Section E – Written questions lodged on 1 October 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-27842 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will define what it means by substantially refurbished in the context of the school estate.

S3W-27866 Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Executive how many men over the age of 65 were (a) offered the opportunity to be screened for, (b) screened for, (c) found to have and (d) successfully operated on, following screening, for an abdominal aortic aneurysm in each month since September 2008, also broken down by NHS board.

S3W-27867 Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Executive how many men aged between 50 and 65 were (a) diagnosed with and successfully operated on for and (b) died as a result of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in each year since 1999.

S3W-27868 Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Executive how many men aged over 65 were (a) diagnosed with and successfully operated on for and (b) died as a result of an abdominal aortic aneurysm in each year since 1999.

S3W-27869 Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will provide a list of upgrades and maintenance work undertaken on the present Scottish Parliament complex since it opened, showing the (a) date and (b) cost of each piece of work, (c) total cost to date and (d) projected cost and details of any forthcoming work.

S3W-27870 Jackson Carlaw: To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds there have been for (a) children and (b) adolescents in child and adolescent psychiatric wards in each year since 1999.

S3W-27871 Dr Richard Simpson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether investigations have been carried out into how rail passenger services between Alloa and Kincardine could be developed.

S3W-27872 Jackie Baillie: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27338 by John Swinney on 30 September 2009, whether it will restore the provision of written explanations for underspending by the Scottish Government and non-departmental public bodies when reporting end year flexibility, as has previously been the case.

S3W-27873 Jackie Baillie: To ask the Scottish Executive what the provisional and outturn variances were for departmental expenditure limits (DEL) and other accounts outside DEL, in relation to allocation and consolidated accounts for 2006-07 and 2007-08.

S3W-27874 Gavin Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) longest, (b) shortest and (c) average prison sentence was at HMP Edinburgh for someone incarcerated for carrying an offensive weapon.

S3W-27875 Gavin Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has cost NHS Lothian to treat patients admitted to hospital as a result of drug misuse in each of the last five years.

S3W-27876 Gavin Brown: To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of shoplifting were recorded in 2008-09, broken down by local authority area.

S3W-27877 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, how many crimes of handling an offensive weapon were recorded by the police in 2008-09, broken down by local authority area.

S3W-27878 David Stewart: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to publish plans for the development of a country-wide public sector ICT infrastructure network.

S3W-27879 David Stewart: To ask the Scottish Executive how it considers that the public sector can better use developments in ICT technology, such as telepresence.

S3W-27880 David Stewart: To ask the Scottish Executive how it will encourage better ICT procurement practices in local authorities.

S3W-27881 David Stewart: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that better use of ICT by the public sector would assist the delivery of better public services and whether it has prioritised areas for action.

S3W-27882 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, what assessment it has made of the 24% increase in illegal cultivation of drugs offences and what action it will take.

S3W-27883 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, whether the increase by 24% to 609 offences of illegal cultivation of drugs represents an all-time high.

S3W-27884 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, how many of the offences of illegal cultivation of drugs were recorded in each police force area.

S3W-27885 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, what assessment it has made of the number of illegal importation of drugs offences compared with 2007-08 and what action it will take.

S3W-27886 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, what assessment it has made of the 4% increase in (a) possession of drugs with intent to supply and (b) possession of drugs offences and what action it will take.

S3W-27887 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, what assessment it has made of the 8% increase in the drug, other offences and money laundering category and what action it will take.

S3W-27888 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, how many drug crimes were recorded, broken down by (a) crime category as set out in Table A5 and (b) police force area.

S3W-27889 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, what assessment it has made of the 3% increase in non-sexual crimes of violence in Grampian and what action it will take.

S3W-27890 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, what assessment it has made of the housebreaking rate in Aberdeen City compared with the Scotland-wide average and what action it will take.

S3W-27891 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09 and the statistic that Aberdeen City had the highest rate of housebreaking incidents per 10,000 population in Scotland, what targeted action it will take in Aberdeen.

S3W-27892 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, how many housebreaking incidents there were in Aberdeen City in each of the last 10 years, also expressed per 10,000 of population.

S3W-27893 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, what assessment it has made of the 36% increase in racially aggravated offences in Grampian; whether this represents an all-time high, and what action it will take.

S3W-27894 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, what assessment it has made of the increase in crimes of dishonesty, including a 9% increase in theft by opening a lockfast place and a 10% increase in shoplifting, and what action it will take.

S3W-27895 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, what assessment it has made of the lack of a significant percentage reduction in recorded crimes for handling an offensive weapon and what action it will take over the next year.

S3W-27896 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, how many crimes were recorded by the police in (a) Aberdeen City and (b) Aberdeenshire local authority areas, broken down by crime group as set out in Table 1.

S3W-27897 Richard Baker: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the publication of Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2008-09, how many offences were recorded by the police in (a) Aberdeen City and (b) Aberdeenshire local authority areas, broken down by offence group as set out in Table 2.

S3W-27898 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost (a) was to build and (b) is to maintain its Scotland Performs website.

S3W-27899 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has budgeted to spend on advertising the Scotland Performs website to the public.

S3W-27900 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive how it promotes the Scotland Performs website internally and to its agencies and what the annual cost of doing so is.

S3W-27901 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the number of consultation exercises in relation to its legislation since May 2007, detailing in each case the (a) length of the consultation, (b) expenditure on publicity and (c) expenditure on events and promotion.

S3W-27902 Des McNulty: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the names of its special advisers; their dates of appointment; previous employment, and salary band.

S3W-27903 Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Executive in what way its carbon assessment of the draft budget 2010-11 will encourage more sustainable ways of working in the public sector.

S3W-27904 Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it took to ensure that its carbon assessment of the draft budget 2010-11 was calculated in such a way as to encourage reduction of emissions through improved sustainability rather than by reducing job numbers.

S3W-27905 Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider reviewing its methodology for the carbon assessment of the draft budget 2010-11 so that it will encourage reduction of emissions through improved sustainability rather than by reducing job numbers.

S3W-27906 Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that government should seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by reducing salaries and jobs.

S3W-27907 Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considered the impact on jobs when devising the methodology for its carbon assessment of the draft budget 2010-11.

S3W-27908 Sarah Boyack: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the inclusion of induced emissions resulting from increases in employment and salaries in the carbon assessment of the draft budget 2010-11 creates an incentive for Scottish Government departments to reduce projected emissions by reducing job numbers and paying lower wages rather than by finding more sustainable ways of working.

S3W-27909 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the annual budget and running costs of Procurement Scotland in each of the last five years.

S3W-27910 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the number of staff employed by Procurement Scotland in each of the last five years.

S3W-27911 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27348 by John Swinney on 29 September 2009, on how many occasions the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth has met the President of COSLA when no other COSLA member was present and what subjects were discussed.

S3W-27912 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27347 by Kenny MacAskill on 24 September 2009, what the cost was of recent advertisements seeking applications for membership of prison visiting committees and how such members will fit into the new committees.

S3W-27913 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27397 by John Swinney on 29 September 2009, how many of its civil servants are members of the Lothian Pension Fund.

S3W-27914 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27349 by Bruce Crawford on 28 September 2009, on what occasion written briefs have been provided by it to SNP MSPs but not to MSPs from other political parties.

S3W-27915 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27403 by Kenny MacAskill on 24 September 2009, whether the Scottish Ministerial Code precludes ministers from detailing the cost of any legal advice sought since May 2007 and, if not, whether it will provide that information.

S3W-27916 George Foulkes: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-21592 by John Swinney on 20 March 2009, on what occasions it has been described as the SNP Government in official publications and press releases since May 2007.

S3W-27917 Des McNulty: To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason Etisal, the Government sponsored event being organised by the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, was postponed from November 2009 to March 2010.

S3W-27918 Des McNulty: To ask the Scottish Executive when the decision to postpone Etisal, the Scottish Government sponsored event being organised by the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, was taken.

S3W-27919 Des McNulty: To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding, including publicity costs, it is providing to Etisal, the Scottish Government sponsored event being organised by the Scottish-Islamic Foundation.

S3W-27920 Des McNulty: To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on any contribution being made by sources in the (a) Organisation of Islamic Conference and (b) Gulf Cooperation Council countries to Etisal, the Scottish Government-sponsored event being organised by the Scottish-Islamic Foundation.

S3W-27921 Des McNulty: To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with sources in the (a) Organisation of Islamic Conference and (b) Gulf Cooperation Council countries and whether such discussions have been facilitated by Osama Saeed or the Scottish-Islamic Foundation.

S3W-27922 Bill Aitken: To ask the Scottish Executive when the data collected in the 2008 Scottish Health Survey was first available to officials.

S3W-27923 Bill Aitken: To ask the Scottish Executive what the change in Scotland’s consumption of alcohol has been since 2003 and what has contributed to this change.

S3W-27924 Bill Aitken: To ask the Scottish Executive what the basis was of the decision to provide the University of Sheffield with figures on alcohol consumption from 2003.

S3W-27925 Bill Aitken: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is concerned that the data on consumption of alcohol contained in the report, Independent Review of the Effects of Alcohol Pricing and Promotion, by the University of Sheffield is five years out of date and does not take into account the improving trends on consumption contained in the 2008 Scottish Health Survey.

S3W-27926 Bill Aitken: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will request that the University of Sheffield recast its main assumptions in its report, Independent Review of the Effects of Alcohol Pricing and Promotion, based on the newly available data.

S3W-27928 John Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive whether it made a detailed representation to the Office of Fair Trading’s investigation into the construction industry.

S3W-27929 John Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of fines of construction companies by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) amounting to £129.5 million, whether it made a submission to the OFT prior to the OFT issuing its Information note to procuring entities in the public and private sectors regarding the OFT’s decision on bid rigging in the construction industry.

S3W-27930 John Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive how many construction companies fined by the Office of Fair Trading are working on Scottish Government funded procurement projects.

S3W-27931 Des McNulty: To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms are in place to monitor the registers of interests of elected members in local government.

S3W-27932 John Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive what the management costs per housing unit are for (a) housing associations and (b) local authorities.

S3W-27933 John Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive what the management costs are per housing unit as a percentage of rental income for (a) housing associations and (b) local authorities.

S3W-27934 John Wilson: To ask the Scottish Executive what the average rental cost is per housing unit for (a) housing associations and (b) local authorities.

S3W-27935 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-22472 by Shona Robison on 27 April 2009, what plans it has to ensure that NHS Highland is fully compliant with the report, health for all children 4: Guidance on Implementation in Scotland.

S3W-27936 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W–22473 by Shona Robison on 27 April 2009, what plans it has to ensure that NHS Highland has an orthoptist pre-school screening programme in place.

S3W-27937 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-22474 by Shona Robison on 27 April 2009, what the timescale is for every NHS board area to have an orthoptist pre-school screening programme in.

S3W-27938 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to NHS boards regarding working with schools and parents on young people’s health.

S3W-27939 Rhoda Grant: To ask the Scottish Executive what standard of staffing and equipment is required for a designated accident and emergency unit.