- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive to which minister or ministers the Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland reports.
Answer
As with all ScottishGovernment officials, the advice of the Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland is available to any minister to whose portfolio interestsher knowledge or responsibilities are relevant. As Minister for Science, I makea greater call on her advice than any of my ministerial colleagues.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 1 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities will receive additional funding for the responsibilities transferred to them under the recent review of the structures and functions of the enterprise network and whether this funding will be ring-fenced for economic development activities.
Answer
All budgets are subjectto change pending the forthcoming Spending Review. There is likely to be some alterationin the budgets of the enterprise networks and local authorities budgets to takeaccount of the reforms but no changes will be made until the next financial year.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 31 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what regulations apply to traffic noise emanating from locations in close proximity to residential properties.
Answer
The EnvironmentalNoise (Scotland) Regulations 2006 are part of the implementationof the EC Environmental Noise Directive. This applies to ambient noise to whichhumans are exposed from transport and industrial sources. Noise maps have alreadybeen produced under the regulations with action plans now being prepared with aview to managing noise in specific areas identified in the noise maps.
For new or alteredroads where noise exceeds a certain trigger level, the Land Compensation (Scotland)Act 1973 provide for insulation work or a grant to be made in respect of that insulationwork.
In addition the RoadVehicles (Construction & Use) Regulations 1986 and the Road Traffic Act 1988where the police can take action against a person who has modified their exhaustsystem illegally or is driving dangerously.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 30 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will monitor whether the new enterprise structure increases regional GDP.
Answer
The forthcoming GovernmentEconomic Strategy will set out national targets for monitoring progress towardsincreasing sustainable economic growth. This will form the top level of thegovernment’s new performance framework, focussed on delivery of thegovernment’s purpose and five strategic objectives, which will be published on 14 November 2007 with the Strategic Spending Review.
The national outcomes and indicators that accompany thespending review will remove the proliferation of competing priorities and act asthe basis for discussions on delivery agreements with local government and otherproviders, including the enterprise networks. These more detailed plans will bepublished in due course.
Appropriate performancemeasures will therefore be developed for the enterprise networks, which take intoaccount both the economic strategy and the performance framework.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 30 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has met the Chief Executive and Convener of Dumfries and Galloway Council regarding their estimates of the funding required to freeze council tax in 2008-09 at the 2007-08 level.
Answer
I met the Chief Executiveand Convener of Dumfries and Galloway Council on 2 October 2007. We discussed a wide range of relevant topics includingthe Scottish Government’s commitment to a council tax freeze in 2008-09.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 30 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it estimates that Dumfries and Galloway Council will require to freeze council tax in 2008-09 at the 2007-08 level.
Answer
The cost of freezingthe council tax is being taken forward as part of my on-going discussions with COSLAin the run up to the announcement of the current Spending Review. It would be prematureto discuss estimates for individual councils at this stage.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 26 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to realign community planning partnerships with the boundaries of the new enterprise regional organisations and VisitScotland.
Answer
The government believes community planning partnerships have the central role to play in joining up the design and delivery of services at local level.
There are no plans at present to change the boundaries of community planning partnerships.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 26 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the status is of the Scottish Science Advisory Committee.
Answer
The Scottish ScienceAdvisory Committee (SSAC) is currently running on a temporary basis, reporting tothe Scottish Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA), following the decisionto end the funding arrangement under the auspices of the Royal Society of Edinburghas from December 2006. Since then, the future of the SSAC has been under review.
I am pleased to announcethat ministers have now decided that the CSA should continue to be supported bythe SSAC, with revised reporting arrangements. The SSAC will continue to comprisea standing committee of experts drawn widely from the science and innovation base,in order to ensure that the Scottish Government can be provided with authoritative,independent advice across all scientific disciplines and issues. The SSAC will reportdirectly to the CSA, who will chair the Committee in conjunction with a co-chairelected by committee members. The SSAC’s advice will be provided to ministers throughthe CSA and in conjunction with the co-chair where this is helpful. Although theSSAC will not be constituted as a formal advisory public body, the operation of the committee, including the recruitment process for new committee members, willfollow the spirit of the Nolan principles. The committee membership will be refreshedover the next few months with new members being appointed by early 2008.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 26 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to take forward the results of the consultation on a science and innovation strategy for Scotland and, if so, how.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-4458 on 1 October 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 23 October 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when this year’s influenza vaccine will become available to NHS patients through their GPs.
Answer
GPs now haveaccess to this year’s influenza vaccine. Eligible NHS patients aged 65 and overand those suffering from certain long term medical conditions such as asthma,diabetes, heart disease or neurological conditions are encouraged to contacttheir GP to make an appointment for a free vaccination.
