Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-14031

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 20 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total additional cost to NHS services as a result of increased fuel and energy costs has been in each year since 2005, broken down by NHS board.

NHS boards do not specifically monitor the additional costs they face as a result of increased fuel and energy costs; however their total fuel and energy costs since 2005-06 are shown in the following table.

Fuel and Energy Costs

	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08
	(£000)	(£000)	(£000)
Area Health Boards
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	4,607	4,664	5,140
NHS Borders	1,323	1,447	1,772
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	2,309	2,633	2,881
NHS Fife	3,636	3,959	4,215
NHS Forth Valley	2,881	2,953	3,236
NHS Grampian	7,876	8,533	9,243
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde*	19,741	19,561	21,050
NHS Highland	4,853	5,374	6,274
NHS Lanarkshire	4,233	4,567	4,684
NHS Lothian	13,496	13,183	14,624
NHS Orkney	276	337	411
NHS Shetland	355	303	346
NHS Tayside	6,926	7,421	8,241
NHS Western Isles	722	663	766
Area Health Boards Total	73,234	75,598	82,884
*Acute Division only
Special Health Boards
GJNH	1,476	1,497	1,595
NES	17	23	39
NHS 24	239	229	257
NHS Health	28	33	39
NSS	1,427	1,924	1,841
QIS	35	40	53
SAS	5,683	5,837	6,310
State Hospital	693	718	902
Special Health Boards Total	9,598	10,301	11,036
Total	82,832	85,899	93,920

The Health Department does not hold centrally energy consumption figures for each board, so it is not possible to determine how much of the increase in costs is attributable to increased prices or variable consumption.

Question reference: S3W-14050

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5390 by John Swinney on 17 October 2007, how the review of asset management across the public sector will apply to common good funds; when such a review is to (a) commence and (b) report, and whether that report will be made public.

The review of asset management across the public sector encompasses several distinct pieces of work:

The Scottish Government asset management review, which looked at the Scottish Government own built estate, was carried out last year, reported to me in January 2008 and was published on 30 January 2008. It is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/01/AMR.

A review of asset management by local authorities also carried out by the Improvement Service for Local Government in 2007, and their report entitled Property Asset Management in Scotland’s Councils was published on 19 March 2008 and is available on their website.

The Improvement Service for Local Government has also carried out a separate study of the management of common goods assets and funds. Their report is currently being finalised and due to be published imminently.

Question reference: S3W-14049

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 19 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to local government as to its duties anent the stewardship of common good funds.

A letter to all directors of finance of Scotland’s local authorities was issued by Scottish Government officials on 12 March 2007, reminding them of their statutory, and non-statutory duties and existing supporting guidance. This included the supporting guidance to the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1973, and the statutory guidance on best value, which applies to local authorities’ stewardship of all assets and funds, including those held under the common good.

The Local Authorities (Scotland) Accounts Advisory Committee has recently issued revised guidance to all local authorities on the financial reporting and registration of common goods assets, Accounting for the Common Good: A guidance note for practitioners, December 2007.

Question reference: S3W-14028

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 18 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people over the age of 65 heat their homes using primarily (a) oil, (b) gas, (c) solid fuel or (d) electricity.

The 2005-06 Scottish house condition survey estimates of the count of primary heating fuel used by people aged over 65 is shown in the following table:

Primary Fuel Used	Number of People Aged over 65
Oil	59,000
Gas	577,000
Solid fuel	28,000
Electricity	155,000
Communal Schemes	19,000
Total	838,000

Question reference: S3W-14029

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 17 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has calculated the costs to pensioner households across Scotland as a result of significantly increased fuel and energy costs over the last 12 months.

The Scottish house condition survey collects data on domestic energy expenditure and, from this, the Scottish house condition survey team has carried out the calculation.

The last year for which survey data is available is 2005-06. Using that data as a base, we have raised the domestic energy expenditure estimates in line with domestic fuel prices.

We project forward from Scottish household survey estimates of 2005-06 that, on average:

Pensioner couple households spent £1,474 on domestic energy in April 2007 and £1,551 in April 2008.

Single pensioner households spent £1,113 on domestic energy in April 2007 and £1,192 in April 2008.

Question reference: S3W-14030

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 17 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has calculated the costs to low income families as a result of increased fuel and energy costs.

Low income households are defined as those households whose income lies in the lowest 20 percentile, i.e. in the bottom 2 deciles.

The Scottish house condition survey collects data on domestic energy expenditure and income and, using that data, the Scottish house condition survey team has carried out the calculation.

The last year for which survey data is available is 2005-06. Using that data as a base, we have raised household domestic energy expenditure estimates in line with domestic fuel price rises.

In May 2006, households in the lowest 20 percentile are estimated to have spent an average of £974 per year on domestic energy.

In April 2007, the same households are projected to have spent an average of £1,073 per year on domestic energy.

In April 2008, those households are projected to have spent £1,129 per year on domestic energy.

Question reference: S3W-13498

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 May 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 11 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many HM Inspectorate of Education assistant inspectors in each year since 2001 were formerly qualified teachers, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of assistant inspectors.

Assistant inspectors are appointed by HMIE to undertake a number of days’ work each year. They comprise retired HM Inspectors or others with up-to-date knowledge of and a background in education and services for children and young people, including experience in inspection and review procedures and quality assurance work.

HMIE first appointed assistant inspectors in 2003 and since then, has appointed 50. Of the 50, three did not take up their appointments and from the remaining 47, 32 had previously been teachers and eight were lecturers in further education colleges. This equates to 85% of the assistant inspector group.

Those assistant inspectors not involved in inspecting schools and reviewing colleges will be involved in other aspects of HMIE’s work i.e. community learning and development, services for children and as a consequence, will have qualifications and relevant experience in community education, health, educational psychology, criminal justice and social work.

Question reference: S3W-13719

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 30 May 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 11 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006, in particular subsection (8)(11B) of section 70, in order to not apply or limit the obligations under this section in so far as they pertain to common ridings.

The Guidance to Local Authorities, published by the Working Group on Marches and Parades in December 2006, makes clear that, if a local authority makes a case why a certain type of procession should be excluded from the notification process, the Scottish ministers will consider it and make an order if necessary. No applications have been received.

I published a consultation document on 6 June 2008 seeking the views of communities and marching organisations on the implementation to date of the marches and parades provisions of the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006 and associated guidance. We will consider the responses to this consultation before deciding if any changes to the legislation or guidance are required.

Question reference: S3W-13571

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive which roads have average speed cameras; how many there are per road, and when they were introduced.

The A77 trunk road is the only road that has permanent average speed cameras. There are a total of 48 camera locations over a 32 mile length of the route and these cameras were first installed in July 2005.

There have been various temporary installations of average speed cameras through major roadwork sites following the fixed installation on the A77. The only temporary roadwork site at present is on the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass.

Question reference: S3W-13572

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 May 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce more average speed cameras and, if so, at what locations.

The potential to introduce more average speed cameras, and at what trunk road locations, will be informed by an assessment of the A77 average speed camera system.

The effectiveness of the A77 average speed camera system, installed in July 2005, will be fully assessed once three full years of data is available. A three year period is the norm when considering road safety interventions as it allows a greater degree of statistical confidence in the results.

Accident statistics for the three year period from July 2005 to July 2008 are expected to be published in October 2008. Full assessment of the A77 average speed camera system will commence after these statistics are published.