Murdo Fraser

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 classified as major change.

Answer · Alex Neil: This is ultimately a matter for ministerial discretion, based on a range of factors such as the potential number of local people or patients affected, and consequences for local access to NHS services. The Scottish Health Council provides detailed guidance to…

12 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many major service changes proposals made under the guidance, CEL 4 (2010), Informing, Engaging and Consulting People in Developing Health and Community Care Services, it has approved and (a) have been and (b) are subject to an independent scrutiny panel, broken down by proposal.

Answer · Alex Neil: Since the Scottish Government’s CEL 4 (2010) Guidance issued, two major service change proposals have been approved by ministers, NHS Grampian’s Maternity Services proposals and NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s proposals for the new Royal Infirmary in Dumfries. No…

12 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS boards have asked for advice on whether a proposal for a service change should be classified as major change, as set out under the guidance, CEL 4 (2010), Informing, Engaging and Consulting People in Developing Health and Community Care Services, and how many it has designat…

Answer · Alex Neil: Scottish Government officials regularly discuss service redesign proposals, including their consistency with national guidance, policies and frameworks, with all territorial NHS boards. As informed by such dialogue with the Scottish Government and Scottish He…

3 Dec 2012 · Topical Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that NHS boards do not manipulate waiting time figures in order to meet targets.

29 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether a private landowner is obligated by law to remove giant hogweed.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: There is no general legal obligation on land owners or occupiers to remove giant hogweed. In certain circumstances it is possible to require specific land owners or occupiers to take action. Scottish Ministers, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Sco…

28 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4F-00909 by Alex Salmond on 25 October 2012 (Official Report, c.12688), whether it will provide a breakdown by company of each of the 11,000 jobs "employed directly in renewable energy across Scotland".

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Information is not available in the format requested. I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-11359 on 6 December 2012, which provides a breakdown by sector of the estimated 11,136 jobs supported by the renewables industry and its supply chain in 201…

26 Nov 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that companies setting up or expanding activities in Scotland comply with the conditions attached to any financial assistance it has granted.

21 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many objections were or have been received to applications for wind turbine developments under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010, (d) 2011 and (e) 2012.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The following is broken down by year of application submission and, for those still under consideration, is subject to change as further representations are received and logged. Development Status Supporting Representations Objecting Representations 2008…

20 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which NHS boards recommend green space recuperation therapy for people with mental illness.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11394 on 3 December 2012. 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/parliamentar…

20 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to promote green space recuperation therapy for people with mental illness.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government recognises that the quality of the physical environment, which includes access to green spaces, has an important role to play in mental health improvement. We also know that recovery of those with mental health issues benefits from se…

19 Nov 2012 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government is doing to ensure that the 2014 Year of Homecoming is a success.

16 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to help facilitate the erection of signs to promote Cycling Scotland's Cycle Friendly Communities initiative.

Answer · Keith Brown: Transport Scotland and Cycling Scotland have discussed signage options; and Cycling Scotland has agreed to carry out exploratory research into the possible establishment of a cycle friendly community award which could be associated with signage.

16 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Cycling Scotland in the last year in relation to the creation of cycle-friendly communities under its Cycle Friendly Communities initiative.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government, through Transport Scotland, has an observer role on the board of cycling Scotland, where many policy issues are discussed. The board meetings are held quarterly. Following discussions with Highland Perthshire Cycling, East Dunbartons…

16 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote Cycling Scotland’s Cycle Friendly Communities initiative.

Answer · Keith Brown: Through Transport Scotland grant funding, Cycling Scotland administers and promotes the cycle friendly & sustainable communities fund. The projects funded encourage a shift away from single occupancy car use, a reduction in carbon emissions and an improvement…

8 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a duty of care to residents who have poor health as a result of inappropriately situated wind farms.

Answer · Michael Matheson: We consider that the provisions currently in place in respect of planning and operational noise control provide an appropriate and practical level of public protection from noise concerns arising from the development and operation of wind farms in Scotland.

8 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what scientific evidence it has considered in relation to setting minimum distances of wind farms from housing.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government has not set a minimum distance between housing and wind farms. Paragraph 190 of Scottish Planning Policy states ‘A separation distance of up to 2km between areas of search and the edge of cities, towns and villages is recommended to gu…

8 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will review the ETSU-R-97 spatial regulation on wind farm deployments and housing, in light of recently published studies on the effects of wind farms on health.

Answer · Derek Mackay: ETSU-R-97 is a UK Government publication and has become an industry standard, the Scottish Government is not currently reviewing it. However we are working with the UK Government and the Institute of Acoustics on the production of good practice guidance for t…

8 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what companies received funding from the Scottish Investment Bank in 2011-12, broken down by (a) region and (b) amount provided.

Answer · John Swinney: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I will ask its chief executive to reply to you.

8 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the criteria are for receiving funding from the Scottish Investment Bank.

Answer · John Swinney: Information on the criteria for funding from the Scottish Investment Bank is available on the Scottish Enterprise website and this can be accessed at http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/fund-your-business/scottish-investment-bank.aspx.

8 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what arrangements there are for the independent monitoring of (a) quality control and (b) hygiene regulation in vaccine manufacturing establishments.

Answer · Michael Matheson: There is a legal requirement for National Competent Authorities (NCAs) to supervise all manufacturers of pharmaceutical products, which includes vaccines, for human and veterinary use. This supervision is achieved by the initial and periodic re-inspection (an…

8 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures vaccine safety.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, with independent expert advice from the Commission on Human Medicines is responsible for ensuring that the quality, efficacy and safety of a vaccine is positive at the time of licensing. Post licensure …

8 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many batches of Infanrix Hexa have been withdrawn in Scotland and what information it has about the rest of UK.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Infanrix Hexa vaccine is not marketed in Scotland or the rest of the UK.

8 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that the recall of certain batches of Infanrix Hexa has no impact on children in Scotland.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The vaccine Infanrix Hexa is not currently marketed in the UK. The recall of batches of the vaccine will therefore have no impact on the children in Scotland.

5 Nov 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address any health inequalities between manual and non-manual workers.

1 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many homes were considered to be in fuel poverty in (a) Perth and Kinross, (b) Stirling and (c) Fife in each of the last five years.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Local Authority level fuel poverty analysis is performed on three years of data to include enough cases to be statistically robust. As such fuel poverty figures are not available for each calendar year. These figures represent the mid point of the data collec…

1 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what capital investment projects, that it has funded, are underway in Mid Scotland and Fife and what the (a) completion date and (b) cost is of each project.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: An outline of capital investment projects currently underway in the Mid Scotland and Fife region which, are funded or part funded by the Scottish Government is included in the following table. Project Name Capital Value (£m) Estimated Completion Forth Rep…

30 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the incidence rate is of squirrel pox virus.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Between 2007 and 2012, there have been 53 confirmed cases of squirrelpox in red squirrels. Between the same dates, of 5,282 grey squirrels tested, 831 were sero-positive for exposure to squirrelpox virus. This data was collated by the Saving Scotland’s Red …

30 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to protect the red squirrel in 2013, one of the 10 iconic species selected in the Year of Natural Scotland.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government works with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), NGOs and landowners to protect red squirrels in Scotland. The Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) provides funding for red squirrel conservation such as habitat management and grey sq…

23 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-05558 by Shona Robison on 9 February 2012, whether the national performance centre will be developed along similar lines to the St George's Park National Football Centre in England.

Answer · Shona Robison: The National Performance Centre for Sport will be developed in line with the requirements of Scottish sport as set out in the bid documentation that is currently being developed and is due to be issued in December 2012.

23 Oct 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its role is in improving physical health across the country.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The government is taking action in a number of areas which seek to change behaviours and develop supportive environments to improve physical health including those set out in the Prevention of Obesity Route Map, the Smoking and Prevention Action Plan, the Phy…