- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 21 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward and publish its plans to legislate for the introduction of permits restricting the amount of waste sent to landfill sites and what penalties will be imposed on local authorities which fail to comply with their obligations under the EC Landfill Directive.
Answer
The EC Landfill Directive requires significant reductions in the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill sites. Sarah Boyack announced, in reply to question S1W-6441 on 2 May, the results of a public consultation that examined ways of meeting these targets. 84% of those who responded favoured the introduction of a system of permits issued to local authorities for the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste. My officials are working closely with the Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions on the design of a permit system, including the nature of any penalties for non-compliance. I plan to launch a further consultation on the details of how such a permit system would work early in 2001.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 21 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Post Office regarding any proposals to merge Post Office outlets in urban areas to provide fewer but bigger offices and what impact any such proposals would have on the rest of its proposals in the New Vision for the Post Office.
Answer
The Post Office and postal services are reserved matters. The Scottish Executive is in regular touch with the United Kingdom Government and the Post Office on issues affecting the Post Office network in Scotland.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much public money was spent on concessionary fares schemes in each of the last three years.
Answer
Expenditure on concessionary fares schemes by local authorities in each of the last three financial years is as follows:
| | £000 |
1997-98 | 42,441 |
1998-99 | 41,968 1 |
1999-2000 | 41,952 2 |
Notes:
1. Provisional outturn figure which is subject to change.2. Budget estimate which is subject to change.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the national concessionary fares scheme due to be introduced in October 2002 will cost annually.
Answer
The Scottish Executive commissioned consultants, Colin Buchanan and Partners, to carry out a research study into the likely costs of various options for enhancing concessionary fares arrangements. Their report will be made available shortly to the Transport and Environment Committee. The Executive will shortly enter into discussion with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and bus operators to clarify the actual costs associated with the introduction of the enhanced arrangements I announced on 28 September (S1W-1099).
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 6 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government regarding any delays to the new Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre in Prestwick and their effect on local jobs and whether it will place copies of any relevant correspondence in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has had no discussions with the UK Government on any delay to the new Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre at Prestwick.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 26 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the additional funding for local government announced by the Minister for Finance on 20 September 2000 includes finance to cover the costs of a national concessionary fares scheme and, if not, which budget heading such finance will come from.
Answer
Within the additional £1.2 billion investment in local government grant over the next three years, which I announced last month, allowance is included to enable local authorities to enhance their existing concessionary travel schemes.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 18 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has assessed what additional duties and burdens local authorities will be expected to take on next year, either as a result of directions from it or as a consequence of legislation passed by the Parliament; whether it will list any such additional duties and burdens; what financial implications any such burdens and duties will have, and what additional finance will be made available to local authorities to cover any additional costs arising from any such burdens and duties in the forthcoming financial year.
Answer
The spending plans I announced last month provide an extra £1.2 billion in total grant support to local government over the next three years - a real terms increase of 10.5%. This injection of resources will enable local authorities to modernise local government, improve services and increase efficiency. The provisional settlement announced in December will reflect any new burdens on local authorities.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9442 by Iain Gray on 15 September 2000, why there will be no increase in mental illness specific grant in the current year and why the grant is being maintained at the 1995-96 level.
Answer
The current level of spending was determined in the Comprehensive Spending Review held in 1998, which looked at spending requirements in 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 in the light of priorities at the time. We announced on 20 September that we are increasing Mental Illness Specific Grant to £19 million for 2001-02 and subsequent years.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when those figures for the amount of the mental illness specific grant paid by each local authority to individual projects in previous years which are not readily available at present will be available.
Answer
I wrote to Mr Ingram and provided him with information about individual projects receiving grant in 2000-01. Information for previous years could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 26 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what has been the number of (a) inpatients and (b) outpatients being treated for mental illness on an annual basis for each of the last five years, broken down by health board.
Answer
The available information is as follows:
Psychiatric1 inpatient discharges2: years ending 31 March 1996 to 31 March 1999
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
Scotland | 33 687 | 33 374 | 32 953 | 31 939 |
Argyll & Clyde | 2 833 | 3 021 | 3 393 | 3 133 |
Ayrshire & Arran | 2 581 | 2 480 | 2 604 | 2 639 |
Borders | 659 | 751 | 692 | 646 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 853 | 927 | 877 | 852 |
Fife | 2 110 | 1 949 | 1 994 | 2 009 |
Forth Valley | 1 680 | 1 650 | 1 636 | 1 453 |
Grampian | 2 824 | 2 823 | 2 679 | 2 657 |
Greater Glasgow | 6 135 | 5 842 | 5 871 | 5 623 |
Highland | 1 346 | 1 421 | 1 409 | 1 443 |
Lanarkshire | 3 058 | 2 876 | 2 852 | 2 874 |
Lothian | 6 161 | 5 837 | 5 648 | 5 486 |
Orkney | 10 | 24 | - | - |
Shetland | - | - | - | - |
Tayside | 3 228 | 3 557 | 3 071 | 2 925 |
Western Isles | 209 | 216 | 227 | 199 |
Psychiatric1 new outpatient attendances: years ending 31 March 1996 to 31 March 1999
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
Scotland | 56 375 | 58 609 | 58 771 | 57 955 |
Argyll & Clyde | 4 279 | 3 954 | 4 288 | 5 112 |
Ayrshire & Arran | 1 971 | 2 642 | 2 874 | 2 695 |
Borders | 1 305 | 1 022 | 1 144 | 1 068 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 1 209 | 1 848 | 1 696 | 1 328 |
Fife | 2 158 | 2 494 | 2 401 | 2 311 |
Forth Valley | 2 991 | 2 348 | 2 170 | 2 613 |
Grampian | 5 125 | 5 492 | 4 855 | 5 074 |
Greater Glasgow | 10 808 | 11 239 | 11 684 | 9 773 |
Highland | 1 733 | 1 550 | 1 543 | 1 687 |
Lanarkshire | 4 777 | 4 948 | 4 831 | 4 228 |
Lothian | 15 513 | 16 169 | 17 041 | 16 493 |
Orkney | 51 | 51 | 67 | 176 |
Shetland | 98 | 139 | 148 | 143 |
Tayside | 4 210 | 4 547 | 3 897 | 5 071 |
Western Isles | 147 | 166 | 132 | 183 |
Source: ISD Scotland.
Notes:
1. Comprises the following specialties: mental illness, psychogeriatrics, child psychiatry and adolescent psychiatry.
2. Refers to the end of each episode of hospital care. A patient may generate several episodes of care each year. Therefore the actual number of patients will be lower than that shown.
3. NHS Locations only. Excludes any activity in joint-user and contractual hospitals.
4. No information has been included on mental health consultations talking place in Primary Care settings (e.g. GP practice).
