 46.47.
Answer · Alex Neil: Fuel poverty is determined by the relationship between income levels, fuel prices and energy efficiency at a household level. As a mean SAP score of 46.47 across the housing stock could be achieved in a number of ways it is not possible to provide a definitiv…
6 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, households would have been in fuel poverty in each year since 1996 if the mean Standard Assessment Procedure score of the housing stock had remained at 46.47.
Answer · Alex Neil: Fuel poverty is determined by the relationship between income levels, fuel prices and energy efficiency at a household level. As a mean SAP score of 46.47 across the housing stock could be achieved in a number of ways it is not possible to provide a definitiv…
6 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, households would be in fuel poverty if the mean National Home Energy Rating of the housing stock was 4.5.
Answer · Alex Neil: Fuel poverty is determined by the relationship between income levels, fuel prices and energy efficiency at a household level. As a mean National Home Energy Rating of 4.5 across the housing stock could be achieved in a number of ways it is not possible to pro…
2 Nov 2011 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the protocol agreed by it and the STUC in December 2002 concerning employment issues in public-private partnerships is still in force.
19 Oct 2011 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the proposed privatisation of services by the City of Edinburgh Council.
10 Oct 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government about any increased application of the World Trade Organisation’s General Agreement on Trade in Services if the UK Health and Social Care Bill is enacted.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There have been no such discussions with the UK Government.
4 Oct 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the implications for Scotland of the Health and Social Care Bill in relation to (a) cross-border flows of patients, (b) GP practice boundaries, (c) competition policy and (d) differing criteria for NHS care in England.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: We have sought to ensure that the legislation allows for any arrangements that currently exist between the health service in Scotland and the health service in England to continue within the planned new architecture for Health and Social Care in England where…
26 Sep 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to remove the right to take legal action for parties contesting planning and major infrastructure decisions.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: In light of the recommendations of the Scottish Civil Courts Review, led by Lord Gill, we are looking at ways in which legal challenges might be dealt with more quickly and effectively.
21 Sep 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many student award applications submitted to the Students Awards Agency for Scotland in or before July 2011 have not been processed.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) received 120,942 applications for student support by the end of July 2011; of which almost 109,000 were received by the guarantee date. All applications received by the guarantee date (extended to 5 July for 2011…
19 Sep 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in Edinburgh who are entitled to permanent accommodation are currently in temporary accommodation and what the average time of such a stay is.
Answer · Keith Brown: At 31 March 2011, the latest date for which published information is available, there were 750 households in Edinburgh in temporary accommodation placed in the accommodation by the council through an application for homelessness assistance. Information collec…
31 Aug 2011 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on some students from England having to pay £36,000 for an honours degree course at certain Scottish universities.
29 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-00882 by Nicola Sturgeon on 29 June 2011, which states that no reports were produced by Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland concerning the Elsie Inglis Nursing Home between November 2010 and the full inspection report of April 2011, for …
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I am advised by Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) that, following complaint investigation, the outcome is notified in writing in the form of resolution letters, which are sent to the complainant and the service provider complained agai…
21 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-00530 by Fergus Ewing on 20 June 2011, for what reason all consultation responses from organisations and elected members concerning the proposed Leith biomass plant have not been published on the Scottish Government website.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer to the member to the answer to questions S4W-00530 and S4W-01039 on 20 June 2011 and 14 July 2011 respectively. All consultation responses received from organisations and elected members are available on the Scottish Government website at http://www.s…
21 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to question S4W-00530 by Fergus Ewing on 20 June 2011 and question S3O-13414 by Jim Mather on 22 March 2011 (Official Report c. 34780), what the reason is for the inconsistency in these answers in relation to the number of consultation responses on the proposed bio…
Answer · Fergus Ewing: These answers are not inconsistent. The increase in the number of consultation responses and representations from members of the public is due to the additional consultation period on the Leith development which ran from 9 May to 17 June 2011. To clarify, qu…
15 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-00432 by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 June 2011, whether any non-routine reports concerning the Elsie Inglis Nursing Home have been produced since November 2010.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I understand from Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (SCSWIS) that there have been no reports on the Elsie Inglis Nursing Home produced by the Care Commission or SCSWIS since November 2010 other than the report in relation to the full inspection…
14 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it can influence decisions made by the principal or board of a further education college.
Answer · Michael Russell: Colleges are autonomous bodies and take their own operational decisions based on the expertise and knowledge of local circumstances of those who govern the college. We expect the decisions of colleges to take account of the strategic priorities identified by …
14 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it defines "so far as reasonably practicable" in section 88(1) of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001.
Answer · Alex Neil: “So far as reasonably practicable” is not further defined other than in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. The Scottish Government’s fuel poverty and energy efficiency programmes provide assistance to those vulnerable to fuel poverty taking account of the indiv…
14 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will raise with the Principal of Telford College the concerns expressed in letters to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning by (a) staff at the college and (b) the constituency MSP.
Answer · Michael Russell: A number of concerns have been expressed to me by students, potential students, parents of students and the EIS about decisions taken by Edinburgh’s Telford College on matters relating to staffing and the curriculum. Responsibility for ensuring the sound fin…
14 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out a review of the governance of further education colleges.
Answer · Michael Russell: We attach considerable importance to high standards of governance in our colleges. We announced in the Parliament on 16 June 2011 our plans to take a fresh look at our colleges. Ministers will shortly make clear the scope of this work, which will form part of…
14 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to overturn decisions made by the principal or board of a further education college.
Answer · Michael Russell: Ministers no longer have a power of direction over a college’s governing body. That power was removed in 2006 by the previous Labour-Liberal Democrat administration.
14 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are required for the appointment of board members of further education colleges.
Answer · Michael Russell: The procedures and requirements governing appointments to the board of management of a college are set out in Schedule 2 to the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992. These are complemented by the requirements of the Scottish Funding Council, set o…
6 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when Forth Energy will publish a revised proposal for a biomass plant at Leith docks and whether a further consultation will take place on that proposal prior to its consideration by the City of Edinburgh Council.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Forth Energy are entering into a period of discussion with the statutory consultees in relation to their Leith biomass application. The submission of any further information or a revised proposal would be a commercial decision for Forth Energy to take. Shoul…
6 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it received to the consultation on the proposed biomass plant at Leith docks; how many it has published on its website, and when all responses will be published on the website.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government Energy Consents and Deployment Unit (ECDU) have received 34 consultation responses in relation to the Forth Energy Leith biomass proposal, all of which are available on the Scottish Government website. The ECDU have also received 3,18…
6 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be a further consultation on the proposed biomass plant at Leith docks after the City of Edinburgh Council has given its views on the new proposal from Forth Energy.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: Under the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations there is an opportunity for members of the public to submit representations in relation to a development for 28 days after the application is submitted, and then for a further 28 days when the first statut…
2 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people under 60 with learning disabilities resided in the Elsie Inglis Care Home at the beginning of 2011.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The City of Edinburgh Council has confirmed that there was one person under 60 with learning disabilities in Elsie Inglis Nursing Home at the beginning of 2011.
1 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what routine inspections of the Elsie Inglis Nursing Home would have taken place in (a) 2011 or (b) 2012 under the recently revised inspection scheme if no complaints had been made following the last routine inspection of 2010.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: If no complaints had been made following the last routine inspection of 2010 then the Elsie Inglis Nursing Home would have been subject to one automatic scheduled inspection in either 2011 or 2012. In addition, the home may have been subject to an additional …
1 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland produced any reports on the Elsie Inglis Nursing Home following the report of the last routine inspection of 2010 and, if so, when.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I understand from Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland that no reports were issued since the last routine inspection in 2010.