- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 14 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20034 by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 December 2001, how many places there have been at each dental school in each year since 2001 and what the ratio was of applications to places available in each year.
Answer
The information on applications received and available places at Dundee and Glasgow Dental Schools from 2002 to 2004 is provided in the following table.
| Year | Dundee Dental School | | | Glasgow Dental School | | |
| | Applications | Available Places | Ratio of Applications to Places | Applications | Available Places | Ratio of Applications to Places |
| 2004 | 393 | 67 | 5.9:1 | 414 | 90 | 4.6:1 |
| 2003 | 311 | 61 | 5.1:1 | 374 | 80 | 4.9:1 |
| 2002 | 282 | 61 | 4.6:1 | 326 | 80 | 4.2:1 |
Source: Admissions Offices, Dundee and Glasgow Dental Schools.
Notes:
1. For Dundee the figures combine those for a preliminary Predental Year, and for direct entry to Year 1.
2. The “Available Places” includes those for overseas students.
Between 2001 and 2004, the number of applications received and places available for dental training have increased with a healthy ratio of applications to places.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 10 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the status is of the (a) Clean Up, (b) Autogas+ and (c) Powershift programmes aimed at promoting fuel-efficient cars; what future plans it has for each of the programmes, and what the respective roles of the Scottish and UK governments are in relation to these programmes.
Answer
Powershift and CleanUp grantsare available across the UK and the programmes are funded by the Scottish Executivewithin Scotland. The UK Government funds the programmes in England. Autogas+is funded by the Scottish Executive and operates only in Scotland.
Following a consultation lastyear, the Powershift and CleanUp grant programmes will be replaced by new programmesafter the end of this financial year. Details of the new programmes have yet tobe finalised.
We are also looking at the futureof the Autogas+ Programme in light of the changes proposed to the other Programmes.An announcement on the future of the Programme will be made shortly.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to the report by the General Dental Council following its inspection of the Glasgow Dental School, where "fundamental and ongoing problems" were identified.
Answer
I will be meeting Muir Russell,Principal of Glasgow University, to discuss the issues raised in the report. The standards of dental education are the responsibilityof the University of Glasgow and the General Dental Council. I am confident that progresshas been and is being made, with the full support of Greater Glasgow Health Boardand NHS Education for Scotland, who are responsible for the clinical support services.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) average number of patients per general dental practitioner and (b) number of general dental practitioner vacancies expressed as a percentage of overall posts is, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
The average number of NHS patientsper NHS general dental practitioner, broken down by NHS board area, is shown inthe table below.
Information on the number ofpatients registered under private arrangements is not collected.
Informationon the number of general dental practitioner vacancies is not held centrally.
Average Number of RegisteredNHS Patients per NHS General Dental Practitioner (GDP); at 30 September 2004
| NHS Board Area | Average Number of Registered Patients1,2,3,4 |
| Scotland | 1,294 |
| Argyll and Clyde | 1,341 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 1,436 |
| Borders | 1,523 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 1,539 |
| Fife | 1,517 |
| Forth Valley | 1,497 |
| Grampian | 1,451 |
| Greater Glasgow | 1,129 |
| Highland | 882 |
| Lanarkshire | 1,336 |
| Lothian | 1,210 |
| Orkney | 926 |
| Shetland | 924 |
| Tayside | 1,380 |
| Western Isles | 1,571 |
Source: MIDAS (ManagementInformation and Dental Accounting System).
Notes:
1. An NHS GDP may work in morethan one NHS board area.
2. Based on the number of non-salariedand salaried principal GDPs.
3. Registrations data extracted3 March 2005.
4. Calculated by dividing thetotal number of NHS patients registered by the number of NHS GDPs.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 8 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers are available to local authorities or other bodies to compulsorily purchase derelict shops or other commercial properties for community use.
Answer
The power to acquire land is for certain statutorily defined purposes. The legislation to be relied upon depends on the purpose behind the acquisition rather than the nature of the land itself. For example, should the purpose be a school, then specific powers exist within section 20 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 whilst if the acquisition were for a planning purpose (such as regeneration), the powers contained in section 189 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 could be considered.
It would be initially for the local authority or other body to consider how and when to use such powers.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 8 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of revenue has been (a) raised in Scotland and (b) returned to the Scottish Executive from (i) climate change levy, (ii) landfill tax and (iii) fossil fuel levy.
Answer
The exact levels of these taxes raised in Scotland are not available, however they are estimated in the Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland (GERS) exercise. The estimated amounts raised in 2002-03 were (i) £80 million, (ii) £50 million and (iii) £1 million. Since the Executive receives a block grant from HM Treasury, amounts of individual taxes are not traceable in the Executive’s overall funding.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated value to Scotland is of decommissioning work being carried out in the North Sea oil and gas industry.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise Energy Team report Opportunities for Scottish Based Businesses 2001 and the update to that report in March 2002 concluded that the total estimated value for the entire North Sea decommissioning is likely to be no less than £20 billion and could easily run to £30 billion over an anticipated time period of some 20 to 30 years.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to ensure that the necessary skills are available to allow Scotland to benefit from the decommissioning of the North Sea oil and gas industry.
Answer
The Enterprise Network continues to invest heavily in training and modern apprenticeship schemes in engineering and other disciplines to allow individuals to apply skills in whatever context that may be needed in the future.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to ensure that Scotland benefits from the decommissioning of North Sea oil platforms.
Answer
The Scottish Enterprise Energy Team actively supports business engagement within the decommissioning market through focused market assessment reports, workshops for businesses and active engagement with the main oil and gas operators. The team also works closely with regulatory bodies such as DTI in terms of future cessation programmes.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive who the members of the Scottish Executive Fuel Poverty Forum are and how (a) the membership is selected and (b) prospective members may apply.
Answer
Organisations represented on the Scottish Executive Fuel Poverty Forum are as follows:
Age Concern
Citizens Advice Scotland
COSLA
West Lothian Council
Energy Action Scotland
Energy Saving Trust
Energywatch
Friends of the Earth Scotland
Help the Aged
National Grid Transco
Ofgem
Scottish Federation of Housing Associations
Scottish Gas
ScottishPower
Scottish and Southern Energy.
Each member organisation selects its representative. The membership was selected from the Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Group that helped establish the central heating initiative. Organisations wishing to participate in the forum should in the first instance contact the secretariat of the forum at the Scottish Executive Development Department.
