- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to upgrade the A90/A96 Haudagain junction.
Answer
A Steering Group madeup of the Scottish Executive’s transport agency, Transport Scotland together withAberdeen City Council and NESTRANS (North East of Scotland Transport Partnership)are taking forward a STAG assessment of the Haudagain Roundabout with a view toidentify suitable options to alleviate identified problems at this junction.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support improvements to rail freight in the north east as a sustainable and environmentally friendly mode of transport.
Answer
The £4 million gaugeenhancement from Mossend to Elgin is reaching completion. As a result largerfreight containers will be able to use the route shortly, helping transfer morefreight from road to rail.
We also operate theFreight Facilities Grant and Rail Environmental Benefits Procurement (REPS) Schemeswhich provide capital and revenue support to rail operations which transfer freightfrom road to rail. We have recently made an award of REPS support of up to £745,000over the next three years, to Direct Rail Services for their container service betweenAberdeen and Grangemouth. This will remove over 8,000 lorry journeys from the roadsof the north east each year.
We will continue tolook at opportunities to assist the industry move from road to rail.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 3 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the reopening of Kintore Station.
Answer
The reopening of KintoreStation features in the Aberdeen Crossrail proposal which is being promoted by theNorth East of Scotland Regional Transport Partnership (NESTRANS). The STAG 2 appraisalfor this project is currently being finalised by NESTRANS and I understand the reportshould be with Transport Scotland by the end of summer. We will then be ableto assess the feasibility and value for money of this project including the reopeningof Kintore Station.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 2 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the full dualling of the A90 between Tipperty and Peterhead, including the preparation of feasibility reports, start dates for each section and completion dates.
Answer
The next round ofmajor investment in the trunk road network will emerge from the Strategic TransportProjects Review, which is due to report in summer 2008, will examine the longerterm needs of Scotland’s nationally strategic transport network to develop the investmentplan for 2012 to 2022.
Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area, andcan be contacted if required.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 28 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it proposes to adopt to ensure that rural schools are included in rural development and regeneration strategies.
Answer
The Scottish Governmentbelieve that good quality educational services and facilities are an important partof the fabric of rural community life. The provision of these services is essentiallya matter for local authorities, who have a key role to play in Community PlanningPartnerships.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 25 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the full dualling of the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness, including the preparation of feasibility reports, start dates for each section and completion dates.
Answer
The Aberdeen to Inverness Multi-Modal Transport Corridor Study, andthe outcome of a design study for a dual carriageway improvement of the A96 betweenInverness and Inverness Airport will feed directly into the Strategic TransportProjects Review.
The next round ofmajor new investment in the trunk road network will emerge from the Strategic TransportProjects Review, which will examine the longer terms needs of Scotland’s nationally strategic transport network to develop theinvestment plan for 2012 to 2022. The Strategic Transport Projects Review is dueto report in summer 2008.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce locally grown produce into schools, hospitals and other institutions.
Answer
We will be working with thoseresponsible for public procurement to ensure factors such as freshness, seasonalityand methods of production are included in tender specifications.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) grocery, (b) butcher, (c) baker, (d) fishmonger, (e) newsagent, (f) confectionery and (g) tobacco retail outlets there were in (i) 2005 and (ii) 2006 and how many such wholesalers there were in each year.
Answer
The number of retail outletsin Scotland was as follows (separate figures are not available for newsagents and confectionery):
| | Business Activity | Number of Business Sites |
| 2005 | 2006 |
| (a) | Retail sale of fruit and vegetables | 550 | 480 |
| (b) | Retail sale of meat and meat products | 845 | 795 |
| (c) | Retail sale of bread, cakes, flour confectionery and sugar confectionery | 880 | 810 |
| (d) | Retail sale of fish, crustaceans and molluscs | 310 | 300 |
| (g) | Retail sale of tobacco products | 465 | 395 |
| (e,f,g) | Retail sale by confectioners, tobacconists and newsagents (CTNs) | 1,225 | 1,205 |
The total number of wholesalersin Scotland was as follows:
| Business Activity | Number of Enterprises |
| 2005 | 2006 |
| Wholesale Trade and Commission Trade, Except of Motor Vehicles and Motorcycles | 6,385 | 6,350 |
Of this, the number active inthe wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco was:
| Business Activity | Number of Enterprises |
| 2005 | 2006 |
| Wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco | 1150 | 1160 |
Source: Inter-Departmental BusinessRegister (IDBR) which is maintained by the Office for National Statistics.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive which NHS boards offer routine 20-week foetal anomaly scans as provided for under NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) guidelines set in 2004.
Answer
The NHS Quality Improvement Scotland publication NationalOverview January 2007 Maternity Services reported that following their reviewof their Clinical Standards for Maternity Services (carried out between November2005 and June 2006), 10 out of the then 15 NHS boards routinely carried out fetalanomaly scans at 18 22 weeks. Those NHS boards were: NHS Argyll and Clyde, NHS Ayrshireand Arran, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Fife, NHS Forth Valley, NHS Grampian,NHS Orkney, NHS Shetland, NHS Tayside and NHS Western Isles.
- Asked by: Nanette Milne, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS) fully evaluates the suitability of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance for implementation in Scotland based on the criteria in respect of contextual differences outlined by NHS QIS in July 2003.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is satisfiedthat NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) fully evaluates the suitabilityof National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance for implementationin Scotland based on the criteria in respect of contextual differencesoutlined by NHS QIS in July 2003.
The NHS QIS process applies toall NICE Multiple Technology Appraisals (MTAs). In 2006 NICE introduced its SingleTechnology Appraisals (STAs). The NHS QIS process currently excludes NICE STAs becausethe Scottish Medicines Consortium already performs an equivalent function.
