- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 22 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how Scotland compares with other nations in the British Isles in respect of household connection to the mains electricity supply and of subsidies for this.
Answer
Information on householdconnection in the UK to the mains electricity supply is not centrally recorded.Subsidies for household connection are determined and administered byindividual local authorities across the UK. Information comparing subsidies at national levelis not held centrally.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 21 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what trends are evident in the incidence of plagiocephaly in Scotland and what causes underlie these trends.
Answer
The following table details,for those ten NHS board areas available,the number and recorded rates of plagiocephaly for children born between 1995-2004.This information does show a rise in recorded cases of plagiocephaly, and this trendcould be due to the practice of putting babies to sleep and play on their backs.
| Year of Birth | No of Children Seen at 6-8 Weeks1 | Number Identified with Plagiocephaly by 9 Months old2 | Number Per 10,000 Children Seen at 6-8 Weeks |
| 1995 | 28,446 | 92 | 32.3 |
| 1996 | 37,282 | 115 | 30.8 |
| 1997 | 41,476 | 158 | 38.1 |
| 1998 | 43,707 | 169 | 38.7 |
| 1999 | 42,130 | 127 | 30.1 |
| 2000 | 41,195 | 157 | 38.1 |
| 2001 | 41,665 | 190 | 45.6 |
| 2002 | 40,994 | 163 | 39.8 |
| 2003 | 41,942 | 145 | 34.6 |
| 2004 | 43,133 | 149 | 34.5 |
Source: CHSP-PS.
ISD Scotland, August2005.
Notes:
Recorded cases of Plagiocephalywithin the Child Health Surveillance Pre-School system: children born between 1995-2004
1. The number of children whoreceived a six to eight week review has been used to estimate the rate per 10,000children.
2. Includes children who receiveda first visit, six to eight week, eight to nine month, or an unscheduled reviewwhen the child was nine months old or less.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 20 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider increasing core funding for Planning Aid for Scotland to allow the establishment of regional offices accessible to the public.
Answer
We have no plans to increasecore funding beyond the £100,000 p.a. grant awarded until financial year 2007-08.Budgets beyond March 2008 will be set in autumn 2007 following the next SpendingReview.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 20 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to provide core funding to Planning Aid for Scotland beyond its current three-year contract.
Answer
Budgets beyond March 2008 willbe set in autumn 2007 following the next Spending Review.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 20 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would consider inserting reference to Planning Aid for Scotland on the face of the Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill or in regulations as a source of free and independent advice to the public on planning matters.
Answer
We have no plans to include areference to Planning Aid for Scotland in legislation. The services of the organisation arealready well known to, and promoted by, planning authorities and a wide range ofcommunity groups.
In addition to financial support,Planning Aid is endorsed by the Scottish Executive in a number of ways includingin the Planning Advice Note on Community Engagement and on the planning page of the Executive’s website.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 19 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what implementation timetable it envisages for the Scottish Water sewage sludge strategy.
Answer
The timetable for implementingScottish Water’s sewage sludge strategy is an operational matter for Scottish Water. I understandthat Scottish Water is reviewing the comments received following the Strategic EnvironmentalAssessment (SEA) consultative exercise which was carried out in support of its SludgeStrategy, and is considering amendments to the Strategy and the SEA in the lightof those comments. I will ask the Chief Executive to respond directly to you.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 19 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial and other support will be provided to Scottish Water to implement its sewage sludge strategy when finalised.
Answer
Ministers have specified theobjectives Scottish Water must deliver in the Directions issued on 28 September 2005. InJanuary 2006, Scottish Water accepted the Water Industry Commission for Scotland determinationof resources as sufficient to deliver these requirements. Should the sewage sludgestrategy give rise to a requirement for additional resources, this would, in thefirst instance, be a matter for Scottish Water to discuss with its economic regulator,the Water Industry Commission for Scotland, through the agreed procedures detailed in the finaldetermination.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households do not have a connection to the mains electricity supply, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
Information on the actual numbersnot connected to mains electricity is not held centrally.
The Scottish House ConditionSurvey, which measures house condition for a sample of occupied dwellings, identifiesoccupied dwellings in the sample not connected to electric mains. Of the sampleof 15,000 occupied dwellings surveyed in 2002, three dwellings did not have a connectionto the mains electricity supply. This number is too small to provide a reliableestimate of the total number of dwellings in Scotland or in each local authorityarea without a mains electricity supply.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 13 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on taxi fares for pupils attending schools in each education authority area in the last three years.
Answer
The information requested isnot held centrally.
- Asked by: Adam Ingram, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 12 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence of mental illness and mental health problems is among students and what trends have been identified in relation to this issue.
Answer
Students enrolling in highereducation institutions and colleges are asked on a voluntary basis to state whichdisabilities, if any, they have.
The number of higher educationstudents declaring a mental health difficulty is published annually on the internetat:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Lifelong-learning/DataHEbyAgeGenderDisabil.The data for the last three yearsfor higher education institutions and colleges is summarised in the following table.
Students Declaring a Mental HealthDifficulty
| Academic Year | HEIs | FECs* |
| 2002-03 | 405 | 2,865 |
| 2003-04 | 525 | 3,055 |
| 2004-05 | 650 | 3,485 |
Source: Higher Education StatisticsAgency and Scottish Funding Council
Notes:
Numbers have been rounded tothe nearest five.
*Vocational enrolments in FurtherEducation Colleges.
