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: S3W-33189

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with NHS Grampian regarding savings in revenue budgets.

I chaired the NHS Grampian Annual Review meeting in Elgin on 2 November 2009. A wide range of matters affecting past and present performance and planning for the future were discussed with the board chair and his senior management team.

NHS Grampian, along with all NHSScotland boards, was requested to submit a draft financial plan for 2010‘11 to the Scottish Government Health Directorates (SGHD) on 18 February 2010. Following that submission, the Head of External Financial Performance (SGHD) had several routine telephone conversations with NHS Grampian colleagues (Director of Finance and Assistant Directors of Finance).

The Director of Finance (NHS Grampian), the Director of Finance (SGHD) and the Head of External Financial Performance (SGHD) met and had a general discussion about the draft financial plan on 11 March 2010.

Officials from the SGHD also meet representatives of NHS Grampian regularly to discuss matters of current interest affecting health services in the area. A meeting was held (via video link) with NHS Grampian on 12 March 2010 to take stock of developments since last year''s annual review and look at progress against key targets. This meeting included a discussion on progress with the draft financial plan for 2010‘11 and associated savings. Attendees included the Director General Health and Chief Executive of NHSScotland and the Chief Executive of NHS Grampian.

I meet regularly with all NHSScotland chairs to discuss matters of importance to Health and the NHS in Scotland. I last met the Chair of NHS Grampian on 29 March 2010 at the last regular meeting of NHS board chairs and discussed a range of issues.

Question reference: S3W-33195

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what budget reduction is proposed for care of older people by NHS Grampian.

Question reference: S3W-33193

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what budget reduction is proposed for dental services by NHS Grampian.

Question reference: S3W-33194

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what budget reduction is proposed for mental health services by NHS Grampian.

Question reference: S3W-33196

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what total savings are being made by NHS Grampian from its revenue budget in 2010-11.

The Scottish Government expects NHS Grampian to provide the highest possible standard of healthcare and it has received a cash increase of £16 million in its 2010‘11 budget. NHS Grampian has advised that it requires to deliver £34 million of savings in 2010‘11, and whilst challenging, it is achievable. NHS Grampian is currently looking at a whole range of efficiency measures with a view to identifying those that will not impact on patient care.

Question reference: S3W-33192

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 April 2010
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what budget reduction is proposed for surgery by NHS Grampian.

Question reference: S3W-32903

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 22 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of proposed policy from the Department of Communities and Local Government for local authorities in England to carry out assessments for the potential deployment of combined heat and power or district heating systems, as set out in its Consultation on a Planning Policy Statement: Planning for a Low Carbon Future in a Changing Climate, whether a similar requirement may be placed on Scottish local authorities.

The second National Planning Framework for Scotland states that the government is keen to facilitate the development of a more dispersed pattern of energy generation and supply as part of the response to climate change. This will involve encouraging community and household heat and power generation, the decentralisation of generation capacity and the development of local heat networks. It indicates that planning authorities should take account of the potential for developing heat networks when preparing development plans and considering major development proposals.

The government also recognises that it is important to encourage heat supply to be located close to demand.

Scottish Planning Policy states that when designating land for new residential, commercial and industrial development, planning authorities should consider the energy and heat requirements of these new developments. New development should be planned to make use of opportunities for decentralised and local renewable or low carbon sources of heat and power wherever possible.

Question reference: S3W-32904

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 22 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review the National Planning Framework for Scotland regarding the funding and development of combined heat and power or district heating systems in urban areas.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-32903 on 22 April 2010 which identified the Scottish Government''s approach to combined heat and power and district heating. The introductory text to the second National Planning Framework for Scotland (NPF2) explains that it is not a funding document. NPF2 provides the strategic spatial policy context for decisions and actions by the government and its agencies and the government has no plans for its early revision.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Defauls.aspx.

Question reference: S3W-33006

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 22 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the cabinet had on the identification of a coal-fired power station at Hunterston as a national development prior to the National Planning Framework 2 being laid before the Parliament.

Question reference: S3W-33008

Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 22 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how its decision to specify a coal-fired power station at Hunterston as a national development in the National Planning Framework 2 now relates to the duty of the Scottish Ministers to consider the proposal for such a power station submitted by Ayrshire Power Ltd and whether it will make a statement on this matter.

Scottish ministers are obliged by the 1989 Electricity Act (Scotland) to consider directly applications for consent for thermal power stations over 50 megawatts of electricity output capacity. Designation as a national development establishes the need for the development in principle. Any inquiry or examination of a specific proposal for such a power station will therefore focus on aspects of the application itself, including the matters set out in the statement of need for national development 9 (page 121 of the National Planning Framework).

The purpose of national development status is to facilitate the consenting processes for infrastructure which is considered to be of national importance by establishing the principle of development after wide consultation. The National Planning Framework 2 Participation Statement and Conformity Report sets out how and with whom discussions on this national development took place, as set out in the answer to question S3W-33007 on 22 April 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Defauls.aspx.