Parliamentary questions
Liam McArthur
3,663 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
10 Aug 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the difference between the figures provided in the Drug and Alcohol Delivery Bulletin of March (£70.6 million) and July 2011 (£65.6 million) in respect of allocations for supporting recovery-focussed frontline drug services and tackling the wider health and social…
Answer · Michael Matheson: The figure for alcohol quoted in the march bulletin represents the total budget for tackling alcohol misuse in 2011-12 (£42 million). The figure quoted in the july bulletin for alcohol represents the funding allocated to NHS boards in 2011-12 to deliver loca…
10 Aug 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications to shoot seals have been or were (a) made, (b) granted and (c) refused in 2011 and each of the previous five years; what the reasons were for the refusals, and in what geographic areas applications were granted.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 makes it an offence to kill or take any seal at any time except under licence or for animal welfare concerns. Details of applications received and licences granted across all geographic areas of Scotland as of 31 January 2011 ar…
4 Aug 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be made available for the provision, maintenance and use of hyperbaric chambers over the next three years, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: No decisions have been taken with regard to national funding of hyperbaric chambers beyond 2011-12.
4 Aug 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the use of hyperbaric chambers for (a) training and (b) emergencies, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The following table details the number of patients treated for diving decompression Illness in each chamber from 2003-2010. The chamber in Aberdeen is an NHS facility, the other chambers are independent. Information is not held centrally on the use of hyperba…
4 Aug 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with NHS boards about the way in which funding is allocated for the provision, maintenance and use of hyperbaric chambers.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The review of hyperbaric medicine undertaken by National Services Division and the outcome of subsequent discussions with NHS boards with hyperbaric chambers is to be considered by the National Services Advisory Group in October. Any proposed changes to the n…
4 Aug 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how funding for the provision, maintenance and use of hyperbaric chambers is allocated, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The total cost to the NHS of hyperbaric provision in Scotland for the seven years from 2003-04 to 2009-10 was £8,264,255. The following table details the breakdown of costs by health board. Table: Combined cost of both Independent and National Hyperbaric Pro…
4 Aug 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hyperbaric chambers that receive public funding are available, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Four hyperbaric chambers in Scotland are recognised by the Hyperbaric National Registration Service to provide care for diving related illness and receive funding from the NHS. The chamber in Aberdeen is an NHS facility operated by NHS Grampian. The other thr…
4 Aug 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how funding provided for the provision, maintenance and use of hyperbaric chambers is agreed and what this covers.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: National Services Division commissions the National Hyperbaric Medicine Unit in Aberdeen Royal Infirmary as a nationally designated service to provide and co-ordinate emergency treatment and advice in Scotland for diving related illness. The national service …
30 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many Orkney residents are registered with a NHS dentist and, of them, attend for regular dental check-ups.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The following table shows the numbers and rate of NHS registered Orkney residents as at 31 March 2011, and those participating in the General Dental Service over a two year period up to 31st March 2011. Number of Orkney residents registered Registration rat…
30 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in Orkney are entitled to free dental care and, of them, are registered with a NHS dentist.
Answer · Michael Matheson: The specific information requested is not held centrally.
30 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time for registration is with a NHS dentist in (a) Scotland and (b) Orkney.
Answer · Michael Matheson: This information is not held centrally. As independent contractors dentists are not obliged under their NHS terms of service to advise NHS Boards of any waiting lists they may hold. Individual NHS Boards may hold information on those waiting to register with …
29 Jun 2011 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with UK ministers regarding enhancing Scotland’s influence at European Council level.
24 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its timetable is for introducing the warm homes fund.
Answer · Alex Neil: The warm homes fund will deliver renewable energy and energy efficient homes in those communities worse affected by fuel poverty. We expect to publish more details on the fund following the spending review.
24 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the warm homes fund will operate.
Answer · Alex Neil: The warm homes fund will deliver renewable energy and energy efficient homes in those communities worse affected by fuel poverty. We expect to publish more details on the fund in the spending review.
24 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the warm homes fund will be targeted to benefit the people most affected by fuel poverty.
Answer · Alex Neil: The warm homes fund will deliver renewable energy and energy-efficient homes in those areas worse affected by fuel poverty. The operational details, including the fuel poverty criteria, are being worked on and will be announced in due course.
6 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or the Students Awards Agency for Scotland has made an assessment of the number of students who missed the deadline for applying for payment of their tuition fees in 2010-11 as a result of the deadline being three months earlier than in 2009-10 and, if so, what the outcome was.…
Answer · Michael Russell: As of 10 June 2011, 78 students have submitted applications for support after the closing date for courses starting in autumn 2010-11, out of over 145,000 applications received. This figure includes applications for 2011-12 session made on the wrong form, app…
6 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the deadline for applications to the Students Awards Agency for Scotland for payment of tuition fees was moved from 30 June in 2009-10 to 31 March in 2010-11.
Answer · Michael Russell: The tuition fee deadline was moved from 30 June to 31 March to ensure that eligible applications for tuition fee support are processed in advance of exam diets. Universities and colleges reserve the right to remove access to IT and library services and to wit…
6 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students applied to the Students Awards Agency for Scotland for payment of their tuition fees in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11.
Answer · Michael Russell: (a) 142,365 students applied to Students Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) for support in 2009-10. (b) 145,520 students have so far applied to SAAS for support in 2010-11. These numbers cover all those who applied for SAAS support and therefore will include…
6 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what reminders were sent to students by the Students Awards Agency for Scotland regarding the deadline for applications for payment of tuition fees in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11 and what the reason is for any difference between these.
Answer · Michael Russell: (a) In 2009-10 the deadlines for applications were published on the Students Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) website. (b) In 2010-11 the deadlines for applications were published on the SAAS website. In addition all continuing students were emailed twice i…
2 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, before it decided to exclude business travel from the Air Discount Scheme, it surveyed the terms of similar schemes in other EU member states and, if so, what schemes it surveyed and whether they included business travel.
Answer · Keith Brown: We have not carried out such a survey. Support under the Air Discount Scheme is granted to individual consumers under the European Commission’s Aid of a Social Character mechanism and we believe that it is not intended to extend to business-related travel.
2 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to match the number of places allocated for teacher training with the number of teaching posts available.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government is determined that teachers should be in employment. The budget agreement with COSLA therefore guarantees enough teaching posts for every new probationer, for every teacher completing probation in summer 2011 to apply for and additiona…
2 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) trainee teachers will complete their probationary year in 2011-12 and (b) teaching posts will be available.
Answer · Michael Russell: In May 2011, 2,218 potential probationary teachers were allocated places on the Teacher Induction Scheme for 2011-12. The number who start, and successfully complete, their probationary year cannot be confirmed until the start and end of the 2011-12 school ye…
2 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have taken teacher training courses in each year since 2009-10, broken down by institution.
Answer · Michael Russell: The following table shows how many students entered four year Bachelor of Education/MA and one year full-time and two year part-time Professional Graduate Diploma in Education courses by institution since 2009-10. BEd/MA and PGDE Intakes University Acad…
2 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether every trainee teacher who successfully completes their probation at the end of 2010-11 will be guaranteed a post in 2011-12.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government’s commitment to teacher employment has now been agreed by all three parties to the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers. The agreement will ensure that there will be a sufficient number of vacancies for all teachers seeking empl…
2 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many trainee teachers will be on their probationary year in 2011-12.
Answer · Michael Russell: In May 2011 2,218 potential probationary teachers were allocated places on the Teacher Induction Scheme for 2011-12. The number that finally take up their places cannot be confirmed until the start of the new school term in August 2011.
2 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many teacher training course places (a) it and (b) the Scottish Funding Council will fund in 2011-12.
Answer · Michael Russell: The following table shows the number of Bachelor of Education/MA (four years) and Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (one year) course places the Scottish Funding Council will fund through its main teaching grant in the General Fund for Universities a…
2 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for places on teacher training courses there have been in each of the last five years.
Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government does not hold complete data on the number of applications for places on teacher training courses. However, the following table shows the data we do hold based on annual returns from higher education institutions. The returns do not alw…
2 Jun 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many teacher training course places (a) it and (b) the Scottish Funding Council have funded in each of the last five years.
Answer · Michael Russell: The following table shows the number of Bachelor of Education/MA (four years) and Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (one year) course places funded by the Scottish Funding Council through its main teaching grant in the General Fund for Universities a…
2 Jun 2011 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out a survey of island-based businesses, voluntary sector bodies and the public sector to assess the impact of the changes to the Air Discount Scheme on their operations.
Answer · Alex Neil: We have no plans to conduct such a survey.
24 May 2011 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37968 by Richard Lochhead on 23 December 2010, when it will announce the outcome of its assessment of the implications of the Court of Appeal case of Regina (TA Gwillim & Sons) v Welsh Ministers on the single farm payments of farmers and crofters who…
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The analysis of the judgement in the case between The Queen (on the application of TA Gwillim and Sons) and the Welsh Ministers has shown that it is not necessary to make any announcement about the conclusions. This is because there is no read-across between …