Parliamentary questions

Richard Lochhead

2,448 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

8 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28485 by Peter Peacock on 4 October 2006, whether any further awards have been made towards renewable energy installation projects for schools, showing also the amount awarded to each local authority.

Answer · Hugh Henry: This information requested isset out in the following table;<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width=128 valign=top> Local Authority </td> <td width=433 valign=top> Scottish Commun…

8 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any proposals to change cemetery preservation practice and, if so, whether it will give details of any such proposals including their status and timescale, to what extent family history, local history and other relevant organisations will be consulted and whether there a…

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: There are no Scottish Executiveproposals to change cemetery preservation practice. However, the Burial and CremationReview Group, which is reviewing the various Burial Ground and Cremation Acts andRegulations in Scotland, is currently preparing its recommenda…

7 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many frontline police officers there are in each force and how many there have been in each of the last five years, expressed also on a per capita basis.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Over the past five years thenumber of police officers in Scotland has risen by 1,235 to 16,230 with supportstaff rising by 1,910 to 7,392.Information on thedeployment of officers to particular duties is not held centrally and is anoperational matter fo…

7 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on progress on the construction of the Fochabers to Mosstodloch bypass, giving details of the scheduled date for the Court of Session hearing and the latest estimated cost and earliest start date in the event that the appeal is not upheld.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The appeal is scheduled to beginon 8 May 2007 and run for three days. A decision will then be issuedby the court. As the timescale for this is outwith the control of Scottishministers it is not possible to estimate at this stage when construction of thescheme…

7 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning applications proposing development on flood plains have been approved contrary to advice from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the terms of Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 7 in each of the last five years; how many homes and buildings this represents, and wh…

Answer · Des McNulty: In the last five years the ScottishExecutive has been notified of 12 planning applications because SEPA advised against the granting of planning permissionon grounds of flood risk but the planning authority still wished to grant permission.<table border=1…

2 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with the European Union regarding the current basis on which the Dairy Premium and Additional Payment are calculated.

Answer · Ross Finnie: There have been no specific discussionswith the EU on the Dairy Premium and Additional Payment.The Dairy Premium and AdditionalPayment formed part of the CAP reform package agreed by the EU Agriculture Councilin July 2003. The method of calculation was…

2 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent support payments for dairy production are linked to current production levels and whether it considers that the current arrangements are in the long-term interests of the sector.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Support payments to the dairysector are incorporated into the decoupled Single Farm Payment (SFP) agreed as partof the 2003 CAP reforms. Decoupling subsidies for production was a requirement ofWorld Trade Organization agreements. The Dairy Premium and Additio…

2 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to mark International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April 2007.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive will markInternational Workers’ Memorial Day by continuing our work with the Health and SafetyExecutive (HSE), trade unions, responsible employers and with all those committedto ending the kind of tragedies that will be commemorated on …

2 Mar 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent Single Farms Payment entitlements are being traded; whether it is aware of any entitlements being purchased by those with interests based outside Scotland and, if so, whether it will provide details.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Since the start of the SingleFarm Payment Scheme on 1 January 2005, my department has received 1,687 applications to transferentitlements. This figure represents 1,252 individual businesses transferring entitlementsto 838 individual businesses. The detail of …

2 Mar 2007 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what analysis has been carried out of the impact of financial and transport barriers on visitors who (a) wish to visit or (b) have visited the Parliament; what the findings were of any such analysis, and whether any resultant measures are planned to assist the public an…

Answer · Duncan McNeil: Recent research on the profileof Scottish Parliament visitors indicates that over 70% live in Scotland.The distribution of Scotland based visitors is concentrated in the central belt. Researchindicates that most people will usually travel only up to two hours…

26 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will clarify the status of the recent Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme payment of £40 million, indicating what balance remains to be paid and whether it was an additional or an advance payment.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The recent Less Favoured AreaSupport Scheme (LFASS) payment of £40 million was a supplementary payment to LFASS2006, provided to address cash flow problems arising from changes in the timingof LFASS. The value of LFASS 2007 will be £61 million.

26 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest position is on negotiations on the future of support for less favoured areas.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Support for less favoured areasis an integral part of the Scottish Rural Development Plan for 2007-2013,which is due to be formally submitted to the European Commission later this year.

26 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to ban incandescent light bulbs in favour of energy-efficient alternatives.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Under the Scotland Act 1998,energy efficiency is reserved, except for the promotion of energy efficiency otherthan by prohibition or regulation (Schedule 5, Section D5). The Executive supportsthe promotion of a wide range of energy efficiency measures includi…

22 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the cost to the public purse would be of cancelling the (a) M74 extension and (b) Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Total estimated expenditure toend February 2007 for land, compensation and scheme development for the M74 Completionis £156 million. Total estimated expenditure to end February 2007 for scheme developmentfor the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route is £19 millio…

22 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the Commercial and Industrial Waste Framework to be finalised; what the reasons are for any delay in finalising the framework, and what policy intention is behind the framework.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Our consultation on the SustainableManagement of Waste from Business and Public Sector Organisations can be found at:www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/08/05101728/17300.Since the consultation, the Executiveand the Scottish Environment Protec…

21 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to investigate the design quality of schools and other public buildings financed through PPP and how they compare in this respect with public buildings financed through traditional and alternative routes and what the conclusions were of any such investigations.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive encourageslocal authorities to evaluate all new school buildings, however procured, to assesshow well the design and facilities are meeting the needs of users, and to take accountof and share lessons learned.The Executive has not…

9 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what position it will take on applications for new nuclear power stations in Scotland.

Answer · Allan Wilson: I refer the member to theanswers to questions S2W-24496 and S2W-23957 on 16 May 2006 and 14 March 2006 respectively.All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite the search facility for which can be found at:<a…

9 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management’s final report offers a viable solution for dealing with nuclear waste.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive respondedto the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management’s (CoRWM) final report as a jointsponsor of CoRWM on 25 October 2006.I refer the member to my responseto answer to question S2W-29252 on 25 October 2006 in which I stated…

9 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists have (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully applied for additional funding earmarked for encouraging dentists to (i) return to or (ii) continue in the NHS, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: For independent general dentalpractitioners:Information regarding the GoldenHello Recruitment and Retention Allowances and Remote Areas Allowance are containedin tables 12.1, 12.2, and 12.3 of the 2005-2006 Scottish Dental Practice BoardAnnual Repor…

9 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of dentists have returned to or decided to continue in the NHS as a result of the additional funding made available for this purpose, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-31502 on 13 February 2007. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…

9 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients in each local authority area were registered with an NHS dentist in each of the last five years, also showing year-on-year percentage changes and national totals and expressed as a percentage of all dental patients.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The information requested isnot available by local authority area. Information on registrations by NHS boardarea can be found at <a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/dental">http://www.isdscotland.org/dental</a>.

8 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to introduce new arrangements for the acquisition of housing land by local authorities and, if so, whether such plans include a proposal to prevent Communities Scotland from compensating authorities for the purchase of land that is acquired for affordable housing.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: There are currently no such plans.Local authorities have a number of mechanisms open to them at present for acquiringhousing land. Such acquisitions are a matter for local authorities and their partnersto consider within their Local Housing Strategy delivery …

8 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the three most common categories of calls attended by each fire and rescue service were in each of the last three years and what the total numbers were in each category (a) nationally and (b) broken down by service, also expressed as a percentage of all calls attended.

Answer · Johann Lamont: The information requested isgiven in appendix 4 of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Fire Services forScotland annual reports published by the Scottish Executive in December 2004;October 2005 and December 2006, copies of which are available in the Scottish Par…

5 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) households and (b) communities the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative has provided with funding, broken down by year since its inception.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Information regarding the numberof people admitted to accident and emergency units for specific diagnoses is notheld centrally.

5 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of (a) domestic dwellings, (b) public buildings and (c) private sector buildings have micro-renewable technology installed, broken down by type of renewable technology.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The information requested isnot held centrally.Under the Executive’s ScottishCommunity and Householder Renewables Initiative (SCHRI) grants for 1,473 householderprojects and 225 community projects have been approved for the installation of microrenewab…

5 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of all applicants were penalised under Common Agricultural Policy support schemes and agri-environment forestry schemes in each year from 1999 to 2006.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I am not able to answer thisquestion. The relevant information is not held in a manner that is readily accessibleso that the answer could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. However, inthe spirit of providing such information as is available within the…

5 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applicants were penalised under Common Agricultural Policy support schemes and agri-environment forestry schemes in each year from 1999 to 2006.

5 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial penalties were imposed in total on farmers under Common Agricultural Policy support schemes and agri-environment forestry schemes in each year from 1999 to 2006.

1 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) private and (b) public sector homes were built in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years, showing (i) cumulative changes over the period and (ii) national totals.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The table produced for this analysisis too large to be included in this response and has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41873).

1 Feb 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many homes were sold by each local authority in each of the last 10 years, also expressed as a percentage of stock in each case and showing (a) national totals and (b) cumulative change over the period.