Parliamentary questions
Jamie Hepburn
761 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
25 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of Scottish GDP is generated by social enterprises.
Answer · John Swinney: It has been estimatedthat social enterprises in Scotland contribute around £600 million to GDP, butwe currently do not have moreprecise figures. Research we will do as part of <i>Better business – a strategy and action plan for socialenterprise in Scotland</i…
25 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers the role and value of social enterprise is to society and the economy.
Answer · John Swinney: Social enterprisecan combine trading and business skills with social, community and environmentalaims to make a real contribution to the purpose and five strategic objectives of the Scottish Government and we are committed to helping the sector reach its pote…
25 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what investment in renewables technology has been in each year since 1999 and what the comparative levels have been for (a) the United Kingdom, (b) each EU member state and (c) each OECD nation.
Answer · Jim Mather: The information requestedin parts (a), (b) and (c) is not held centrally.</p><p>Scottish Governmentdirect expenditure:</p><p>A separate ScottishGovernment budget for renewable energy was introduced in 2003-04. Expenditure fromthis budget, by year is shown in …
25 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any study into the effect of rail fare pricing on passenger numbers.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland is currently reviewing fare policy objectives. Evidenceis being gathered to inform this review and research into the effect of rail farepricing on passenger numbers is likely to be included in this work.</p>
25 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its annual subsidy to First Scotrail has been in each year since it was awarded the contract to operate rail services.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The following tabledetails the payments made to First ScotRail Limited since 4 October 2004 when the current franchise agreement commenced. All figuresare based on the franchise payment amounts specified in the franchise agreementadjusted, which allows for ad…
24 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what average calcium intake has been in each year since 1980, broken down by socio-economic group.
Answer · Shona Robison: I am informed by theFood Standards Agency Scotland (FSAS) that there is no single data set that providesinformation on the average consumption of calcium by socio-economic group between1980 and the present time. Thus, data on the average consumption of calciu…
24 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average consumption of milk has been in each year since 1980, broken down by socio-economic group.
Answer · Shona Robison: I am informedby the Food Standards Agency Scotland (FSAS) that there is no single data set that provides information onthe average consumption of milk by socio-economic group between 1980 and the presenttime. Thus, data on the average consumption of milk by s…
24 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the availability is of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry in each NHS board area.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: All NHS boards have accessto DEXA scanning. It should be noted however that patients in Forth Valleytravel to either Glasgow or Edinburgh. In Orkney and Shetland, patients travelto NHS Grampian and in the Western Isles, patients travel to Highland NHS.</p>
24 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any study into the causes of osteoporosis.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Chief Scientist Office(CSO) within the Scottish Government is providing £4.4 million of funding forGeneration Scotland, a large scale genetic study of which osteoporosis is oneof the conditions under investigation.</p><p>CSOhas funded other research proje…
24 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence has been of osteoporosis in each year since 1980, broken down by (a) NHS board area, (b) local authority area, (c) Scottish parliamentary constituency and (d) Scottish parliamentary region.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the incidenceof osteoporosis in Scotland is not available centrally, and the informationrequested is not available through Practice Team Information data.</p><p>Information for Scottish Parliamentary constituencies and for Scottish parliamentar…
24 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence has been of osteoporosis in each year since 1980, broken down by (a) gender and (b) age group.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the incidenceof osteoporosis in Scotland is not available centrally. Information for Scottish Parliamentary constituencies and for Scottish parliamentary regions is onlyavailable from 1 April 1999.</p><p class=nhsbase>The proportion of the popu…
24 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence has been of osteoporosis in each year since 1980, broken down by socio-economic group.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the incidenceof osteoporosis in Scotland is not available centrally. Information for Scottish Parliamentary constituencies and for Scottish parliamentary regions is onlyavailable from 1 April 1999.</p><p class=nhsbase>The proportion of the popu…
24 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence has been of osteoporosis in Scotland compared with (a) the United Kingdom as a whole, (b) each EU member state and (c) each OECD nation in each year since 1980.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested isnot available centrally.</p><p>Information for Scottish Parliamentary constituencies and for Scottish parliamentary regions is onlyavailable from 1 April 1999.</p>
19 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) incidence per 100,000 and (b) number of cases of cystic fibrosis was in Scotland in the most recent year for which figures are available and what comparative information it has for (i) the United Kingdom, (ii) each OECD nation and (iii) each EU member state.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The informationrequested is not held centrally.</p><p>However,background information relating to this request is available from a number ofsources.</p><p>Dundee University:</p><p>The UK CysticFibrosis Database is developed and maintained from Dundee Universit…
19 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) incidence per 100,000 and (b) number of cases of multiple sclerosis was in Scotland in the most recent year for which figures are available and what comparative information it has for (i) the United Kingdom, (ii) each OECD nation and (iii) each EU member state.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally.</p> <p >However, a number of sources provide background data related to this request.</p> <p >(a)</p> <p >The incidence of multiple sclerosis, MS, (number of people newly diagnosed) in Scotland is not held c…
19 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) incidence per 100,000 and (b) number of spina bifida pregnancies was in Scotland in the most recent year for which figures are available and what comparative information it has for (i) the United Kingdom, (ii) each OECD nation and (iii) each EU member state.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Not all of theinformation requested is held centrally.</p><p class=nhsrecipient>(a)and (b):</p><p class=nhsrecipient>Thelatest information available for Scotland is published in the Scottish Perinatal and InfantMortality and Morbidity Report (SPIMMR) 2005. Th…
19 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS registered dentists there have been in each year since 1990, broken down by (a) Scottish parliamentary constituency, (b) Scottish parliamentary region, (c) local authority area and (d) NHS board area.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested isgiven in the tables 1 to 4: <i>Number of NHS dentists registered to providegeneral dental services, by Scottish parliamentary constituency, in the yearsending 31 March 2000 to 2007; Number of NHS dentists registered to providegener…
19 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications to the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund have been refused.
Answer · Adam Ingram: The funding roundfor the period 2007-10 was restricted to renewal applications from existingbeneficiaries, all of which were approved. We notified 69 other organisationswho had expressed an interest in applying for funding for 2007-10 that the Fundwould not b…
19 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the decision of the previous administration to not allow new applications to the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund.
Answer · Adam Ingram: All the resourcescurrently available from the Fund for 2007-10 have been allocated to voluntaryorganisations, subject to outcomes from the Spending Review and Parliamentaryapproval of budgets for 2008-09 and 2009-10. We have no plans, at the presenttime, to r…
19 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been committed in the 2007-10 funding round from the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund.
Answer · Adam Ingram: A total of£21,661,280 has been committed over the period 2007-10, subject to outcomes fromthe spending review and parliamentary approval of budgets for 2008-09 and2009-10.</p>
18 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has measured, or has any plans to measure, the success of Scotland’s five new towns and, if so, what criteria it uses to measure such success.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The ScottishGovernment has not measured and has no plans to measure the success of Scotland’s five new towns. The UK Government reviewed anumber of aspects of the new towns prior to their wind up in the late 1980s.The key documents in this respect are: <i>The…
18 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition is of planning gain.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: There is no precise agreeddefinition of planning gain. Section 75 of the Town and Country Planning(Scotland) Act 1997 to be amended by section 23 of the Planning etc (Scotland)Act 2006 sets out the powers available to planning authorities to enter intoplannin…
18 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria a park must fulfil to qualify as a regional park.
Answer · Michael Russell: I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-2237 on 10 August 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at:</p><p><ahref="http://.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…
18 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what differentiates national parks from regional parks.
Answer · Michael Russell: The National Parks(Scotland) Act 2000 provides powers for Scottish Ministers to designatenational parks where they are satisfied: that an area is of outstandingnational importance because of its natural, or natural and cultural heritage;that the area has a di…
18 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has received in respect of whether activities characterised as extraordinary rendition are illegal under Scots and international law and what its position is on the matter.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Executive has statedits opposition to extraordinary rendition. We consider torture to be an abhorrentpractice and take our international obligations to this very seriously. We believethat under Scots law all the appropriate procedures are in plac…
18 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of pensioners have been defined as living in relative poverty in each year since 1960.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The percentage of pensionersliving in relative poverty in Scotland each year since 1994-95 is published in <i>ScottishHouseholds Below Average Income 2005-06</i> <i>– Revised</i> a copy of whichhas been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number…
18 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of children have been defined as living in relative poverty in each year since 1960.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The percentage of childrenliving in relative poverty in Scotland each year since 1994-95 is published in <i>ScottishHouseholds Below Average Income 2005-06</i> <i>– Revised</i> a copy of whichhas been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 4…
18 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total expenditure on PFI/PPP projects has been in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · John Swinney: Table A shows theunitary charges paid by local authorities for PPP projects in each of the yearsfrom 1999-2000 to 2006-07.</p><p>Table B shows theunitary charges for PPP projects that are not readily identifiable with a localauthority area as they span more t…
18 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements to rail services it expects the electrification of the Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley railway line will allow for.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland isleading work<i> </i>to provide firm proposals for the most cost-effective waysto improve reliability, bring down journey times and provide capacity for theexpected continuing growth in rail passenger numbers between Edinburgh andGlasgow. …
18 Jul 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to complete the electrification of the Glasgow Queen Street to Edinburgh Waverley railway line.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Transport Scotland isleading work<i> </i>to provide firm proposals for the most cost-effective waysto improve reliability, bring down journey times and provide capacity for theexpected continuing growth in rail passenger numbers between Edinburgh andGlasgow. …