Richard Baker

1 Dec 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government and Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire councils regarding the proposal for an Aberdeen city region deal.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government has been working closely with Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils and the UK Government to provide support in developing city region deal proposals. Discussions are ongoing, Scottish Government and UK Government officials engage o…

24 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-27978 by John Swinney on 27 October 2015, in light of the unrounded figures in relation to GDP not being included in the document referred to in the answer, what steps it will take to make this information available.

Answer · John Swinney: As set out in the answer to S4W-27978 the unrounded figures in relation to the 2015 quarter two gross domestic product (GDP) estimates were made available to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on publication day. These have always been made available …

16 Nov 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage films to be made in Scotland to boost local economies.

10 Nov 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action NHS Grampian is taking to tackle drug-related deaths in Aberdeen.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government has asked all Alcohol and Drug Partnerships in Scotland to make the reduction of drug deaths a continued priority in 2015-16. NHS Grampian has a drug related deaths monitoring group to investigate and learn from the circumstances of ea…

3 Nov 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support the energy industry in the north east.

19 Oct 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to promote cultural events in the north east.

8 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason its news release on 7 October 2015, Economic Growth Continues: Scottish economy grows 1.9% in the year to Q2 2015 states, "Today’s National Statistics show that the Scottish economy has grown for twelve consecutive quarters" when the accompanying data table shows that it …

Answer · John Swinney: The observation of 12 consecutive quarters of growth is based on unrounded data. Data in the GDP bulletin is rounded to 1 decimal place but underlying estimates are produced at a full level of precision. Unrounded data are routinely published in the quarterl…

16 Sep 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS Grampian to help recruit and retain staff.

9 Sep 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for Aberdeen police control room.

Answer · Michael Matheson: As outlined in my response to Lewis Macdonald, this is a matter for Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority.

24 Aug 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils on progressing the bid for the Aberdeen City Region deal.

29 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to gather data on staff and associate specialist doctor vacancy rates to better inform its long-term workforce planning strategy.

Answer · Shona Robison: We currently have the highest medical staffing levels ever, with all NHSScotland medical doctors up 23.6% in this government and record numbers of consultants. As part of a series of planned improvements to NHSScotland workforce planning arrangements, the Sc…

29 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the vacancy rate is for staff and associate specialist grades, including specialty doctors, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Shona Robison: We currently have the highest medical staffing levels ever, with all NHSScotland medical doctors up 23.6% under this government and record numbers of consultants. The information requested is not held centrally. Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland…

17 Jun 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS Grampian for children and adolescents who need to access mental health services.

9 Jun 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that there is a comprehensive strategy for GP recruitment in the NHS Grampian area.

Answer · Jamie Hepburn: Under this government, the number of GPs employed in Scotland has risen by seven per cent to nearly 5,000 – the highest ever on record. We have also increased funding by 10 per cent and there are more GPs per head of population in Scotland than in England. O…

5 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Scottish Prison Service regarding recruiting and retaining staff at HMP Grampian.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows: “Recruitment and retention within HMP and YOI Grampian is an operational matter for SPS. HMP and YOI Grampian is fully up to staffing …

5 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Police Scotland regarding the difficulties with recruiting and retaining staff in Aberdeen that were highlighted in the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland report, Local Policing+ Inspection Programme - Inspection of Aberdeen City Division.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has regular discussions with Police Scotland on a range of matters. Recruitment, retention and deployment of police officers and police staff are a matter for Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority and I expect them to take …

1 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many public sector jobs were based in Aberdeen in 2014 and how this compared with other cities.

Answer · John Swinney: The Business Register and Employment Survey provides estimates of employee jobs in the public and private sector at local authority level. Information relating to 2014 from the Business Register and Employment Survey is scheduled to be published in September …

1 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what funding it has allocated to NHS Grampian for the funding of alcohol and drug partnerships in 2014-15.

Answer · Maureen Watt: A total of £5,770,305 was allocated in 2014-15 to NHS Grampian for the three alcohol and drug partnerships (Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray) in NHS Grampian.

1 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much was spent on trunk road maintenance by Transport Scotland in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire in each of the last three years.

Answer · Derek Mackay: Maintenance spend figures are not recorded on a local authority basis. The trunk roads in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire are the A90 and A96. Spend per annum on the full length of the routes is listed in the following table: 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 A90…

1 Jun 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-13296 by John Swinney on 5 March 2013, how much Aberdeen City has collected in business rates in each year since 2012-13.

Answer · John Swinney: The information requested, as returned to the Scottish Government by Aberdeen City Council, is set out in the following table. The figures provided represent the final audited amounts for each of the years in question. Non-domestic rates collected by Aberdee…

28 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-23173 by Shona Robison on 28 November 2014, what impact the closure of the Lowit Unit at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital has had on (a) teacher numbers and (b) pupil transition back to mainstream education.

Answer · Shona Robison: There has been no reduction in teacher numbers. NHS Grampian and Aberdeen City Council are working in partnership and are committed to developing an approach that supports timely intervention. This will ensure that children and young people access the suppor…

28 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-23173 by Shona Robison on 28 November 2014, in light of the closure of the Lowit Unit at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital, what provision it has made for peer and adult engagement.

Answer · Shona Robison: During this transitional period, clinical services to meet the needs of patients, some of whom may have previously attended the former Lowit Unit, are being delivered in different ways and settings – in outpatient clinics, home visits and schools. Once the r…

28 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-23173 by Shona Robison on 28 November 2014, whether it will provide an update on the progress being made with replacing the Lowit Unit at the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital.

Answer · Shona Robison: The North of Scotland Tier 4 Network was set up in autumn 2013 with a senior network nurse based in Grampian since then. When NHS Grampian closed the Lowit Unit to inpatients on 12 September 2014, patients continued to be seen by clinicians as out-patients in…

27 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications for support under the Help to Buy (Scotland) Scheme were (a) made and (b) granted in (i) Aberdeen and (ii) Aberdeenshire in 2014-15 and how this compares with the rest of the country.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government publishes information on sales through Help to Buy (Scotland) quarterly, in arrears, at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/BuyingSelling/help-to-buy/MonthlyStats The number of applications under the Help to Buy (…

27 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of property prices on the effectiveness of the Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government considers the impact of Help to Buy (Scotland) across all of Scotland. This includes ongoing monitoring of applications and sales levels in all areas, including Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, including the average value of property purcha…

27 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provided to the Scottish Ambulance Service in the NHS Grampian area in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15 to (i) purchase new ambulances and (ii) update mobile equipment.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government provides an annual budget to the Scottish Ambulance Service, which in 2015-16, at £212 million, is the highest amount the service has received. Spending decisions are an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service. (i) The …

27 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides to NHS Grampian to recruit allied health professionals.

Answer · Maureen Watt: Recruitment of staff, including allied health professionals, is a matter for each NHSScotland board as an employer. NHSScotland boards are required to have the correct staff in place to meet the needs of the service and ensure high quality patient care. The S…

22 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many alcohol-related deaths there have been in NHS Grampian hospitals in each of the last three years and how many of these were of people aged (a) under 18, (b) 18 to 29, (c) 30 to 55 and (d) over 55.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is given in the following table. These figures are provided on the same basis as the statistics of alcohol-related deaths published annually by National Records of Scotland. The figures for 2014 are provisional; final statistics for …

22 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many attendances there were at each accident and emergency department in NHS Grampian in 2014.

Answer · Shona Robison: The required information is included within Information Services Division (ISD) monthly publication on the ISD website at: http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Emergency-Care/Publications/index.asp

22 May 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) how and (b) how often it measures fuel poverty.

Answer · Alex Neil: Fuel poverty is measured each year using the Scottish House Conditions Survey (SHCS). Results for 2014 will be reported in December 2015. The definition of fuel poverty was laid out in the Scottish Executive’s Fuel Poverty Statement 2002: “A household is in…