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-22226

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering trialling the inoculation of badgers to prevent the spread of tuberculosis to cattle.

Question reference: S3W-22224

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the incidence of bovine tuberculosis is increasing in Scotland.

Scotland continues to have a relatively low and stable incidence of bovine tuberculosis.

The percentage of bovine herds confirmed as infected with tuberculosis, where infection cannot be attributed to introduced infection, has not exceeded 0.1% of all herds for the last six consecutive years, and at least 99.9% of herds have achieved officially tuberculosis-free status during each of those six consecutive years.

Question reference: S3W-22225

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to tackle bovine tuberculosis.

A review of the animal health and welfare strategy in 2004 resulted in the government developing a 10-year framework strategy for dealing with TB in cattle. Central to controlling the disease, is the programme of routine skin testing and compulsory slaughter of test reactors (with compensation).

Routine testing of bovine herds in Scotland is conducted every four years except for herds assessed as being higher risk (e.g. dealer''s herds and those with a regular intake of cattle from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland) when skin testing is conducted annually.

Slaughterhouse surveillance is also important in facilitating post-mortem examination, especially of younger beef cattle.

Additional controls are in place to protect and enhance Scotland''s health status and minimise the risks from introduced infection. These include:

Pre and post movement testing of all cattle from high incidence areas of Great Britain (yearly and two yearly testing areas) moving to Scotland.

Pre and post movement testing of cattle imported into Scotland from other non-officially tuberculosis free EU member states and other parts of the United Kingdom (Northern Ireland, Isle of Man and Channel Islands).

Gamma interferon testing - gamma interferon testing has been applied to all cattle over six weeks of age on holdings identified as new confirmed breakdowns since October 2006. The intention is to eradicate any new confirmed outbreak as quickly as possible.

Zero tolerance of overdue tests - herd owners are automatically placed under movement restrictions if their routine TB test is not completed on time.

Question reference: S3W-22082

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how the deliberations of the independent scrutiny of NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s healthcare services will be communicated to service users in the region.

Question reference: S3W-22081

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how long it anticipates that the independent scrutiny of NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s healthcare services will take.

Question reference: S3W-22080

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether members of the public will be involved in the independent scrutiny of NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s healthcare services.

Question reference: S3W-22079

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what form the independent scrutiny of NHS Dumfries and Galloway’s healthcare services will take.

Question reference: S3W-21886

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 13 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S3F-1526 by Alex Salmond on 12 March 2009, which of the schools planned or under construction in Dumfries and Galloway were commissioned by the current administration.

Question reference: S3W-21881

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 26 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of children in primaries one to three were in classes of 18 or under in Dumfries and Galloway in (a) 2006 and (b) 2008.

Question reference: S3W-21879

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what Forestry Commission Scotland’s policy is regarding roe deer on its land.

Deer on the national forest estate are managed in accordance with the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996 and the Scottish Government''s strategy Scotland''s Wild Deer: A National Approach.

Forestry Commission Scotland regard roe deer as an integral part of the forest environment and, when managed to appropriate population levels, an asset.

Their policy on the national forest estate is to:

maintain sustainable populations of native deer species, including roe deer;

undertake all deer culling in an exemplary, safe and humane manner;

work collaboratively with relevant organisations and neighbours to develop integrated deer management plans that seek to recognise the interests of all parties, and

take opportunities to generate sustainable economic activity from sporting and venison.