- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 14 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how crofters can make an application to obtain financial support to hire bulls from private bull hire enterprises.
Answer
Future arrangements to mitigate transport costs of private hire, as noted in the Scottish Government''s response to the Shucksmith Inquiry, will be put to the European Commission in the first half of 2009. These arrangements will be designed to ensure that hiring in remote areas should be no more costly than on the mainland.
It is proposed that future support should be delivered through the Scotland Rural Development Programme. Consideration is being given to providing such support on a demand-led rather than competitive basis. No guarantee can be given that all applications for Scottish Government support will meet the relevant eligibility criteria and other conditions.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 14 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what calculations and assumptions lay behind the cost figures quoted in the statement by Michael Russell on 1 October 2008 (Official Report c. 11309) that referred to changes in the Bull Hire Scheme.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17640 on 14 November 2008. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 13 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been in hospital awaiting a care home bed in the (a) Highland, (b) Moray, (c) Argyll and Bute, (d) Shetland, (e) Western Isles and (f) Orkney council areas in each of the last eight quarters.
Answer
The information requested is provided in the following table. This is extracted from the delayed discharge census for each of the last eight quarters and is based on the principal reason codes that suggest the outcome for the patient on discharge will be a care home place. In some cases however the actual move may not be possible at the census point.
Patients in Hospital Awaiting a Care Home bed1 by Local Authority2.
| | October 2007 | January 2007 | April 2007 | July 2007 | October 2008 | January 2008 | April 2008 | July 2008 |
| Argyll and Bute | 9 | 7 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 17 | 18 |
| Highland | 1 | 9 | 7 | 21 | 17 | 15 | 9 | 14 |
| Moray | 16 | 13 | 15 | 7 | 12 | - | 3 | 4 |
| Orkney Islands | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Shetland Islands | - | - | - | 10 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 13 |
| Eilean Siar | 5 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
Source: ISD Scotland.
Notes:
1. Patients in hospital ready for discharge and awaiting a care home bed are defined as those who have the principal reason for their delayed discharge as; non-availability of public funding to purchase residential/nursing home place; awaiting place availability in local authority residential home, in independent residential home, in nursing home (not NHS funded) or patient exercising statutory right of choice, where an interim placement is not possible or reasonable.
2. Local authority is based on those patients resident in each local authority area.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 13 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding sources are available to elderly people who are required to make a contribution to their central heating installation under the central heating programme.
Answer
When the cap was introduced in January 2007 by the previous administration they did not introduce any separate funding sources to cover householders contributions. However, it is unlikely that a householder would be required to make a contribution if they selected a lower cost system from those available (normally an electrical system).
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 13 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive which costs it covers to install an oil-fired central heating system under the central heating programme.
Answer
The cost to install a standard oil-fired heating system of up to seven radiators with all necessary insulation is covered, up to the cap limit, which was introduced by the previous administration in January 2007. However, it is unlikely that a householder would be required to make a contribution if they selected a lower cost system from those available (normally an electrical system).
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much notice of a farm inspection should be given to a farmer.
Answer
Provided that the purpose of the control is not jeopardised, on-the-spot checks may be announced. The announcement shall be strictly limited to the minimum time period necessary and shall not exceed 14 days.
However, for on-the-spot checks concerning livestock aid applications, the notice mentioned in the first subparagraph shall, except in duly justified cases, not exceed 48 hours. Furthermore, where the legislation applicable to the acts and standards relevant to cross-compliance requires the on-the-spot check to be unannounced, those rules shall also apply in the case of on-the-spot-checks related to cross-compliance.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 12 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what it calculates to be the cost of supply and installation of an oil-fired central heating system in a three-bedroomed house in the Western Isles.
Answer
The average cost of an oil-fired central heating installation in a three-bedroom house in the Western Isles, as indicated by the managing agent, is shown in the following table:
| Number of Radiators Provided | Average Cost |
| 6 | £7,769 |
| 7 | £8,200 |
| Overall Average | £7,954 |
Note:
1. The average cost shown is calculated on all oil installations undertaken in the Western Isles between October 2006 and September 2008.
2. Costs are inclusive of vat at 5%.
3. The average cost shown is inclusive of all necessary insulation provided.
4. The average cost provided does not include work requested by the householder outside the programme such as additional radiators.
5. A householder can have up to seven radiators installed, depending on the size of the property.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 12 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioners’ central heating systems were installed in the (a) Highland, (b) Moray, (c) Argyll and Bute, (d) Shetland, (e) Western Isles and (f) Orkney council areas in each of the last eight quarters.
Answer
Information is not held by local authority area.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 12 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to raise awareness of its central heating programme.
Answer
The Scottish Government website contains information on the programme including a video of a householder who has benefited from a central heating installation.
The managing agent is responsible for raising awareness of the programme and undertakes a number of activities to achieve this aim such as the marketing/networking promotional week undertaken in the Western Isles in August 2008. The managing agent keeps in contact with organisations who have an interest in raising awareness of the programme such as Help the Aged, Age Concern and the Citizen Advice Bureau and provides them with information leaflets and advice. Additionally articles regularly appear in the national and local press such as the West Highland Free Press at the end of October.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2008
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 12 November 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what allowance is made in NHS board and local government grant allocations to compensate for higher fuel costs on Scottish islands.
Answer
For NHS boards, the formula which is used to allocate funding for Hospital and Community Health Services and GP prescribing to boards takes into account the unavoidable excess costs associated with island locations. This ensures that the particular issues relating to delivery of services on the islands, including those arising from higher fuel costs, are fully recognised.
In relation to local government grant allocations, no allowance is being made for higher fuel costs however, islands authorities benefit from the Special Islands Needs Allowance, a supplement added to a local authority''s grant allocation to reflect additional costs of a local authority to service its island communities. There are six beneficiaries of this supplement and, in total, they receive an additional £21.6million in 2008-09.
