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-06206

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 9 March 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been fined under the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Act 1912 in each financial year since 1999-2000, stating in each case the value of the fine.

The available information, which relates to calendar years, is given in the following table:

Number of persons fined for offences under the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Act 1912, 1999-2002

Year	Number fined	Average fine imposed (£)
1999	28	386
2000	23	357
2001⁽¹⁾	20	859
2002	21	371

Note:

1.The relatively high figure for average fine imposedin 2001 reflects the disproportionate effect of a small number of cases withvery high fines imposed.

Question reference: S2W-06205

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 9 March 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many convictions there have been under the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Act 1912 in each financial year since 1999-2000.

The available information, which relates to calendar years, is given in the following table:

Number of persons convicted for offences under the Protection of Animals (Scotland) Act 1912, 1999-2002

Year	Number
1999	39
2000	40
2001	34
2002	30

Question reference: S2W-06372

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2004
Current Status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 9 March 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Department of Trade and Industry's White Paper Fair, Clear and Competitive - The Consumer Credit Market in the 21st Century, what representations or responses it has made in relation to the White Paper, in particular with regard to the section on licensing arrangements.

The Scottish Executive has been thoroughly consulted by the Department of Trade and Industryon all areas, both during to the preparation and since the publication of the whitepaper. This demonstrates the Executive meeting the Partnership for a Better Scotland commitment to work with the DTI totackle harassment by loan sharks, introduce fairer credit schemes and newprotection from exorbitant interest rates.

Question reference: S2W-06498

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2004
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 March 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5962 by Malcolm Chisholm of 25 February 2004, what the cost was of providing free personal care for the 780 people under 65 with dementia.

Question reference: S2W-06200

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2004
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 9 March 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been spent by social inclusion partnerships on addressing (a) alcohol and (b) drug misuse in each year since their inception.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is asfollows:

Separate social inclusion partnership(SIP) funding has been allocated since 2000 to tackle controlled drugs asdefined under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 but is not allocated specifically toaddress alcohol. Although projects dealing with controlled drugs can includesupport to address alcohol misuse details of these are not held centrally.

The total grant expenditureacross the SIP network under the SIP Tackling Drugs Misuse grant amounted to£0.844 million in 2000-01, £1.088 million in 2001-02 and £1.693 million in2002-03. Expenditure details are not yet available for 2003-04.

Question reference: S2W-06201

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2004
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 March 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been allocated to the NHS for alcohol treatment in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Funding for servicesaddressing alcohol problems is provided within resources allocated to NHS boardsand local authorities, but is not specifically identified by the Executive. The release of funding isconditional on alcohol action teams having agreed outcome expectations and systemsin place to measure key indicators. We will be monitoring the use of the newresources through alcohol and drug action team annual reporting arrangements.

We will be announcingspecific funding for the implementation of local alcohol action plans,including treatment and support priorities, in the near future.

Question reference: S2W-06199

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2004
Current Status: Answered by Hugh Henry on 9 March 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of its drug misuse budget was spent on (a) health-related and (b) justice-related services, in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-04669

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 8 March 2004

The Rural Transport Fund comprises three elements: the Rural Community Transport Initiative (RCTI), the Rural Petrol Stations Grant Scheme (RPSGS) and the Rural Public Passenger Transport Grant Scheme (RPPTGS). Scottish Borders Council received no funding under RCTI or RPSGS, but received RPPTG of £0.158 million in 1999-2000, £0.167 million in 2000-2001, £0.193 million in 2001-02 and £0.212 million in 2002-03. Councils are free to spend these funds as they see fit. The following tables show Scottish Borders Council’s distribution of these funds in 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02. The Council has yet to provide data for 2002-03. We shall continue to pursue the Council and provide the missing information separately as soon as it is received.

Rural Public Passenger Transport Grant 1999-2000 Scottish Borders Council Expenditure

Route	Amount
Service 67: Kelso - Galashiels/Galashiels - St Boswells	£47,290
Service 30: St Boswells & Lauderdale to Edinburgh	£0
Service 73: Selkirk - Galashiels	£2,548
Service 102: Peebles - West Linton-Edinburgh	£25,052
Service 223: Yetholm - Kelso-Coldstream-Berwick	£4,383
Service 67: Kelso - Galashiels (evening service)	£6,566
Service 7:3 Selkirk-Galashiels (evening service)	£3,388
Service 92: Peebles - West Lothian	£2,804
Service 60: Berwick - Duns	£479
Services 23/67: Berwick - Kelso/Kelso - Galashiels	£12,676
Service 64: Kelso - Roxburgh - St Boswells	£2,816
Service 37: Chirnside - Ayton - Eyemouth	£12,865
Service 31: Selkirk - Edinburgh/Edinburgh - Newcastle	£24,850
Service 195: Galashiels - Carlisle	£12,000
Service 114: Jedburgh - Bonchester Bridge - Hawick	£2,901
Service 174: Ettrick-Selkirk	£2,109
Ettrick-Ettrickbridge (community bus route)	£1,202
Service 130: Moffat - Yarrow-Galashiels	£6,365
Kelso - Coldstream - Wooler - Newcastle	£2,881
Total	£173,175

Rural Public Passenger Transport Grant 2000-2001 Scottish Borders Council Expenditure

Route	Amount
Service 67 Kelso - Galashiels/Galashiels - St Boswells	£41,779
Service 30 St Boswells & Lauderdale to Edinburgh	£16,311
Service 73 Selkirk - Galashiels	£3,060
Service 102 Peebles - West Linton - Edinburgh	£33,378
Service 223 Yetholm - Kelso - Coldstream - Berwick	£4,548
Service 67 Kelso - Galashiels	£6,697
Service 73 Selkirk - Galashiels	£3,456
Service 67 Kelso - Galashiels	£4,841
Service 20 Kelso - Jedburgh - Hawick	£4,189
Service 37 Chirnside - Ayton - Eyemouth	£15,907
Service 31 Selkirk - Edinburgh/Edinburgh - Newcastle	£14,535
Service 195 Galashiels - Carlisle	£12,240
Service 61 Earlston - Galashiels	£2,555
Service 174 Ettrick - Selkirk	£5,565
Ettrick-Ettrickbridge (community bus route)	£1,065
Service 130 Moffat - Yarrow - Galashiels	£6,365
Kelso - Coldstream - Wooler - Newcastle	£2,938
Defecit brought forward from previous year	£15,175
Total	£194,604

Rural Public Passenger Transport Grant 2001-2002 Scottish Borders Council Expenditure

Route	Amount
Service 61 Earlston - Galashiels	£2,800
Service 67 Kelso - Galashiels	£6,878
Service 67 Kelso - Galashiels	£4,972
Service 73 Selkirk Galashiels (Sunday service)	£2,669
Service 73 Selkirk - Galashiels	£3,549
Service 195 Galashiels - Carlisle	£35,573
Service 102 Peebles - West Linton - Edinburgh	£64,797
Service 102 Peebles - West Linton	£13,200
Service 223 Yetholm - Kelso - Coldstream - Berwick (to 30/7/01)	£1,732
Service 20 Kelso - Jedburgh - Hawick	£1,588
Service 223 Yetholm - Kelso - Coldstream - Berwick (from 30/7/01)	£3,465
Service 37 Chirnside - Ayton - Eyemouth	£18,537
Service 31 Selkirk - Edinburgh/Edinburgh - Newcastle	£16,425
Service 67 Kelso - Galashiels/Galashiels - St Boswells	£11,375
Service 31 Selkirk - Edinburgh/Edinburgh - Newcastle	£6,532
Service 195 Galashiels - Carlisle	£7,911
Service 174 Ettrick - Selkirk	£12,979
Ettrick-Ettrickbridge (community bus service)	£1,003
Service 130 Moffat - Yarrow - Galashiels	£5,243
Kelso-Coldstream - Wooler - Newcastle	£2,938
Capital expenditure (Footway between Fountainhall and bus stops on A7)	£12,500
Defecit brought forward from previous year	£27,604
Total	£266,270

Question reference: S2W-06367

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2004
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 March 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5926 by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 February 2004 and the reduction in funding for the Sleep Centre in the current financial year from the 2001-02 and 2002-03 levels, whether it intends to increase funding to the centre and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Funding of the Sleep Centrein Edinburgh is a matter for NHS Lothian. I understand that theapparent reduction in funding referred to was a consequence of Grampian NHSBoard setting up a local sleep disorder service in 2003-04. Patients fromGrampian no longer require to travel to Edinburgh for treatment, and Grampian NHS Board, therefore, nolonger makes payments to NHS Lothian in respect of this service. There is noindication that overall funding for sleep disorder patients in Scotland hasbeen reduced.

Question reference: S2W-06370

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 February 2004
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 March 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the cost of continuous positive airway pressure machines should be attributed to the community pharmacy budget and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Continuous positive airwaypressure machines may be used in the treatment of sleep apnoea. These machines arenot attributed to primary care budgets because patients whose symptoms suggestthey may be suffering from sleep apnoea are referred by their GP’s to hospitalspecialist clinics for diagnosis and treatment. If needed they are suppliedthrough the hospital service, with the cost being met from the hospital’sbudget and the patients care being managed by a relevant specialist.