Parliamentary questions
Richard Lochhead
2,448 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
31 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in meeting its commitment to provide free dental check-ups by 2007 and what impact a shortage of NHS dentists is having on this commitment.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: All NHS dental examinations havebeen free since 1 April 2006.</p><p>We have put in place anumber of initiatives to address problems of access to NHS dental services insome parts of Scotland. The number (headcount) of non-salaried principalsproviding NHS gener…
31 Jan 2007 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to expedite access to NHS dentists in Moray and across Scotland.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We have agreed capital fundingof almost £2 million for new NHS dental services in Elgin, Buckie and Keith, andin addition NHS Grampian are working with the RAF to provide a further new dentalservice in Lossiemouth later this year. As well as developing direct…
30 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many bus journeys were undertaken in each of the last five years in each local authority area, also showing (a) year-on-year and (b) overall percentage changes and national totals.
Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-30445 on 21 December 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp…
30 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many dentists have (a) returned to the NHS and (b) taken on additional NHS patients as a result of the incentives introduced for these purposes, broken down by parliamentary constituency and NHS board and, in each case, also shown as a percentage of all dentists.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Information is not collectedon the specific reasons why dentists return to the NHS or take on additional NHSpatients.</p><p>Since the introduction of allowancespaid only to NHS committed practices the number (headcount) of non-salaried principalsproviding NHS…
25 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration is being given to the provision of assistance to the owners and crews of deep water vessels.
Answer · Ross Finnie: At the December Council wesecured a six-fold quota increase for Rockall haddock in line with thescientific advice and a 10% increase in Northern shelf monkfish. Thesedevelopments will help in part to mitigate the economic impact of the decisiontaken on deep s…
25 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what fisheries quota was allocated to, and how many vessels qualified as, deep water vessels in each of the last three years.
Answer · Ross Finnie: 104 UK vessels wereallocated a deep sea species (DSS) entitlement when these were first introducedin December 2002. In 2006, 57 Scottish administered active vessels held a DSS entitlement.The equivalent figures for 2005 and 2004 are 54 and 55 respectively.</p…
25 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what expenditure has been incurred on public transport schemes in each of the last three years, also expressed on a per capita basis and broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive does not hold informationon public transport scheme expenditure in the form requested. The Executive providesfunding both for specific public transport projects, which in certain circumstancesmay be for a work programme involving a number of dif…
24 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many forestry workers there have been in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years, also showing year-on year percentage changes.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The following table 1 shows thenumber of employee jobs in the Forestry, Logging and related service activitiesindustry (SIC 02.01 and 02.02) by parliamentary constituency for the last five years.</p><p>The following table 2 shows thepercentage change in emplo…
24 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many fishermen there have been in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years, also showing year-on year percentage changes.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-30098 on 5 December 2006, which stated that information by parliamentaryconstituency is not available. All answers to written parliamentary questionsare available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility…
24 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many farmers there have been in each parliamentary constituency in each of the last five years, also showing year-on-year percentage changes.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Agricultural statistics by parliamentaryconstituency are currently under development by the Environment and Rural AffairsDepartment and are not yet available.</p>
24 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients in each parliamentary constituency 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 parliamentary constituency.</p>
23 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues on labelling “Restricted - Advice to Ministers” on its documents.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executivefollows the UK’s Protective Marking System. Guidance on this Systemand on the standard descriptors which can be applied to protective markingswithin the Executive, which denote the nature of the sensitivity involved, ismade available to …
23 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for implementing the recommendations contained in the EU Business: Reviews of Engagement with Europe and of EU Office reports.
Answer · Tom McCabe: As the reports are only indraft form, and no recommendations have yet been submitted to Ministers oragreed by them, there is not yet any implementation timetable.</p>
23 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is standard policy to label early drafts of its papers intended for publication as “Restricted - Advice to Ministers”.
Answer · Tom McCabe: It is policy for the Scottish Executive to apply a Protective Marking to a document that meets thecriteria as detailed in the UK’s Protective Marking System guidance. In regard tothe use of the <i>Advice to Ministers</i> descriptor, the Cabinet Officemaintain…
23 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the decision to publish the EU Business: Reviews of Engagement with Europe and of EU Office reports was taken.
Answer · Tom McCabe: No decision has been taken onwhether to publish the reports, as they have not yet been finalised.</p>
23 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many drafts of the EU Business: Reviews of Engagement with Europe and of EU Office reports have been produced and, of these, how many have been circulated to ministers.
Answer · Tom McCabe: There is only one draft versionof each of the reports and these were submitted to Ministers on 29 September 2006.</p>
19 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the weed known as ranunculus poses a threat to native species in the River Spey and other rivers and whether there are any plans to eradicate, or reduce the impact of, this weed and, if so, whether it will give details of such plans.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Scottish Natural Heritage hasadvised that the spread of river water-crowfoot (Ranunculus fluitans) in the Speymay be having some impact on freshwater pearl mussel and Atlantic salmon but thatthe extent of the threat which this represents for the integrity of …
18 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether rainbow trout is considered to be a native species; whether rainbow trout pose any threat to other native species, and what criteria are applied to determine native species.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: For a species to be truly native,it should have reached and established in an area by natural means. Despite havingbeen established in Scotland since the 19th century, it has not established anyself-sustaining populations, and relies for its presence on artif…
18 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the circumstances in which rainbow trout may be introduced to inland waters are regulated and may be further regulated under the Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Bill or any other proposed freshwater fisheries legislation.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Movements of rainbow trout toand from aquaculture facilities are subject to the provisions of the Diseases ofFish Acts 1937 and 1983.</p><p>The Import of Live Fish (Scotland) act1978 requires that species of fish specified in subordinate legislation made unde…
17 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been allocated to each local authority from the (a) Strategic Waste Fund and (b) INCREASE programme in each year since their introduction, also showing year-on-year percentage changes and national totals.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The information requested isgiven in the A<i>mount of Funding Awarded to Local AuthoritiesThrough the Strategic Waste Fund – 2000-01 to 2029-30</i> table and the <i>Investmentin Community recycling and Social Enterprise (INCREASE programme</i>), copies ofwhic…
17 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the (a) Strategic Waste Fund and (b) INCREASE programme have been oversubscribed in each year since their introduction, broken down by local authority and also showing year-on-year budgets, percentage changes and national totals.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I have placed tables in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 41534 and 41535). These show the <i>Amount of Funding Awarded to Local Authorities Through the StrategicWaste Fund – 2000-01 to 2029-2030</i> and the <i>Investment in Communityre…
17 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent applications for funding under the INCREASE waste strategy programme have exceeded the funds available, showing the numbers of successful and unsuccessful applications and the amounts involved in each case, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Through INCREASE, a total of£10 million was available. A total of £18,183,727 was applied for. £9,807,134 hasbeen awarded and £8,376,593 declined. Projects totalling £2,216,652 were withdrawn.</p><p>Further details on the informationrequested is given in <i>I…
17 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers are proposing that renumeration for some leaders of local authorities, including Moray Council, will be lower than that proposed for chairs of joint boards, such as Grampian Valuation Board, that have smaller budgets and numbers of employees and, if so, what the justific…
Answer · Tom McCabe: I accepted the recommendationby the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee that the salary of seniormembers of joint boards should be linked to that of the highest banded council representedon joint board. I recently consulted on that proposal and …
15 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of its recent talks with the Scottish Rural Schools Network that involved members of the Moray Forum.
Answer · Hugh Henry: My meeting with the network wasuseful and allowed their representatives to describe to me at first hand their concernsabout some aspects of the way in which rural school closure proposals are consideredby local authorities.</p>
11 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all public transport schemes in Moray that have received public funding in each of the last three years.
Answer · Tavish Scott: All public transport schemesin Moray that have received specific public funding from the Executive in the lastthree full financial years are set out in the following table. The Executive alsoprovides general, non-project specific funding for public transport …
11 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all funding applications in respect of bus services in Moray currently being considered and what the timescales are for decisions on these applications.
Answer · Tavish Scott: There are currently no outstandingfunding applications for bus services in Moray.</p>
11 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any proposals are being considered in relation to Scotland’s role within the UK negotiating team following the outcome of the recent fisheries negotiations.
Answer · Ross Finnie: As in previous years, the Scottish Executive played a full and influential role as part of the UK’snegotiating team. There are no plans to change the current arrangements.</p>
11 Jan 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the recent annual fisheries negotiations.
Answer · Ross Finnie: A note has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 41530) summarising the detaileddecisions taken during last year’s fishing negotiations.</p><p>These decisions included quotaincreases for a number of important fisheries, in par…
13 Dec 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what most recent representations it has made to the UK Government regarding the future of the rural post office network.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive has made regularrepresentations to the UK Government on this matter.</p>
30 Nov 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding has been allocated to each education authority for (a) primary and (b) secondary education in each of the last five years, expressed also per pupil and per capita of population.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested, basedon shares of Grant Aided Expenditure allocations, is shown in the following tables.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=538> <thead> <tr> <td width=147 nowrap valign=bottom> <p align=center>Primary</p> <…