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The Scottish Government does not hold information on the withdrawal of individual bus services. The Traffic Commissioner for the Scottish Traffic Area is the licensing authority for the bus and coach industry in Scotland and applies the regulatory regime. Operators are legally required to register their local services with the Commissioner and to run these services to the registered timetable. Operators must also notify the Traffic Commissioner of their intention to withdraw services. The Traffic Commissioner can be contacted at Office of the Traffic Commissioner, The Stamp Office, 10 Waterloo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EG.

The following table shows the number of reported personal injury accidents on the single carriageway sections of the A9 in each of the last five full years for which data is available.

	Fatal	All
2005	4	94
2006	10	118
2007	7	107
2008	7	101
2009	5	109

 

Transport Scotland collates information on reported personal injury accidents on trunk roads in Scotland and this database is updated periodically, as data provided by the Police is checked and verified. The year-end figures for 2010 have yet to be finally verified.

As at 31 December 2010, 79.8% of children and 67.9% of adults living in Tayside were registered with an NHS dentist.

Source: MIDAS (Management Information and Dental Accounting System).

In responding to the SAGE report and following a direct request from the Scottish Government Health Directorate, our principal advisers on the health effects of radiation, the UK Health Protection Agency (HPA) has agreed to keep under review the possible relationship between childhood leukaemia, other causes of ill-health and exposure to elevated levels of extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields in the home and/or through proximity to powerlines, and to advise the UK Government and devolved administrations accordingly.

Since the Beauly Denny public inquiry closed, no new advice has been forthcoming from the HPA that would affect the stance of the Scottish Government on this issue.

Our digital strategy, Scotland''s Digital Future: A Strategy for Scotland, published on 3 March 2011, outlines our ambition for availability of next generation broadband throughout the whole of Scotland, including eastern Perthshire, by 2020 with significant progress being made by 2015.

To achieve this, we are already working with local authorities, enterprise agencies, industry and others to collectively develop a strategic Scotland-wide broadband plan. I jointly hosted a Rural Broadband Summit on 9 March 2011 with the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment to progress this issue, and Perth and Kinross Council were represented at the meeting.

Our digital strategy, Scotland''s Digital Future: A Strategy for Scotland, published on 3 March 2011, outlines our ambition for availability of next generation broadband throughout the whole of Scotland, including highland Perthshire, by 2020 with significant progress being made by 2015.

To achieve this, we are already working with local authorities, enterprise agencies, industry and others to collectively develop a strategic Scotland-wide broadband plan. I jointly hosted a Rural Broadband Summit on 9 March 2011 with the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment to progress this issue, and Perth and Kinross Council were represented at the meeting.

This is a matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service. The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish Government has published The Economic Impacts of Wind Farms on Scottish Tourism at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/03/07113554/0.

A key finding of the report is that wind farms and tourism can be compatible where wind farms are well sited.

NHS National Services Scotland''s National Procurement Division (NPD) is NHSScotland''s centre of procurement expertise. In considering the procurement of implantable medical devices, NPD adopts the same principles it applies to the procurement of all other commodities ensuring; cost improvements and efficiency savings; products and services are fit for purpose and of top quality; current and future generations of NHS products remain up to date and valid; an effective supply service, reducing stockpiling and wastage and improving timely distribution and; continued quality assurance.

Cost is one of the most significant contributions to the value of a contract, however, when considering a contract such as for medical devices, there are many other components of value. These include fitness for purpose, whole life costs and consumables, and any cost of change.

NHS National Services Scotland''s National Procurement Division (NPD) is NHSScotland''s centre of procurement expertise. In considering the operational lifetime and period of manufacturer''s guarantee, NPD ensures that whole life costs of the commodity are taken fully into account at the evaluation stage. Consideration of a contract for a medical device takes into account both the anticipated life of the device, as anticipated by the manufacturers and clinical experts, and the period of manufacturer''s guarantee.