- Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 14 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in order to make the current system of funding for area tourist boards more effective.
Answer
We have ensured that the core funding that visitscotland provides to ATBs is guaranteed for a three-year-period. We are monitoring closely local authority funding decisions as we promised to do in A New Strategy for Scottish Tourism published in February 2000.
- Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 March 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 14 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in establishing a dental training link between Dundee Dental School and the Grampian Health Board area.
Answer
Outreach dental student education from Dundee Dental School has been established as a pilot in Tayside. Once the success of this pilot has been confirmed this initiative will be extended to Grampian and Highland.
- Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 27 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for considering complaints against Scottish Enterprise and its associated local enterprise companies.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise has an External Complaints Adjudicator who investigates complaints against Scottish Enterprise and its Local Enterprise Companies, once their own internal complaints procedures have been exhausted.
- Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 27 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any farmers who have been financially disadvantaged as a result of delays in receiving payments under agricultural support schemes which it administers have any right of compensation for those losses.
Answer
The Executive's commitment to farmers and crofters is to pay valid Countryside Premium Scheme management claims within six weeks of receipt. This is not a statutory obligation and there is no provision for compensation should payment take longer.
- Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Stagecoach-Bluebird regarding the reduction in the level of bus services serving Kemnay, Portlethen, Johnshaven and Ballater in Aberdeenshire.
Answer
The provision of local bus services is a matter for the commercial judgement of bus operators. However, local authorities have the power to subsidise local bus services if they cannot be run on a commercial basis and if the services meet an identifiable social need. The Transport (Scotland) Act 2001, which received Royal Assent on 25 January, includes provisions to enable local authorities to play a key role in determining local bus service provision and to enhance service frequency through subsidy. The requirement for local authorities to consider whether, by making such subsidies, competition might be inhibited has been replaced by a general requirement to have regard to the interests of the public and bus operators.
- Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 27 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the (a) adult and (b) child population suffered from tuberculosis in each of the last 20 years.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-13298.
- Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 27 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases of tuberculosis were recorded in the (a) adult and (b) child population in each of the last 20 years.
Answer
The information is set out in the table:Tuberculosis notifications: numbers and percentage of population, by age
| Notifications | Percentage of Population |
Year | Children1 | Adults2 | Children1 | Adults2 |
1979 | 110 | 1,113 | 0.010 | 0.028 |
1980 | 91 | 1,047 | 0.008 | 0.026 |
1981 | 95 | 877 | 0.009 | 0.021 |
1982 | 74 | 828 | 0.007 | 0.020 |
1983 | 56 | 773 | 0.005 | 0.019 |
1984 | 58 | 680 | 0.006 | 0.016 |
1985 | 40 | 667 | 0.004 | 0.016 |
1986 | 65 | 691 | 0.007 | 0.017 |
1987 | 36 | 524 | 0.004 | 0.013 |
1988 | 34 | 494 | 0.004 | 0.012 |
1989 | 36 | 497 | 0.004 | 0.012 |
1990 | 31 | 532 | 0.003 | 0.013 |
1991 | 35 | 511 | 0.004 | 0.012 |
1992 | 50 | 509 | 0.005 | 0.012 |
1993 | 31 | 523 | 0.003 | 0.013 |
1994 | 21 | 525 | 0.002 | 0.013 |
1995 | 39 | 439 | 0.004 | 0.011 |
1996 | 34 | 475 | 0.004 | 0.011 |
1997 | 21 | 412 | 0.002 | 0.010 |
1998 | 14 | 443 | 0.001 | 0.011 |
1999 | 32 | 464 | 0.003 | 0.011 |
Source: Common Services Agency for the NHS.Notes:1. Under 15 years of age.2. 15 years of age and over.
- Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 27 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects all payments due to farmers under the Countryside Premium Scheme for 2000-01 to have been made.
Answer
It is anticipated that payment of all eligible CPS management claims submitted on time will be made by 16 March 2001.
- Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 27 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10021 by Susan Deacon on 5 October 2000, how many digital hearing aids were provided by the NHSiS in each health board area in each of the last three years.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-13069 on 19 December 2001.
- Asked by: Mike Rumbles, MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whom commercial bus operators are required to consult before making changes to their bus service operations.
Answer
The Scottish Executive fully recognises the importance of stability of bus service provision, and of proper consultation when changes are being proposed. I plan to bring regulations forward to require local bus operators to consult local authorities 14 days before submitting registration details to the Traffic Commissioner. I also plan to increase the registration period from 42 to 56 days for all new services, variations, cancellations and public holidays, and to introduce a requirement to give 30 days notice to the public of variations and cancellations.The Transport (Scotland) Act 2001, which received Royal Assent on 25 January 2001, contains powers to require bus operators to operate new or varied services for a minimum of 90 days. The Act also includes statutory consultation requirements as regards Quality Partnership, Quality Contract and joint ticketing schemes, and the provision of information about local bus services.This represents a formidable package of additional powers which should encourage local authorities and bus operators, taking account of the views of bus users, to work together to ensure the stability of, and improvements to, local bus services.