Parliamentary questions
Richard Baker
2,136 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many households were considered to be in fuel poverty in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire in the last year for which information is available.
Answer · Alex Neil: The most recent available figures from the Scottish House Condition Survey show that between 2011 and 2013 there was an average of a) 31,000 households in fuel poverty in Aberdeen, and b) 46,000 households in fuel poverty in Aberdeenshire.
20 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to NHS Grampian, in light of the latest NHSScotland National Cleaning Compliance Report.
Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is reassured that all NHS boards are reporting cleanliness standards above the 90% agreed national standard as outlined in the latest National Cleaning Compliance Report by Health Facilities Scotland: http://www.nhsnss.org/uploads/pub…
19 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many people in the NHS Grampian area were screened for bowel cancer in (a) 2012, (b) 2013 and (c) 2014.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The number of eligible people in the NHS Grampian area who have taken part in the Scottish Bowel Screening Programme in the latest two calendar years available (up to 31 October 2013) is provided in table 1. Data up to 31 October 2014 will be available when t…
19 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many new business start-ups there were in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire in 2014.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: New business start-ups are measured using new business VAT/PAYE registration figures. Estimates of start-ups for 2014 are expected to be published by the Office for National Statistics in November 2015. The latest available figures for new business start-ups …
19 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many construction workers were employed in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire in (i) 2014 and (ii) 2015.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The preferred source for employment estimates by industry at local authority level is the Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). The latest available data are for 2013 with results for 2014 due to be published by the Office for National Statistics in…
19 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) academic and (b) non-academic (i) managerial and (ii) other staff are employed at North East Scotland College.
Answer · Angela Constance: Information on number of staff employed in colleges and universities is held by the Scottish Funding Council. The latest information available is for 2013-14, however it is not possible to provide the staff breakdown requested. Table 1 contains headcount and…
15 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the average waiting time is for arthritis treatment in NHS Grampian and how this compares with other NHS boards.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is not available centrally.
15 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on progress with the (a) procurement process for and (b) construction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.
Answer · Keith Brown: The contract for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route/Balmedie to Tipperty was awarded on 12 December 2014 to Aberdeen Roads Ltd following the shortest ever procurement process for a project of this size and complexity. Construction is now underway and the p…
15 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an updated timescale for the recruitment of a chief executive for NHS Grampian.
Answer · Shona Robison: Following a robust, open selection and interview process, NHS Grampian decided not to appoint any of the shortlisted candidates. Further expressions of interest have been sought, and interviews are due to take place on 1 June 2015.
15 May 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many construction companies were registered in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Aberdeenshire in 2014 and are registered in 2015.
Answer · Fergus Ewing: The latest official statistics for enterprises operating in Scotland by local authority are available from the Scottish Government Businesses in Scotland 2014 publication. The publication shows that: As at March 2014, there were 595 VAT/PAYE registered enter…
16 Mar 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-21209 by Margaret Burgess on 30 May 2014, whether it will provide an update on how much was awarded in 2014-15.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The amount of Affordable Housing Supply Programme funding paid to individual registered social landlords was: Housing Association Grant (£ million) – Aberdeenshire Grant Recipient 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15* Aberdeenshire Council 2.105 0 1.393 Castlehi…
13 Mar 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS Grampian patients had to travel to other NHS boards for treatment in the last year.
Answer · Shona Robison: The number of Grampian patients who had treatment in a different NHS board area during the calendar year 2014 was 2,150. This represents 1.5% of NHS Grampian’s overall annual acute activity of around 139,000 inpatients and day case discharges. This informatio…
13 Mar 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many NHS Grampian patients have been treated in private hospitals in the last year and at what cost.
Answer · Shona Robison: The number of Grampian patients treated in a private hospital during the year ending December 2014 was 1,209. This information relates to acute surgical specialties and is derived from Information Services Division (ISD) Scottish morbidity return for inpatien…
13 Mar 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what resources it will provide to the University of Aberdeen dental school to address the concerns highlighted in the recent inspection report by the General Dental Council.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The General Dental Council was satisfied that the Aberdeen Dental School’s response to these events was appropriate. The school has reviewed and improved its processes accordingly. The issues were not related to resourcing, nor has the school asked for additi…
9 Mar 2015 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils on the Aberdeen City Region Deal bid and what assistance it will provide to support the bid.
2 Mar 2015 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of Creative Scotland's project funding was spent in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire in the last year, and how many projects in Aberdeen received support.
17 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many eye examinations were carried out by NHS Grampian in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.
Answer · Maureen Watt: In 2012-13, the number of eye examinations carried out in NHS Grampian was 209,985. More information can be found at the following link https://isdscotland.scot.nhs.uk/Health-Topics/Eye-Care/Publications/2013-08-27/ophthalmic_table_C_august13.xls?50730533 Th…
17 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the take up rate of Keep Well Health Checks has been at NHS Grampian, and how this compares with the rest of the country.
Answer · Maureen Watt: NHS boards are no longer required to report to the Scottish Government on the number of Keep Well Health Checks delivered. NHS boards are encouraged to adapt ‘Keep Well’ to suit the needs of their local population which may include the delivery of health che…
17 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the adult population in Aberdeen has been registered with an NHS dentist in each of the last five years, and how this compares with the rest of the country.
Answer · Maureen Watt: Figures showing the percentage of adults registered with an NHS dentist are published on the website of Information Services Division Scotland. These figures are available at: https://isdscotland.scot.nhs.uk/Health-Topics/Dental-Care/Publications/2015-01-27/T…
17 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many support staff have been employed by NHS Grampian in each of the last five years, also broken down by (a) role and (b) grade.
Answer · Shona Robison: Information on numbers of support staff employed by NHS Grampian in each of the last five years, also broken down by (a) role and (b) grade can be found on the National Services Scotland, Information Services Division workforce website at: http://www.isdscot…
13 Feb 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what infrastructure projects (a) have commenced since April 2014 and (b) are due to commence in 2015.
Answer · Keith Brown: Information relating to the delivery of infrastructure projects with a capital value of £20 million or more is available from the Scottish Government website under ‘IIP 2011 – Project Pipeline’ by way of the following link: www.gov.scot
22 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what funding per capita it provided to NHS Grampian in 2013-14 and how this compares with other NHS boards.
Answer · Shona Robison: This information is publically available on the Information Services Division Scotland website in the ‘NHS Costs’ section. The most up to date figures relate to the financial period 2013-14 and are provided in the following table: NHS Board Net Operating Ex…
22 Jan 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 (A) 2013-14 and (B) 2014-15.
Answer · Margaret Burgess: The number of applications under the Help to Buy (Scotland) scheme for Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire as at 28 January 2015 are set out in the following table: Year Aberdeen City Aberdeenshire Applications 2013-14 96 234 Approved applications 2013…
22 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what recent assessment it has made of GP provision in NHS Grampian, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Shona Robison: Statutory responsibility for the provision of primary medical services rests with health boards and it is for each board to put in place those services that best meet the reasonable needs of their patient populations. NHS Grampian have undertaken a workforce…
22 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many inpatient beds there were in NHS Grampian in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.
Answer · Shona Robison: The latest published official statistics show that on average there were 2,108 available beds in NHS Grampian across all specialities during the quarter of July 2014 to September 2014. NHS Grampian has introduced a new patient administration system and is wo…
19 Jan 2015 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it is engaging with schools to encourage pupils to consider careers in the oil and gas industry.
12 Jan 2015 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on the introduction of its revised business rates incentivisation scheme.
9 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it is providing to NHS Grampian and (a) Aberdeen City and (b) Aberdeenshire Council to assist with tackling delayed discharge and what the criteria were for determining this.
Answer · Shona Robison: Addressing delayed discharges is a top priority for this government. We have invested £10 million this year to support improvements in relation to delayed discharges, whilst minimising potential disruption to services, patients and carers over the winter peri…
9 Jan 2015 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much funding it is providing to NHS Grampian and (a) Aberdeen City and (b) Aberdeenshire Council to meet increased demand due to winter pressures.
Answer · Shona Robison: We have invested over £29 million this year (2014-15) to support the NHS and help boards cope with the added pressures they are experiencing as well as manage winter pressures. NHS Grampian has received a total of £2,453,848. Aberdeen City has received £187,…
15 Dec 2014 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support public sector recruitment in the north east.