Section E – Written questions lodged on 25 September 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-27721Δ Christina McKelvie: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on the action that it has taken following the publication in 2008 of the Audit Scotland report, Improving the school estate.

S3W-27722 Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Executive how many extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machines there are in Scotland; where they are located; whether it is satisfied that this is a sufficient quantity in view of the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic, and, if not, how many more machines it proposes to gain access to; by when, and by what method.

S3W-27723 Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered organ donors there were in each year since 1999.

S3W-27724 Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Executive how many new organ donors were registered in each month since May 2007.

S3W-27725 Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on unused prescriptions in each year since 1999, also expressed in real terms.

S3W-27726 Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Executive how many hours of spare capacity there were in NHS facilities in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

S3W-27727 Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Executive how many days were lost to the NHS as a result of staff absence through illness in each year since 1999, also broken down by NHS board.

S3W-27728 Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Executive how many hours were lost to the NHS as a result of patients failing to attend appointments in each year since 1999, also broken down by NHS board.

S3W-27729 Christina McKelvie: To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is issued to local community care partnerships with regard to advance planning for the expected future care needs of people with progressive illnesses such as motor neurone disease.

S3W-27730 Christina McKelvie: To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is issued to local community care partnerships with regard to the provision of equipment and adaptations for people with progressive illnesses such as motor neurone disease.

S3W-27731 Christina McKelvie: To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is issued to community health partnerships regarding the provision of specialist paediatric occupational therapy services for children with sensory impairment.

S3W-27732 Christina McKelvie: To ask the Scottish Executive which community health partnerships currently provide a specialist paediatric occupational therapy service for children with sensory impairment.

S3W-27733 Lewis Macdonald: To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the recommendation in the Marine Energy Group’s Marine Energy Road Map, published on 26 August 2009, that the Scottish Government should consider the roles of the various public bodies providing funding for early stage technologies, including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Carbon Trust and the Scottish Government.

S3W-27734 Lewis Macdonald: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-26835 by Jim Mather on 8 September 2009, when it will announce whether it supports the recommendation in the Marine and Energy Group’s Marine Energy Road Map that the Scottish Government should introduce a flexible new initiative modelled on the existing Wave and Tidal Energy Support Scheme.

S3W-27735 Lewis Macdonald: To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the recommendation in the Marine Energy Group’s Marine Energy Road Map, published on 26 August 2009, that Scottish Enterprise should revise the cap on its Scottish Venture Fund from £2 million to £10-15 million.

S3W-27736 Lewis Macdonald: To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the recommendation in the Marine Energy Group’s Marine Energy Road Map, published on 26 August 2009, that the Scottish Government should review urgently the level of renewables obligation certificate (ROC) banding for tidal stream to attract 5 ROCs/MWh in line with the band for wave energy in Scotland.

S3W-27737 Lewis Macdonald: To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the view of the developers on the Marine Energy Group that "it is essential that the Beauly-Denny link must be consented urgently by Scottish Ministers since not only does it provide capacity for renewable projects most ready for connection, but it is also key to unlocking further progress on network upgrades."

S3W-27738 Jamie Stone: To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the licensing of influenza A (H1N1) drug Pandemrix to be formalised and whether it will set out its vaccination programme for (a) high risk, (b) priority and (c) other groups, broken down by estimated (i) start and (ii) finish dates.

S3W-27739 Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive how many combined heat and power district heating systems there are, broken down by local authority area.

S3W-27740 Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive how many households are served by combined heat and power district heating systems, broken down by local authority area.

S3W-27741 Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive what the electricity generation capacity is of commercial wind farms, broken down by local authority area.

S3W-27742 Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive what the increase in electricity generation capacity as a result of new commercial wind farms was in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

S3W-27743 Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of electricity production came from (a) renewable energy, (b) nuclear energy and (c) hydrocarbons in each of the last five years.

S3W-27744 Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of municipal waste was sent to landfill in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

S3W-27745 Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of municipal waste was sent to energy from waste (EFW) plants in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) local authority area and (b) type of EFW facility.

S3W-27746 Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive how much money was invested in the trunk road network in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area.

S3W-27747 Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to improve energy efficiency and promote the use of micro-renewable electricity generation.

S3W-27748 Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive what the average national transmission charges are for (a) wind farms, (b) nuclear power stations and (c) fossil fuel power stations.

S3W-27749 Maureen Watt: To ask the Scottish Executive what the average national grid transmission charge is in each local authority area.

S3W-27750 Peter Peacock: To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the announcement on broadband for rural Scotland by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth in a news release of 23 September 2009, whether communities will be able to bid to have their exchanges upgraded.

S3W-27751 Peter Peacock: To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the announcement on broadband for rural Scotland by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth in a news release of 23 September 2009, what the timescales for upgrades to exchanges will be in the (a) Western Isles, (b) Argyll and Bute, (c) Highland, (d) Moray, (e) Orkney Islands and (f) Shetland Islands council areas.

S3W-27752 Peter Peacock: To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the announcement on broadband for rural Scotland by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth in a news release of 23 September 2009, whether there will be upgrades to British Telecom exchanges in the (a) Western Isles, (b) Argyll and Bute, (c) Highland, (d) Moray, (e) Orkney Islands and (f) Shetland Islands council areas in order to provide increased access to broadband internet connections.

S3W-27753 Peter Peacock: To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the announcement on broadband for rural Scotland by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth in a news release of 23 September 2009, who will decide which exchanges will be upgraded.

S3W-27754 Patrick Harvie: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will participate in the UK Government’s Low Carbon Review of the Construction Industry.

S3W-27755 Patrick Harvie: To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to assist the construction sector in ensuring that it is able to make a significant contribution to reducing carbon emissions and improving the built environment.

S3W-27756 Helen Eadie: To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds in psychiatric units are dedicated to (a) children and (b) adolescents with learning difficulties.

S3W-27757 Helen Eadie: To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds for forensic patients are dedicated to (a) children and (b) adolescents with learning difficulties.

S3W-27758 Helen Eadie: To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been put in place to meet the staffing needs of the new west of Scotland adolescent psychiatry inpatient unit.

S3W-27760 Des McNulty: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3F-1909 by Alex Salmond on 24 September 2009 (Official Report, c. 19971), whether it wishes to clarify the statement that spending associated with Glasgow Airport Rail Link project would include removing the runway at Glasgow Airport.

S3W-27761 Des McNulty: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3F-1909 by Alex Salmond on 24 September 2009 (Official Report, c. 19971), whether Transport Scotland advised the First Minister that the runway at Glasgow Airport had to be moved as part of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link project.

S3W-27762 Des McNulty: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3F-1909 by Alex Salmond on 24 September 2009 (Official Report, c. 19971), whether discussions were held with BAA to advise them that the Glasgow Airport runway would have to be moved to make way for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link.

S3W-27763 Des McNulty: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3F-1909 by Alex Salmond on 24 September 2009 (Official Report, c. 19971), whether it will itemise the works or other forms of expenditure that amount to £70 million, showing the costs ascribed to each item and the financial year in which it had been anticipated that this expenditure would have fallen.