Parliamentary questions

Murdo Fraser

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

27 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the figures quoted in UK Competitiveness Index 2005, published by Dr Robert Huggins of the University of Sheffield, showing that between 1997 and 2004 there were increases of 35,000 private sector jobs and 121,000 public sector jobs in Scotland are correct.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The UK Competitiveness Index2005 does not use the standard definition of the public sector employed by the Officefor National Statistics and the Scottish Executive.For more information I referthe member to the answer question S2W-23610 on 1 June 2006.…

27 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, further to the answers to questions to S2W-9099 by Mr Jim Wallace on 30 June 2004 and S2W-17703 by Nicol Stephen on 29 July 2005 which indicate that between 1997 and 2004 there were increases of 97,000 private sector jobs and 57,000 public sector jobs in Scotland, it will explain…

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The discrepancies arise fromusing different time periods and, more significantly, using different definitionsof the “public sector”. The preferred approach is based on the internationally agreednational accounts definition that is now used by the Office of Na…

22 Feb 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the provision of NHS dentistry services in rural Scotland.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We do not believe current provisionof NHS dentistry is adequate throughout rural Scotland. That is why we have substantiallyincreased the rewards for those dentists who continue to treat all categories ofpatients on the NHS, and we have supported health board…

15 Feb 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote winter sports, following the Winter Olympics in Turin.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Individual governing bodies of sport are responsible for promoting their sport. I wish to take the opportunity to congratulate our Winter Olympians and in particular Sinead and John Kerr on their 10th place and our men’s curling team on reaching the final sta…

2 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whom it is consulting on its review of the current national planning guidance for the siting of onshore wind farms.

Answer · Johann Lamont: An Environmental Advisory Forum For Renewable Energy has been established to assist with the review. The forum includes representatives from Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Environmental Link, VisitScotland, Historic Scotland, the Convention of Scottish L…

2 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is conducting its review of the current national planning guidance for the siting of onshore wind farms.

Answer · Johann Lamont: The Executive is considering, with the Environmental Advisory Forum for Renewable Energy, the appropriateness of a number of options for inclusion in consultative draft revised guidance. Each option is being assessed through the strategic environmental assess…

2 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will complete its review of the current national planning guidance for the siting of onshore wind farms.

Answer · Johann Lamont: The intention is to consult on revised draft policies in the spring and to have finalised guidance in place by the end of the year.

1 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would give its endorsement to an official bid by Perth and Kinross Council for Perth to gain legal city status.

Answer · Tom McCabe: City status is a reserved matter for the UK Government. Should there be a further city status competition, the Scottish Executive would be given the opportunity to comment on any applications submitted by local authorities in Scotland. It would be premature t…

1 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact a seventh Scottish city with legal status would have on its (a) current Cities Growth Fund, (b) Building a Better Scotland programme and (c) future planning for the Building a Better Scotland and City Region programmes.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The monies assigned to the Cities Growth Fund 2003-08 have been fully allocated to Scotland’s six cities. Decisions on funding allocations after 2007-08 will be taken in due course following the next spending review. Building a Better Scotland i…

1 Feb 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would welcome having seven legal Scottish cities with legal status instead of the current six cities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Whilst cities provide a focal point, they must also interact with their surrounding areas. Scotland’s economic strength depends not only on the economic success of its cities but also on the wider city-regions. This is reflected in a number of policy statemen…

20 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was aware that the charity Independent Special Education Advice obtained funding from Comic Relief to monitor the implementation of the Additional Support for Learning (Scotland) Act 2004 in every local authority area before the Executive commissioned the National Autistic Soci…

Answer · Robert Brown: The Scottish Executive has not commissioned the National Autistic Society to monitor the implementation of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. The implementation of the act is being monitored by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of E…

16 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government in relation to the impact that the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill may have on Scottish publishers, writers and broadcasters.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Scottish Executive officials discussed the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill with Home Office counterparts during its preparatory stages. The subject matter of the bill falls within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament. The issues raised in t…

16 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it considers that the Racial and Religious Hatred Bill for England and Wales will have on Scottish publishers, writers and broadcasters.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill will not apply to material published and distributed in Scotland. The bill will, however, apply to material published or distributed in England and Wales by Scottish publishers, writers and broadcasters.

12 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for a review of the Futurebuilders Scotland strategy and whether any such review would be overseen by the proposed Social Economy Advisory Board.

Answer · Johann Lamont: In December 2005 we published our policy statement A Vision for the Voluntary Sector – The Next Phase of Our Relationship, a copy of which is available on the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38445) which noted that we will consider …

12 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Social Economy Advisory Board, proposed in 2004 as part of Futurebuilders Scotland and announced by the Deputy Minister for Communities on 19 May 2005 (Official Report c. 17079), will be operational and what the role and membership of the board will be.

Answer · Johann Lamont: We expect the Social Economy Advisory Board to be operational by March 2006. The board will advise ministers on the future development of the social economy. This will include advising on the Social Enterprise Strategy and the future development of the Future…

10 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who the (a) current and (b) past board members are of the Local Government Improvement Service.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The Improvement Service was officially launched in April 2005. The current Board members are: Patrick Watters (COSLA)Roderick Ian Douglas Mair (COSLA)Tom McCabe (Minister for Finance and Public Services Reform)Keith Dunckley Yates …

5 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place to ensure that local authorities comply with the conditions applicable to grants allocated for specific projects and who is responsible for carrying out the financial and implementation audits on such grants.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Scottish Executive Departments administer a wide range of grant schemes linked to specific objectives. In 2005-06, the value of these grants totalled over £1.8 billion. Grant schemes include, for example, the Cities Growth Fund, the Bellwin Scheme and measure…

14 Dec 2005 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the accident safety record on the A9 between Perth and Inverness.

Answer · Tavish Scott: No. The numberof people who have been killed is unacceptably high. That is why we have undertakena full accident analysis to inform further improvements over and above the £40 millioninvestment over the next three years.

13 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many personal injury accidents and deaths there have been in each of the last 10 years on the A811 (a) between Stirling and the roundabout at Kippen Station and (b) between Kippen Station and the junction with the A81 at Ballat.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Data about personal injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. The following table gives the numbers of road accidents which were identified in these returns as occurrin…

8 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities are obliged to publish annual reports on their services for adult literacy and numeracy and what action can be taken in the event of a local authority not publishing such reports.

Answer · Allan Wilson: There is no obligation on local authorities to publish annual reports on their services for adult literacy and numeracy.

8 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for ensuring that local authorities comply with the obligations placed on them by Communities Scotland.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to reply. Her response is as follows: Operating on behalf of Scottish ministers, Communities Scotland engages with local authorities on a range of housing and community regeneratio…

8 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the local authorities must comply with the obligation placed on them by Communities Scotland to lead the development of community learning and development strategies in partnership with other statutory agencies, the voluntary sector and communities.

Answer · Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows: The Scottish Executive guidance for community learning and development (CLD) Working and Learning Together to Build Stronger Communities<…

28 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it assesses business rates for new businesses and whether there are any reductions in rates for new business start-ups and, if not, whether it will consider including such reductions in the next spending review.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The rates liability for all businesses, including new ones, is determined by the Scottish Assessors, and is usually based on an estimate of the annual rent which a subject would command on the open market. New business start-ups do not receive any specific ra…

25 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when current funding for the Local Capital Grants Scheme for Community Facilities will end and whether it will be renewed or replaced with a new scheme that offers grants to community facilities.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive will continue to fund projects approved in the final round of the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund (SRPF), but we have no plans at present to expand or replace this programme. In 2004, a review and full consultation exercise was carried ou…

17 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been awarded by its Education Department in respect of autistic spectrum disorders in the last six years, broken down by (a) individual award and (b) local authority area.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive has been making project grant awards to individual voluntary sector organisations in respect of additional support needs since April 1999. The awards are made on the basis of a two or three year cycle. The following table shows the amou…

17 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been awarded by its Health Department in respect of autistic spectrum disorders in the last six years, broken down by (a) individual award and (b) NHS board area.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is given in a table giving details of funding awarded by the health department in respect of autism spectrum disorders, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38182).

17 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to supermarkets which have abandoned the use of the EWS container rail service to Inverness.

Answer · Tavish Scott: We have discussed the rail option with the supermarkets who until recently had used EWS services to transport their goods to Inverness. They are aware of the merits of rail, and the availability of freight grant support, however, the choice of whether to use …

17 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of any subsidies it provides to rail freight services operated partially or wholly in Scotland.

Answer · Tavish Scott: We provide financial support to rail freight services in Scotland through our Freight Facilities and Track Access Grant schemes. These are open to any rail freight service in Scotland which is unable to compete on price with its road alternative. Detai…

11 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of food consumed in Scotland was (a) home grown and (b) imported in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Figures available for 2004 estimate that 63% of the food consumed in the UK was home grown, indicating that 37% of food consumed in the UK was imported. Separate figures are not available for Scotland.

24 Oct 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any EU funding available to support the bee-keeping and honey industry and, if so, whether such funding has been applied for, and is being used, by the Executive.

Answer · Ross Finnie: EU funding is available under Commission Regulation (EC) No 797/2004, which enables the Executive to reclaim 50% of all spending under the Scottish part of the UK Apiculture Programme. This funding is used by the Executive to provide a range of support…