Parliamentary questions
Claire Baker
1,724 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
8 Mar 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the ecological coherence of the network of marine protected areas under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 is assessed.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Guidance has been developed under the Oslo-Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR) to support the agreement on development of a network of Marine Protected Areas. The guidance outlines key design featur…
7 Mar 2012 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to address female unemployment in Fife.
29 Feb 2012 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether an industrial operation may operate outwith the permitted hours specified in its planning permission.
22 Feb 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many pre-registration student nurse and midwifery intake training places there will be at each higher education institution campus in 2012-13.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: It is for the individual Universities to decide how best to deliver the education programmes they provide to students and this includes allocating places at particular campuses. The 2012-13 intake for pre-registration nursing and midwifery students broken dow…
22 Feb 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many pre-registration student nurse and midwifery intake training places there will be at each higher education institution in 2012-13, also broken down by (a) adult nursing, (b) mental health nursing, (c) learning disability nursing, (d) children’s nursing and (e) midwifery.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The 2012-13 intake for pre-registration nursing and midwifery students broken down by branch and university is as detailed in the following table:- 2012-13 Dundee Uni GCU Edinburgh Napier RGU Stirling Uni UWS Open Uni Adult 266 261 299 142 22…
2 Feb 2012 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will spend in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 on promoting sustainable and active travel and how much of the money will arise from the Barnett consequentials received as a result of UK Government spending decisions on road transport.
Answer · Keith Brown: The following table provides a breakdown of the levels of funding which directly support the promotion of sustainable and active travel, including a note of the contribution made by Barnett Consequentials funding. £m 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Sustainable a…
18 Jan 2012 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact of the proposed reductions in the agri-environment budget will be.
11 Jan 2012 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Court Service in relation to plans to consult on the closure of courts.
16 Dec 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review the neighbour notification scheme.
Answer · Derek Mackay: The Scottish Government proposes to consult on potential changes to the neighbour notification scheme in 2012.
16 Dec 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the neighbour notification scheme provides adequate public involvement in the decision-making process regarding large-scale developments such as quarries.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Neighbour notification is only one of the publicity and consultation requirements associated with planning applications and is intended for those in the immediate vicinity of a proposed development. Others include a statutory requirement for pre-application c…
16 Dec 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what buffer zones between quarries involved in blasting and occupied residential housing are operated by each planning authority.
Answer · Derek Mackay: There is no standard buffer zone in operation between quarries and occupied residential housing. Where required, planning authorities may apply a buffer zone according to the circumstances of individual proposals.
16 Dec 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what minimum distance is to be allowed as a buffer zone between a quarry involved in hard rock blasting and occupied residential housing
Answer · Derek Mackay: Scottish Planning Policy states that authorities should not impose standard buffer zones between sites and settlements since distances will need to take account of the specific circumstances of individual proposals including size, duration, location, method o…
16 Dec 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what sanctions can be applied to an industrial operation that operates outwith the hours permitted under its planning conditions.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Enforcement of planning control is a matter for the planning authority in the first instance. There is a wide range of enforcement powers in planning legislation. These include issuing a notice requiring the submission of a retrospective planning application …
16 Dec 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether an industrial operation may begin operation at 6 am instead of the 8 am start stated in its planning conditions.
Answer · Derek Mackay: Unless otherwise agreed by the planning authority, commencing operations at a time outside that specified by a planning condition or agreement is likely to constitute a breach of planning control.
16 Dec 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, under planning enforcement, an industrial operation may operate outwith its permitted hours.
Answer · Derek Mackay: If there are conditions or restrictions associated with a planning permission that an operation may only take place within or outwith certain hours, then operations which do not comply with these limitations may constitute a breach of planning control. Decis…
29 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the money set out on page 59 of the Scottish Spending Review 2011 and Draft Budget 2012-13 for implementing Getting it Right for Every Child is new money.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The investment in the Early Years and Early Intervention Change Fund and the other Change Funds represents the Scottish Government and NHS Scotland’s intention to move existing resource to where it makes the most difference, by supporting a prevention and ear…
29 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-03880 by Angela Constance on 17 November 2011, how much of the £272 million it will provide and how much will be provided by (a) local authorities and (b) the NHS in each year of the current spending review period.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-04325 on 16 December 2011. 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/parliamenta…
29 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the Early Years and Early Intervention Change Fund will be allocated, broken down by budget line.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-04325 on 16 December 2011. 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/parliamentary…
29 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-03568 by John Swinney on 8 November 2011, how the Early Years and Early Intervention Change Fund will be divided across each (a) portfolio and (b) year of the current spending review period.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: The final breakdowns across portfolios and over time will be subject to local decisions between delivery partners.
29 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects agreements to be reached between local authorities and NHS boards regarding their contributions to the Early Years and Early Intervention Change Fund.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: Agreements will be reached in line with guidance from the Early Years Taskforce.
29 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with (a) COSLA, (b) the third sector and (c) the NHS regarding the Early Years and Early Intervention Change Fund.
Answer · Aileen Campbell: COSLA, the third sector and NHS Scotland are all represented on the Early Years Task Force, which will oversee the use of the Early Years and Early Intervention Change Fund. The first meeting of the task force was held on 8 November 2011, as part of the ongoi…
29 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be an increase in the number of places on the teacher induction scheme for 2012-13 to address any supply teacher shortages.
Answer · Michael Russell: The number of probationer teachers joining the 2012-13 teacher induction scheme will depend on the number of students graduating from one year and four year initial teacher education courses in summer 2012 which were entered by students at an earlier date and…
29 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether teacher workforce plans for 2012-13 will take account of any supply teacher shortage.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government’s annual teacher workforce planning exercise takes account of all available evidence relating to teacher supply and demand.
29 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to address the shortage of short-term supply teachers, as reported in TES Scotland on 11 November 2011.
Answer · Michael Russell: All matters relating to teacher supply and demand are taken into account in the Scottish Government’s annual teacher workforce planning exercise.
29 Nov 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the revised pay and conditions agreed by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers in May 2011 has had on the availability of short-term supply teachers to schools in each local autthority and how it has monitored this.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) is committed to monitoring the implementation of all aspects of the agreement, including short-term supply, and the Scottish Government will play its full part in that through our representation on the Co…
23 Nov 2011 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Housing and Transport last met with senior officials from ScotRail.
19 Oct 2011 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy will next meet NHS Fife.
31 Aug 2011 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the University of St Andrews and Fife Council about plans to replace Madras College with a single-site secondary school.
29 Jun 2011 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the Fire Brigades Union in Scotland.
9 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will legislate to set targets for widening access to universities.
Answer · Michael Russell: Measures regarding widening access to universities will be brought forward in a wider package of reforms on post-16 education, as mentioned in my response to S4W-696 on 23 June 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliame…