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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-38671

Asked by: Patricia Ferguson, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 January 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the UK Government, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Executive regarding the current and future role of the 2005 UK shared framework for sustainable development, One future - different paths.

Question reference: S3W-38672

Asked by: Patricia Ferguson, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 January 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of plans to review the 2005 UK shared framework for sustainable development, One future - different paths and, if so, what (a) process such a review will adopt and (b) consultation with stakeholders in Scotland will be undertaken.

Question reference: S3W-38670

Asked by: Patricia Ferguson, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2011
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 21 January 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24913 by Richard Lochhead on 17 June 2009, whether it remains committed to sustainable development as defined in the 2005 UK shared framework for sustainable development, One future - different paths.

The Scottish Government remains committed to sustainable development, as defined in the 2005 UK shared framework for sustainable development, One future “ different paths. This commitment is reflected in the Government Economic Strategy and through a range of policy documents including our Low Carbon Economic Strategy, Energy Efficiency Action Plan, Zero Waste Plan and Scotland''s Action Plan for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

Officials are in regular dialogue over sustainable development issues with the UK Government, Welsh Assembly Government and Northern Ireland Assembly. While this has not included discussion of the role of One future - different paths, we understand there are no current plans to review the document.

Question reference: S3W-38430

Asked by: Patricia Ferguson, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 2010
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 20 January 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37982 by Fiona Hyslop on 16 December 2010, whether it will provide a breakdown of the funds already allocated to Malawi for 2011-12 and details of the projects involved.

Details of funding already allocated for projects in Malawi in 2011-12 are contained in the following table. Information on each of the projects is available on the Scottish Government''s website.

Malawi Development Programme - Commitments for 2011-12

Organisation	Project Title	2011-12
Active Learning Centre	Building democratic dialogue with women in communities	£84,200.00
Active Learning Centre	Rights advice and information to promote access to justice in Mangochi and Dedza	£91,249.29
CBM	Improving children''s eye care in Malawi	£23,500.00
Challenges Worldwide - Capacity Building for Justice	Capacity Building for Justice	£150,211.00
Christian Aid	Empowerment for Health and Livlihoods	£133,327.00
Church of Scotland	Church of Scotland Safe Motherhood Programme	£117,608.00
Concern Worldwide	Health and Nutrition Programme	£123,383.00
Concern Worldwide	Promoting Equal Access to Education	£169,500.00
Eurotalk Interactive	Digital Tools for Rural Schools	£75,850.00
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute	JANEEMO Enterprises	£116,382.00
NHS Tayside Emergency Medicine Service	Supporting the establishment of the first Adult Emergency and Trauma Centre (AETC) in Malawi	£129,718.00
Open University	Saltire Scholarships	£132,096.00
Opportunity International	Sustainable Livlihoods in Nsanje	£100,000.00
Oxfam Scotland	Promoting Sustainable Livlihoods for Vulnerable Groups	£120,000.00
Scotland Malawi Business Group	Capacity Building for Enterprise	£165,354.00
Scotland-Malawi Mental Health Education Project (SMMHEP)	Building Mental Health Education	£103,300.00
Scottish Agricultural College	Dairy Diploma Programme	£110,482.00
Scottish CROP Research Institute	Strengthening Potato Production	£195,258.00
Scottish International Relief	Mary''s Meals School Feeding Programme	£171,430.00
Sense Scotland	Malawi Deaf/ Deafblind Education	£83,135.00
Tearfund Scotland	Livingstonia Synod Aids Program	£123,000.00
University of Edinburgh	eLiCE: e-learning in clinical education	£161,944.00
University of Strathclyde	Scotland Chikwawa Health Initiative	£113,729.00
Venture Trust Malawi	Moving on Malawi	£95,260.00
Waverley Care	Penzani Myayi	£135,000.00
Total		£3,024,916.29

Question reference: S3W-38549

Asked by: Patricia Ferguson, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2010
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 January 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S3W-37769, which received a holding answer on 8 December 2010.

Question reference: S3W-37769

Asked by: Patricia Ferguson, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 January 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the draft budget for 2011-12 includes provision for investment in the Glasgow Fastlink project in that year.

Yes - following the Scottish Government''s budget statement on 17 November, a funding contribution has been set aside for Fastlink in 2011-12. The Scottish Government remains committed to Fastlink and are willing to contribute to the costs of a core scheme which improves bus services between the city centre, the Southern General Hospital, and the SECC, with obvious benefits for the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

As a local public transport scheme, however, it is for SPT and its project partners to determine next steps. Ministers will consider properly how and when to contribute on receipt of advice from the consortium about how, and to what extent each of them can provide or source funding for their preferred scheme.

Question reference: S3W-38673

Asked by: Patricia Ferguson, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 20 January 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37770 by Stewart Stevenson on 6 December 2010, whether it has now completed its consideration of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport’s final proposals for the modernisation of the Glasgow subway and, if so, whether it will provide details of its decision in this regard.

Question reference: S3W-38684

Asked by: Patricia Ferguson, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 January 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is content with the performance of the Scottish Ambulance Service patient transport service in relation to ensuring that patients are (a) delivered punctually for and (b) picked up punctually following appointments.

Question reference: S3W-38680

Asked by: Patricia Ferguson, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 January 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it provides to the Scottish Ambulance Service in relation to the operation of the patient transport service.

The operation of the patient transport service (PTS) is the responsibility of the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS), the Scottish Government does not issue specific guidance to the service. However, Scottish Government ministers and officials are in regular dialogue with the service about a range of issues, including the operation of the PTS.

The operation of the Patient Transport Service forms part of the agenda for the public annual review held each year, and the areas of discussion and actions arising are set out in the follow up letter to the board chair. The 2010 letter and letters for previous years are also available at http://www.scottishambulance.com/AboutUs/Howweareperforming/AnnualReview.aspx.

As part of the Local Delivery Plan (LDP) process the SAS agrees its annual performance targets with the Scottish Government. The SAS LDP for 2010-11 (Health Plan) can be found at http://www.scottishambulance.com/AboutUs/Default.aspx and LDPs for previous years are also available. This includes targets for the PTS, performance against these is regularly reported to the SAS Board and the Scottish Government. SAS Board papers are available on their website.

The PTS provides a vital service for those patients with a medical need for transport. Both the Scottish Government and the Scottish Ambulance Service appreciate the importance of each and every journey and that is why we are committed to securing continuous improvement. We have both been frank in the past about the need for focus on improving the Patient Transport Service and has acknowledged that the service does not always meet the expectations of patients. That is why the Scottish Ambulance Service Strategic Framework Working together for better patient care 2010 “ 2015 sets out the service vision for the scheduled care service (PTS), this vision is underpinned by a series of actions being progressed by Scheduled Service Programme Board. Information about the strategic framework can be found at http://www.scottishambulance.com/AboutUs/Strategicframework.aspx.

The service has now completed a Scheduled Care Accelerated Demonstrator Project (ADP) agreed as part of the SAS Learn and Improve project. The findings indicate that the programme appears to have significant potential to deliver substantial quality improvement and efficiency benefits through supporting service teams to improve the quality of service delivery and thus directly or indirectly benefiting patient care. The project has identified 11 improvement opportunities with the potential to:

Significantly improve the PTS profile as a clinically focussed service by the consistent application of clinical criteria as a pre-requisite for accessing transport.

Significantly improve and increase the service''s ability to signpost patients to alternative transport providers where ambulance transport is not required.

Significantly reduce inappropriate demand on the service by standardising systems and processes.

Significantly improve productivity and the utilisation of existing resources by consistently applying good practice, improving communications and making best use of available technology.

Question reference: S3W-38682

Asked by: Patricia Ferguson, MSP for Glasgow Maryhill, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 19 January 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how and (b) how often it monitors the performance of the Scottish Ambulance Service patient transport service.