John Finnie

5 Feb 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many Scots Gaelic speakers there are outwith Scotland.

5 Feb 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for the treatment and care of people in the Highlands and Islands with a brain injury.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The treatment of acquired brain injury (ABI) requires a multidisciplinary approach involving a wide range of services from different specialities including accident and emergency, general surgery, orthopaedic surgery, neurosurgery, neuro-rehabilitation and ps…

31 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last reviewed emergency planning arrangements relating to nuclear warhead convoys.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Scottish Government works with all relevant emergency responders to ensure arrangements are in place, and keeps its arrangements under continual review and refines these when lessons are identified following exercises or real emergencies. The Scottish Go…

31 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) it and (b) its agencies have been involved in discussions about routes taken by nuclear warhead convoys.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) does not discuss the routes taken by nuclear warhead convoys with the Scottish Government. Police Scotland are the only agency in Scotland who are notified by the MoD in advance of any convoy being routed through their area, and …

31 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland has been advised not to enforce road traffic legislation with regard to nuclear warhead convoys.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-19533 on 24 February 2014. 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/parliamentar…

31 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether any dispensation to break speed limits by vehicles in nuclear warhead convoys has been granted by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Answer · Lesley Thomson: The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service have not granted a dispensation to break the speed limits which apply to vehicles travelling in nuclear warhead convoys. The policing of speed limits is an operational matter for the Police Service of Scotland.

31 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether Police Scotland is advised of nuclear warhead convoys.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-19533 on 24 February 2014. 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/parliamentar…

22 Jan 2014 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what it does to support shared or common housing registers for local authorities, housing associations and housing co-operatives.

20 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it issues to local authorities regarding developments near sites of historic interest.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Historic Scotland, as the Scottish Government’s heritage agency, takes the lead role in providing advice and guidance to planning authorities, developers and others on the potential impacts of development on the historic environment. In offering advice, Histo…

20 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it was consulted by the UK Government regarding the document, Adapting To Change: UK policy towards the Arctic, and whether an independent Scotland would support the Arctic being given UN protectorate status.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has no central record of having been consulted by the UK Government regarding the document “Adapting to Change: UK policy towards the Arctic”. As set out on page 228 of the Scottish Government’s “Scotland’s Future” document, the Scott…

20 Jan 2014 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions the Scottish Government has had with the UK Government about how the work of GCHQ impacts on people and communities in Scotland and whether GCHQ has gathered information in Scotland using the surveillance system, Dishfire.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: National security is reserved to the UK Parliament and the operations of GCHQ are a matter for the UK Government. As the First Minister indicated in answer to question S4F-01457 on 13 June 2013, the Cabinet Secretary for Justice wrote to the Foreign Secretary…

14 Jan 2014 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many authorised police firearm officers there are.

19 Dec 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-18760 by Keith Brown on 18 December 2013, what the timetable is to carry out the further measures referred to.

Answer · Keith Brown: The timetable for undertaking the further measures as referenced in S4W-18760 between Glasgow and Fort William/Oban will be set in the context of overall affordability and our commitments to other proposals in the strategic transport projects review.

13 Dec 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how (a) it and (b) the Scottish Prison Service monitors the performance of the organisations that operate prisoner escort services in the Highlands and Islands.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: I have asked Colin McConnell, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows: “The Scottish Prison Service (SPS), on behalf of the Scottish Ministers, is responsible for the management of the contract in place for the …

5 Dec 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which ministers received a copy of the Scottish Enterprise-commissioned report, Scottish Aerospace, Defence & Marine Industry Study 2010, and what its response is to the findings.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Aerospace, Defence & Marine Industry Study 2010 was welcomed by the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, who noted the strong and vital contribution the aerospace, defence and marine industry makes to Scotland’s economy, substantially enh…

5 Dec 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it will make of whether each stage of the upgrade of the A96 will result in a modal shift of use of the Inverness - Aberdeen railway line.

Answer · Keith Brown: Transport Scotland will use the multi-modal Transport Model for Scotland to assess the impact of the A96 Inverness to Aberdeen dualling programme on the mode share in this corridor.

5 Dec 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it will make of whether each stage of the upgrade of the A9 will result in a modal shift of use of the (a) A82 and (b) Highland mainline.

Answer · Keith Brown: An assessment of the modal shift impacts of the A9 dualling programme and the A82 and Highland Mainline is an integral part of the A9 dualling programme outline business case that Transport Scotland is currently undertaking. This assessment work will continue…

5 Dec 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to develop infrastructure to help Kishorn become a centre for the renewables industry.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Kishorn Port is one of the priority sites noted in the National Renewables Infrastructure Plan as capable of servicing the offshore renewables sector. As a result the Scottish Government and its agencies, are keen to support the efforts of Kishorn Port Ltd to…

5 Dec 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has carried out of whether the trunk road network in Argyll and the West Highlands inhibits the development of sustainable communities.

Answer · Keith Brown: No such assessment has been carried out. However, Transport Scotland has carried out evaluation work which emphasises that this Government’s investment in Scotland’s transport network is providing economic benefits, including in the Argyll and the West Highl…

5 Dec 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the A82 will be subject to further upgrading following the completion of the Crianlarich bypass and, if so, (a) where and (b) when.

Answer · Keith Brown: The £500,000 package of environmental and engineering surveys between Tarbet and Inverarnan as announced in June 2011 is now complete. A £2 million feasibility study of the 17km section of the A82 from Tarbet to Inverarnan started this summer and is programme…

25 Nov 2013 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the review of wild fisheries management that it announced during the passage of the Aquaculture and Fisheries (Scotland) Act 2013.

13 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the value of is of the contracts that it has awarded to (a) Atos, (b) G4S, (c) Serco and (d) Capita in each year since 2007.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Details are as follows: (a) Atos The Scottish Government has awarded the following contracts to Atos since 2007: Occupational Health Services (awarded in December 2012): Scottish Government spend to date: £35,135. Provision of an Employee Assistance Progr…

5 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has with other organisations that purchase pharmaceutical supplies.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government engages on an on-going basis with NHS National Services Scotland National Procurement, health boards, and Community Pharmacy Scotland. NHS National Services Scotland National Procurement negotiates purchasing contracts for pharmaceuti…

5 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has with the pharmaceutical sector regarding the cost of drugs.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government has regular engagement with the pharmaceutical industry on a range of issues. In the context of the on-going work around the Health and Sport Committee’s Inquiry on access to new medicines the Scottish Government has engaged with a wid…

5 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last acquired stocks of Tamiflu; on whose advice this was purchased; how much it cost to purchase; whether the purchase was subject to a tendering process; what assessment it has made of the benefits of the purchase; what remaining stock of the drug it has, and whether it has an …

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government, along with the other UK administrations, maintains a stockpile of Tamiflu, sufficient for 35% of the population in the event of an influenza pandemic, the highest priority risk on the National Risk Register. This stockpile is maintain…

5 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the tendering process is for supplying flu vaccine.

Answer · Michael Matheson: There is no tendering process for the influenza trivalent inactivated vaccines. There is a free market, with GPs and others ordering directly from flu vaccine suppliers. In relation to the live attenuated influenza vaccine, the Joint Committee on Vaccination…

5 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on whose advice the 2013-14 flu vaccine was chosen.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Flu viruses change continuously and the World Health Organization (WHO) monitors the epidemiology of flu viruses throughout the world. Each year it makes recommendations about the strains to be included in vaccines for the forthcoming winter. With regard to …

5 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on flu vaccinations in 2013.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government cannot provide this information as individual health boards meet the costs of the influenza vaccine, and the cost of the childhood influenza vaccine Fluenz (purchased centrally) cannot be disclosed as it is currently commercially confi…

5 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans there are to reduce journey times on railway services between Inverness and Wick.

Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-18101 on 13 November 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/parliamenta…

5 Nov 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reasons an emergency timetable extending journey times for railway services on the Far North and Kyle line was introduced on 28 October 2013.

Answer · Keith Brown: A modified timetable has been introduced for services between Inverness and Thurso/Wick and Kyle of Lochalsh to improve the punctuality and reliability of the timetable and ensure connection times are met with other public transport services. Not all service…