- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue to provide support for the community hospital network in the Grampian area and whether it will ensure that there will be no cutback in community hospital provision in rural areas.
Answer
The Executive is providing substantial resources to NHS Grampian as part of the record investment we are making in NHSScotland. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20849 for the details. The formula under which funding is allocated to NHS Boards takes full account of the extent to which the populations they serve are based in rural areas. It is for each board to determine how funding should be used to provide health services which best reflect local needs and priorities.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Grampian Health Board is unable to fund the use of all drugs which have been approved by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and what the reasons are for the board's position on this matter.
Answer
The Executive expects NHS Grampian to follow the guidance on drugs from the Health Technology Board for Scotland. The board also has to manage within the resources made available. The Executive is providing substantial funding to NHS Grampian as part of record investment in NHSScotland. Grampian's general funding allocation for 2001-02 is over £453 million. The NHS Board has received an increase of £21.3 million (5.5%) compared with last year and in each of the next two years the increases will be at least 6.5% and 7.4%.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents resulting in deaths have occurred on trunk roads in the Grampian police area (a) in the current year to date and (b) in each of the last three years.
Answer
The number of road accidents resulting in deaths that have occurred on trunk roads in the Grampian Police area in the current year and in each of the last three years is as follows: -
Year | No of Fatal Accidents |
1998 | 13 |
1999 | 3 |
2000 | 12 |
2001(Jan - Oct) | 8 |
Total | 36 |
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 27 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make arrangements for payments to farmers in Aberdeenshire under the Integrated Administration and Control System to be made as a matter of urgency.
Answer
The department gives priority to the payment of subsidies. Figures for specific areas are not readily available. But for Scotland as a whole, payments under the Arable Area Payments Scheme (AAPS) started on 16 November 2001, the first possible date under the EU legislation. By Christmas some 80% of AAPS claimants have had over £94 million paid into their bank accounts. The department is confident that it will meet its EU obligations to pay more than 96% of AAPS payments by the end of January 2002.In addition, more than £78 million has been paid out under the various livestock schemes since the beginning of November 2001. This covers almost all of the claims eligible for payment.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 25 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to redress the drops in visitor numbers to Scotland as identified by National Statistics in its press release of 10 December 2001.
Answer
The drop in overseas tourism visitors for October is disappointing, but in line with expectations. Both VisitScotland and the British Tourist Authority are currently working on a number of new campaigns to encourage tourists to come to Scotland. These will be launched early in 2002. VisitScotland's marketing budget is at a record level.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 25 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it gave approval to, or had advance knowledge of, the decision by VisitScotland to issue shopping vouchers as a tourism promotion tool.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20742 on 20 December 2001.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that its current proposals for land reform improve the conservation of wildlife and the rearing of managed game, including fish, as core components of rural tourism.
Answer
The Land (Scotland) Reform Bill will not impede the rearing of managed game, including fish.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 25 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport has to make a ministerial statement to the Parliament on the current situation in the tourism industry.
Answer
I have no such plans at present. I shall be publishing the outcome of the review of our national tourism strategy in the New Year. The actions arising from this review, together with a new approach to marketing that VisitScotland is developing, will both assist the industry recover from the effects of foot-and-mouth disease and the tragic events of September 11 and prosper in the longer term.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 25 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the VisitScotland shopping voucher pilot scheme would breach any EU competition rules as a form of market assistance were it made available in other countries and whether there are any plans for a petrol voucher scheme to encourage European visitors to travel north of the central belt.
Answer
VisitScotland's "Shop till you Drop" campaign does not breach any EU competition rules. There are no plans to introduce a petrol voucher scheme.
- Asked by: Mr David Davidson, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 25 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-4241 by Mike Watson on 6 December 2001, whether it will give a definition of eco-tourism.
Answer
Eco-tourism is tourism which is based on an appreciation of the natural environment of an area, contributes to the local economy and contributes to the conservation of the natural heritage being visited.
