Parliamentary questions
Jim Tolson
304 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
3 Feb 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on (a) repair and (b) replacement following incidents of cable theft from the railway network in each of the last five years, broken down by region.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-39410 on 22 February 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:</p> <p >http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Ap…
3 Feb 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost to the economy is of cable theft from the railway network in the last five years.
Answer · Keith Brown: As the Scottish Executive does not hold the information on the extent of the cancellations or delays, it is not possible to provide any estimated cost to the economy. Network Rail is funded to improve the ScotRail service Punctuality Performance Measurement t…
3 Feb 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many journeys have been (a) cancelled or (b) delayed due to cable theft from the railway network in each of the last five years, broken down by region.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-39410 on 22 February 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/Apps2/Busine…
3 Feb 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken to prevent cable theft from the railway network and at what cost.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-39410 on 22 February 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/Apps2/Busine…
3 Feb 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many reported incidents of cable theft from the railway network in each of the last five years have resulted in prosecution, broken down by region.
Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-39410 on 22 February 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/Apps2/Busine…
3 Feb 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of cable theft from the railway network have been reported in each of the last five years, broken down by region.
Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Executive does not hold information in this format. It is an operational matter for the rail industry and the British Transport Police.</b></p>
23 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to increase the uptake of the flu vaccination by (a) older people and (b) other at-risk groups
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government runs an annual campaign to promote the seasonal flu vaccine and increase uptake amongst those who are eligible, including those aged over 65 and those with clinical at-risk conditions. This year, as usual, this has included television …
23 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the uptake of the flu vaccination has been by older people in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board
Answer · Shona Robison: Seasonal flu vaccine uptake for those aged 65 and over for the period of the last five years can be seen in the following table. The 2010-11 figures are provisional uptake figures until 9 January and the final uptake figure will continue to rise as people sti…
23 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the uptake of the flu vaccination has been by at-risk groups in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board
Answer · Shona Robison: Seasonal flu vacine uptake for those aged under 65 in the clinical at risk groups has continued to rise each year across Scotland. The 2010-11 figures are provisional uptake figures until 9 January and the final uptake figure will continue to rise as people s…
23 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what extra provision has been made to provide shelter for rough sleepers during the recent cold weather conditions
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government fully recognises the importance of ensuring that rough sleepers are able to access accommodation during extreme weather conditions. Local authorities are best placed to ensure this happens and respond to local circumstances. Against th…
23 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths linked to hypothermia there have been in each year since 2005, broken down by (a) age and (b) NHS board area
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The number of deaths, registered in Scotland, for which hypothermia was involved is presented by NHS board in table 1 and by age group in table 2. These figures cover deaths for which hypothermia was the underlying cause together with deaths to which hypother…
23 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been admitted to hospital with hypothermia in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age and (b) NHS board
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The number of patients treated in hospital for hypothermia over the last five years is presented by NHS board in table 1 and by age group in table 2.</p> <p >Table 1 Number of Patients Treated in Hospital, with a Diagnosis of Hypothermia, by NHS Board of Res…
23 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been treated for hypothermia during the recent cold weather conditions and what proportion was represented by people over 60
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: People with hypothermia may be treated in a number of different health care settings (for example; accident and emergency (A&E) departments, acute hospitals).</p> <p >The routine collection of data on hospital admissions for patients with a diagnosis of …
23 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many empty (a) public and (b) private sector residential properties have been returned to use as homes in 2010 in each local authority area
Answer · Alex Neil: The number of empty properties returned to use as homes in the public and private sector in each local authority area is not held centrally.</p> "Times
23 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many empty residential properties (a) have been and (b) are waiting to be assessed for suitability for return to use as homes in each local authority area
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government does not hold information centrally on how many private sector or local authority residential properties have been, or are waiting to be, assessed for suitability for return to use as homes.</p> <p >However the number of registered so…
23 Dec 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many empty residential properties have been identified in 2010 in the (a) public and (b) private sector in each local authority area
Answer · Alex Neil: There were a total of 70,320 empty properties in Scotland in September 2010. A breakdown of this figure by local authority area is shown in table 1.</p> <p >It is not possible to break this 70,320 figure down by private and public sector. However, data on e…
17 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many environmental health officers there were in each local authority area in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008 and (d) 2009 and are in 2010.
Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is not held centrally. Staffing and workforce planning are matters for local authorities to manage.</b></p>
17 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many food technologists were employed in the public sector in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008 and (d) 2009 and are employed currently.
Answer · John Swinney: The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Government.</b></p>
17 Nov 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have graduated in food technology from Scottish institutions in each of the last five years, broken down by type of (a) course and (b) degree.
Answer · Keith Brown: The information requested is contained in the following two tables. Table 1 shows the number of qualifiers from food technology and catering courses at higher education level while table 2 contains comparable figures for further education level courses.</p> …
14 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received representations regarding the introduction of optional onboard restraints on buses for passengers using wheelchairs or prams.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Disability and vehicle construction legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament. The Scottish Government has not received any representations regarding the introduction of optional onboard restraints on buses for passengers using wheelchairs or prams. I sugg…
14 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of injuries sustained by passengers on buses was incurred as a result of a lack of available restraints in each of the last four years.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Disability and vehicle construction legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament. The Scottish Government does not hold information on the proportion of injuries sustained by passengers on buses incurred as a result of a lack of available restraints. I sugges…
14 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken research into the potential costs associated with introducing optional onboard restraints on buses for passengers using wheelchairs or prams and, if so, what the result was of this research.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Disability and vehicle construction legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament. The Scottish Government has not undertaken any research in relation to the introduction of optional restraints on buses for passengers using wheelchairs or prams. I suggest that…
14 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering or has considered the introduction of optional onboard restraints for bus passengers using wheelchairs or prams in order to improve safety.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Disability and vehicle construction legislation, including the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations 2000 which state that any forward facing wheelchair space must be fitted with a wheelchair restraint system and a lap belt, is reserved to the UK …
7 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it spent promoting the Rosyth-Zeebrugge ferry link in continental Europe in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10, broken down by method of promotion, and how each figure compares to the overall budget allocated to promote the Scottish tourism sector in continental Europe over…
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: VisitScotland has worked closely with the operators of the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry to help them increase the number of passengers who use the service. </p> <p >Activities supported by this expenditure include listing on VisitScotland.com and in the main Vi…
7 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it took in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10 to promote the Rosyth-Zeebrugge ferry link in continental Europe.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36132 on 21 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at: </p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parli…
7 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has allocated to promote the Rosyth-Zeebrugge ferry link in continental Europe in 2010-11, broken down by method of promotion, and how this compares with the overall budget allocated to promote the Scottish tourism sector in continental Europe over the same time period.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: VisitScotland is providing £98,800 of marketing support to the Rosyth to Zeebrugge ferry service in 2010-11. VisitScotland''s overall European Campaign spend for the same period is £1,000,000 and the total European Marketing spend is £2,218,975.</p> <p >Acti…
7 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote the Rosyth-Zeebrugge ferry link in continental Europe.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: VisitScotland is continuing to work closely with DFDS on joint marketing campaigns.</p>
2 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35472 by Richard Lochhead on 11 August 2010, what action has already been taken to attempt to improve the reedbed and saltmarsh habitats of St Margaret’s Marsh Site of Special Scientific Interest that is assessed as unfavourable
Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) advises that it entered into a management agreement with the landowner in 2003 for the installation and operation of a sluice gate to seek to improve the condition of the reedbed and saltmarsh habitats of the SSSI. However, thi…
2 Sep 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35472 by Richard Lochhead on 11 August 2010, for what reason the part of St Margaret's Marsh Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) that was denotified in 2009 was originally designated as an SSSI
Answer · Richard Lochhead: SSSI boundaries are defined using suitable features on the ground and it is not uncommon for marginal areas of SSSIs to contain small areas of habitat that are not an essential component of the site.</b></p> <p >In this case it was established that a section…
10 Aug 2010 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients attended accident and emergency departments at (a) Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline and (b) Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy (i) on weekdays and (ii) at the weekend in each of the last five years.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: It is not possible to provide centrally collected accident and emergency attendance data for specific days over the last five years as the collection of detailed accident and emergency information commenced in July 2007. The numbers of accident and emergency …