Parliamentary questions

Richard Lochhead

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

13 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to help the paper manufacturing industry compete against foreign competition.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive set out its support for manufacturing industry in Created in Scotland - the way forward for Scottish Manufacturing in the 21st Century, published in March 2000. Progress on this support is published on the Scottish Exe…

13 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken in response to receivers having been called in at Donside Paper Company in Aberdeen.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Executive is aware of the receivers having been called in and is monitoring the situation. Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise officials will continue to work closely with the company.The Executive's main concern is to ensure tha…

12 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many bilateral meetings between Her Majesty's Government and member states of the EU have been attended by representatives from the Executive, when these meetings were held, who represented the Executive and member states and what the purpose was of each meeting.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Information at the level of detail requested is not recorded comprehensively. Examples are Sarah Boyack's attendance at a meeting in London in October of this year between Noel Dempsey of the Irish Government and Michael Meacher to discuss implementation of E…

12 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many bilateral meetings it has had with member states of the EU to discuss EU business, when these meetings were held, who represented the Executive and the member states and what the purpose was of each meeting.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Information at the level of detail requested is not recorded comprehensively. Taking a strict interpretation of EU business as business to be discussed at a subsequent Council of Ministers meeting or a meeting involving one of the EU institutions, examples of…

12 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many bilateral meetings it had with member states of the EU in the run-up to December's EU Fisheries Council, when these meetings were held, who represented the Executive and member states and what the purpose was of each meeting.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-11918 on 19 January.

12 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households will qualify for the proposed scheme to cap water charges in each council tax band, expressed as a percentage of the number of properties in each band, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The number of households that will qualify for assistance under the proposed scheme will depend on the charges levied by each of the water authorities in the coming year and the level at which any cap is set. As the charge levels have yet to be set and propos…

12 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are available so that tenants of private property who are a nuisance to their neighbours can be evicted.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: Under the Housing (Scotland) Act 1988, private landlords can apply to the courts for possession of their property where the tenant, or anyone living with the tenant, has caused a nuisance or annoyance to neighbours or has been convicted by a court of immoral …

7 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects it to reach a final conclusion on the recommendations in connection with the closure of control rooms submitted by the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive Health Department has just received the Scottish Ambulance Service business case containing their proposals for change. Although there is no specific timetable for consideration, I have asked officials to make recommendations to me as s…

7 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases in each of the last three years it has been concluded that a fatality resulted from a delay in ambulance response, broken down by ambulance control room.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the Member to the answer to question S1W-11823.

7 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases in each of the last three years it has been concluded that a patient suffered a permanent physical or mental disability as a result of a delay in ambulance response, broken down by ambulance control room.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer to question S1W-11823.

7 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have died in ambulances en route for emergency admission to hospital in each of the last three years, broken down by ambulance control room, and in how many of these cases was it concluded that a delay in ambulance response was a factor in the death.

Answer · Susan Deacon: These figures are not held centrally. I am aware that the Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service has arranged a meeting at which he will be able to discuss these matters with you.

7 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of 999 calls to ambulance control rooms were answered within 10 seconds in each of the last three years.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Figures have only been held centrally since October 2000, and will in future be collected on a monthly basis. Performance for October 2000, by Operations Room, against the target of answering 95% of 999 calls within 10 seconds, is shown in the table:<TABLE BO…

7 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time taken to answer a 999 call was in each ambulance control room in each of the last three years.

Answer · Susan Deacon: These figures are not collected. I refer the member to the answer to S1W-11822.

4 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients diagnosed with mild to moderate Al'heimer's disease are currently on waiting lists to receive Aricept, Rivastigmine or Galantamine, broken down by health board area.

Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.

4 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Al'heimer's patients are currently receiving treatment with Aricept, Rivastigmine or Galantamine, broken down by health board area, and what percentage of patients diagnosed with mild to moderate Al'heimer's disease this represents in each health board area.

Answer · Susan Deacon: This information is not held centrally.

4 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Health Technology Board for Scotland will report on the efficacy of the Al'heimer's drug Aricept, Rivastigmine and Galantamine and, if so, when or whether the recommendations of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence will be adopted in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Health Technology Board for Scotland is currently working on a process to comment on all Final Appraisals from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. Treatments for Alzheimer's disease will be the first topic to go through this process in the spr…

4 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any member of the Dental Action Plan Support Group is based in Aberdeen or elsewhere in the North East Scotland parliamentary region.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Two of the members of Implementation Support Group to take forward the Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland are based in the North East Scotland parliamentary region.

30 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average response times for emergency fire services have been in each brigade area covering rural communities in each of the last three years.

Answer · Iain Gray: Average response times in remote rural areas, where provided by fire brigades, are given in Table 1b of Comparing the Response of Scottish Councils: Police and Fire, published by the Accounts Commission for Scotland in January 2000, a copy of whic…

30 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to assist fire brigades to recruit retained fire fighters or to improve rural fire services generally.

Answer · Iain Gray: We recognise the importance of ensuring that retained units are kept up to strength. The Scottish Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council (SCFBAC) will shortly be considering the plans of HM Inspectorate of Fire Services to carry out a thematic review to …

30 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make available funding for child-care or creche facilities to assist in the recruitment of female retained fire fighters.

Answer · Iain Gray: It is for fire boards and authorities to determine their own priorities for use of the funding available to them. The strategies referred to in the answer to question S1W-11661 will include means to assist in the recruitment of female retained firefighters.

30 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make available funding to make rural fire stations suitable for the employment of women as retained fire fighters.

Answer · Iain Gray: Capital allocations for the fire service are to increase by £19 million over the next three years, representing in the third year a 51% increase over the present level. This will assist fire authorities to provide suitable facilities for women firef…

30 Nov 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the current level of vacancies for retained fire fighters compares with each of the last three years, broken down by brigade.

Answer · Iain Gray: The latest information available is the number of vacancies on 31 March 2000. Figures for that year and the preceding three years are as follows:Retained personnel (all ranks) of Scottish fire brigades:Shortfall between established posts and staff …