Parliamentary questions
Richard Lochhead
2,448 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on scientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea that the cod fishery should be closed.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Despite some signs of potential improvement, cod remains well outside safe biological limits and continues to require careful stewardship. The Scottish Executive is committed to the effective implementation of the EU’s Cod Recovery Plan as a means of promotin…
15 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to open or reopen rural railway stations in the north east.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Proposals to open or re-openstations are best promoted, in the first instance, by the relevant local authorityor regional transport partnership. Currently, plans are in the process of developmentfor stations at Kintore, Newtonhill and Laurencekirk.</p>
15 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10810 by Malcolm Chisholm on 30 September 2004, how it will obtain such information from NHS boards that have not submitted data.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive will be producing guidance for the implementation as set out in the publication, <i>Health for All </i>Children available on the website:</p><p><ahref="http://www.health-for-all-children.co.uk/">http://www.health- or-all-children.co.uk/…
15 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10810 by Malcolm Chisholm on 30 September 2004, for which NHS boards is such information available and how many children in each such board were classified as clinically obese in each of the last five years, expressed also as a percentage of the chil…
Answer · Andy Kerr: Although the information is not available in the exact format requested I have provided the information that is readily available through the Information Services Division. This information has been provided in two tables that provide data on High Body Mass I…
14 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that Grampian Police receives a share of funding which adequately reflects the extra duties it must carry out to police the offshore industry and the royal estate at Balmoral.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Yes. The new allocation methodology which I announced in October 2004 for police grant aided expenditure was based on an analysis of all policing activity in each Scottish police force.</p>
14 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the restructuring of police funding announced by the Minister for Justice on 12 October 2004, what funding will be allocated (a) in total and (b) per capita on a national basis and broken down by police board area for the next three years, and how this compares with the previ…
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The available information is shown in the following tables:</p><p>Police Grant Aided Expenditure (£ Million)</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>Force</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>2002-03</p> </td> <td> <p …
6 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the quality of response provided by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to parliamentary questions, in particular whether responses answer the question asked and are worded in order to provide the information sought and, if not, whether it will direct the SPS to…
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Prison Service provides available information in response to PQs. I am happy for members to contact the Chief Executive of SPS to discuss particular issues in more detail.</p>
1 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its civil servants are employed on energy policy.
Answer · Jim Wallace: While most aspects of energy policy are reserved, there are, within my department, currently twenty four people dealing with energy matters, mainly relating to the promotion of renewables, consents under sections 36 and 37 of the Electricity Act 1989, and ene…
1 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is in each NHS board area for access to drug misuse treatment programmes.
Answer · Hugh Henry: This information is not held centrally. Average waiting times are not regarded as a particularly effective measure of the availability and efficiency of drugs services.</p><p>Our national initiative to improve the collection and monitoring of waiting times fo…
1 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10735 by Mr Frank McAveety on 29 September 2004, what information it has on what percentage of visitors to the United Kingdom from the Republic of Ireland the 48,000 visitors to Scotland in 2003 represented.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: In 2003, the number of visitors who came to the United Kingdom from the Republic of Ireland was estimated from the available survey data to be around 2,488,000, of which 2% were estimated to come to Scotland.</p><p>These figures are taken from the UK-wide Int…
1 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10736 by Mr Frank McAveety on 29 September 2004, what information it has on what percentage of the total number of visitors from these countries to the United Kingdom these numbers of visitors to Scotland represented in 2002.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: In 2002, the number of visitors who came to the United Kingdom from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland was estimated from survey data to be around 150,000,132,200 and 188,500 respectively. Of these visitors, 3% from both the Czech Republic and Hungary and…
29 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent American signal crayfish, or similar species, are present in Scottish rivers and lochs; whether it will list those locations where they have been identified, and what steps it has taken in response to their presence.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: North American Signal Crayfish have been confirmed in river locations in the Kirkcudbright Dee, the Skyre Burn (Fleet catchment), Daer Water (Clyde catchment), the River Earn (Tay catchment), two locations in Fife and in the River Nairn. Sightings have also b…
29 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures were (a) planned and (b) adopted as a result of Protecting and Promoting Scotland’s Freshwater Fish and Fisheries and what future legislation will be introduced in relation to this sector.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: <i>Protecting and Promoting Scotland’s Freshwater Fish and Fisheries</i> was published in April 2000, and set out where Scotland’s wild fish and fisheries were at the time of publication. <i>Scotland’s freshwater fish and fisheries: securing their future</i> …
28 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that consumers are informed about whether beef sold as Aberdeen Angus is produced in Scotland.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The designation Aberdeen Angus refers to a breed rather than a country or place of origin. The Executive is considering whether to take up, in Scotland, the voluntary provisions in EU legislation permitting member states to require country of origin labelling…
28 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how its education and skills policy will contribute towards growing the renewables economy.
Answer · Jim Wallace: We believe that it is important that the renewable energy industry’s immediate and future skills needs are identified and plans put in place to deliver these needs. The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) has therefore established a su…
28 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce regional or local authority area targets for renewable energy production.
Answer · Allan Wilson: While we do not currently propose to set local targets nor to identify preferred areas for such developments, we plan to create a new advisory forum to support the forthcoming review of renewable planning guidelines. This body will help us achieve our aim of …
28 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to make changes to the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) scheme; what changes it expects to make, and what changes are currently being considered.
Answer · Jim Wallace: We are currently consulting on changes to the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) which will extend the levels of the Obligation until 2015-16, create a UK market in Renewable Obligation Certificates, secure the buy-out fund and allow greater flexibility for sma…
28 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many measures it has introduced since May 1999 which have the objective of increasing energy efficiency.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has introduced six major initiatives since 1999 which improve energy efficiency covering both the domestic and business sectors.</p><p>Central Heating Programme: provides free central heating, insulation, advice and other benefits to ho…
28 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current level of carbon dioxide emissions in Scotland is, expressed also as a percentage of such emissions in the United Kingdom, and what information it has on the average level of carbon dioxide emissions in Europe and internationally.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Carbon dioxide emissions data for Scotland and the UK are available in the publication <i>Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1999-2001</i>, a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib nu…
28 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road traffic (a) fatalities and (b) injuries there (i) were in each of the last three years and (ii) have been so far this year, broken down by (1) police force area and (2) parliamentary region, expressed also as a percentage of all road traffic accidents and detailing year-on-y…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Figures on the numbers of road accident fatalities and injuries by police force area are published regularly in “Key Road Accident Statistics” and “Road Accidents Scotland”. These figures, together with the other information requested, are given in the follow…
28 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what calculations have been carried out of any anticipated constraints for the renewable energy industry as a result of limitations of the existing national grid.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The report published in June 2003 by the <strong>Transmission Issues Working Group (TIWG), comprising Scottish Power, Scottish and Southern Energy, National Grid Transco</strong>, DTI, the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and Ofgem, establish…
28 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings of Her Majesty’s Government’s Transmission Issues Working Group have been attended by Executive ministers, expressed also as a percentage of all such meetings; whether it will give details of the specific objectives ministers are pursuing at this working group,…
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Transmission Issues Working Group comprises officials from the Department for Trade and Industry and from the devolved administrations, the electricity transmission companies and the regulator, Ofgem. Its purpose is to monitor the progress of implementati…
23 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the increase in business research and development expenditure and overall level of research and development expenditure referred to in its report, Business Enterprise Research and Development in Scotland 2002, related to (a) environment technologies and (b) general ener…
Answer · Jim Wallace: Research and Development statistics for environmental technologies and general energy research for Scotland are not available from this survey. Table 2 of the report <i>Business Enterprise Research and Development in Scotland 200</i>2 contains the most detail…
22 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will support Seafood Scotland’s activities in the coming year and what support it has provided to Seafood Scotland in each of the last three years.
Answer · Ross Finnie: In 2002, the Scottish Executive awarded a grant of £145,000 to Seafood Scotland in support of theorganisation’s activities. Applications from Seafood Scotland forthe next round of FinancialInstrument for the Fisheries Guidance (FIFG)awards have just been rece…
20 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many direct air links are available from Scotland to the EU accession states and how many new links to these states are being discussed or developed.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Scotland has an established direct air link between Edinburgh and Prague, with a further service to the Czech capital commencing in the autumn from Glasgow. The Executive, through the Route Development Fund, will consider any approach by an airline to commenc…
20 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS dentists were employed in (a) each NHS board area and (b) total in each of the last five years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on NHS staff employed by each NHS organisation is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics, at <a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/workforce">www.isdscotland.org/workforce</a>.Section A provides information on…
20 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS nurses were employed in (a) each NHS board area and (b) total in each of the last five years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on NHS staff employed by each NHS organisation is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics, at <a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/workforce">www.isdscotland.org/workforce</a>.Section A provides information on…
20 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS doctors were employed in (a) each NHS board area and (b) total in each of the last five years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on NHS staff employed by each NHS organisation is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics, at <a href="http://www.isdscotland.org/workforce">www.isdscotland.org/workforce</a>.Section A provides information on…
20 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many grams of fat are recommended to be eaten by the average adult daily.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Dietary Reference Value (DRV) for total dietary fat intake is expressed as a percentage of dietary energy and not directly as grams, and is set at 35% of food energy. </p><p>Using estimated average energy requirements of 10.6MJ/day for a 74kg man (aged 19…
20 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many grams of fat are eaten by the average adult daily.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Data from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey of Adults aged 19 to 65 years in Great Britain (Henderson et al, 2003), showed that the reported mean daily intake of total fat was 86.5 grams for men and 61.4 grams for women. Men derived a mean of 35.8% of th…