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.

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Question reference: S3W-11424

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Hamilton North and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 March 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 24 April 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new applications have been received under the central heating programme in each of the last three months.

An initial assessment on eligibility is made at the application stage, normally by telephone, and those applicants are recorded as eligible. Eligibility is then confirmed during the survey stage in the applicant''s home.

Between eligible application, subject to survey, and installation the number of applicants who do not go on to receive a central heating system is approximately 23%.

The number of applications received in each of the last three months, as notified by the managing agent, Scottish Gas, is shown in the following table:

Period	Applications Received	Eligible Applicants (Subject to Survey)
January 2008	2,320	2,035
February 2008	2,364	1,892
March 2008	2,100	1,781

Question reference: S3W-11936

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Hamilton North and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 April 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation and engagement took place with national organisations representing disabled people and ethnic minorities on involving them in the detail of how the new Directorate of Equalities and Planning of NHS Health Scotland will work with NHS boards.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11935 on 22 April 2008, which explains the engagement which took place with equality groups prior to the establishment of the directorate of equalities within NHS Health Scotland. The directorate has also begun meetings with a range of national organisations to build on the productive relations they established with the individual Fair for All projects.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Question reference: S3W-11935

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Hamilton North and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 April 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 April 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation took place with national organisations representing disabled people and ethnic minorities on the closure of the Fair for All - Disability and Fair for All - Race projects before the establishment of the new Directorate of Equalities and Planning of NHS Health Scotland.

The work-programme, and associated resources of the Fair for All “ Disability and Fair for All “ Race projects, transferred to NHS Health Scotland''s new equalities and planning directorate in April 2008. We are committed to ensuring that.

Each of the six Fair for All projects was asked to consult the communities they represented to explain the arrangements being put in place when their work was transferred to the new directorate. These consultations were in addition to those carried out by NHS Health Scotland with NHS boards and other key stakeholders across Scotland, including the Disability Rights Commission, the Commission for Racial Equality, and latterly the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

The output of the various Fair for All projects clearly showed that inequalities in health are compounded by people''s individual life circumstances. An aim of establishing the new directorate was therefore to give clear strategic accountability for the delivery of the Fair for All agenda by embedding it within NHS Health Scotland''s wider health inequalities functions.

Question reference: S3W-10301

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Hamilton North and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning applications approved by local authorities it has called in since June 2007; to what the applications referred, and how many of have now been concluded.

Details of the planning applications called in by Scottish ministers since June 2007 is contained in the table below:

Case Description	Date of Call In	Final Decision
Erection of Retail, High Street, Buckie	4/7/07	Withdrawn 26/11/07
Erection of 2 Buildings, Nine Mile Burn, Penicuik	4/7/07	Pending
Construction of 52 dwellinghouses, Mount Ellen Golf Club, Gartcosh	21/6/07	Pending
Erection of retail foodstore, Knockbreck Road, Tain	26/6/07	Pending
Proposed wind turbines at Merranblo, Orkney.	26/6/07	Pending
New settlement village at Forestmill, Alloa	24/7/07	Pending
Mixed use development Waukglen Road, Glasgow	12/7/07	Pending
Erection of dwellinghouse, Maryville View, Uddingston	9/10/07	Pending
Erection of retail foodstore at North Road, Fort William	7/12/07	Pending
Cemetery & crematorium, Linlathen Road, Dundee	14/1/08	Pending
New retail and leisure at Queens Drive, Kilmarnock.	19/12/07	Pending
Erection of dwellinghouse, Banton Road, Banton	17/12/07	Pending
Erection of dwellinghouse Greenleeshill Farm, Cambuslang	6/2/08	Pending
Erection of dwellinghouse at 43 Callanish, Isle of Lewis	6/2/08	Pending
Formation of new access onto A87, No2 Oak Villa, Invergarry.	17/1/08	Pending
Extension to cottage, Jocks Spot, Auchmore, Near Newtonmore	15/2/08	Pending
Proposed wind turbines at Monan, Isle of Harris	4/7/07	Revoked 6/9/07
Change of use, Bruan, Caithness.	12/7/07	Revoked 30/10/07

Question reference: S3W-10303

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Hamilton North and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what average number of planning applications approved by local authorities it has called in in each year since 1999.

The total number of planning applications called in by Scottish ministers for the period 1 January 1999 to 31 December 2007 is 250. A breakdown of the yearly figures is provided:

Year	No. Called In
1999	44
2000	30
2001	41
2002	18
2003	23
2004	37
2005	21
2006	17
2007	19

Question reference: S3W-10304

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Hamilton North and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning applications it has called in after having been refused by local authorities in each year since 1999; to what the applications referred, and on what dates they were called in.

Question reference: S3W-10302

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Hamilton North and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning applications refused by local authorities it has called in since June 2007.

Question reference: S3W-09983

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Hamilton North and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners are held in prisons, broken down by postcode area.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

The following table gives the postcode area of the home address of prisoners in custody on 30 June 2006.

Postcode Area	Number of Prisoners
AB	378
DD	467
DG	175
EH	893
FK	268
G	2,066
HS	12
IV	176
KA	528
KW	23
KY	369
ML	545
PA	432
PH	123
TD	60
ZE	11
No Fixed Abode	308
Outwith Scotland	188
Invalid or missing postcode	183
Total	7205

Question reference: S3W-09984

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Hamilton North and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the religious backgrounds are of prisoners held in prisons, broken down by postcode area.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

The following table gives the stated religion and postcode area of the home address of prisoners in custody on 30 June 2006.

Postcode Area	Church of Scotland	Roman Catholic	Other Christian	Muslim	All Other Religions	None	Total
AB	78	18	21	3	21	237	378
DD	132	98	16	3	7	211	467
DG	71	25	7	0	2	70	175
EH	227	95	23	20	12	516	893
FK	116	58	10	5	2	77	268
G	808	785	46	56	28	343	2,066
HS	6	0	3	0	1	2	12
IV	70	19	8	1	3	75	176
KA	309	65	16	0	3	135	528
KW	5	0	1	1	1	15	23
KY	110	42	12	1	7	197	369
ML	256	184	12	4	4	85	545
PA	189	164	6	3	0	70	432
PH	36	21	11	0	2	53	123
TD	13	7	2	0	0	38	60
ZE	1	1	2	0	2	5	11
No Fixed Abode	113	80	21	3	7	84	308
Outwith Scotland	36	37	41	21	6	47	188
Invalid or missing postcode	64	59	6	1	4	49	183
Total	2,640	1,758	264	122	112	2,309	7,205

Question reference: S3O-02236

Asked by: Michael McMahon, MSP for Hamilton North and Bellshill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Linda Fabiani on 7 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will allow the Scottish Arts Council to make decisions about the best way to spend its budget without preventing it from providing continued support for cultural co-ordinators.