- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 17 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commit to trunking the A7 from Galashiels to Edinburgh.
Answer
There are no plansto trunk the A7 from Galashiels to Edinburgh.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 17 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable would be for trunking the A7 from Galashiels to Edinburgh.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-1621 on 17 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 10 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will confirm the commitment to protect rural schools.
Answer
We have made clearour commitment to introduce a presumption against the closure of rural schools andshall be considering further the detailed implications of taking that forward. Wedo of course consider any individual council application for ministerial consentto a school closure on the basis of its particular facts and circumstances.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will increase the funding available to registered social landlords in the Scottish Borders for housing adaptations.
Answer
Communities Scotland’s adaptation funding is available to registeredsocial landlords (RSLs) for works to adapt a property to suit the changing needsof the existing, or new, tenant where those works could not reasonably have beenidentified when the property was originally provided.
For the financialyear 2007-08, Communities Scotland has made adaptation funding of £0.66 millionavailable to RSLs with housing stock in the Scottish Borders area. This is an increaseof over 50 per cent compared with the position in March 2005. The funding made availableis in line with the funding requested by the RSLs in December 2006, through theirStrategy and Development Funding Plans.
Given that the requirementfor adaptation work is demand-led, as opposed to planned, Communities Scotland recognisesthat it can be difficult for RSLs to accurately forecast the resources requirementsfor adaptation works in any given year. For this reason, all RSLs are encouragedto contact Communities Scotland’s local area office if funding requirements change.By doing this, the process of managing and approving additional funding requestscan be undertaken in a controlled and coherent manner.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what it will do to increase availability of more affordable, socially rented accommodation in the Scottish Borders.
Answer
The budget set forthe 2007-08 affordable housing programme in the Scottish Borders is £7.2 million,with a target of 89 new homes, 71 for affordable rent. Decisions on affordable housinginvestment beyond 2008 will depend on the outcome of the spending review processlater this year.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 9 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will be in a position to review the closure of Glentrool Primary School in Newton Stewart.
Answer
Dumfries and Galloway Council was advised on 27 Juneof our decision against giving consent to the implementation of its proposal toclose Glentrool Primary School.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 9 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will be in a position to advise parents and staff whether Glentrool Primary School in Newton Stewart will remain open after this summer’s academic break.
Answer
Dumfries and Galloway Council was advised on 27 Juneof our decision against giving consent to the implementation of its proposal toclose Glentrool Primary School. It is for the council to communicate appropriately withparents and school staff.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 14 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that maternity services that do not currently meet the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland standards in respect of routine second ultrasound scans are able to do so in the near future.
Answer
We are working closely withNHSScotland to ensure that developments in screening during pregnancy,including the introduction of routine foetal anomaly scanning in those boardswhich do not currently offer this service, are introduced efficiently andeffectively and as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the ministerial statement on the future of the accident and emergency unit at Ayr Hospital on 6 June 2007, whether it will give an assurance that other planned local health investments in Ayrshire and the south of Scotland will not be adversely affected and detail any service that may be directly affected.
Answer
As I outlined in my statementin the Chamber on 6 June 2007, I have instructed the board of NHS Ayrshire and Arran to reviewtheir original plans and to produce revised proposals that will enable accidentand emergency services to continue at both sites in Ayrshire. I am clear that, asfar as possible within the resources available to the board, I want them to retaintheir primary care and community development programmes.
I recognise that there are manyissues to address, for example relating to clinical workload and staffing. I wantthese challenges to be faced up to in a way that puts patients first and is innovative.
It is now a matter for theboard to determine how best to deliver these services and to produce proposals.Their proposals will then undergo a process of independent scrutiny, following whichI expect to take a decision by the turn of the year.
- Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce marketing grants for the veal industry to help primary producers and processors develop outlets for their products, thus helping to ensure a local market.
Answer
Under the proposed new ScottishRural Development Programme, assistance will be available to help primary producersand processors, including those in the veal industry, to develop new and existingmarkets for their products.
