Parliamentary questions

Stewart Stevenson

2,358 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

14 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many manufacturing jobs have been created through inward investment in (a) Scotland, (b) Aberdeen, (c) Edinburgh, (d) Dundee, (e) Glasgow, (f) Inverness and (g) Stirling in each year since 1996

Answer · Jim Wallace: Scottish DevelopmentInternational does not keep records of how many jobs are created by individualinward investors in a given year. The published figures reflect the number ofjobs which a company plans to create or safeguard at the time its decision toinvest …

14 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many manufacturing jobs have been lost in (a) Scotland, (b) Aberdeen, (c) Edinburgh, (d) Dundee, (e) Glasgow, (f) Inverness and (g) Stirling in each year since 1996.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Information on job losses isnot held centrally.However, statistics on thenumber of people employed in manufacturing are contained in “ParliamentaryConstituency Economic Profiles”, copies of which can be found on:<ahref="http://www.scotland.gov.u…

9 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Education and Young People will reply to my letter of 22 August 2003 regarding fee waivers for training courses.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Your letter to the Ministerfor Education and Young People was passed to me for response. My reply wasissued on 29 September 2003.

9 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why my constituent Mr R Ritchie, Peterhead, has been asked to pay over #1,000 before the NHS in his area will give him dynamic therapy for his occult form of macular degeneration and whether this charge is consistent with the aim of ensuring that patients throughout Scotland enjoy equal a…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: While I am unable to commenton any individual case, I expect that where a treatment has been recommended byNHS Quality Improvement Scotland and clinical need can be demonstrated then itshould be provided.The National Institute forClinical Excellence (N…

9 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that patients with macular degeneration eye conditions have the same access to the newer dynamic treatments for this condition, regardless of which part of Scotland they live in.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to S2W-3331 on 3 November 2003.

9 Oct 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Solicitor General will reply to my letter of 9 September 2003 regarding my constituent Mrs A Buchan of Fraserburgh.

Answer · Elish Angiolini: The Lord Advocatereplied to the member’s letter on 17 October 2003.

30 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Transport will respond to my letter dated 26 August 2003 regarding flooding problems at Stirling Village, Peterhead.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I replied to your letter on 3 October 2003.

23 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS staff have contracted hepatitis C (a) during the course of their work and (b) in total in each year for which figures are available, broken down by staff group.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Centre for Infectionand Environmental Health (SCIEH) carries out national surveillance of health careworkers who have been occupationally exposed to blood-borne viruses. Statisticshave been collected since 1997 and during that time no known cases…

19 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Environment and Rural Development will reply to my letter of 14 August 2003 regarding my constituent Mr D Gotts of Boyndlie.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I replied to the member on 12 September 2003.

19 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new homes were (a) approved from and (b) completed with Communities Scotland development funding in 2001-02 and 2002-03 and how many such homes were built by (i) housing associations for general needs rent, (ii) housing associations for particular needs rent, (iii) other supplier…

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster,acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:Communities Scotland Core Development Programme new build unit approvals and completions by category in the period 2001-02 to 2002-03 is…

19 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the question S2W-2345 by Ms Margaret Curran on 17 September 2003, what the breakdown by individual programme of the Scottish Home and Communities Scotland core development programme budget has been for each year from 2000-01 to 2003-04.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster,acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:Communities Scotland core Development Programme by expenditure category from 2000-01 to 2003-04 is as follows.Communities Scotlan…

19 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2344 by Ms Margaret Curran on 17 September 2003, how many of the 5,040 new homes to be approved in 2003-04 will be built by (a) housing associations for general needs rent, (b) housing associations for particular needs rent, (c) other suppliers for g…

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster,acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:Communities Scotland planned provision of new homes by category in 2003-04 is as follows.Communities Scotland - Planned Provision…

18 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2346 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 9 September 2003, whether the target of 70,000 houses to be transferred to community ownership includes partial stock transfer.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Yes.

18 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2346 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 9 September 2003, which local authorities are considering whole housing stock transfer.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Whole transfer proposals arecurrently being developed by Western Isles and Argyll and Bute Councils. It is notpossible to say which other councils will pursue transfers until they have takenfinal decisions on whether to do so.

18 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1792 by Ross Finnie on 27 August 2003, what the definitions are of large urban areas, other urban areas, accessible small towns, remote small towns, accessible rural areas and remote rural areas.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The information requested isset out in the following table:<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> Large urban areas </td> <td> Settlements of over 125,000 people </td> </tr> <tr> <td> Other urban areas </td…

16 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to cancer patients and their carers living in the Highlands and Islands and other remote areas for the costs of travelling long distances for regular treatment.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are currently two statutoryschemes which allow full or partial reimbursement of travelling expenses of patients,and where medically necessary, their escorts, which are necessarily incurred whenattending a hospital for the purpose of patients availing th…

15 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the effectiveness of its policy to encourage site sharing for base stations by mobile telecommunications operators.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The Scottish Executive gathers information on applications for planning permission fortelecommunications development on a quarterly basis. This does not, however,record mast or site sharing carried out under permitted development rights as,in such cases, no p…

3 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26819 by Mrs Mary Mulligan on 1 July 2002, how many dental practices have received "Golden Hello" payments, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Question S1W-26819 of 1 July2002, referred to the grants of up to £10,000 which are available as part of the “Golden Hello” package to dentists establishing new vocational trainingpractices and offering a training place. The information requested is in thefol…

3 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are working as temporarily registered overseas dentists, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: This information is not collected centrally.

3 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) mean and (b) median net earnings are for general dental practitioners in each NHS board area and what proportions of these earnings are attributable to (i) NHS treatment, (ii) private treatment and (iii) other sources.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The net earnings of generaldental practitioners are not collected.

3 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are registered to receive NHS general dental care in each NHS board area, broken down by age group.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested is shown in the following table.Number of Patients Registered with an NHS General Dental Practitioner; 30 June 2003<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td rowspan=2> NHS Board Area </td>…

3 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many general dental practitioners who provide general dental services to the public provide services to (a) NHS patients only, (b) private patients only and (c) both NHS and private patients, broken down by NHS board area.

Answer · Tom McCabe: This information is not heldcentrally.

3 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) mean and (b) median distance is that NHS patients have to travel to visit their dentist.

Answer · Tom McCabe: This information is not heldcentrally.

3 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the houses in table 6 of Communities Scotland Investment Programme 2003-04 are (a) new and (b) improved homes.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:Communities Scotland plan toapprove 5,040 new and 960 improved homes in 2003-04.

3 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 70,000 houses to be transferred to community ownership, referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland, will be transferred in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06 and how many will be (i) whole and (ii) partial stock transfers.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Thiswill depend on the timing of local authorities' decisions on transfers.

3 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the Scottish Homes/Communities Scotland core development programme has been in each year from 2000-01 to 2003-04, including through the funding of Housing Association Grant, GRO-grant, Rural Home Ownership Grant, Improvement and Repair Grant and all other funding mechanisms.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:Scottish Homes/CommunitiesScotland’s core development programme (capital and revenue) in each year from2000-01 to 2003-04 is as follows…

3 Sep 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 18,000 homes referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland will be provided in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06 and how many will be (i) new and (ii) improved homes.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:Communities Scotlandplan to approve 6,000 units in 2003-04, 5,350 in 2004-05 and 6,650 in 2005-06.In 2003-04, Communities Scotland plan…

27 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the extended STOP programme for sexual offenders will commence.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as followsIt commenced in 2002.

27 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to eliminate multiple occupancy at HM Prison Peterhead and what the timetable is for such plans.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as followsAs a consequence of the needto manage unprecedented prisoner numbers, approximately 40 prisoners were transferredfrom HM Prison Glenochil to…

27 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners are awaiting transfer to HM Prison Peterhead.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Thirty-seven as at 1 September 2003.