- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 January 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 4 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the respondents who were reported, in the analysis and summary of responses prepared by its Social Housing Division, as having given neutral/not stated responses to proposals in its 2008 Housing Association Grant consultation paper on (a) the annual rate of increase in rents, (b) freezing management, maintenance and major repairs allowances and (c) inflation assumptions.
Answer
Copies of all the non-confidential responses received to the 2008 Housing Association Grant consultation and the subsequent report by Social Housing Division are posted on the Scottish Government website:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/investment/bettervalue/Q/editmode/on/forceupdate/on.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 January 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 4 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the decision of Orkney Islands Council not to approve new applications for direct payments due to budgetary constraints.
Answer
Officials have been in touch with Orkney Islands Council to clarify the position.
Orkney has made clear that there is no intention to withdraw existing direct payments. The waiting list for direct payments is regularly reviewed and applications are actioned as additional resources become available. In the interim, clients on the waiting list are offered social care services.
Scottish Government statistics make clear that Orkney currently has the highest rate of clients per 10,000 population receiving direct payments. The council is actively looking at the existing position, the current financial pressures, and projected additional financial demands to resolve this situation. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/10/27092036/0.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 January 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 2 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in the event of an employee of Forestry Commission Scotland not taking up an offer of job transfer under the transfer of undertakings (protection of employment) regulations (TUPE) under the proposed plans to lease up to one quarter of the most commercially-viable, publicly-owned forests, whether that employee will be deemed to have resigned from their post.
Answer
The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) regulations do not provide for an offer of job transfer “ employees are transferred automatically under the regulations. However, Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) would ensure that it made every effort to find an alternative role for any employee who did not wish to transfer.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 January 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 2 February 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in the event of an employee of Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) not taking up an offer of job transfer under the transfer of undertakings (protection of employment) regulations (TUPE) under the proposed plans to lease up to one quarter of the most commercially-viable, publicly-owned forests and wishing to remain an FCS employee, whether that employee would be offered an alternative position in FCS or offered voluntary redundancy.
Answer
If any employee expressed a preference to remain with Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), rather than transfer under the TUPE regulations, FCS would make every effort to find the employee an alternative role.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 30 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on fisheries scientific research in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007 and (d) 2008 and what the projected spend is for (i) 2009, (ii) 2010 and (iii) 2011.
Answer
The spend on research related to marine fisheries and the marine environment which supports them is as follows:
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| 9,161,652 | 9,964,062 | 10,035,982 | 11,551,853 | 12,924,832 | 12,423,469 |
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 January 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what decisions have been made following the Agricultural Wages in Scotland: The Scottish Agricultural Wages Board consultation.
Answer
No decision has yet been taken on the future of the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 January 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the retention and expansion of the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board.
Answer
We will give very careful consideration to future arrangements for determining the pay and conditions of service of agricultural workers in Scotland as part of the review of the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 January 2009
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 28 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions air ambulance aircraft have been grounded due to staff shortages in each of the last six months.
Answer
The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) has advised that, due to short notice sickness absence, there were five occasions over the last six months when one air ambulance aircraft has been grounded. On these occasions, the remaining three aircraft were in operation. The SAS have advised that no requests for an air ambulance were declined due to the unavailability of the aircraft on the five occasions in question.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Saturday, 05 January 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected traffic growth forecasts are for the A82 through Inverness for the period up to 2020.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19417 on 26 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions can be found on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Saturday, 05 January 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 26 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the existing A82 trunk road through Inverness and connecting to the A9 is adequate for current circumstances and for projected traffic growth up to 2020.
Answer
The recently published Strategic Transport Projects Review has recommended 29 nationally strategic transport interventions over the next 20 years that will let us plan for the delivery of an efficient, integrated transport network fit for the 21st century.
Transport Scotland continually monitors the trunk road network to ensure that it is operating effectively at a local level. However, as with other parts of the network, during week day peak periods congestion can occur between the A82 and A9.
Analysis within the STPR demonstrates that the A96 corridor currently carries up to 17,300 vehicles per day, whereas the A82 is only up to some 6,900 vehicles per day.
Peak-time congestion is experienced on the A9, A96 and A82 routes into Inverness. During the summer, tourist traffic also results in increases in congestion.
In addition to the higher levels of existing traffic, the recommended link between the A9 and A96 within the STPR recognises the significant expansion proposals to the east of the city.
