Murdo Fraser

18 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many documents containing  instructions, guidance, regulation and any other sort of direction it has issued to head teachers in each of the last five years.

Answer · Maureen Watt: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14321 on 10 July 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

18 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many pages of instruction, guidance, regulation and any other sort of direction it has issued to head teachers in each of the last five years.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The bulk of the government’s communication about school education is with local authorities, with whom responsibility for the provision of school education lies, rather than with head teachers themselves.</p> <p >A trawl of files across government directorat…

10 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support an extension to the private sector contract for the Scottish Regional Treatment Centre at Stracathro Hospital if NHS Tayside considers the contract to be beneficial to NHS patients.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14043 on 18 June 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp…

10 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what investment plans it has for the Scottish Regional Treatment Centre at Stracathro Hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Funding of £5 million per annum over three years, to 2009-10, has been made available to the Scottish Regional Treatment Centre at Stracathro. The contract between NHS Tayside and Netcare has more than a year to run and any decision on its future will not be …

5 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which stadiums would receive funding for improvements if Scotland was given the opportunity to host Euro 2012.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: This would be considered as part of any feasibility study.</p>

5 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether is preparing for the possibility that Ukraine and Poland will not host Euro 2012 and, if so, what preparations it has made.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Informal discussions have been held with the Scottish Football Association but a feasibility study has not been commissioned.</p>

15 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many GPs who have offered out-of-hours services have retired since 2005 and have not been replaced by new GP practices offering equivalent out-of-hours services.

Answer · Shona Robison: Since 2005 there has been one case of a GP providing out-of-hours services who has been replaced by a GP not providing such services.</p>

15 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which areas in mainland Scotland are considered as equivalent to Scottish islands in terms of provision of health services.

Answer · Shona Robison: As far as primary medical services are concerned, all areas of Scotland including the islands are subject to the same regulations.</p>

15 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which GP practices have not been allowed to opt out of out-of-hours service in mainland Scotland.

Answer · Shona Robison: None.</p>

15 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what conditions were put in place when a new contract was awarded for the Kinloch Rannoch GP practice.

Answer · Shona Robison: No conditions were placed on the new practice as far as out of hours services were concerned. In terms of the NHS (General Medical Services Contracts)(Scotland) Regulations 2004 a practice either provides out of hours services or not. Where it does not do so …

15 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what factors were considered when the decision was taken to allow the Kinloch Rannoch GP practice to opt out of out-of-hours service.

Answer · Shona Robison: In accordance with the provisions of the NHS (General Medical Services Contracts)(Scotland) Regulations 2004, the decision was taken by an independent assessment panel. The panel reached a unanimous decision on the basis that practices of similar remoteness a…

15 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that out-of-hours service is required for the safety and wellbeing of the people in the Kinloch Rannoch area of highland Perthshire.

Answer · Shona Robison: Yes. There should be safe out-of-hours services for all patients whether the service is provided by a GP practice or the NHS board.</p>

15 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of service it believes is sufficient to replace out-of-hours cover in the Kinloch Rannoch area of highland Perthshire.

Answer · Shona Robison: In 2004 NHS Quality Improvement Scotland produced standards for out-of-hours primary medical standards. The services to replace the out-of-hours services which had been provided by the local general practitioner should meet those standards.</p>

9 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools were federated, with a head teacher having joint responsibility for more than one school, in each of the last five years.

Answer · Maureen Watt: There are no federated schools in Scotland. The management and deployment of staff in schools is a matter for the local authority employers to determine. The number of head teachers reported as working in two or more schools at the time of the census each yea…

9 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of pupils leaving each local authority secondary school in Glasgow did not enter employment, training or further or higher education in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The information requested can be found on the Scottish Schools Online website, available at <a href="http://www.scottishschoolsonline.gov.uk/index.asp">http://www.scottishschoolsonline.gov.uk/index.asp</a>.</p>

9 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of pupils left each local authority secondary school in Glasgow with at least one higher in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Answer · Maureen Watt : Scottish Schools Online:</p> <p ><a href="www.ltscotland.org.uk/scottishschoolsonline">www.ltscotland.org.uk/scottishschoolsonline</a> provides comprehensive statistical data on secondary schools in Glasgow. Taken together this data gives a rounded picture o…

9 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of pupils left each local authority secondary school in Glasgow with at least five standard grades at SQA level 4 including English and maths in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The information requested is given in the document <i >Pupils with five or more qualifications at SCQF level 4, including English and maths</i>, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45619).</p>

9 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of pupils achieved at least five standard grades at SQA level 4 including English and maths at each local authority secondary school in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The information requested is given in the document <i >Pupils with five or more qualifications at SCQF level 4, including English and maths</i>, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45619).</p>

9 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of pupils received free school meals at each local authority secondary school in Glasgow in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The full dataset is published on the government website, at the following link:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/SchMeals2007">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/SchMeals2…

8 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what Barnett consequentials arise from the £4.65 million funding announced by the UK Government for school pupil visits to Auschwitz.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The £4.65 million, announced by the UK Government in February 2008, to pay for two pupils from schools in England to visit Auschwitz did not generate additional funding for Scotland. This funding was part of the Department for Children, Schools and Families g…

29 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what total settlement was given to each local authority in each of the last 10 years and, of those, what percentage were ring-fenced for specific spending streams, broken down by specific ring-fenced item.

Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is published in Local Government Finance Circulars copies of which can be accessed from the Scottish Government''s website using the following link <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/local-government/17999/11203">h…

29 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what total settlement was given to local authorities in each of the last 10 years and, of those, what percentage were ring-fenced for specific spending streams, broken down by specific ring-fenced item.

Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is published in Local Government Finance Circulars copies of which can be accessed from the Scottish Government''s website using the following link:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/local-government/1799…

28 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S3W-10809 by Shona Robison on 25 March 2008, how much research has been conducted by the Medical Research Council and the Chief Scientist Office into the role that has been established of combined multiple vaccinations significantly aggravating an under…

Answer · Shona Robison: The Medical Research Council (MRC) funds a mitochondrial disorder unit. At this point they have not researched vaccination in their patients as they are not aware of any research which might have established the role of combined multiple vaccinations in signi…

28 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-10806, S3W-10807 and S3W-10808 by Shona Robison on 25 March 2008 and in light of the judgment by the US Attorney General on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services which found that combined multiple vaccinations received by a child si…

Answer · Shona Robison: The research abstract states Recognition of these children is important for understanding how genes that produce autistic spectrum disorders impact mitochondrial function, making clear that the genes that predispose to autism may secondarily affect mitochondr…

28 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S3W-10805 by Shona Robison on 25 March 2008, on what basis it concluded that mitochondrial disorder is an extremely rare genetic metabolic condition.

Answer · Shona Robison: This conclusion was based on the fact that the US United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation quotes a rate of one case per 4,000 live births. Further, Dr Lindsey Kent in an article in <i >New Scientist</i> on 3 March 2008 noted that mitochondrial diseases are ve…

24 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average speeds were of (a) cars and (b) HGVs on the A9 along speed-monitored sections of the road in each of the last five years.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: This information is not available in the format requested. Transport Scotland holds speed data captured by its traffic counting sites at specific locations along the entire length of the A9. This data is captured over a 24-hour period and is for all classes o…

24 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the serious but non-fatal accidents on the A9 occurred on (a) single and (b) dual carriage sections of the road between Perth and Inverness in each of the last five years.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of serious but non-fatal accidents on the A9 on single and dual carriageway sections of the road between Perth and Inverness in each of the last five years.</p> <p >Serious Accidents</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 ce…

24 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the fatal accidents on the A9 occurred on (a) single and (b) dual carriage sections of the road between Perth and Inverness in each of the last five years.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The following table shows the number of fatal accidents on the A9 on single and dual carriageway sections of the road between Perth and Inverness in each of the last five years.</p> <p >Fatal Accidents</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <t…

22 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that a proposal from the National Grid for a subsea cable along the west coast of Scotland should be taken into consideration before any final decision is taken on the Beauly to Denny electricity transmission power line.

Answer · Jim Mather: Scottish ministers will give full consideration to the report of the Beauly to Denny public inquiry and all other material considerations, including any relating to alternative options such as subsea cables, before determining the application.</p>

22 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would support a proposal from the National Grid for a subsea cable along the west coast of Scotland for the transmission of electricity.

Answer · Jim Mather: We would be interested in any proposal for offshore grid development which could help capitalise on Scotland''s renewables potential.</p> <p >We will consider all the available evidence, including the results of our own subsea grid studies, to inform future …