David Stewart

14 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions (a) ministers and (b) officials have had with the European Commission regarding public service obligation in relation to air links with Skye.

Answer · Keith Brown: None.

14 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work will be carried out by (a) Transport Scotland, (b) Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd and (c) Highlands and Islands Enterprise in connection with proposals to restore air services to Skye.

Answer · Keith Brown: This is a local initiative and, although Transport Scotland and Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL) have no plans to undertake any work in connection with proposals to restore air services to Skye, at a recent meeting with the FlySkye campaign group I c…

14 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the development of air services to Skye.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has no plans for future air services from Skye. An air service from Skye would require significant initial capital investment and ongoing subsidy. We expect any funding to be identified at a local level by the Highland Council, as the …

14 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what options it has considered to ensure the continuity of air services between Inverness and London and whether this has included the potential use of RAF Northolt for services from Inverness and other Scottish airports.

Answer · Keith Brown: I welcome easyJet’s recent announcement of the basing of an aircraft at Inverness which will facilitate early and late connections between Inverness and Gatwick from March 2014. This follows positive engagement between the Airline and Highlands and Islands Ai…

14 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) meetings and (b) discussions it has had with the Department of Transport in the last year to discuss (i) access to London airports by flights from Scotland and (ii) the imposition of public service obligations on routes between Scotland and London.

Answer · Keith Brown: The issue of access to London airports by flights from Scotland’s airports was raised by the First Minister at the Joint Ministerial Committee on 19 September 2012 which was attended by the Secretary of State for Transport. The issue was also raised with the …

14 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it would support an application for imposing a public service obligation on the air route between London and Inverness Dalcross to protect take-off and landing slots, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Keith Brown: The imposition of a public service obligation on an air route does not guarantee the provision or protection of slots at airports. I welcome easyJet’s recent announcement of the basing of an aircraft at Inverness which will facilitate early and late connectio…

14 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what legal advice it has sought regarding the possibility of imposing a public service obligation on the air route between London and Inverness Dalcross.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government has not sought legal advice regarding the possibility of imposing a public service obligation on the air route between London and Inverness.

14 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings (a) it has and (b) its officials have had since 1 March 2013 with European Commission officials to discuss imposing a public service obligation on the air route between London and Inverness Dalcross.

Answer · Keith Brown: None.

12 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the reported decline in the bee population; whether it plans to take action to tackle this and, if so, whether this will include the development of a bee action plan.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is aware that research has shown that declines have been observed for 4 of the 12 Scottish species of social bumblebees as the result of losses of flower-rich habitats: bilberry (Bombus monticola), moss carder (B. muscorum), red-shanke…

12 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to carry out research on the impact of (a) habitat loss and (b) intensive farming on the bee population.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Scottish Government is currently carrying out research on the impact of (a) habitat loss and (b) intensive farming on the bee population, as a joint-funder of the Insect Pollinator Initiative (IPI) The IPI researches the causes and consequences of insect…

12 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) fires and (b) fatal fires have taken place in houses in multiple occupation (HMO) properties since 2001, broken down by local authority area, and how many were in properties for people considered vulnerable because they (i) are homeless, (ii) live in a hostel, (iii) have men…

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: HMO (a) The following table provides information on the total number of fires attended by Scottish Fire and Rescue Services for dwelling HMOs from 2009-10 to 2011-12. Prior to 2009-10 fires in HMOs could not be identified in the data. Local Authority 2009-…

10 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of houses in multiple occupation (HMO) licences was granted by each local authority in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13 and have been granted since April 2013 for properties for people considered vulnerable because they (a) are homeless, (b) live in a hostel, (c) have mental h…

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The information requested is not held by the Scottish Government. We do collect information on the type of Houses in Multiple Occupation, and this can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/HMO. However,…

10 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many houses in multiple occupation (HMO) licences were granted by each local authority in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13 and how many have been granted since April 2013.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The following table provides information on the number of new and renewal Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence applications granted in 2011-12 (to 31 March 2012) by each local authority. Houses in multiple occupation: year ending 31 March 2012 New ap…

6 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action Police Scotland (a) can and (b) does take against drivers of slow moving vehicles whose driving its officers consider could increase the likelihood of an accident; whether Police Scotland has plans to change its approach to dealing with such driving, and what information it (…

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Police Scotland is committed to influencing road user behaviour and making Scotland’s roads safer for everyone. Driving behaviour which can be construed as increasing the risk of a collision is dealt with under the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Se…

3 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will make a decision on which options to pursue for the Inverness-Aberdeen railway line improvements.

Answer · Keith Brown: Network Rail is continuing to undertake detailed development on the Inverness to Aberdeen Rail Improvements Project to ensure that the scheme better reflects the priorities and timings detailed in the Scottish Government’s High Level Output Specification, pub…

3 Jun 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when the Highland Main Line upgrade project will reach the feasibility report stage.

Answer · Keith Brown: The 2012 High Level Output Specification states that phase two of the project will be delivered in Control Period 5 (2014-19). Due to the complexity of this project, detailed analysis must be undertaken to ensure that Ministers’ aspirations are achieved. Netw…

21 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has organised consultative (a) events and (b) processes regarding the setting up of a Scottish rural parliament and, if so, when and where they have taken place; how much it has spent on them; what the conclusions were and whether they will be published, and what action the Sc…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Over the last 18 months a Rural Parliament Steering Committee has undertaken an intensive programme of fact finding, consultation, engagement and discussion with support from the Scottish Government of under £40,000. Outputs have included: A Report on Rural…

17 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking in light of the finding in the Accounts Commission report, Maintaining Scotland's Roads: An audit update on councils' progress, that "there is a need to increase the pace of progress in improving roads condition".

Answer · Keith Brown: The maintenance of local roads is a matter for local authorities. The Scottish Government is providing local government in Scotland with over £10.3 billion in 2013-14. In addition, a National Road Maintenance Review concluded in July 2012. This Review identi…

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will make a statement on preventable sight loss.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15064 on 03 June 2013. 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/parliamentarybu…

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to carry out a further review of community eyecare services.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has no plans at present to carry out a further review of community eyecare services.

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of variations in the level of preventable sight loss, broken down by (a) local authority, (b) age, (c) disability, (d) ethnicity, (e) gender and (f) socioeconomic group.

Answer · Michael Matheson: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15065 on 03 June 2013. 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/parliamentarybu…

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the level of preventable sight loss.

Answer · Michael Matheson: It is not possible to make a full assessment of the epidemiology of preventable sight loss for the whole population of Scotland using published (available) data from Information Services Division (ISD). For those conditions strongly associated with preventat…

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to deal with the level of preventable sight loss.

Answer · Michael Matheson: There are measures already in place in Scotland to help prevent sight loss, including free NHS eye examinations for all and diabetic retinopathy screening. Free NHS eye examination: The NHS eye examination is tailored to meet the needs of the patient, taking…

15 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the available data on preventable sight loss for the last five years, broken down by (a) local authority, (b) NHS board, (c) age, (d) disability, (e) ethnicity, (f) gender and (g) socioeconomic group.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The available data on preventable sight loss is published on the NHS Information Services Division (ISD) website. For hospital admissions related to eye-care conditions the available information can be found at the following links: Procedures data: http://…

14 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that it is using all the powers available to it to ensure year-on-year emissions reductions in the (a) housing and (b) transport sector.

Answer · Keith Brown: The draft Second Report on Proposals and Policies sets out a package of measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and meet the targets set under the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009. The report details contributions from across the Scottish economy, inclu…

14 May 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that, by March 2013, only three NHS boards could ensure that 25% of people under 18 with type 1 diabetes had access to insulin pump therapy and, in light of it buying 558 insulin pumps toward the end of 2012, what the reasons are for any discrepancies or i…

Answer · Michael Matheson: Although we welcome the progress that has been made, it is disappointing that not all boards have yet met our commitment. However, we remain absolutely determined to ensure that 25 per cent of people under 18 with type 1 diabetes have access to insulin pump t…

23 Apr 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether neonicotinoid  use in gardens is harming (a) pollinators and (b) the environment.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-14394 on 7 May 2013. 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/parliamentarybusi…

23 Apr 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how the level of neonicotinoids found in flowers in gardens treated with these chemicals compares with those found in crops treated with them.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We do not collect data on the level of neonicotinoids in gardens. The Scientific Advice for Scottish Agriculture undertake a regular survey on pesticide use on crops grown in Scotland but this does not cover amateur use. This week’s decision in Europe will …

17 Apr 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has in relation to dealing with dangerous and defective buildings.

2 Apr 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what contingencies are in place to assist people stranded overnight in Dunoon without accommodation due to ferry services being suspended as a result of adverse weather.

Answer · Keith Brown: SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT WRITTEN ANSWER 25 April 2013 Index Heading: Transport Scotland David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Scottish Labour): To ask the Scottish Government what contingencies are in place to assist people stranded overnight in Dunoon withou…