- Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Western Isles, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits the London Olympics will have for the Western Isles constituency.
Answer
The Scottish Governmentis working with various sectors across Scotland to ensure they are aware of the possibilities and opportunities availableto individuals, communities, groups, and businesses from the London 2012 Games.
The 2012 Games willoffer some opportunities for some businesses across Scotland to supply goods or provide services.
No specific benefitsto the Western Isles constituency beyond the general ones outlined above have beenidentified.
- Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Western Isles, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 7 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its commitment to an integrated transport system, whether it will make representations to Citylink to provide additional buses when scheduled buses are full, particularly for people travelling from the islands to Glasgow or Uig who find themselves stranded on arrival.
Answer
he Scottish Executive iscommitted to encouraging a more integrated transport network as part of theimplementation of the National Transport Strategy. We are also working closely with key stakeholders to implementMoving into the Future – an Action Plan for Buses to benefit passengers andfurther improve the experience of using bus services.
However, the provision oflocal bus services is a matter for bus operators and local transportauthorities working together to meet the needs of local communities.
- Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Western Isles, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 6 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how plans to reform local enterprise companies will impact on the careers advice service that those companies currently offer.
Answer
Considerationof the delivery of local economic development activity, including the future oflocal enterprise companies (LEC), is now underway as part of the wider workwhich we are undertaking on the future shape of the enterprise networks. Anychanges which may or may not be made to the LEC structure will take account of the need to deliver a high-quality careers advice service which is currently inplace and delivered by Careers Scotland.
- Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Western Isles, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider funding the postgraduate doctorate in counselling psychology at Scottish universities on a par with similar courses elsewhere, in light of the value that the British Psychological Society places on this course.
Answer
The ScottishExecutive has no plans to provide funding for Counselling Psychology courses.
NHS Education forScotland is responsible for the commissioning of education and training forNHSScotland. It has reported that there is no demand from NHS boards to developand fund training for counselling psychologists.
- Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Western Isles, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 31 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take in co-operation with NHS Western Isles to ensure that Broadbay Medical Practice in Stornoway is in a position to continue to provide its current level of service to patients.
Answer
NHS Western Isles has astatutory duty to secure the provision of primary medical services for allpeople in its area.
The Scottish Executive is inregular contact with NHS Western Isles to ensure that the patients of Broadbaymedical practice continue to receive the full range of primary medicalservices.
- Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Western Isles, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 29 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 19 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when determining questions of property deprivation for the purposes of calculating the cost of personal care, it will disregard property in cases where a home has been made over to a family member who has to live in a tied house due to their employment conditions and who has no other home in the event of their employment terminating.
Answer
Local authorities take no accountof property or any other assets in determining free personal care payments to peopleaged 65 or over whom they assess as needing residential care.
The National Assistance (Assessmentof Resources) Regulations 1992 provide the framework for local authorities to chargefor care that they provide or arrange in residential care homes. The Scottish Executiveprovides local authorities with guidance on charging. It is for the local authorityto decide in each case whether or not to disregard the value of a property in assessingthe resident’s contribution towards the cost of residential care, having regardto the guidance on the deprivation of capital and treatment of property. The regulationsand the guidance include circumstances in which property must be disregarded.
- Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Western Isles, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 18 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that an appointment will be made to the post of Chief Executive of Bord Na Gaidhlig.
Answer
Bòrd na Gàidhlig is activelypursuing the appointment of a new Chief Executive and the Scottish Executive isin close contact with the Bòrd as it progresses this matter. The Scottish ministersand Bòrd na Gàidhlig recognise the importance of making a high quality appointmentto this pivotal Gaelic development role and are working toward that end as quicklyas possible.
- Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Western Isles, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any instances of GP practices citing the level of global sum funding as a reason for a practice being financially unsustainable.
Answer
No. It is open to anypractice which cannot come to an agreement with its health board about anyaspect of its contract to refer the case to the Scottish ministers under thestatutory dispute resolution procedure. In such cases concerning global sums ashave been referred, the practices have not claimed that their financialsustainability is threatened.
- Asked by: Dr Alasdair Allan, MSP for Western Isles, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from GP practices in respect of the level of global sum funding.
Answer
The National Health Service(General Medical Services Contracts)(Scotland) Regulations 2004 provide thatany GP practice which has a contract with a health board for the provision ofgeneral medical services may refer any dispute where it cannot reach agreementwith the health board to the Scottish ministers for resolution. Three caseshave been received where the amount of the global sum was the subject of thedispute since 1 April 2004.
