- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive which boxes west of Shetland were subject to scientific research in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007 and (d) 2008 and what conclusions were reached.
Answer
I have asked Professor Robin Cook, Chief Executive of FRS Marine Laboratory to respond to you directly.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 21 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used to assess patients’ eligibility for patient transport services in the NHS Highland area.
Answer
The Scottish Ambulance Service Patient Transport Service (PTS) provides transport for those patients with a medical need. The Scottish Ambulance Service strives to ensure that eligibility criteria are consistently applied across the whole of Scotland to ensure equity of access for patients to transport services.
Patients eligible for PTS transport are those:
(a) Where their medical condition is such that they require the skills or support of PTS staff on/after the journey and/or where it would be detrimental to the patients condition or recovery if they were to travel by other means.
(b) Where the patients medical condition impacts on their mobility to such an extent that they would be unable to access health care and/or it would be detrimental to the patients condition or recovery to travel by other means.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Saturday, 05 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive on which criteria the Inverness trunk link route between the A9 and A82 fell short in determining whether it should be funded under plans announced as part of the Strategic Transport Projects Review.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19432 on 19 January 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the supplementary to question S3O-5098 by Nicola Sturgeon on 4 December 2008 (Official Report c. 13120), where within the Scottish Ambulance Service the 30 additional frontline accident and emergency crews have been deployed and in which emergency medical dispatch centres the 10 additional posts have been created.
Answer
The 30 additional frontline accident and emergency crews have been deployed to the following areas; 10 in East Central Division, 10 in South West Division and 10 in South East Division.
The 10 additional posts in the Emergency Medical Dispatch Centres comprise five posts in Inverness and five in Glasgow.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many successful prosecutions for abuse of health staff, as defined in the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005, were dealt with by the Scottish courts in (a) 2006, (b) 2007 and (c) 2008.
Answer
Scottish Government Court Proceedings data does not contain information at the level of detail requested. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15073 on 15 August 2008, which gives the total number of persons with a charge proved under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 for the latest years available.
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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to deal with the damaging effects to crofting and the rural economy caused by the rise in numbers of geese in North Uist.
Answer
In 2008 the Uist Local Goose Management Scheme increased goose scaring effort on the machair to protect the cereal seed crop. Goose-scarers employed by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have shot approximately 1,500 geese per annum over the last two years in addition to geese shot by tenants. The scheme is reviewed annually by the National Goose Management Review Group.
SNH contracted research is currently being undertaken to provide a projection of the population of the west coast greylag goose population which will help in formulating future management measures.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 15 January 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that housing associations are enabled to build new developments in response to local demands, in light of recent cuts to the Housing Association Grant subsidy.
Answer
We are working across Scotland with Housing Associations to increase the supply of affordable homes. Almost all of our Affordable Housing Investment Programme, 95% of it, goes to housing associations. This year we will approve around 6,000 homes for development, the vast majority of these will be delivered through housing associations. In addition to the £493 million investment programme this year we are accelerating a further £120 million over this year and next to increase the speed of new housing development. This will bring next years Affordable Housing Investment Programme to a record high of £644 million, the highest ever announced by the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 12 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considered the findings of a report by Peter Cook on the Crofters Cattle Quality Improvement Scheme before deciding to end the scheme as currently constituted.
Answer
Before deciding on the future of the Crofters Cattle Quality Improvement Scheme, the Scottish Government had access to drafts of Peter Cook''s appraisal report. The investment appraisal was commissioned primarily to evaluate the capital investment options required to rationalise and modernise the stud farm facilities should the Bull Hire Scheme be continued. The final report, in terms of the contract issued by the Crofters Commission, was received on 1 October 2008.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 12 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive on what information the Committee of Inquiry on Crofting, chaired by Professor Shucksmith, based its recommendation that a centralised bull hire facility should be ended.
Answer
The Committee of Inquiry on Crofting operated independently of the Scottish Government, commissioned its own evidence and undertook its own consultation. It placed much of the information it gathered on its website at
http://www.croftinginquiry.org/.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 12 December 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Committee of Inquiry on Crofting, chaired by Professor Shucksmith, had access to a draft report by Peter Cook on the economics and options for the Crofters Cattle Quality Improvement Scheme before considering its recommendation to end the scheme as currently constituted.
Answer
The Committee of Inquiry on Crofting operated independently of the Scottish Government, commissioned its own evidence and undertook its own consultation. The formal appraisal report, in terms of the contract issued by the Crofters Commission, was not received until 1 October 2008. Previous incomplete drafts would not have been available to the Committee of Inquiry.