Cara Hilton

9 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many cleft palate operations have had to be redone due to a lack of success in the original operation in each of the last three years.

Answer · Shona Robison: The information requested is provided in the following table: Cleft Palate Surgical Repairs in Scotland 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Total Palate Revisions 54 32 29 115 Standard coding of operations in NHS Scotland is unable to differentiate betwe…

9 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Derek Mackay on 8 December 2015 (Official Report, c. 10), what action it is taking to encourage Stagecoach and ScotRail to work in partnership to deliver integrated public transport solutions for Fife commuters (a) while the Forth Road Bridge is being repaire…

Answer · Derek Mackay: Stagecoach and Scotrail have been fully involved in the development and implementation of the travel plan to address the needs of the travelling public. As part of our arrangements to develop and monitor the travel plan, all parties including Stagecoach and S…

9 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Derek Mackay on 8 December 2015 (Official Report, c. 10) what meetings it has had with Stagecoach regarding the (a) economic impact on Fife, (b) the impact on traffic congestion and (c) the travel time differences of operating bus transfers between Halbeath p…

Answer · Derek Mackay: Regular discussions have taken place between Transport Scotland and Stagecoach throughout the period of the closure of the Forth Road Bridge. These discussions have focused on alterations to bus services with a view to minimising road congestion and mitigatin…

9 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Derek Mackay on 8 December 2015 (Official Report, c. 10), what meetings it has had with Stagecoach regarding bus transfers between Halbeath park-and-ride and Inverkeithing railway station, and what transfer times were determined.

Answer · Derek Mackay: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-28882 on 18 December 2015. 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/parliamentary…

9 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Derek Mackay on 8 December 2015 (Official Report, c. 10), what meetings it has had with Stagecoach regarding operating bus shuttle services between Halbeath park-and-ride and Inverkeithing railway station; whether these included discussions about the travel t…

Answer · Derek Mackay: The travel plan to mitigate the travel disruption as a result of the Forth Road Bridge closure has involved Stagecoach as a key stakeholder, in their capacity as a major bus operator incorporating the Fife, cross Forth area. The links between Inverkeithing an…

9 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Derek Mackay on 8 December 2015 (Official Report, c. 10), what discussions it has had with (a) agencies and (b) contractors regarding what contingencies are in place should adverse weather impact on the repair work that is being carried out, and what the outc…

Answer · Derek Mackay: Since the discovery of the defect, Transport Scotland officials have been working closely on a daily basis with Amey and their supply chain, to develop, design and implement the repair solution. Contingencies are in place to ensure the works are undertaken …

9 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Derek Mackay on 8 December 2015 (Official Report, c. 10), what differences there are between the current and previous contract with the operators of the Forth Road Bridge in respect of the contingency plans to deal with a closure of the bridge.

Answer · Derek Mackay: There are no differences between the Forth Estuary Transport Authority plans and the current Amey Highways Ltd plans for contingencies on the Forth Road Bridge.

9 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Derek Mackay on 8 December 2015 (Official Report, c. 10), how much money it has provided toward the maintenance of the Forth Road Bridge in each year since 2000.

Answer · Derek Mackay: In the period from 2000 to the abolition of tolls on 11 February 2008 the funding of all Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) operating and capital expenditure including maintenance was through toll income and other income generated by FETA through invest…

9 Dec 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by Derek Mackay on 8 December 2015 (Official Report, c. 10), how many HGVs have used the Forth Road Bridge in each year since 2005.

Answer · Derek Mackay: The following table shows the number of HGVs recorded as using the Forth Road Bridge from 2005-15: Year North South Combined 2005 HGV 1,363,122 1,391,482 2,754,604 2006 HGV 1,405,779 1,466,479 2,872,258 2007* HGV 1,755,708 N/A N/A 2008 …

7 Dec 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures fairness in its employment practices.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring fairness in employment working practices evidenced through being the only government in the UK to have a dedicated Minister for Fair Work. As an employer the Scottish Government’s own employment policies and pr…

10 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has at a national level to assist children at school who have social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.

Answer · Angela Constance: Education authorities and other agencies have duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 (as amended) to identify, provide for and review the additional support needs of their pupils. An additional support need can arise for any reason and be o…

10 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on teachers being made aware of the area of psychology, attachment theory.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of attachment in the development of children and young people. Scottish Government policy guidance, better relationships, better learning, better behaviour (http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0041/00416217.pdf), co…

10 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the effectiveness of nurture groups in schools in deprived areas as a means of raising attainment, and what plans it has to (a) maintain funding for and (b) increase the number of such groups.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government and many local authorities across Scotland recognise the strong evidence base for nurture groups at the primary level and as such have promoted and supported this way of working. However, we also increasingly recognise that there is a …

10 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on introducing the so-called Boxall Profile, which aims to provide an understanding of children’s social, emotional and other behaviour, in the national improvement framework for education.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government recognises the value of the Boxall Profile as a useful tool for the targeted support of children and young people who have a range of needs and may require additional support through a nurture group and/or in the classroom. The Boxall …

9 Nov 2015 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with Fife College regarding the relocation of its Halbeath campus.

5 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which schools in the Dunfermline constituency are receiving support from the Attainment Scotland Fund schools programme; how much they are receiving; what criteria were used for selecting them, and what support the programme can provide to the schools that were not chosen but were close …

Answer · Angela Constance: The schools in Dunfermline involved in the Attainment Scotland Fund Schools Programme are St Serf’s RC Primary School and Inzievar Primary School. We are currently reviewing their improvement plans and once finalised their funding allocation will be made avai…

4 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it was able to announce a moratorium on underground coal gasification on 8 October 2015 when it had previously stated that it did not have the power to do so.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has never stated that it could not use planning powers to introduce a moratorium on the onshore elements of any underground coal gasification development. I also refer the member to the answer to S4W-26231 on 17 July 2015, which set o…

3 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it has allocated to shovel-ready projects that have completed the (a) planning and (b) procurement process stage in (i) Dunfermline, (ii) Fife and (iii) Scotland in each of the last three years.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government initially provided the UK Government with a list of projects totalling £302 million on 2 March 2012. A further detailed list of projects totalling £820.8 million was subsequently provided on 23 November 2012. The majority of the projec…

3 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many shovel-ready projects have completed the (a) planning and (b) procurement process stage in (i) Dunfermline, (ii) Fife and (iii) Scotland in each of the last three years.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-28279 on 14 December 2015. 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…

3 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it has given to Fife Council for infrastructure investment in each of the last three years.

Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-28274 on 17 November 2015. 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/parliamentary…

3 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has borrowed under its capital borrowing powers in each of the last three years.

Answer · John Swinney: Capital borrowing powers for the Scottish Government under the Scotland Act 2012 came into force with effect from the current financial year 2015-16. As set out in the Draft Budget 2015-16, it is anticipated that up to £304 million will be borrowed.

3 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it has given to Fife Council to provide improvements to the school estate in each of the last three years.

Answer · Angela Constance: Through the Scotland's Schools for the Future programme the level of funding awarded to Fife Council in each of the last three years to provide improvements to its school estate is as follows: 2012-13: £18,085,647 2013-14: £391,586 2014-15: £0 Moreover, t…

3 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it has given to Fife Council as part of its immediate support to local authorities for new and refurbished buildings in each of the last three years.

Answer · Alex Neil: The following table shows the amount of capital funding Fife Council has received as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. It is a matter for each council how best it maximises the use of the resources and assets at its disposal including how much …

3 Nov 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much money it has given to Fife Council as part of the Schools for the Future programme in each of the last three years.

Answer · Angela Constance: Through the Scotland's Schools for the Future programme, the level of funding awarded to Fife Council in each of the last three years is as follows: 2012-13: £18,085,647 2013-14: £391,586 2014-15: £0.

2 Nov 2015 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to encourage and expand the use of CCTV video links for prisoner appearances at court.

28 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its capital spend has been in Dunfermline in each year since 1999.

Answer · John Swinney: A breakdown of the Scottish Government's capital spend in Dunfermline in each year since 1999 is not available.

7 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many people under 25 in (a) Dunfermline and (b) Fife have been or are affected by the so-called bedroom tax.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: This information is not held centrally. Benefit statistics, including housing benefit caseload details, are available from the Department for Work and Pensions statistical website Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

7 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what support it gives to housing associations in (a) Dunfermline and (b) Fife to mitigate the impact of the so-called bedroom tax.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government is making £35 million available to local authorities for discretionary housing payments in 2015-16 so that the bedroom tax in Scotland can again be fully mitigated for all households affected, including tenants of housing associations …

7 Oct 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has regarding how many people under 25 in (a) Dunfermline and (b) Fife have (i) applied for and (ii) received discretionary housing payments in each of the last three years.

Answer · Margaret Burgess: The Scottish Government does not collect information regarding the age of applicants for discretionary housing payments, which are administered by individual local authorities. The number of applications and awards for discretionary housing payments broken do…

29 Sep 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what organisations it consulted when drafting the Children (Performances and Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2014.

Answer · Aileen Campbell: The Children (Performances and Activities) (Scotland) Regulations 2014 were informed by the recommendations of a working group of relevant stakeholders including: the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, Barnardo’s Scotland, the BBC, BBC Scotland, the…