Parliamentary questions

Murdo Fraser

2,062 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

11 Mar 2013 · Written Question

Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not currently collected centrally. The National Infertility Group was set up in April 2010 to address the inequity of access to infertility treatment across Scotland. The Group’s report, with final recommendations, including a recommendat…

11 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) upper and (b) lower age limit is for access to IVF treatment, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Michael Matheson: For information on the upper age limit for IVF treatment, by NHS Board, I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13477 on 15 March 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for …

11 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work has been carried out by the National Infertility Group.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The National Infertility Group was set up in April 2010 to address the inequity of access to infertility treatment across Scotland. The Group’s report, with final recommendations on future provision of IVF treatment across Scotland, is currently with Minister…

8 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to improve the (a) cost and (b) accessibility of dental care.

Answer · Michael Matheson: NHS dental examinations are free to all in Scotland. Fees for treatment and therefore patient charges have been maintained at the same level for over two and half years. Patients are required to pay 80% of the cost of their NHS dental treatment up to a maxim…

8 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether individual circumstances are considered when awarding NHS funding for restorative dental treatment.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Restorative treatment provided under NHS general dental services (GDS) will fall within the same charging arrangement as any other treatment provided under GDS. Patients are required to pay 80% of the cost of their NHS dental treatment up to a maximum per co…

8 Mar 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance it can provide for people with dental bills as a result of an accident rather than dental negligence.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The charging arrangements for treatment provided under NHS general dental services are the same whether the treatment is required as a result of an accident or for other reasons. Patients are required to pay 80% of the cost of their NHS dental treatment up t…

4 Mar 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Government has to reform the school education system.

25 Feb 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action is being taken to reduce the cost of NHS medical negligence claims.

25 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will adjust its energy policy in light of research by Professor Gordon Hughes of the University of Edinburgh, which found decreasing load factors on ageing wind turbines.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-13239 on 19 March 2013, in which I stated that we believe the research to be fundamentally flawed. We therefore do not propose changing energy policy in light of this research. While wind will play a key role,…

25 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to research by Professor Gordon Hughes of the University of Edinburgh that found that wind turbine efficiency drops by half after 15 years in service.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: We believe the analysis by Professor Hughes to be fundamentally flawed and based upon a fallacy that wind turbines that are already approaching 15 years of operation could be considered to “represent a relatively mature technology”. By definition turbines tha…

18 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish its response to the questions regarding its Renewables Routemap to 2020 that it was recently asked by the Compliance Committee of the UN's Economic Commission for Europe.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: A response to the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee from the UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has been published on the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe website and is available, along with the submission referred to in t…

18 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10543 by Derek Mackay on 7 November 2012, what arrangements it has in place to ensure compliance with the terms of the Aarhus Convention.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring public access to environmental and planning information, and the participation of the public throughout the decision-making process. The Scottish Government has ensured this is achieved primarily through the 20…

18 Feb 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase participation in higher education by people from poorer backgrounds.

Answer · Michael Russell: We have been making steady progress on widening access in recent years, supported by the work of the Scottish Funding Council Access and Inclusion Committee. Through the Post-16 Bill, we intend legislating to introduce statutory widening access agreements tha…

18 Feb 2013 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what strategies the Scottish Government has to combat obesity.

11 Feb 2013 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many wind turbines will need to be erected to meet its target of providing 100% of Scotland’s electricity needs from renewable sources by 2020.

7 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider introducing new regulations to increase the safety of wind turbines in the event of failure during high winds.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Health and safety legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the UK Department for Work and Pensions. In its report on Health and Safety in the New Energy Economy (Decem…

7 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many wind turbines have experienced gearbox or brake failure as a result of high winds since 2007.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

7 Feb 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many wind turbines have imploded or caught fire as a result of a mechanical error during high winds since 2007.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

31 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many sites in Scotland are infected with ash dieback.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: As of 15 February 2013, as indicated in a letter of 19 February 2013 to the RACCE Committee, the number of sites in Scotland where ash-dieback had been confirmed was 42, out of 378 across the UK including two nurseries in Scotland, 32 recently planted sites a…

31 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had (a) nationally and (b) internationally regarding plans to deal with future environmental epidemics.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: British Irish Council Environment Ministers’ meetings offer a specific opportunity to co-ordinate a response to threats posed by, for example tree and plant pests and parasites. Most recently on 7 September 2012, at Vogrie Country Park, ministers’ heard evide…

31 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what strategies are in place to deal with ash dieback.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Tree Health Advisory Group has been developing a draft Scottish action plan on Chalara (ash die-back); this will be presented at the Scottish Tree Health Summit on 6 March 2013.

30 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider sponsoring a follow-on programme to the Cairngorms Wildcat Project that ran from 2007 to 2012.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Wildcat Conservation Action Group (SWCAG), which is co-ordinated by Scottish Natural Heritage, and consists of a range of organisations, is currently producing a National Conservation Action Plan for the Scottish wildcat. The Action Plan, which S…

30 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the findings of the Cairngorms Wildcat Project will be published.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The findings of the Cairngorms Wildcat Project were published in full on 31 August 2012 and the final report is available on the Cairngorms National Park Authority website: http://cairngorms.co.uk/look-after/conservation-projects/cairngorms-wildcat-project.…

30 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider supporting cloning as a means of ensuring the future of the Scottish wildcat.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Cloning of wildcats is not under active consideration at present as there are other more immediate options to conserve extant populations and if necessary, to captive breed and reintroduce wildcats. The main threat to the Scottish wildcat is considered to be…

25 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many students applied for, but did not obtain, college places in 2012-13, broken down by institution.

Answer · Michael Russell: Colleges are responsible for their own recruitment and application processes and this information is not held centrally. It is a matter for each college to determine which characteristics of the applicant are recorded, including whether he or she is an existi…

18 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-11036 by Michael Matheson on 22 November 2012, what information it has regarding whether additional processes were introduced by the (a) Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and (b) Commission on Human Medicines to ensure the quality, e…

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the government agency that has responsibility for the regulation of medicinal products including vaccines in the UK. The MHRA has robust…

17 Dec 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the A9 Safety Group on speed limits for HGVs on the A9.

17 Dec 2012 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action is being taken to minimise disruption from industrial action over the festive season.

12 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it has given to NHS boards in delivering formal option appraisals made under the guidance, CEL 4 (2010), Informing, Engaging and Consulting People in Developing Health and Community Care Services.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government’s CEL 4 (2010) Guidance is clear about the key reference material to assist boards in delivering effective and appropriate options appraisal, including the Scottish Capital Investment Manual, HM Treasury Green Book, and Scottish Health…

12 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what criteria it uses to determine whether a proposal for a service change made under the guidance, CEL 4 (2010), Informing, Engaging and Consulting People in Developing Health and Community Care Services, should be subject to an independent scrutiny panel.

Answer · Alex Neil: This is ultimately a matter for ministerial discretion, based on a range of factors. Ministers may decide to establish an Independent Scrutiny Panel to assess the safety, sustainability, evidence base and value for money of proposals. The Panel will seek to e…