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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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

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Question reference: S4W-01463

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 27 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with (a) the UK Government and (b) other bodies about protecting landing slots at Heathrow Airport for domestic flights from Aberdeen in each of the last three years.

The issue of the protection of access to slot-constrained airports such as Heathrow is always at the forefront of our dialogue with the UK Government and its Regulators, both at Ministerial and at official level. I had discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport in February on this issue in the wake of bmi’s announcement to withdraw its Glasgow/Heathrow service. This was followed up by an exchange of correspondence.

Continuing access to global hub airports is essential for Scottish business and to maintain our competitiveness and to sustain economic growth. We will continue to lobby for an adequate protection mechanism, including through the current UK Government consultation on a new sustainable aviation policy framework.

Question reference: S4W-01466

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 26 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce legislation to give local authorities enhanced powers to deal with businesses that do not maintain their buildings adequately.

Question reference: S4W-01469

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 04 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 15 July 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how much Scottish Water has spent on capital projects in each local authority area in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S4W-00366

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 10 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with the proposal to reopen Kintore railway station.

Question reference: S4W-00362

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it provides guidance to NHS boards regarding how much they should allocate to funding mental health advocacy services.

The Scottish Government sets the national direction of policy on mental health and provides funding to agencies, including NHS boards and local authorities to support implementation of these policies. The management of local actions in implementing national policy, and decisions on local spending priorities are the responsibility of relevant local agencies.

Under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, advocacy is provided, or its provision secured, at local level by local authorities and the NHS. As recognised in the 2010 report by the Parliament’s Equal Opportunities Committee, significant resources were given to local government and health boards as part of the implementation of the 2003 Act. Since 2005-06, overall funding for local authorities has included £13 million per year to help them implement the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, of which advocacy is an important part. Similarly, £5 million per year has been made available to NHS boards to help them deliver the Act.

Question reference: S4W-00359

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dedicated physiotherapists each NHS board has to deal with the needs of people with multiple sclerosis.

Question reference: S4W-00360

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it provides guidance to NHS boards regarding how many dedicated physiotherapists they should have to deal with the needs of people with multiple sclerosis.

It is for individual NHS boards to determine the number of dedicated physiotherapists they require dealing with people with multiple sclerosis (MS) based on local priorities and clinical need. However, Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS, formerly NHS Quality Improvement Scotland) launched its Clinical Standards for Neurological Health Services on 21 January 2010, along with an implementation plan for NHS boards’ use, detailing tools and techniques for improvement. The standards are in part generic, dealing with the early part of the patient journey, including access to specialist neurological services and the quality of the patient experience. The remainder of the standards focus on five specific conditions including MS.

Standard 14, which covers access to specialist MS services, requires that as a minimum the MS multidisciplinary team should consist of: a consultant who specialises in the diagnosis and management of MS; an MS clinical nurse; the patient and carer. Additional input from other healthcare professionals including physiotherapists with experience and training in neurological conditions should also be offered.

Question reference: S4W-00361

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 9 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how much each NHS board has allocated to funding mental health advocacy services in each financial year since 1999.

There is a duty on NHS boards and local authorities under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 to secure the availability of independent advocacy services for people who have a mental health condition. Advocacy services are not funded centrally, these services may be secured by the NHS boards or local authorities through funding from their own allocations or by obtaining support from other sources.

Since 2005-06, overall funding for local authorities has included £13 million per year to help them implement the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003, of which advocacy is an important part. Similarly, £5 million per year has been made available to NHS boards to help them deliver the Act.

Question reference: S4O-00044

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 June 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives to help small companies bid for public contracts.

Question reference: S4W-00365

Asked by: Kevin Stewart, MSP for Aberdeen Central, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 7 June 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to undertake a study into train overcrowding on the Aberdeen to Inverness rail network.

There are no plans to undertake a separate study into overcrowding on the Aberdeen to Inverness line. However, a pre-feasibility study published on 22 March 2011, includes options to provide half hourly services between Inverness and Elgin and Aberdeen and Inverurie.

Work has now begun to examine the feasibility, cost and deliverability of this and other options, and this work will be completed early next year.