- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothians, 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 how many people registered as homeless in the Lothians region in each of the last four quarters for which information is available, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The information requested is available from table 11 of the quarterly time series reference tables published on the Scottish Government website on 17 March 2009. The tables can be accessed at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/QtrlyRefTablesMarch2009.
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothians, 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 how many people have registered as homeless in the Lothians region in each month since May 2007.
Answer
The following table indicates the numbers of applications assessed as homeless in the Lothians from May 2007 until September 2008 (the latest point for which data has been published):
| | East Lothian | Edinburgh | Midlothian | West Lothian |
| May 2007 | 65 | 486 | 56 | 107 |
| June 2007 | 49 | 424 | 50 | 129 |
| July 2007 | 51 | 424 | 55 | 120 |
| August 2007 | 65 | 441 | 63 | 121 |
| September 2007 | 52 | 366 | 50 | 83 |
| October 2007 | 69 | 476 | 70 | 96 |
| November 2007 | 53 | 398 | 41 | 97 |
| December 2007 | 51 | 309 | 33 | 65 |
| January 2008 | 74 | 405 | 63 | 117 |
| February 2008 | 69 | 409 | 80 | 114 |
| March 2008 | 70 | 375 | 49 | 98 |
| April 2008 | 74 | 396 | 45 | 129 |
| May 2008 | 71 | 426 | 35 | 121 |
| June 2008 | 85 | 435 | 76 | 95 |
| July 2008 | 68 | 395 | 53 | 124 |
| August 2008 | 59 | 331 | 62 | 101 |
| September 2008 | 69 | 370 | 44 | 112 |
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothians, 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 how many people have registered as homeless in the Lothians region in each year since 2002, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The information requested is available from table 25 of the annual reference tables published on the Scottish Government website on 29 September 2008 and subsequently updated on 17 March 2009. The tables can be accessed at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/DatasetHomeless0708.
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to tackle alcohol misuse in the Lothians, particularly among people aged between 15 and 18.
Answer
Alcohol misuse affects all of society and that is why our framework takes a whole population approach rather than focusing only on our young people.
Our framework does, however, contain a range of actions specifically aimed at reducing and addressing alcohol misuse among young people, including: investment in diversionary activities for children and young people; reducing the impact of alcohol advertising on young people; reviewing current advice for parents and carers, and working with our partners at national and local levels to improve substance misuse education in schools. In addition, at our request, Young Scot has set up a Youth Commission to explore the issues faced by young people in relation to alcohol misuse.
We provided £3.4 million of funding (an increase on the previous year of 200% via NHS Lothian, to the Lothian Alcohol and Drug Action Teams in 2008-09, with whom the responsibility for commissioning local services lies. Local partners are best placed to commission appropriate services in line with assessment of local need and priorities.
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing, to what extent mineworkings affected the decision to change the route from that originally proposed.
Answer
Mineworkings were not a major factor in the change of route from the indicative route announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth in December 2007 to the route I announced to Parliament in December 2008.
Mineworkings were, however, considered as one of a number of factors in the assessment of route options considered during 2008.
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation has taken place regarding the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing with the affected owners of land and properties adjacent to the revised road layout.
Answer
During 2008 engineers consulted with all landowners who were affected by ground investigation work which was designed to assist with the review of the route options.
Following my announcement to Parliament in December 2008, Transport Scotland held a series of public exhibitions in January 2009 in order to engage with residents and landowners within the vicinity of the replacement crossing and to gain feedback on the proposals.
Consultation has continued since the exhibitions with directly affected landowners through individual meetings and correspondence and via meetings with local community councils and residents.
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executivehow many prisoners in HMP Edinburgh were tested for drugs in each of the last three years, broken down by number of positive tests and substances identified.
Answer
I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:
Table 1 shows the total number of drug tests carried out within HMP Edinburgh during the last three years. Table 2 illustrates all positive drug tests within HMP Edinburgh over the last three years broken down by drug types.
Table 1
| Year | Total Drug Tests |
| 2006 | 553 |
| 2007 | 403 |
| 2008 | 380 |
Table 2
| Drug Type | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
| Amphetamines | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| Barbiturates | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Barbiturates Positive OPR | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Benzodiazepines | 44 | 32 | 22 |
| Benzodiazepines Positive OPR | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Benzodiazepines Prescribed | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Cannabis | 95 | 36 | 37 |
| Cannabis Positive OPR | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Cocaine | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| LSD | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Methadone | 15 | 13 | 8 |
| Methadone Prescribed | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Opiates | 203 | 128 | 85 |
| Opiates Positive OPR | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Opiates Prescribed | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Temgesic | 5 | 20 | 16 |
| Temgesic Prescribed | 1 | 0 | 0 |
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing, whether the proposed route to the bridge passes through greenbelt land.
Answer
Yes, the connecting road between the Forth Replacement Crossing and the A90 at South Queensferry passes through green belt land.
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing, what modelling has been carried out to calculate the noise and visual impacts on Dundas Home Farm residents.
Answer
Noise and visual impact assessments are on-going now that the engineering design has been refined and will be reported in the Environmental Statement (ES) later this year.
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 29 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the proposed Forth Replacement Crossing, for what reasons a flyover is required close to Dundas Home Farm.
Answer
A junction is required on the south of the Forth to enable traffic to access between the new southern approach road to the bridge and A904.
The location of the proposed South Queensferry junction shown at the public exhibitions in January has been reviewed in response to comments arising from the exhibitions. It is now proposed that new dedicated public transport links connect with the A90 to the east of the A8000 and that the South Queensferry Junction be relocated on the A904 to the west of South Queensferry approximately 800m away from Dundas Home Farm.
