Questions and answers

Question reference: S3W-07859

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 January 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are used to test the level of satisfaction of patients with out-of-hours services in the NHS.

The NHS Quality Improvement Scotland(NHS QIS) Standards for The Provision of Safe and Effective Primary Medical ServicesOut-of-Hours (August 2004) require the service provider to take action to identifypatient views and satisfaction levels. In addition, the standards require comments,complaints and compliments to be recorded, regularly reviewed and action to be taken.

All services adhere to and arefully integrated into the NHS board complaints system.

When reviewing services, NHSQIS found that most services could demonstrate that action was taken where appropriate,lessons learned disseminated to staff, and that complaints were monitored.

Question reference: S3W-03739

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what support is given to people convicted of driving offences under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs to (a) improve their road safety skills and (b) tackle their substance misuse.

In dealing with thosepersons convicted of driving offences committed under the influence of alcohol orillegal drugs, courts have access to a wide range of sentencing options. Certainof these, for example probation orders and drug treatment and testing orders, provideopportunity for work to be undertaken with the offender in addressing their substancemisuse issues. Sentencing decisions are a matter for the courts.

Through Road SafetyScotland, we will raise awareness of the dangers of drink and drug driving and highlightthe consequences of being caught.

Question reference: S3W-03735

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 20 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive which roads have been identified for potential dualling as a contribution to road safety.

Safety is an integralpart of the assessment of all trunk road schemes. Transport Scotland is the nationaltransport agency for the Scottish Government and has responsibility for the trunkroad network. Details and timescales for our major and important planned road projects,including dualling schemes, can be found on the Transport Scotland website at:http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/defaultpage1221cde0.aspx?pageID=50.

Local roads are theresponsibility of local authorities.

Future investmentbeyond the current programme will emerge from the Strategic Transport Projects Reviewwhich is due to report in summer 2008.

Question reference: S3W-04306

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 20 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-32287 by Des McNulty on 8 March 2007, whether it has taken a view on whether local NHS boards should be statutory consultees for planning applications concerning large housing developments to enable the impact of such developments on local housing services or facilities to be taken into account.

Question reference: S3W-04070

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 20 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make it a requirement on planning authorities to notify and consult community health partnerships about any housing development of a size that might affect local community health services.

We are currentlyconsidering what, if any, changes should be made to the list of statutory consulteeswho are required to be consulted on certain types of planning application. Wewould be need to be reassured that any additional statutory consultee has thecapacity and resources available to them to engage fully with the planningauthority and developer on each application that required their input.

However, the Scottish Government believes that a plan-led system is the key to a modern,efficient planning system. Early dialogue is crucial and it may be that themost appropriate time for Community Health Partnerships to become involved inthe planning process is at the development planning level. It is at this stagewhere consideration should be given to the impact of large scale developmentproposals on the delivery of health care services in the plan area. These plansset the policy context within which individual planning applications aredetermined and decisions must be made in accordance with the development planfor the area unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

Question reference: S3W-04069

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 20 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-32287 by Des McNulty on 20 March 2007, whether it has now given consideration to including NHS boards in any list of statutory consultees whom the planning authority must approach in preparing a development plan.

There areundoubtedly important linkages between the planning and health systems,including the implications of major proposed developments on the delivery ofhealth services. The involvement of health boards in the development planprocess is therefore desirable, and how this is best achieved is under on-goingconsideration as part of the process of implementing the Planning etc (Scotland) Act 2006.

The 2006 actallows ministers to specify, through regulations, a number of “key agencies”. Theintention is that proposed key agencies will be set out within the draftdevelopment plan regulations which we hope to issue for consultation in Octoberthis year. It will be a duty of these agencies to co-operate with planningauthorities at various stages in the preparation of the development plan, so itwill be vital that the agencies have the resources to fully engage in theprocess.

As well asreferring to key agencies, the act requires the forthcoming regulations tosecure, so far as practicable, that those who may be expected to want to makerepresentations on the plan are made aware that they can do so. The guidanceaccompanying the regulations is likely to include a list of those bodies thatplanning authorities should consult in this context, allowing the bodies suchas health boards to respond to plans which impact on their interests. Weconsider this to be an appropriate way to encourage more effective engagementwith NHS boards.

Question reference: S3W-03721

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what European structural funding is envisaged for Stirling Council for each of the next 10 years.

Scotland will receive some £540.2 million of EuropeanStructural Funds over the new 7 year programme period (assuming an exchange rateof €1.45 to £1). Within this bloc, Lowlands and Uplands Scotland would receive £423.8 million forERDF and ESF Programmes under the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective.

For the 2007-13 programmesthe annual allocations under each priority will be more or less the same each year.In Lowlands and Uplands Scotland all areas are eligibleto bid for funding for Priorities 1 and 2 of ERDF programme and Priorities 2 and3 of ESF programme. Additionally, projects within the Stirling local authority area are eligible to bid for funding under Priority 4 (RuralDevelopment) of the ERDF programme in the first round. The list of areas eligiblefor funding under this priority will be reviewed annually.

Funding beyond 2013cannot be estimated at this stage.

Question reference: S3W-03725

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what European structural funding is envisaged for Fife Council for each of the next 10 years.

Scotland will receive some £540.2 million of EuropeanStructural Funds over the new seven year programme period (assuming an exchangerate of €1.45 to £1). Within this bloc, Lowlands and Uplands Scotland would receive £423.8 million forERDF and ESF Programmes under the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective.

For the 2007-13 programmesthe annual allocations under each priority will be more or less the same each year.In Lowlands and Uplands Scotland all areas are eligibleto bid for funding for Priorities 1 and 2 of the ERDF programme and Priorities 2and 3 of the ESF Programme. Additionally, projects within the Fife localauthority area are eligible to bid for funding under Priority 3 (Urban Regeneration)of the ERDF programme and Priority 1 (Progressing into Employment) of the ESF programmein the first round. The list of areas eligible for funding under these Prioritieswill be reviewed annually.

Funding beyond 2013cannot be estimated at this stage.

Question reference: S3W-03718

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what European structural funding is envisaged for Perth and Kinross Council for each of the next 10 years.

Scotland will receive some £540.2 million of EuropeanStructural Funds over the new seven year programme period (assuming an exchangerate of €1.45 to £1). Within this bloc, Lowlands and Uplands Scotland would receive £423.8 million forERDF and ESF Programmes under the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective.

For the 2007-13 programmesthe annual allocations under each priority will be more or less the same each year.In Lowlands and Uplands Scotland all areas are eligibleto bid for funding for Priorities 1 and 2 of ERDF programme and Priorities 2 and3 of ESF Programme. Additionally, projects within the Perth and Kinross local authority area are eligible to bid for funding under Priority4 (Rural Development) of the ERDF programme in the first round. The list of areaseligible for funding under this priority will be reviewed annually.

Funding beyond 2013cannot be estimated at this stage.

Question reference: S3W-03723

Asked by: Dr Richard Simpson, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what European structural funding is envisaged for Clackmannanshire Council for each of the next 10 years.

Scotland will receive some £540.2 million of EuropeanStructural Funds over the new seven year programme period (assuming an exchangerate of €1.45 to £1). Within this bloc, Lowlands and Uplands Scotland would receive £423.8 million forERDF and ESF Programmes under the Regional Competitiveness and Employment Objective.

For the 2007-13 programmesthe annual allocations under each priority will be more or less the same each year.In Lowlands and Uplands Scotland all areas are eligibleto bid for funding for Priorities 1 and 2 of the ERDF programme and Priorities 2and 3 of the ESF Programme. Additionally, projects within the Clackmannanshire localauthority area are eligible to bid for funding under Priority 3 (Urban Regeneration)of the ERDF programme and Priority 1 (Progressing into Employment) of the ESF programmein the first round. The list of areas eligible for funding under thesepriorities will be reviewed annually.

Funding beyond 2013cannot be estimated at this stage.

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