- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the meeting of Grampian Joint Police Board on 11 January 2008 and the report in the Press and Journal on 12 January 2008 that the Chief Constable of Grampian Police stated that, as a consequence of police pensions underfunding, “the worst case scenario could be a reduction in police numbers”, what adjustment it will make in projections of police numbers in Grampian; what it anticipates the shortfall in police pension funding will be for Grampian in each of the next three financial years, and whether it will make a ministerial statement on the matter.
Answer
The recruitment and deploymentof police officers in Grampian is a matter for the Chief Constable of Grampian Policeand it is for him to consider the projections of police numbers in Grampian withthe Grampian Joint Police Board whose convener has announced that the force is ontrack to have unprecedented numbers of officers.
As the Cabinet Secretary forFinance and Sustainable Development announced in his statement to Parliament on13 December, funding for police pensions is included within the local authorityfunding settlement under the concordat with COSLA. It is for police boards to negotiatebudgets with their constituent local authorities.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the third supplementary to question S3F-427 by Alex Salmond on 17 January 2008 in which he cited a report in the Press and Journal of 9 January 2008 that an additional 60 officers will join Grampian Police during the next financial year (Official Report c.5190), what it anticipates the number of Grampian police officers will be in each of the next three years and whether it will make a ministerial statement on the matter.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8462 on 24 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 28 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued any guidance to local authorities on the development of community energy plans.
Answer
The Scottish Government has notissued any guidance to local authorities on the development of community energyplans.
However, we are committed totripling the funding for community renewables and microgeneration, and are currentlyreviewing what form that support should take. As part of that process we are consideringwhat help communities may need to engage with renewables developments.
We are also considering feedbackfrom a seminar I hosted in November last year which brought together a range ofstakeholders to discuss the potential community benefits from wind farm developments.
In addition, the emerging conclusionsof the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) renewable heatgroup include the need for guidance to local authorities to deliver local fuel andheat strategies. The group will also recommend the development of heat maps at alocal level. We will take these recommendations into account in developing a RenewableHeat Plan for Scotland, which I anticipate publishing later this year.
We will also consider furtherthe opportunities for community energy plans and companies.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 23 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding might be available to increase the capacity of a new or existing football stadium in the event of Scotland being successful in a bid to host the 2016 European Football Championships.
Answer
Until a feasibility study hasbeen completed it is not possible to advise on additional funding to increase thecapacity of a new or existing football stadium in the event of Scotland beingsuccessful in a bid to host the 2016 European Football Championship Finals.
Initial discussions have takenplace and the early stages of a feasibility study are on-going.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 23 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding from sportscotland’s Building for Sport programme would be available for the (a) redevelopment of an existing football stadium to include community facilities and (b) development of a new football stadium to accommodate a professional football club as well as community facilities.
Answer
Any eligible project can applyto sportscotland’s Building for Sport programme for funding under their currentfunding guidelines to improve community sports facilities.
The redevelopment of an existingfootball stadium to include community facilities and the development of a new footballstadium to accommodate a professional football club as well as community facilitieswould be a matter for discussion between the football club concerned and their localauthority.
Local authorities are responsiblefor the provision of community sports facilities.
Funding for sport is includedwithin the overall local government finance settlement and it is the responsibilityof each local authority, in conjunction with its community planning partners, toallocate funding on the basis of local needs and priorities, including the ScottishGovernment’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments. We will continueto work in partnership with local government to drive forward our sports priorities.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 23 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-7656, S3W-7657, S3W-7658, S3W-7659, S3W-7660 and S3W-7661 by Shona Robison on 14 January 2008, what the timetable is for the proposed incremental introduction of the comprehensive programme which will ultimately serve very young, nursery and school children.
Answer
Scotland will be divided into three areas, north, east andwest for the purpose of Childsmile with Childsmile Nursery/School and Practice plannedto roll out in the north in 2008-09. Childsmile Practice to rollout in 2009-10 inthe east and Childsmile Nursery/School to roll out in 2009-10 in the west.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS board areas are currently involved in the Childsmile School initiative.
Answer
The Childsmile School initiativeis currently operational in NHS Fife.
A Childsmile programme developedparticularly for the needs of the population in NHS Grampian will be introducedin 2008 starting with a training programme for staff in the first half of 2008 andan incremental introduction of the comprehensive programme which will ultimatelyserve very young, nursery and school children.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to extend the Childsmile Nursery initiative to the NHS Grampian area.
Answer
A Childsmile programme developedparticularly for the needs of the population in NHS Grampian will be introducedin 2008, starting with a training programme for staff in the first half of 2008and an incremental introduction of the comprehensive programme which will ultimatelyserve very young, nursery and school children.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS board areas are currently involved in the Childsmile Nursery initiative.
Answer
NHS Fife, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Tayside,NHS Lothian, NHS Borders and NHS Ayrshire and Arran are currently involved in theChildsmile Nursery initiative.
A Childsmile programme developedparticularly for the needs of the population in NHS Grampian will be introducedin 2008 starting with a training programme for staff in the first half of 2008 andan incremental introduction of the comprehensive programme which will ultimatelyserve very young, nursery and school children.
- Asked by: Lewis Macdonald, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to extend the Childsmile Practice initiative to the NHS Grampian area.
Answer
A Childsmile programmedeveloped particularly for the needs of the population in NHS Grampian will beintroduced in 2008 starting with a training programme for staff in the firsthalf of 2008 and an incremental introduction of the comprehensive programmewhich will ultimately serve very young, nursery and school children.
