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: S2W-32407

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide financial assistance to the Highland Council to progress work in relation to the proposed Inverness trunk link route and, if so, what the amount will be of such assistance and for what purpose and in which financial years it will be provided.

Highland Council is currently taking forward the Inverness SouthConnectivity Study which is a Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidelines appraisalof the transport options for transport connectivity in the transport system aroundthe south of Inverness. An official fromTransport Scotland is on the working group to represent trunk road interestsin relation to the connections between the Inverness Southern Distributor Road andthe existing trunk road network.

Once the work on the optionsis completed this will be available to feed into the Strategic Transport ProjectsReview which is on-going and is due for completion in the summer 2008.

Question reference: S2W-32425

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the costs of any planned strategic transport projects are set to rise, or considered likely to rise, over the stated estimates and, if so, whether it will provide full details of any such rises.

The estimated costs of eachof the planned strategic transport projects are provided in the reply to the answer to question S2W-29718 on 23 March 2007, which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

These are our latest best estimates based on the variousrisks currently identified for each of these projects. The final costs will notbe known until tenders have been returned and contracts completed.

Question reference: S2W-32422

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements will be made to the (a) A9, (b) A96, (c) A82, (d) A95 and (e) A86 in each of the next four years, listing the name or brief details of each scheme and its estimated cost.

Planned expenditure on theA9, A96, A82, A95 and A96 in each of the next four years may be found on theTransport Scotland website at:http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/defaultpage1221cde0.aspx?pageID=20.

In addition to the schemeslisted in the website a new western bypass of Crianlarich on the A82 is beingplanned for a construction start in 2009-10 at an estimated cost of £5.3million and an improvement to remove a bottleneck at Pulpit Rock on the A82 atLoch Lomond is being planned for a construction start in 2010-11 at anestimated cost of £8.4 million.

Three major maintenanceschemes with road improvements are being planned on the A9 at Slochd, Moy andCarrbridge and will include additional overtaking lanes which will be 3.5km,1.3km, and 1.7km long respectively.

In addition to the schemeswhich are currently being taken forward to construction, we are currentlyundertaking two studies on the A9. The A9 Route Improvement Strategy isconsidering the need to upgrade the A9 north of Perth and at Berriedale Braes thereis an investigation into interim and long term options for improving poorgeometry at this location. Information about studies on the A96 can be found in my reply to question S2W-32421 which is available on the Parliament’s website, thesearch facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

All start and completion datesare subject to the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures.

In addition the StrategicTransport Projects Review will consider these routes as part of the on-goingwork towards the next phase of major transport infrastructure investment.

Question reference: S2W-32421

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what investment is planned for major improvements to the A96 in each year to 2012.

Planned expenditure on the A96during this period may be found on the Transport Scotland website at http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/defaultpage1221cde0.aspx?pageID=20.

In addition, we are currentlyundertaking a design study for a dual carriageway improvement of the A96 betweenInverness and Inverness Airport. We have also invested in a major multi-modal transportcorridor study between Aberdeen and Inverness to provide the evidence to guide future investment prioritiesfor this route.

Question reference: S2W-32426

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any information that would indicate that costs of strategic transport projects are considered likely to rise above the stated estimates has not been placed in the public domain and, if so, whether any such information will be published prior to May 2007.

Question reference: S2W-32293

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 22 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to NHS Highland in respect of the application to close Glencoe Hospital prior to dissolution of the Parliament

Question reference: S2W-32291

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 22 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what alternative provision has been made for elderly people in south Lochaber by NHS Highland in respect of its application to close Glencoe Hospital; how many nursing care beds NHS Highland assesses will be sufficient to meet the needs of the south Lochaber area following closure of the hospital and whether it will make public the information on which this assessment was made, including any analysis of the demographic trend in numbers of elderly people until 2024, and whether the Executive considers that such analysis will meet the needs of those who are expected to provide nursing care in the future.

NHS Highland and The Highland Council have submitted a jointproposal for the future delivery of care for elderly people in the Lochaberarea to Scottish ministers.

The details of these proposals,including the number of nursing care beds needed for the future andconsideration of population changes, are operational matters for NHS Highlandand The Highland Council. In considering these proposals, ministers will needto be satisfied that they are consistent with the principles set out in Deliveringfor Health and Executive policy for planning services for older people, andthat they have been developed with the full involvement of planning partnersand are based on robust evidence and best practice. Ministers will also need tobe satisfied that the board has undertaken public consultation in line withScottish Executive guidance.

The Scottish Health Council has yet to submit a report onNHS Highlands engagement and consultation process. Once all of the informationis available then ministers will consider the matter very carefully, includingall representations received, before coming to a final decision.

Question reference: S2W-32292

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 22 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it will make of the suitability of residential homes to provide nursing care in considering NHS Highland's application to close Glencoe Hospital and whether such assessment will consider the number of nursing beds that will be require to be provided and when the necessary work to adapt residential homes is likely to be completed.

Question reference: S2W-32243

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Des McNulty on 16 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any guidance about building on a flood plain (a) within and (b) outwith a national park and whether it considers that residential dwelling houses should be built in areas considered to be at risk of flood once in every 200 years.

Guidance about building on aflood plain is contained in Scottish Planning Policy (SPP)7 and Planning Advice Note (PAN) 69.The guidance does not distinguish between development within and outwith anational park.

Where the calculatedprobability of flooding is greater than once in every 200 years, the SPP setsout appropriate planning responses for two different types of area. Firstly, inareas already built up the SPP indicates that residential development may besuitable on brownfield land provided that flood prevention measures alreadyexist, are under construction or are planned. Secondly, for undeveloped andsparsely developed areas, it says that they are not suitable for additionaldevelopment.

The SPP points out that thecalculated probability of a flood occurring has to be treated as a best estimateand not a precise forecast. Other factors including the depth of the water onthe land and the effects of a flood on access have to be taken intoconsideration on a case-by-case basis.

As a matter of law thedevelopment plan and other material considerations will have to be taken intoaccount in reaching a decision.

Question reference: S2W-32244

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 15 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how long on average it takes the Care Commission to provide appropriate accreditation for those who apply to become childminders; whether there is a backlog of around three months and a total time duration of four months to provide such accreditation; if so, whether the Executive considers such timescales acceptable and, if it does not, what steps it will take to reduce them.

Information about the registration of care services by theCare Commission is not collected in this way.

The Care Commissions corporate plan,including key performance indicators (KPIs), is approved by Scottish ministers.The plan for 2006-09 includes a KPI measuring the percentage of registrationscompleted within target times, based on the time between receipt of a validapplication and the date of registration.

In 2006-07 the target forcompleting childminders registration is 80% within three months. The definitionof this target allows for registrations which take more than three months toprocess from receipt of the valid application where the cause of delay wasoutwith the Care Commissions control. Delays can be caused, for example, byawaiting Disclosure Scotland information or references about medicalsuitability, or a request by the applicant for the application to be put onhold. It is reasonable to take these into account when measuring the CareCommissions performance.

On that basis, in Scotlandbetween 1 April 2006 and 31 January 2007, 84% of childminders were registeredwithin three months of receipt of a valid application.

My officials regularly meet theCare Commission to discuss performance against targets in the corporate planand remedial action where targets are not achieved.

Further information aboutregistration of care services can be obtained from the Chief Executive of theCare Commission:

Jacquie Roberts

Care Commission

Compass House

11 Riverside Drive

Dundee DD1 4NY

Telephone: 01382 207109 (Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive).