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: S4O-02586

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the increase in crimes of violence and indecency in Dumfries and Galloway in the period April to September 2013 compared with the same period in 2012.

Question reference: S4W-17664

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 1 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02470 by Roseanna Cunningham on 3 October 2013, how many people other than firefighters are employed in the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service call handling facility in Dumfries.

Question reference: S4W-17663

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 31 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-17162 by Kenny MacAskill on 2 October 2013, which organisations that facilitate the reporting and detection of crime have received funding in each year since 2008-09 and how much each has received.

The following table sets out the funding that the police and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service received in each year since 2008-09.

Police

Year	£000
2012-13	£1,408
2011-12	£1,370
2010-11	£1,412
2009-10	£1,388
2008-09	£1,307

Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service

Year	£000
2012-13	£108.5
2011-12	£109.3
2010-11	£118.5
2009-10	£119.5
2008-09	£110.1

In addition over 300 organisations are registered to report crimes to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. Many of these organisations receive funding from the Scottish Government as well as other sources. All funding allocations and their purposes are set out in the Scottish Government’s budgets from 2008-09 to present.

Question reference: S4O-02542

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what plans are in place to address seasonal pressures on health services in Dumfries and Galloway.

Question reference: S4W-17528

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 28 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to increase awareness of (a) myasthenia gravis and (b) stiff person syndrome among medical staff.

It is the aim of the Scottish Government to ensure that everyone with neurological conditions can access the care and support they need, and in support of this aim we are ensuring the Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s(HIS) Neurological Standards are implemented effectively.

At present there are no specific awareness campaigns commissioned by the Scottish Government regarding myasthenia gravis or stiff person syndrome, however implementation of the HIS neurological standards will drive improvements in services for those effected by neurological conditions, and help increase knowledge and awareness of those healthcare staff delivering such services. The Scottish Government worked with the Neurological Alliance of Scotland in designing the improvement programme, and contributed £40K to support the establishment of the newly formed National Neurological Advisory Group to provide overarching
co-ordination and advice to assist health boards deliver their improvement plans.

More generally, healthcare professionals have to demonstrate knowledge, skills and competence relevant to their profession during their undergraduate and postgraduate training, including in areas of diagnosis and appropriate treatments. It is also a professional obligation that such staff participate in continuous professional development activities in order to keep their knowledge and skills up-to-date.

Question reference: S4W-17668

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many traffic wardens Police Scotland employs, broken down by local authority area.

The Scottish Government is aware that there are currently 84 traffic warden posts in Police Scotland, Police Scotland inherited these arrangements, which were agreed by the previous legacy police forces and local authorities across Scotland. The following table shows the breakdown of traffic warden posts by local authority area:

Local Authority Area	No of Posts
Renfrewshire	2
Dumfries and Galloway	4
Angus	2
Highland	12
Orkney	2
Western Isles	1
Stirling	6
Clackmannanshire	2
Falkirk	6
Edinburgh	14
Midlothian	2
East Lothian	3
West Lothian	3
Scottish Borders	3
Fife	10
Aberdeen City	3
Aberdeenshire	6
Moray	3
	84

Question reference: S4W-17527

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 25 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02429 by Keith Brown on 25 September 2013 (Official Report, c. 22874), which aspects of the Ellisland project (a) are being taken forward and (b) will be funded by (i) Dumfries and Galloway Council, (ii) SWESTRANS and (iii) Transport Scotland.

A review of the cost and benefits of the Ellisland improvement was carried out and this has shown that the cost of the proposed scheme had increased and no longer provided value for money. Transport Scotland are currently not progressing any element of the Ellisland Improvement scheme.

The provision of a bus shelter at Courthill caravan park was included as part of the Ellisland Improvement Scheme and this provision is now being taken forward by SWESTRANS and Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Question reference: S4W-17665

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02470 by Roseanna Cunningham on 3 October 2013, whether all displaced employees will be offered relocation and redeployment in Dumfries and Galloway and, if not, what will happen to employees who are unable to accept relocation or deployment elsewhere.

Question reference: S4W-17666

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2013
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4O-02470 by Roseanna Cunningham on 3 October 2013, how it will ensure that local knowledge is not lost when the call handling facility in Dumfries is closed.

Question reference: S4W-17517

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 9 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16865 by Michael Russell on 24 September 2013, whether further education colleges are permitted to make it a condition of receiving a bursary that a student resides at a particular hall of residence and to withhold part of that bursary to pay the student’s rent and, if so, whether the college may continue to withhold that part of the student’s bursary if the student no longer resides at that hall of residence.