Section E – Written questions lodged on 15 January 2009

Questions marked with a triangle (Δ) are initiated by the Scottish Executive in order to facilitate the provision of information to the Parliament.

Questions in which a member has indicated a declarable interest are marked with an "R".

S3W-19785 Lewis Macdonald: To ask the Scottish Executive what factors it will consider when evaluating Homecoming Scotland 2009.

S3W-19786 Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the names of the public bodies that have chairs who are also serving councillors, also showing the names of such chairs.

S3W-19787 Lewis Macdonald: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review the advertising campaign for Homecoming Scotland 2009.

S3W-19788 Lewis Macdonald: To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with representatives of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office regarding Homecoming Scotland 2009.

S3W-19789 Lewis Macdonald: To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with UK ministers with responsibility for tourism regarding Homecoming Scotland 2009.

S3W-19790 Lewis Macdonald: To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with VisitBritain regarding Homecoming Scotland 2009.

S3W-19791 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils were caught carrying a knife at school in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

S3W-19792 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils were suspended or expelled for carrying a knife at school in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

S3W-19793 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils were suspended or expelled for threatening physical violence using a weapon or improvised weapon in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

S3W-19794 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school pupils were suspended or expelled from school for physical assault with a weapon in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

S3W-19795 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive how many exclusions there were from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Aberdeen, (ii) Aberdeenshire and (iii) Angus during 2006-07, broken down by reason for exclusion.

S3W-19796 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive how many exclusions there were from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Aberdeen, (ii) Aberdeenshire and (iii) Angus during 2007-08, broken down by reason for exclusion.

S3W-19797 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of the pilot knife-crime text hotline being run in Lancashire schools by Lancashire Constabulary and Crimestoppers, with the aim of encouraging anonymous reporting of young people who pupils believe may be carrying knives, as reported on BBC News Online on 14 January 2009.

S3W-19798 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to pilot a knife-crime text hotline similar to that being run in Lancashire schools by Lancashire Constabulary and Crimestoppers with the aim of encouraging the anonymous reporting of young people who pupils believe may be carrying knives, as reported on BBC News Online on 14 January 2009.

S3W-19799 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has identified any knife-crime hot spots and what action it is taking to ensure that they are being addressed locally.

S3W-19800 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to educate (a) primary school pupils, (b) secondary school pupils and (c) young adults about the dangers of carrying knives and issues surrounding knife crime.

S3W-19801 Cathie Craigie: To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding shortfall it is aware of for home adaptations by housing associations in (a) Scotland and (b) the North Lanarkshire Council area.

S3W-19802 Cathie Craigie: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to increase grant funding for housing associations with a funding shortfall.

S3W-19803Δ Joe FitzPatrick: To ask the Scottish Executive what further progress has been made in taking forward the development of the Scottish Futures Trust.

S3W-19804 Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the recent outbreak of infectious salmon anaemia in Shetland, whether farmed salmon can legally be moved from one management area to another and, if so, what safeguards are in place regarding biosecurity.

S3W-19805 Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive what the legal provisions are for safeguarding biosecurity when farmed salmon are moved from one management area to another and what body is responsible for monitoring compliance with these provisions.

S3W-19806 Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive what legislation covers the importation of live salmon and rainbow trout smolts from Scandinavia.

S3W-19807 Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive what body is responsible for monitoring the welfare of wild salmonids in special areas of conservation (SACs) for specific types of salmon and in SACs where Atlantic salmon are a qualifying feature.

S3W-19808 Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the decline in sea trout populations in certain areas, for what reasons sea trout populations are not considered a qualifying feature for special areas of conservation.

S3W-19809 Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to reinstate wild sea trout populations in areas where they have declined.

S3W-19810 Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the publication of sea lice data in Norway on the Lusedata website, when it will publish similar data.

S3W-19811 Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16417 by Richard Lochhead on 1 October 2008 and in light of the European Parliament’s vote in support of new pesticides legislation, how this new legislation, if implemented, will affect the Scottish farming industry.

S3W-19812 Derek Brownlee: To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people most at risk in the south of Scotland received flu vaccinations in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board.

S3W-19813 Derek Brownlee: To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were arrested for drink-driving offences in the south of Scotland and how many of these were (a) first-time and (b) repeat offenders in each of the last five years for which information is available, broken down by police force.

S3W-19814 Derek Brownlee: To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were arrested for drug-driving offences in the south of Scotland and how many of these were (a) first-time and (b) repeat offenders in each of the last five years for which information is available, broken down by police force.

S3W-19815 John Lamont: To ask the Scottish Executive how many convicted prisoners have not received visitors in the last (a) six months, (b) year, (c) two years, (d) three years and (e) five years or more.

S3W-19816 Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on whether there is scientific evidence to support the introduction of the proposed new EU legislation on pesticides.

S3W-19817 Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make representations to the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council regarding the proposed new EU legislation on pesticides.

S3W-19818 Jamie McGrigor: To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will to take to assist the farming industry in sourcing alternative pesticides if the new pesticides legislation agreed by the European Parliament on 13 January 2009 is agreed by the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council.

S3W-19819 Patrick Harvie: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide additional funds under the Marine Energy Fund, which was announced by the then Deputy First Minister on 24 October 2006, beyond the £13.15 million confirmed by 2 February 2007.

S3W-19820 Patrick Harvie: To ask the Scottish Executive by what date it expects the £10 million being made available under the Saltire Prize to be awarded.

S3W-19821 Patrick Harvie: To ask the Scottish Executive which of the funds it administers are specifically allocated to support the development of marine renewables and what the likely value is of each of these funds to marine developers over the current comprehensive spending review period.

S3W-19822 Gavin Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people caught by police with (a) knives and (b) other weapons in the Lothians region were (i) repeat and (ii) first-time offenders in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

S3W-19823 Gavin Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of graduates from universities and colleges in the Lothians region entered full-time employment within (a) six and (b) 12 months of graduating in each of the last five years, broken down by university and college.

S3W-19824 Gavin Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive what the average level of student debt was among graduates from universities and colleges in the Lothians region in each of the last five years, broken down by university and college.

S3W-19825 Margaret Smith: To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of the proposal to lease out 25% of the most commercially-viable, publicly-owned Scottish forests for up to 75 years on Forestry Commission Scotland’s staffing numbers in Edinburgh.

S3W-19826 Dr Richard Simpson: To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners travelled from prison to attend appointments at (a) out-patient and (b) accident and emergency departments in 2007-08.

S3W-19827 Dr Richard Simpson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has estimated the cost of sending a prisoner to a hospital appointment and whether this varies depending on the category of prisoner.

S3W-19828 Dr Richard Simpson: To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) nurses and allied health professionals and (b) doctors travelled to prisons to see or treat patients in 2007-08.

S3W-19829 Dr Richard Simpson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS Scotland has estimated the cost of staff travelling to prisons to treat patients.

S3W-19830 Nanette Milne: To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to monitor standards of hygiene and infection control in primary care.

S3W-19831 Nanette Milne: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to require primary care practices to meet the same standards of hygiene and infection control as those required in secondary care.

S3W-19832 Nanette Milne: To ask the Scottish Executive how many new farmers have entered the farming industry under the new entrants scheme.

S3W-19833 Gavin Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9184 by John Swinney on 19 February 2008, what public expenditure is as a percentage of gross domestic product.

S3W-19834 Gavin Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-9185 by John Swinney on 19 February 2008, for what reason the January 2009 edition of the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser’s Economic Pocket Databank does not contain figures for public expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product.

S3W-19835 Bill Butler: To ask the Scottish Executive what the student drop-out rate was for each university in the 2007-08 academic year.

S3W-19836 Bill Butler: To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it has received to its consultation on marches and parades.

S3W-19837 Bill Butler: To ask the Scottish Executive for what reasons it has not published responses to its consultation on marches and parades and when it will do so.

S3W-19838 John Scott: To ask the Scottish Executive how many animals have been imported into Scotland from mainland Europe since October 2008, broken down by species.

S3W-19839 John Scott: To ask the Scottish Executive what the take-up of the bluetongue vaccine has been.

S3W-19840 John Scott: To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the take-up of the bluetongue vaccine in England, broken down by region.

S3W-19841 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Russian Government having lifted its restriction on the importation of Scottish fish, what level of exports to Russia can be expected by Scottish fish processors.

S3W-19842 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it had with the Russian Government ahead of the lifting of its restriction on the importation of Scottish fish.

S3W-19843 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings it had with the Russian Government ahead of the lifting of its restriction on the importation of Scottish fish.

S3W-19844 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive which minister led discussions with the Russian Government ahead of the lifting of its restriction on the importation of Scottish fish.

S3W-19845 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a signed agreement with the Russian Government that secures the sale of Scottish fish to Russia and, if so, whether the Scottish Government will place a copy of the agreement in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

S3W-19846 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive when it reached formal agreement with the Russian Government on the lifting of its restriction on the importation of Scottish fish.

S3W-19847 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive when the formal agreement with the Russian Government on the lifting of its restriction on the importation of Scottish fish was signed.

S3W-19849 Jamie Hepburn: To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence must be presented in court by those seeking the extradition of Scottish citizens under the terms of the Extradition Act 2003.

S3W-19850 Jamie Hepburn: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any power to grant extradition orders under the terms of the Extradition Act 2003.

S3W-19851 Jamie Hepburn: To ask the Scottish Executive whether any functions under the Extradition Act 2003 have been transferred to Scottish ministers.

S3W-19852 Jamie Hepburn: To ask the Scottish Executive whether any functions were transferred to Scottish ministers as a result of the Sewel motion, S1M-3608, agreed by the Parliament on 21 November 2002.

S3W-19853 Rhona Brankin: To ask the Scottish Executive how the Schools to go Greener initiative has been integrated into the Curriculum for Excellence and initiatives, such as eco schools.

S3W-19854 Gavin Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive how many crimes of being drunk and disorderly have been recorded against people aged (a) under 15, (b) 15 to 18, (c) 19 to 21 and (d) over 21 in the Lothians region in each month since January 2008, broken down by local authority area.

S3W-19855 Patricia Ferguson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the ministerial visits made to the Glasgow Maryhill constituency since 17 May 2008, showing which other MSPs or ministers were in attendance and broken down by (a) ministerial portfolio, (b) venue, (c) date and (d) purpose of visit.

S3W-19856 Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings Scottish ministers have had with representatives of Rothschild since May 2007 and what issues were discussed.

S3W-19857 Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings its officials have had with representatives of Rothschild since May 2007 and what issues were discussed.

S3W-19858 Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish ministers have discussed proposals concerning forestry with representatives of Rothschild since May 2007.