Parliamentary questions
Murdo Fraser
2,062 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
12 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its policy is on dealing with applications for wind turbine developments on areas designated as wild land submitted prior to the adoption of the National Planning Framework 3 and the new Scottish Planning Policy.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government’s policy for wind turbine developments on areas of wild land is primarily set out in the 2014 Scottish Planning Policy. Decisions will consider the up-to-date policy which is in place at the point of decision, not that which is in plac…
12 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has requested additional submissions on wild land issues for certain applications for consent for wind turbine developments on areas of designated wild land and not others.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: No two wind farm applications are the same. The Scottish Government will request submission of further information or seek further views of interested parties only where that is required to help ministers come to a properly informed decision.
12 Jan 2015 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote major events in Scotland.
18 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many schoolchildren there have been with a speech and language disorder in each year since 1990.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: The requested information is as follows. Pupils with a main difficulty of learning of ‘language and communication disorder’, 1990-2001 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 N/A 771 N/A 724 N/A 981 N/A N/A 942 1,03…
18 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many non-verbal schoolchildren there are.
Answer · Alasdair Allan: This information is not held centrally. However, data is collected on children with speech and language disorders more generally, as set out in my answer to question S4W-23755 on 14 January 2014. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on…
16 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on relaxing the access criteria to IVF treatment.
Answer · Maureen Watt: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-23703 on 8 January 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentary…
16 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the costs associated with funding a third full cycle of (a) IVF treatment and (b) intracytoplasmic sperm injection.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The National Infertility Group, chaired by a Health Board Chief Executive, and whose members include senior infertility consultants, senior infertility nurses, senior planners, and the patient stakeholder group Infertility Network Scotland, reconvened in Dece…
16 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government in which NHS boards are waiting times for IVF treatment lower than one year, and, in light of its policy that boards in this position should provide three full cycles of treatment, which provide this and when it expects all to do so.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Information Services Division published the first IVF Waiting Times for patients who were screened for IVF treatment during the period July to September 2014, in November 2014. This shows that 13 out of 14 NHS boards in Scotland are meeting the maximum 12 mon…
9 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) whole-time equivalent and (b) headcount places were available in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects at each college in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) 2013-14.
Answer · Angela Constance: Data on students in colleges in Scotland are collected by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). The SFC Baseline Report for Academic Year 2013-14 shows that the number of funded full-time equivalent (FTE) students at college in 2013-14 increased by three per …
8 Dec 2014 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it is on track to meet its fuel poverty eradication target.
8 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government (a) how many times and (b) for how long on average the (i) A9, (ii) A85, (iii) A90, (iv) A92 and (v) M90 has been closed as a result of a crime scene investigation due to an accident in the last three years, and what factors affect the time it takes to reopen the roads for managed traffi…
Answer · Derek Mackay: Transport Scotland does not hold definitive data that indicates when Police Scotland have carried out a crime scene investigation. The following table signifies a closure on the route concerned where police attendance was reported and which may or may not ha…
5 Dec 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) deaths and (b) injuries have been attributed to drink driving incidents in each year since 2011, and how many cases involved a driver with a blood-alcohol level of between 50 and 80 mg per 100 ml.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold statistics on the blood/alcohol level of drivers involved in road traffic accidents. However, the Department for Transport (DfT) annually estimates the number of reported drink drive casualties: i.e. those casualties in r…
1 Dec 2014 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage more new homes to be built in town centre locations.
27 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what research the Medical Research Council has funded in the last 10 years into the role of deciliation in the onset of autistic spectrum disorder.
Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Details of Medical Research Council funding are not routinely held by the Scottish Government. The Medical Research Council will hold the relevant information.
24 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to establish a clinical pathway for adults with cerebral palsy.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government funds the National Neurological Advisory Group (NNAG), whose aim is to improve the patient journey from the point of referral into the service, and to ensure that every patient with a neurological disorder such as cerebral palsy experi…
24 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support with mobility it provides to people with cerebral palsy who are over 50.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Cerebral palsy is a condition where birth injury results in damage to the brain leading to impairment of movement in the limbs, sometimes problems with speech and language, and sometimes associated learning difficulties which may impact on daily activities an…
24 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it (a) has taken and (b) plans to prevent farmland being flooded in winter 2014-15.
Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Scottish Government is working to reduce flood risk across the whole of Scotland through the implementation of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009. We are committed to building up flood resilience in rural communities and the farming sector, and…
24 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency regarding the dredging of rivers.
Answer · Aileen McLeod: The Scottish Government meets regularly with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). A joint meeting was held with National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) earlier this year, which resulted in the publication of detailed guidance on dredging for land…
24 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on dredging the River Isla in Perthshire to prevent flooding.
Answer · Aileen McLeod: Dredging can have a role to play in flood risk management, but carried out in the wrong way and in the wrong place can result in significant environmental damage, and increased flooding and erosion downstream. The Scottish Government is working with local au…
10 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many trees have been planted under the initiative that it launched in 2010 to plant 100 million trees by 2015, broken down by (a) species and (b) acreage.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: In 2010 Scottish Ministers pledged to plant 100 million trees by 2015 as part of the Climate Group’s States and Regions Alliance Billion Trees initiative. This Scottish figure of 100 million trees was based on achieving 50,000 hectares of woodland creation ov…
10 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many objections have been filed against applications to build wind farms with turbines greater than 50 mw in each of the last five years, and how many were upheld.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The following table sets out the numbers of objections and support by calendar year: Year Public Objections Objections relating to an application subsequently refused Public Support 2010 7764 0 1737 2011 1371 0 689 2012 5718 2814 1129 2013 …
7 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how Scottish Natural Heritage determines the socio-economic impact of applications for close season culling licences under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Although the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 does not place a specific requirement on Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to consider the socio-economic impact of authorisations for close season culling, when making such decisions SNH applies the balancing duty under th…
7 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for close season culling licences under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 have been approved by Scottish Natural Heritage in each of the last five years but with restrictions set on the number of deer that could be culled, broken down by the reason for setting a restrict…
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Two authorisations have been issued which have specified limits on the number of deer to be taken, both in 2014-15. One limited the number of female deer plus calves to be taken with an agreement having been reached between the applicant and owners of neighbo…
7 Nov 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for close season culling licences under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 have been rejected by Scottish Natural Heritage in each of the last five years, broken down by the reason for rejection.
Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Year Number of authorisations rejected Reason for rejection 2010-11 4 No evidence of damage (4) 2011-12 2 No evidence of damage (2) 2012-13 3 No evidence of damage (1); general authorisation applied (1); covered by section 7 control agreement/negot…
8 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what provisions have been made to set aside land for the future dualling of the Highland Main Line railway in accordance with the A9 dualling programme.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Strategic Transport Projects Review formed a multi-modal appraisal of the Perth to Inverness corridor and concluded that both road and rail interventions should be brought forward. The Scottish Government’s ambitious plans to dual the A9 between Perth and…
6 Oct 2014 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to tackle overcrowding and understaffing in accident and emergency departments.
2 Oct 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) decision-making process and (b) timescale is for an application for a windfarm in a national scenic area.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Wind farm proposals of up to and including 50 megawatts will require an application for planning permission. The exact planning application process, and the time it takes, will depend on the specific nature and location of the proposal. Planning authorities …
25 Sep 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it plans to prevent riders of motorcycles with an engine capacity of over 50cc from using the Forth Road Bridge once the Queensferry Crossing is open if they have only a compulsory basic training certificate.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: Vehicles permitted to utilise the Forth Road Bridge once the Queensferry Crossing opens were considered during the passage of the Forth Crossing Bill and is set out in the Policy Memorandum. The Queensferry Crossing and existing Forth Road Bridge will be mai…
25 Sep 2014 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the result of the referendum, whether there is a timetable for the privatisation of NHS services.
Answer · Alex Neil: There are no plans to privatise NHS services. Unlike in England, where NHS spending on private and other providers has gone through the £10 billion barrier, the mutual NHSScotland does not seek to promote competition.
22 Sep 2014 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to capitalise on the legacy of the Ryder Cup.