Questions and answers

Question reference: S3W-18217

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 3 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that residents in rural or remote communities in the Scottish Borders are able to receive broadband.

As a result of direct intervention by the Scottish Government, broadband availability in Scotland is already over 99%. Our current Broadband Reach Project, for which a contract worth £3.3 million was awarded to Avanti Communications in June 2008, furthers our commitment and aims to address 100% of known demand.

Avanti are using a mix of technologies, including satellite and wireless, to deliver an affordable, basic (512Kbps) broadband service, appropriate to the location and density of those eligible households and business that have made themselves known to the Scottish Government.

Around 4,000 premises, including a number from the Scottish Borders, are included in this project. Rollout commenced in July 2008 and completion is expected by May 2009.

Question reference: S3W-18216

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 3 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many rural or remote households in the Scottish Borders are unable to receive broadband.

Question reference: S3W-18140

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 27 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to lease long-term full management and cutting rights over at least 25% of the national forest estate to large timberland investment companies.

Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on Climate Change and the National Forest Estate http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.

The consultation period closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-18141

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 27 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the long-term leasing out of full management and cutting rights over at least 25% of the national forest estate to large timberland investment companies would have on Forestry Commission Scotland jobs.

Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on Climate Change and the National Forest Estate http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM. The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland. It is therefore too soon to say what (if any) impact there will be on Forestry Commission staff.

If the leasing/cutting rights option goes ahead, there will be no compulsory redundancies and any jobs that move would be subject to the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations.

Question reference: S3W-18142

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 21 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 27 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits it considers that the long-term leasing out of full management and cutting rights over at least 25% of the national forest estate to large timberland investment companies would bring in terms of tackling climate change and ensuring sustainable woodland resources.

The benefit of long-term leasing out of management and cutting rights over parts of the national forest estate is that it would release capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This potential option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on Climate Change and the National Forest Estate http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM. The consultation period closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-17830

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 24 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it can offer to the people in Dolphinton who cannot obtain NHS dental treatment.

Question reference: S3W-17831

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 24 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken in partnership with NHS Lanarkshire to improve NHS dentist provision in Dolphinton.

Responsibility for the overall provision of NHS general dental services in the area rests with NHS Lanarkshire. NHS Lanarkshire is aware that there are problems with access to NHS dental services in the area and the board has been working with dental practitioners to try and increase provision.

NHS Lanarkshire has provisionally been allocated £6.47 million of the £75 million being invested in Scotland under the Primary and Community Care Modernisation Programme over the two years 2009-10 and 2010-11. A priority for the funding is the development of new dental centres for independent general dental practitioners working in the NHS.

The Scottish Government has introduced a number of financial measures to improve access to NHS dental services, including grants under the Scottish Dental Access Initiative for dentists wishing to establish new or expand existing NHS dental practices.

NHS boards have also been given the authority to appoint salaried dentists where this is the best solution to meet local needs.

Question reference: S3W-17202

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what work is being undertaken in conjunction with local authorities and other bodies to increase provision of allotment space in the South of Scotland.

Question reference: S3W-17200

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how much land could be made available to local authorities in the South of Scotland for use as allotment space where there is a proven need and desire for such provision.

Question reference: S3W-17199

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 20 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms it will implement within the context of its national food policy to make land available to local authorities for use as allotment space where there is a proven need and desire for such provision.

I recently announced that we would be asking a number of public bodies to consider how the land they manage could be made to local authorities to increase the number of allotments across Scotland, including the South of Scotland. Officials from across the public sector (including local authorities) will be meeting shortly to discuss the policy, legal and financial implications and the mechanisms required to effect transfer.

Chamber and committees