- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it will give to NHS Highland and other key agencies in the Highlands and Islands to help them respond to the needs of a predicted increasingly ageing population.
Answer
This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0430-01.htm
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 30 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether responsibility for the administration of the Rural Empty Properties Grant scheme has been transferred from Communities Scotland to local authorities and, if so, (a) when it was transferred, (b) what action was taken to ensure that expertise and skills built up by employees at Communities Scotland in relation to the scheme were passed on to local authorities, (c) what the Scottish Government's response is to concerns that some local authorities are unwilling or unable to administer or promote the scheme, (d) how local authorities promote the scheme and (e) whether it will encourage local authorities to do more to promote the scheme.
Answer
Responsibility for the administration of the Rural Empty Properties Grant scheme remains with Scottish Government Housing Investment Division and any enquiries are dealt with through the Regional network of former Communities Scotland offices and staff.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 23 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths by drowning there have been in the area of Loch Awe (a) north of Portsonachan and (b) between Portsonachan and Ford in the last 30 years.
Answer
It is not possible to produce figures which cover the last 30 years as this information is not held centrally. The statistical database of the General Register Office for Scotland holds details of the place of death only in respect of those deaths which were registered with effect from 1 January 1996. Prior to the recent incident which resulted in four deaths, there were eight recorded deaths by drowning since January 1996 for which Loch Awe was mentioned in the place of death part of the death certificate.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the independent review of the future of bull hire programmes in crofting areas will look at the desire of crofters for a ram hire scheme to be reintroduced.
Answer
The remit of the independent review group, published on 18 March 2009, relates solely to the keeping of quality cattle of high health status by crofters in remote rural Scotland. However, any recommendations from the review group to help increase crofting communities'' capacity to work together may have applications to other crofting activities such as sheep rearing.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that more use could be made of the results of tests on patients, such as weight and body mass index, to identify those individuals most at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and, if so, what action it proposes to take.
Answer
It is clear that being overweight, with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30kg/m
2 means people are at much greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Measurements such as body weight and BMI therefore have an important role to play in the detection of the condition.
Actions include the Keep Well programme, which assess the risk of cardiovascular disease, including diabetes, among those aged 45 to 64 living in deprived communities. A range of initiatives relating to diet and physical activity is intended to tackle obesity, and is underpinned by the provision of information through the Scottish Nutrition and Diet Resources Initiative, some of which are written specifically for people at risk of cardiovascular disease.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16946 by Shona Robison on 5 November 2008, what progress is being made by the Scottish Public Health Network in considering early intervention to prevent the onset of diabetes.
Answer
The needs assessment of Type 2 diabetes being undertaken by the Scottish Public Health Network is focussing on prevention and screening, including the optimal screening tool which should be used. It is also considering interventions to prevent or delay diabetes in people with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), about one-third of whom go on to develop Type 2 diabetes.
Publication of the network''s report is expected in June 2009, and will be taken into account in the revision of the Diabetes Action Plan 2006.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the Adopt a Highway anti-litter initiative that runs in countries such as the United States of America and Canada and whether it considers that such an approach would help address the problem of litter in Scotland and, if so, whether it plans to introduce such an initiative.
Answer
Litter clearance on the major roads in Scotland remains the responsibility of either Transport Scotland or local authorities. Transport Scotland, through its operating companies, is responsible for clearing litter on the motorway network and special roads, while local authorities are responsible for keeping most trunk roads clear of litter.
It is for these bodies to decide how roadside cleaning should be carried out, taking into account a number of issues such as traffic management and the health and safety of those people carrying out the work. It is extremely important to make sure that when roadside cleaning is carried out, neither road users nor those people cleaning the roads are placed at any risk or danger. I am afraid that for this reason the Scottish Government does not believe the adopt-a-highway model is suitable for major roads in Scotland.
However, I would draw your attention to the Aberdeenshire Litter initiative. This is a voluntary community based initiative set up in mid-2007 to tackle litter and littering across Aberdeenshire. A number of volunteers have signed up through the initiative to Adopt-a-Street and help keep their designated street litter free.
This initiative has the full support of the environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful and offers a model that could be used for community groups across Scotland who wish to help keep quieter roads litter free.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 31 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to concerns of local people on Islay and in particular in Port Ellen that the new Caledonian MacBrayne Islay ferry cannot be accommodated at Port Ellen.
Answer
The new vessel to serve Islay is due for delivery in spring 2011 and is being financed by a £24.5 million loan from the Scottish Government to Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd. This new vessel was designed to serve Islay''s needs for many years into the future and as such will be longer, wider, more powerful, more manoeuvrable and have greater carrying capacity than either of the vessels that presently serve Islay. These significant changes in dimensions are the reasons why this new vessel cannot fit the existing berthing facilities at Port Ellen that were intended to accommodate smaller vessels.
As owners of the Port Ellen pier, Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd is currently developing options for major improvements to the berthing and passenger facilities.
Considerable investment has already been made at Port Askaig and the new vessel will be able to berth there.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 31 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the impact of the new Caledonian MacBrayne Islay ferry not being accommodated at Port Ellen will be on the economy of (a) Islay and (b) Port Ellen.
Answer
The new vessel will be larger and more manoeuvrable than the existing Islay vessels. This is expected to improve the reliability of the service to Port Askaig in bad weather. The second vessel that would be deployed would still be able to use the Port Ellen berth, so the impact of the new vessel not being able to be accommodated at Port Ellen should not be significant.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 31 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what investment it is making, or plans to make, to upgrade the linkspan and infrastructure at Port Ellen.
Answer
Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd expects to start soon on detailed ground investigation at Port Ellen and related design work. Parallel to this will be the progression of a Harbour Revision Order (HRO) to provide the necessary planning approvals.
As with all major capital works projects, the actual construction start date would depend on affordability and the availability of funding.
