John Lamont

26 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what British citizens resident outside of Scotland would be (a) automatically entitled to and (b) able to opt for Scottish citizenship in an independent Scotland.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Citizenship in an independent Scotland was addressed in the White Paper Your Scotland, Your Voice, published by the Scottish Government in November 2009. Full details of the Scottish Government’s proposals for independence will be provided in the comprehensiv…

26 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether British citizens resident in an independent Scotland would be able to vote in all Scottish elections.

Answer · Bruce Crawford: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-08276 on 31 August 2012. 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…

26 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether British citizens living in an independent Scotland would have access to all the same benefits and public services as Scottish citizens.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Access to benefits and public services would remain the same in an independent Scotland. It would be for successive Scottish Governments to consider whether improvements were required.

21 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many requests for information under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 it has (a) received and (b) refused, broken down by year.

Answer · Brian Adam: This information is published in the Annual Reports on Information request handling in the Scottish Government which are available on the Scottish Government’s website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/Information/FOI/Reporting.

13 Jun 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote local broadcasting and programming in the Scottish Borders.

14 May 2012 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister, in light of the Scottish Government's recent decision to hire a PR firm, what its position is on whether a mechanism should be established to ensure that such services are not used for party-political purposes.

9 May 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects the estimated costs of constructing the Borders Railway to change.

12 Apr 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been discharged from hospital between 11 pm and 6 am in each month since 2007, broken down by hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the time patients have been discharged from hospital is not collected centrally. Information on date of discharge is collected. Discharging patients during the night is not normal practice although there are instances when discharges during th…

29 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) 2 appraisals have been carried out since 2007 and, of these, how many have been funded by Transport Scotland.

Answer · Keith Brown: In addition to Transport Scotland, Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) appraisals are carried out by parties including local authorities, regional transport partnerships, local planning and strategic planning authorities and developers. Transport Sco…

28 Mar 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many acres of farmland it estimates will be affected by the proposed changes to the Water Environment (Controlled Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2011.

19 Mar 2012 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister whether he considers that separation from the rest of the United Kingdom could be negotiated within a year of an independence referendum.

16 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many still births there have been in each NHS board area in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The preliminary numbers of stillbirths in each NHS board area in 2011 can be obtained from Preliminary Table P2, which is available via http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/theme/vital-events/general/bmd-preliminary/2011.html. The number of stillbirths …

14 Mar 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that there is an effective strategy in place to tackle learning disabilities, including dyslexia, in young people in the Scottish Borders.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Education authorities have a duty to identify any additional support needs for all the children and young people for whom they are responsible and to tailor provision to their individual circumstances. In order to help all teachers in Scotland identify the s…

2 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to introduce legislation regarding the regulation of independent ambulance services.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The power to regulate independent ambulance services is included in the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010. Decisions on commencement of the provision relating to independent ambulance services will be made following the completion of a wider piece of…

22 Feb 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote the teaching of major Scottish historical events that have significant anniversaries in 2013 and 2014 in schools.

8 Feb 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is supporting deaf and hard of hearing people in the Scottish Borders.

7 Feb 2012 · SPCB Oral Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it considers the Parliament’s IT system to be fit for purpose.

25 Jan 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its transport priorities are for the Scottish Borders.

19 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what information it based its decision to remove funding from Borderline for 2012-13.

Answer · Keith Brown: Scottish Ministers intend to offer Borderline funding support of £50,000 per annum over the Spending Review period.

19 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it has given organisations supporting homeless Scots in London in each year since 2007, broken down by organisation.

Answer · Keith Brown: Borderline is the only organisation the Scottish Government has provided funding to, to support homeless Scots in London. Funding is broken down as follows: 2006-07: £105,000 2007-08: £105,000 2008-09: £105,000 2009-10: £107,000 2010-11: £49,000 2011-1…

19 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is supporting homeless Scots in London.

Answer · Keith Brown: In 2011-12, the Scottish Government provided £25,000 to Borderline to support homeless Scots in London.

16 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is intended that the fees that local authorities collect in connection with planning applications should be sufficient to cover the costs of running that authority’s planning department.

Answer · Derek Mackay: No. I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-05040 on 31 January 2012. 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/parliame…

16 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to change the maximum fees that local authorities can charge in connection with planning applications.

Answer · Derek Mackay: We are currently reviewing the structure and scale of charges associated with the submission of planning applications. We will consult on our proposals.

4 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to encourage an increase in consumption of vitamin D by adults.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The main source of vitamin D is obtained through synthesis in the body via the action of ultraviolet B (UVB) rays in the sunlight on the skin. In addition, some vitamin D is available from eggs, oily fish and supplements. At present it is recommended that ce…

4 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital meals have been returned uneaten in each of the last five years, broken down by hospital.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Specific information on how many meals are returned uneaten in hospitals is not held centrally. However, some individual NHS boards monitor the annual food waste for their area.

4 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce minimum nutritional standards for food served in NHS hospitals.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: In 2008, the Scottish Government published Food in Hospitals – A National Catering and Nutrition Specification for Food and Fluid in Scottish Hospitals http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/24145312/21. This publication sets standards for nutrient …

4 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what further improvements to the A7 through Hawick it will carry out during the current parliamentary session.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Strategic Transport Projects Review recommended a programme of active route management and targeted individual investment in the A7 to maintain and safely operate the route. The following improvements to the A7 through Hawick have been programmed by Bear…

4 Jan 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the case has been made for a bypass for Selkirk.

Answer · Keith Brown: Although a bypass for Selkirk was considered as part of the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR), the review concluded that it would not have a significant impact on the objective for the transport corridor of “continuing reduction in accident rates acr…

20 Dec 2011 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Courts Service plans to close (a) Selkirk and (b) Duns sheriff courts.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: This question relates to operational matters of that are the responsibility of the Scottish Court Service (SCS) corporate body. The question has been passed to the Chief Executive of the SCS who will reply in writing.

14 Dec 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met NHS Borders.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Ministers and government officials meet representatives of all NHS boards on a regular basis.