- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any GPs have sought to opt out of NHS 24 and, if so, what the response has been.
Answer
Information on the number of GPs who use NHS 24 is not held centrally.
Under the terms of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract, GPs can transfer their responsibility for providing out-of-hours services to NHS boards. In such circumstances, boards have until 31 December 2004 to put in place alternative out-of-hours arrangements which must meet mandatory accreditedstandards to ensure a safe and quality service for patients. Under these new arrangements NHS boards are using NHS 24 to triage initial calls.
GPs who decide not to transfer their out-of-hours responsibility will have their own arrangements in place which may or may not involve NHS 24 to triage calls.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 6 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations from the First Report of the Select Committee on Public Administration, published on 10 February 1998, it has put in place, with particular regard to the recommendation on political activity.
Answer
The Government’s response to the report was submitted to the Committee in April 1998 and can be found at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmselect/cmpubadm/723s3/pas302.htm.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 6 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the period over which candidates for public appointments are required to declare their political activity from five to 10 years and whether it will now ask such candidates about their membership of a political party or club.
Answer
The Executive is required to follow the arrangements for declaring political activity contained in the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland. Consideration of any changes to these arrangements is a matter for the Commissioner.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 2 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the anticipated life is of the new headquarters to be built in Inverness for Scottish Natural Heritage; whether the cost of leasing the premises from the owners will be taken into account when working out net present value (NPV); whether, in calculating NPV, the period in respect of which discounted value is assessed will be the whole expected life of the building or 30 years and, if it is 30 years, what account will be taken of the lease costs of the building for the remainder of the expected life of the building.
Answer
The invitation to tender for the SNH HQ building requires the developer to design all non-replaceable elements of the building fabric to a standard suitable for permanent buildings with a life span of 75 years or more. Option appraisals undertaken by SNH follow Treasury guidance on appraisal periods and discount rates and in this case follows normal practice in adopting a 30-year appraisal period. No final decision has been taken on whether the building will be leased or purchased outright. If the leasing option were to be chosen, on completion of the 30-year lease term the building could either be surrendered back to the owner or a new lease negotiated, according to SNH’s requirement at that time.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 30 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from either the Highland Council or HITRANS in respect of a bypass of Nairn on the A96.
Answer
I am not aware of having received any representations on this matter from either the Highland Council or the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 30 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out any study into the need for a bypass of Nairn on the A96 and whether it will invite the local enterprise company to consider the matter.
Answer
There are no current plans to carry out such a study.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 30 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether measures should be taken by it, or any other body, to preserve a possible route for a bypass of Nairn on the A96, in light of any possibility that further development to the south of Nairn would make such a bypass more difficult and expensive to construct in future.
Answer
Decisions in relation to land use and development plans are a matter for the Highland Council.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 30 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the creation of a bypass of Nairn on the A96 and, if so, what steps it will take to achieve this and within what timescale.
Answer
A bypass for Nairn is not currently part of the motorway and trunk roads programme.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has opposed, or will oppose, or express its opposition to Her Majesty’s Government regarding, any proposal by the European Union to increase the Hilton quotas for importation of beef from Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay from the existing levels.
Answer
Negotiations between Mercosur (the South American trading group) and the EU Commission are currently underway with a view to improving EU/Mercosur trade. The UK is actively involved in these discussions. The Executive has made it clear that increases in Hilton quotas for beef would be a concern.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 22 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact any relaxation of import restrictions to the European Union from the Mercosul countries would have on the Scottish beef sector and what economic appraisal it has carried out to assess such an impact.
Answer
Further trade liberalisation will increase the competitive pressure upon the Scottish beef sector. Economists in interested departments of the UK Government and the devolved administrations, including representatives from Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department, are considering the impact of future changes – including those in relation to trading conditions. The results of any further work will be put on the Executive website.
