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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 2757 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S2W-32244

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2007
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 15 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how long on average it takes the Care Commission to provide appropriate accreditation for those who apply to become childminders; whether there is a backlog of around three months and a total time duration of four months to provide such accreditation; if so, whether the Executive considers such timescales acceptable and, if it does not, what steps it will take to reduce them.

Information about the registration of care services by theCare Commission is not collected in this way.

The Care Commissions corporate plan,including key performance indicators (KPIs), is approved by Scottish ministers.The plan for 2006-09 includes a KPI measuring the percentage of registrationscompleted within target times, based on the time between receipt of a validapplication and the date of registration.

In 2006-07 the target forcompleting childminders registration is 80% within three months. The definitionof this target allows for registrations which take more than three months toprocess from receipt of the valid application where the cause of delay wasoutwith the Care Commissions control. Delays can be caused, for example, byawaiting Disclosure Scotland information or references about medicalsuitability, or a request by the applicant for the application to be put onhold. It is reasonable to take these into account when measuring the CareCommissions performance.

On that basis, in Scotlandbetween 1 April 2006 and 31 January 2007, 84% of childminders were registeredwithin three months of receipt of a valid application.

My officials regularly meet theCare Commission to discuss performance against targets in the corporate planand remedial action where targets are not achieved.

Further information aboutregistration of care services can be obtained from the Chief Executive of theCare Commission:

Jacquie Roberts

Care Commission

Compass House

11 Riverside Drive

Dundee DD1 4NY

Telephone: 01382 207109 (Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive).

Question reference: S2W-32053

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 12 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20486 by Lewis Macdonald on 26 September 2006, what progress is being made in establishing a course in clinical dental technology at a dental training institution; when such a course might begin, and what video conferencing provision will be made to enable those who live far from the institution to participate in the course.

NHS Education for Scotland(NES) have been asked to develop, with the further and higher education sector,a suitable clinical dental technology training course for denturists. NES have beenraising awareness of the potential for such a course and inviting registrationsof interest in order to gauge likely demand. One potential training providerhas been identified and discussions are continuing on how and when this trainingmight be delivered. I cannot pre-empt the outcome of those discussions but itis possible that a course might be available during 2007. NES and any courseprovider will consider how best to ensure such a course is accessible toapplicants from throughout Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-32054

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 7 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the “Safe-Inverness” project when its funding runs out in August 2007 and, if so, by what means, whether this will include financial support for the project and whether any similar project, or project with similar aims, in any other city receives Executive support.

Question reference: S2W-31773

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it estimates will be available under the new Scottish Rural Development Programme; whether there will be as much funding provided for crofting communities under the programme as there was under the Crofting Community Development Scheme (CCDS); whether it will provide estimates of the amount which will be available for those parts of Scotland which were eligible to make applications under the CCDS, and whether it will submit any application for structural funding in this connection.

Scotland has been allocated approximately £240 million from theEU over the 2007-13 period. In addition, there will be money from the Scottish Executive– which will provide the majority of the funding – and subject to agreement withthe EU, receipts from voluntary modulation. I am unable to confirm these amountsat this stage because they will both depend on the outcome of on-going negotiationsin Brussels on the voluntary modulation regulation.

As with the SRDP, the structuralfunds programme for 2007-13 is still to be finalised with the Commission. However,dedicated funds will be available for the Highlands and Islands, under the European Regional Development Fund and the European Structural Fund, to support a rangeof economic, social and community development projects. These funds will be availablefor all relevant projects to bid into.

Question reference: S2W-31685

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 21 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated annual population of deer on Rum was in each year since the herd was introduced and, of these, how many were culled annually.

Scottish Natural Heritage hasrecorded the estimated deer population and cull numbers since its inception as follows:

Year	Deer Count	Total Deer Culled
1991	1,649	434
1992	1,438	308
1993	1,262	113
1994	1,185	172
1995	Abandoned due to weather	196
1996	1,483	280
1997	1,408	245
1998	1,527	255
1999	1,432	256
2000	1,341	249
2001	1,103	444
2002	990	406
2003	No count done	190
2004	1,269	237
2005	1,234	445
2006	1,160	141

Question reference: S2W-31683

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 21 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what forestry grants have been paid to Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) in each year since its inception and, in particular, in respect of its forestry in Rum, and what grants SNH is seeking for its future operations in Rum.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH)received the following payments of forestry grants between 1994 and 2007. Of those,during the period 2003-07, £5,643 were in respect of its woodland management onRum.

Any future grant applicationsfor Rum are dependant on the outcome of the review of SNH’s National Nature Reserveplan.

Forestry Grants Paid toScottish Natural Heritage

1994-95	£3,261
1995-96	£1,052.50
1996-97	£1,657.30
1997-98	£2,633.75
1998-99	£1,341.25
1999-00	£3,946.30
2000-01	£4,747.69
2001-02	£40,989.74
2002-03	£6,941.78
2003-04	£542.50
2004-05	£38,528.02
2005-06	£25,481
2006-07	£33,909.59
Total grants paid	£165,032.42

Question reference: S2W-31684

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 20 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Forestry Commission Scotland will approve grant applications from Scottish Natural Heritage which contain no provision for fencing.

Forestry Commission Scotlandwill approve grant for planting schemes which contain no provision for fencingwhether submitted by Scottish Natural Heritage or by other applicants if theyare satisfied that there is no significant risk of damage from deer or othergrazing animals. If such planting schemes are not successful, the applicantwould be asked to carry out remedial work to ensure that the scheme will becomeestablished.

Question reference: S2W-31616

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 15 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce track access charges for the proposed (a) Edinburgh Airport rail link, (b) Glasgow Airport rail link, (c) Waverley line or (d) Airdrie to Bathgate rail link or for any other rail project under construction or proposed for construction.

Question reference: S2W-31618

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 15 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has intimated any view on track access charges on the Stirling-Alloa-Kincardine rail line and, if so, to whom.

The Scottish Executive has alwaystaken the view that there should be a charge on the newStirling-Alloa-Kincardine railway and that the charge should be such as to allowthe benefits of the new railway to be shared between the investor and operatorsusing the new railway. This view has been discussed with many bodies since 2001including the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR), the Strategic Rail Authority, ClackmannanshireCouncil, Scottish Power, Forth Ports, Clydeport and other industry bodies. Mostrecently we wrote to the ORR in June 2006 asking them to set an appropriate trackaccess charge for the railway.

Question reference: S2W-30776

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 December 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 12 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that a sufficient allowance has been made in the cost estimates of Transport Initiatives Edinburgh of the Edinburgh trams scheme in respect of the level of optimism bias.