Parliamentary questions
Patrick Harvie
1,454 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
26 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to implement the Volunteering Strategy in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06 and whether there are any plans to increase funding of the strategy in future years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Implementation of the new volunteering strategy is being supported from within the level of resources available for distribution by the Scottish Executive Voluntary Issues Unit (VIU). In both 2004-05 and 2005-06 the VIU has £19.683 million available for distr…
19 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2F-1212 on flouridation of water by Mr Jack McConnell on 18 November 2004, whether it intends to cease funding the British Fluoridation Society.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The British Fluoridation Society’s (BFS) current grant is for the period to 31 March 2005. Any application for grant for future years will fall to be considered along with applications from other organisations, eligible for assistance under the Section 16B gr…
18 Nov 2004 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether the Parliament’s internal television network can be modified to allow members to view debates and committees at Westminster other than those covered by the BBC Parliament channel and, if so, whether there are any plans to modify the network in this way.
Answer · Andrew Welsh: The Scottish Parliament’sinternal television network is a bespoke package which includes the BBCParliament Channel. Even if it were possible to modify this package there iscurrently no other access for television viewers to Westminsterdebates. However access …
18 Nov 2004 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether the Parliament’s IT system can be modified to allow members to access streaming video of debates and committees at Westminister and, if so, whether there are any plans to modify the system in this way.
Answer · John Scott: The Business InformationTechnology Office is currently undertaking a project to deliver web streamingto Parliament network users. The first stage of this project is aninvestigation in to the technical options available to facilitate an effectiveand secure del…
17 Nov 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to support community transport schemes that ensure access to health services.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive has allocated budgets totalling £2.3 million to support over one hundred rural and urban community transport schemes in 2004-05. Community transport schemes normally provide access to health services as part of their wider remit. In a few cases,…
12 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it funds any organisations that offer impartial advice in respect of fluoridation and, if so, how much funding it has allocated in the last year and what advice it has received from such organisations.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-12230 answered 25 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.u…
12 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it funds any organisations that are opposed to fluoridation and, if so, how much funding it has allocated in the last year and what advice it has received from such organisations.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer to S2W-12230 answered on 25 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/weba…
12 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has allocated to the British Fluoridation Society in the last year and what advice it has received from the society
Answer · Andy Kerr: The British Fluoridation Society is receiving grant of £10,000 in 2004-05 under section 16B of the National Health Services (Scotland) Act 1978. The society is a source of information on fluoridation issues, from which the Executive and other bodies or indivi…
10 Nov 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is ensuring access to hospitals and health services for all citizens.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive is committed to ensuring that all the people of Scotland can access the services they need when and where they need them. GPs, pharmacists, dentists, nurses and other therapists are now providing more services as close to home as possible. For m…
3 Nov 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage local authorities to implement a system of green charges to encourage the use of environmentally-sensitive practices.
Answer · Tom McCabe: We already encourage local authoritiesto promote environmentally-sensitive practices. For example, we provide assistancethrough the Strategic Waste Fund to promote recycling, waste minimisation and thediversion of waste from landfill. Charging schemes can hav…
26 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any research has been, or is planned to be, carried out on the impact of any reductions in support staff in NHSScotland, including library, ICT, medical records and secretarial staff, on patient safety, the quality of patient care and treatment and on clinical staff morale and ret…
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has not carried out any such research and currently there are no plans to do so.</p>
26 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure access to library services and ICT for patients using NHSScotland services in the next five years, in light of changes to the staffing for acute services.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has no plans of this nature which are related to any changes in staffing to acute services. There are, however, a number of initiatives which are underway or planned which will improve information available to patients. Work is underway…
26 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure equitable access to library services and ICT for all NHSScotland staff in the next five years, in light of changes to the staffing for acute services.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Executive is committed to providing a national supporting infrastructure to enable more effective delivery of knowledge support tailored to NHS needs in the local context. Responsibility for implementation rests with NHS Education Scotland.</p><p>NHS Educ…
26 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to increase the total spend per year on ICT in NHSScotland and how it envisages that such an increase will enhance services for community and primary care staff and patients.
Answer · Andy Kerr: It is for health boards to set the levels of spend on ICT in support of health board eHealth strategies. Central funds are used for national systems such as the national screening and child health systems and generally in support of the national eHealth Strat…
26 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to increase the total spend per year on library services in NHSScotland and how it envisages that such an increase will enhance services for community and primary care staff and patients.
Answer · Andy Kerr: There are no plans to specifically increase funds for library services. Funding for library services is met from NHS boards’ unified budgets. Decisions on final budgets for future years have yet to be taken.</p>
26 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total spend has been in the last financial year on ICT by NHSScotland; what percentage of this was spent on staffing, and what proportion spend on ICT was of total NHSScotland spending.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The expenditure on additions to IT fixed assets by NHSScotlad in the year ended 31 March 2003 was £14 million. This represents 9% of the total gross capital expenditure by NHSScotland for that year. The Scottish Executive does not collect information on the r…
26 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total spend has been in the last financial year on library services by NHSScotland; what percentage of this was spent on staffing, and what proportion spend on library services was of total NHSScotland spending.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive does not collect the amount spent by NHSScotland on library services and so cannot provide the information that you request.</p>
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many new and improved homes for social rent and low-cost home ownership approved with funding from Communities Scotland were completed in the financial years (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>Ministers have given a commitment to approve 18,000 new and improved homes for social rent and low cost home ownership in the three years up t…
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many new and improved homes were completed for social rent and low-cost home ownership in the financial years (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04, broken down into homes provided by housing associations for rent, housing associations for low-cost home ownership, private developer…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table gives the available information.</p><p>Houses Built or Improved for Social Rent or Low Cost Home Ownership by Year of Completion</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p> </p> </td> <td> <p align=cen…
20 Oct 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what implications for Scotland arise from the ruling of the European Court on 7 September 2004 in respect of Case No. C-1/03 on contaminated land, Van De Walle & Ors v Texaco Belgium SA.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is considering the legal implications of the judgment in the <i>Van de Walle </i>case.</p>
1 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has carried out, commissioned or is aware of relating to environmental courts in other countries and whether this information is being collated to assist its “consideration of the establishment of environmental courts and other options for improving prosecution and di…
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive will take account of a range of research, with both a domestic and an international scope, on environmental courts and other methods of dispute resolution in its work on this Partnership Agreement commitment. This research includes, but…
30 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to consult stakeholders in relation to its commitment within the Partnership Agreement regarding its “consideration of the establishment of environmental courts and other options for improving prosecution and dispute resolution” and how this consultation will be …
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is currently considering the potential roles that environmental courts and other methods of dispute resolution might play in Scotland. Decisions on the timing and nature of any consultation will be taken in due course.</p>
30 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making towards fulfilling its commitment within the Partnership Agreement to “strengthen the enforcement of environmental law” including the “consideration of the establishment of environmental courts and other options for improving prosecution and disp…
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has taken a number of steps to ensure that even stronger action is taken against those who commit environmental crime.</p><p>In February 2004 the Lord Advocate announced the establishment of a national network of 17 specialist environme…
22 Sep 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would support the creation of a direct rail or tram link from Glasgow to Braehead.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: We have awarded £535,000 to Glasgow City Council to carry out a Clyde Corridor Transport Study, which includes investigation of the potential for a fixed tram link between Glasgow and the Braehead shopping centre. The final report has only recently been submi…
6 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to monitor the impact on health of the proposed M74 northern extension in relation to Asthma UK’s estimate that 3.5 million asthma sufferers in the United Kingdom state that traffic pollution aggravates their condition.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Vehicle emissions will be monitored following completion of the M74 to measure the impact of the new motorway on air quality.</p>
6 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to monitor the impact on health of the proposed M74 northern extension in relation to recent research that indicates that up to a sixth of cot deaths may be directly attributable to vehicle exhaust fumes.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Vehicle emissions will be monitored following completion of the M74 to measure the impact of the new motorway on air quality.</p>
6 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any estimates of the impact on health of the proposed M74 northern extension.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: A health impact assessment of air quality impacts of the construction and operation of the M74 Completion scheme has been carried out. The M74 completion scheme is not assessed to have any detectable effect on the health of local residents.</p>
6 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated security costs are from any protests that may arise from the proposed construction of the M74 northern extension.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: No such costs have been estimated.</p>
6 Sep 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to announce the findings of the M74 public local inquiry.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The full report of the public local inquiry has recently been received from the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit. The reporter’s findings are now being assessed and every effort will be made to reach an early decision on the M74 proposals.</p>
16 Jun 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether rising fuel prices may impact adversely on the tourism industry and, if so, what measures it proposes in the tourism industry to address this issue.
Answer · Frank McAveety: Fuel prices are one factor that people will take into account when deciding where to go on holiday. VisitScotland and the Area Tourist Boards continue to successfully promote all parts of Scotland within our important UK and near European markets, with all ar…