Richard Lochhead

19 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many supermarket planning applications were (a) accepted and (b) rejected in each local authority area in each year since 1999.

Answer · Johann Lamont: The tables show planning applications for supermarkets and superstores approved and refused in the period 1999-2003. Figures for 2004 and 2005 are not available.</p> <p>Table1: Convenience Supermarket Developments (over 1,000sq metres in size but less than 2,…

19 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many independent (a) butchers, (b) bakers, (c) greengrocers and (d) convenience stores there have been in each local authority area in each year since 1999, showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Official data on the stock of Scottish businesses is obtained from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) which is maintained by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).</p> <p>There is no indicator for independent companies in the IDBR database and…

13 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any sections of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route will be constructed as single carriageway and, if so, which sections will be single carriageway; approximately what distance such sections will cover, and whether any of these sections will be reconsidered before construction t…

Answer · Tavish Scott: At present we believe that nosections of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route will be single carriageway, but thata wide single carriageway with overtaking sections would be sufficient for the trafficpredicted to use the 13km Stonehaven to Milltimber spur. …

12 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to improve the resilience of homes and the built environment in respect of the impacts of climate change.

Answer · Johann Lamont: I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows:</p> <p>The Scottish Building Standards Technical Handbooks include reference to <i>The Design Guidance on Flood Damage to …

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many rural home ownership grants have been awarded in each local authority area in each year since the scheme was created.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p> <p>Information in the form requested is only available since 1996-97. The number of rural home ownership grants (RHOGs) that have been awarded …

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the central heating programme will continue beyond 2006.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The central heating programmes in their current format will come to an end this year, however, new programmes will be announced shortly which will continue until at least 2008 and the next spending review.</p>

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to revise the minimum and maximum payments available via home loss compensation in order to bring the payments into line with those available in England.

Answer · Johann Lamont: The Executive is considering the appropriate level of home loss payments for Scotland and will consider bringing forward proposals in due course, should a change in levels be required.</p>

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, students graduating from dental schools left Scotland for their first post in each of the last three years, showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The information held by the Scottish Executive on destinations of graduates from Scottish universitiescomes from a voluntary survey conducted six months after the student graduated.The following table shows the percentage of responding graduates of clinicalde…

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many students sat exams at (a) standard, (b) higher and (c) advanced higher grade in (i) biology, (ii) chemistry, (iii) physics, (iv) French, (v) German and (vi) Spanish in each local authority area in each of the last six years, showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Peter Peacock: A table showing the number of entries and year-on-year percentage change for National Qualifications courses in biology, chemistry, physics, French, German and Spanish in each local authority area from 2000-05 has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Inform…

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental practices have ceased providing NHS dental services in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: In the requested period 133 practicesceased and 137 practices began providing NHS general dental services.</p><p>The information requested forthe financial years 1999-2000 to 2004-05 is detailed in the tables: Number of DentalPractices that Ceased Providing N…

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of beef imports from (a) EU and (b) non-EU countries to Scotland in each of the last five years, showing year-on-year percentage changes, and what comparative information it has on such imports to the United Kingdom.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Information on beef imports to Scotland is not available and therefore no comparison with the UK is possible.</p>

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many graduates obtained a degree in chemistry from each of Scotland’s universities in each of the last five years, showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The following tables showthe number of chemistry graduates from each of Scotland’s Higher EducationInstitutes (HEIs) in each of the last five years, as well as year-on-yearpercentage changes.</p><p><a name="RANGE!A1">Chemistrygraduates from Scottish Higher Ed…

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in (a) each NHS board area and (b) total were classified as clinically obese in each of the last five years, expressed also as a percentage of the population and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The exact number of people diagnosed with clinical obesity in Scotland in each of the last five years, is not available centrally. However, there are two sources from which estimates can be derived regarding the prevalence of obesity:</p> <p>1. National estim…

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on introducing country-of-origin labelling.

Answer · Ross Finnie: On 15 November 2005, the Scottish Executive issued a consultation paper on a proposal to require the catering sector to inform consumers about the origin of the beef<b> </b>they serve. Views on the proposal are sought by 28 February 2006, at which point all v…

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many road traffic (a) fatalities and (b) injuries there were in each of the last three years, broken down by (i) police force area and (ii) parliamentary region, expressed also as a percentage of all road traffic accidents and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Tavish Scott: I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was allocated to each NHS board in each of the last three years and how much funding has been allocated for each of the next three years, expressed also on a per capita basis.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Details are as follows:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p align=center>NHS Board</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>2002-03</p> <p align=center>Total Allocation</p> <p align=center>(£ million)</p> </td> <td> …

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any local authorities have not developed a fuel poverty strategy.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: All Scottish local authorities have in place, or are in the process of drafting a fuel poverty strategy with the exception of North Ayrshire Council which intends to develop its strategy later this year.</p>

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) females and (b) males aged (i) under 16, (ii) 16 to 18 and (iii) 19 to 21 were identified as having a sexually transmitted infection in (1) total and (2) each NHS board area in each of the last five years, showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The full range of information requested is not held centrally. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are treated in a number of locations, including genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics, family planning clinics and primary care settings. Data from these loca…

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of (a) drug and (b) alcohol addiction involving people aged (i) under 16 and (ii) 16 to 18 have been recorded in (1) total and (2) each NHS board area in each of the last five years, showing year-on-year percentage changes and expressed also as a percentage of the populatio…

Answer · Hugh Henry: Information showing the number of new individuals coming into contactwith drug treatment services aged under 16, and between 16 and 18, for theyears 2000-01 to 2004-05 has been placedin the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38667).</p>

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prescriptions for anti-depressants have been dispensed in each NHS board area in each of the last five years, showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is provided in the following tables. The data given refer to prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and dispensing doctors, but do not take into account medicines dispensed by hospitals and hospital-based clinics.</p> <p>An…

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many babies were born with a drug dependency in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board area, showing year-on-year percentage changes and expressed also as a percentage of all births.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The information requested can be accessed via the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38634).</p> <p>This table includes analyses for the five year period up to 2002-03, the latest year for which data is available. ISD Scotland are currently c…

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the median waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with an orthodontic consultant following referral by an NHS hospital have been in each of the last five years.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: NHSScotland has made excellent progress in reducing long waits for patients. On 30 September 2005, the number of patients waiting more than 26 weeks for a first out-patient appointment with consultant in dental specialties, including orthodontics, following r…

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children have been admitted to each hospital in each NHS board area for (a) drug-related and (b) alcohol-related conditions in each of the last five years, showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Information showing the number of children (aged under 16) dischargedwith an alcohol related or drug misuse diagnosis has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib.number 38666).</p>

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for rural home ownership grants were made in each local authority area in (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04 and (c) 2004-05, showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p> <p>The number of applications for rural home ownership grants (RHOGs) that have been made by local authority area in the period (a) 2002-03, (b…

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions there have been for the supply of alcohol to under-age customers in each of the last five years, broken down by police board area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Colin Boyd: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Case Management Database records details of the charges against each accused in terms of the specific common law or statutory offence that is alleged to have been committed. The following table shows the total …

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many licences to sell alcohol have been withdrawn as a result of a breach of the licence in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · George Lyon: The Scottish Executive does not collect these statistics centrally. The Criminal Justice Statistics Unit within the Scottish Executive does, however, maintain and publish an annual series of Statistical Bulletins on Liquor Licences in Scotland. In 2003, stati…

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister or Deputy Minister for Education and Young People has any plans to visit schools in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire and, if so, whether it will give details of the schools to be visited and the reasons for each visit.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Minister and Deputy Minister for Education and Young People have no immediate plans to visit schools in Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire. As recently as 20 January 2006, the Deputy Minister paid a general visit to St Machar Primary in Aberdeen.</p>

11 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-14332 by Peter Peacock on 2 March 2005, how many schools the Minister and Deputy Minister for Education and Young People have visited in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire since 25 August 2004, detailing each school visited and the date of, and reaso…

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Minister and Deputy Minister for Education and Young People have made the following visits to schools in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire since 25 August 2004.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p align=center>Date</…

10 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many road deaths have been caused by drug driving in each of the last five years, including 2006, broken down by police force area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The information requested is not available.</p> <p>Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the Stats 19 statistical report form. Prior to 2005, these returns did not record any information abou…

10 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many convictions have been made for drug driving in each of the last five years, including 2006, and how many of these convictions resulted in a (a) custodial sentence and (b) fine and/or loss of licence, broken down by police force area and showing year-on-year percentage changes.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Figures for convictions involving drugs alone are not available. However, the total number of drink or drug driving offences resulting in a charge proved in the years 1999 to 2003, the latest five-year period for which information is currently available, is g…