- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time was for an orthopaedic appointment in (a) Greater Glasgow NHS Board and (b) Forth Valley NHS Board at the end of December 2003.
Answer
Provisional information forthe year ended 30 September 2003 shows that the median waiting times for a firstoutpatient appointment with a consultant in the specialty of Orthopaedics,following referral by a general medical practitioner, in Greater Glasgow NHSBoard and Forth Valley NHS Board areas of residence, were 129 days and 230 daysrespectively.
Waiting times figures for 31 December 2003will be published by ISD Scotland on 26 February 2004.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what role police forces play, and what advice they provide, in relation to the funding arrangements for the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland.
Answer
The Mountain RescueCommittee of Scotland is the representative and co-ordinating body for mountainrescue teams in Scotland.
The police have primaryresponsibility for all land-based search and rescue, and for this purpose theycall on support from other agencies including the voluntary mountain rescueteams affiliated to the committee. It is open to each police force tocontribute to the costs of the teams working in the force area. The Executivetook account of advice from Northern Constabulary and the Association of ChiefPolice Officers in Scotland in our decision to provide an additionalring-fenced £300,000 per annum to police forces, from 2003-04, to enable forcesto increase the amounts they provide to the affiliated teams.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland has received over each of the last three financial years including 2003-04; how the funding is disbursed, and what conditions are attached to such funding.
Answer
The Mountain RescueCommittee of Scotland is the representative and co-ordinating body for mountainrescue teams in Scotland. In the last three financial years the onlyExecutive funding directly to the committee has been a payment in 2003-04 of£5,000, to contribute to the costs of the 2003 Conference of the InternationalCommission for Alpine Rescue at Coylumbridge.
Several Scottish policeforces make financial or other contributions to mountain rescue teamsaffiliated to the committee. The Executive is providing an additional £300,000to forces in 2003-04 to supplement the funds they would otherwise devote forthis purpose. This funding will be ring fenced to mountain rescue teamsaffiliated to the committee.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue making provision to assist those on low incomes to meet their water bills through the Transitional Water and Sewerage Charges Relief Scheme in 2004-05 and, if not, whether it will make alternative arrangements for this purpose.
Answer
The current transitionalscheme was set up to provide additional assistance to enable low income householdsadjust to increased water and sewerage charges. The main source of assistanceremains the link between domestic charges and the banding and discount arrangements of thecouncil tax system.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 1 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals are being considered to reduce water charges to industrial customers who consume large volumes of water.
Answer
In the 2003-04 charges scheme,customers who consume large volumes of waters had the option to sign up for athree-year agreement at a discounted rate. The details are available onScottish Water’s website at:
http://www.scottishwater.co.uk/index.htm.
The Water IndustryCommissioner and Scottish Water are currently discussing the annual charges schemefor 2004-05.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 26 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide additional resources to Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to enable it to attend public local inquiries on wind farm applications where SNH has raised an objection to the application.
Answer
None.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 26 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Stirling Council with regard to the future of Holy Trinity Episcopal Primary School.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has had no such discussions with Stirling Council.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 26 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the requirements of human rights legislation are being met with regard to the non-attendance of Scottish National Heritage (SNH) at public local inquiries in respect of wind farm applications where SNH have objected to the application.
Answer
Interpretation of humanrights legislation is a matter for the courts.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of Grant Aided Expenditure has been for Fife Constabulary in each of the last four years, including the current year, and what the actual amount spent on policing in Fife was in (a) 2000-01, (b) 2001-02 and (c) 2002-03.
Answer
Policing in Fife isprovided almost entirely by Fife Constabulary although officers from a numberof other forces or agencies, such as the British Transport Police, also operatewithin the Fife area. Each year, the Executive sets a level of GrantAided Expenditure (GAE) for each police force in Scotland. It is then a matterfor the police authority (or joint police board) for the area to set a budgetfor that year. The Executive pays police grant to the value of 51% of thatbudget up to the level of GAE. Over and above these amounts, the Executive alsopays 100% police grant to forces for specific purposes. For Fife Constabulary,these currently include, for example, the costs of policing Rosyth ferry port,funding for financial analysts and funding for analysis of drug drivingsamples. The following table sets out these various amounts.
| | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 |
| | £ Million | £ Million | £ Million | £ Million |
| GAE for Fife Constabulary | 41.7 | 44.0 | 44.4 | 49.5 |
| Budget set by Police Authority | 41.0 | 43.4 | 44.4 | 49.5 |
| Additional Executive grants | 0.6 | 1.1 | 2.1 | n/a* |
*Note:Final figure for 2003-04 not yet available.
- Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 19 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will now seek GM-free status for Scotland.
Answer
It would be contrary to thesingle market objective of Directive 2001-18-EC to adopt a blanket ban on geneticallymodified organisms in Scotland, or a part of Scotland, which could not be justified in terms of protectionof human health, animal health and the environment.
