Questions and answers

Question reference: S4W-23704

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 8 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on relaxing the access criteria to IVF treatment.

Question reference: S4W-23703

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 8 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the costs associated with funding a third full cycle of (a) IVF treatment and (b) intracytoplasmic sperm injection.

The National Infertility Group, chaired by a Health Board Chief Executive, and whose members include senior infertility consultants, senior infertility nurses, senior planners, and the patient stakeholder group Infertility Network Scotland, reconvened in December 2014.

The expert group will, as part of the 2015 review, reflect on the implementation of access criteria changes from 1 July 2013 and emerging clinical evidence in light of new treatment pathways. The expert group will also look at the recurring service cost, and available capacity before any further criteria changes are considered.

Question reference: S4W-23702

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Maureen Watt on 8 January 2015

To ask the Scottish Government in which NHS boards are waiting times for IVF treatment lower than one year, and, in light of its policy that boards in this position should provide three full cycles of treatment, which provide this and when it expects all to do so.

Information Services Division published the first IVF Waiting Times for patients who were screened for IVF treatment during the period July to September 2014, in November 2014. This shows that 13 out of 14 NHS boards in Scotland are meeting the maximum 12 month target for IVF, ahead of the 31 March 2015 target date. A copy of the publication is available using the following link:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Waiting-Times/IVF-Waiting-Times/Publications/2014-11-25/

The National Infertility Group, chaired by a Health Board Chief Executive, and whose members include senior infertility consultants, senior infertility nurses, senior planners, and the patient stakeholder group Infertility Network Scotland, reconvened in December 2014.

The expert group will, as part of the 2015 review, reflect on the implementation of access criteria changes from 1 July 2013 and emerging clinical evidence in light of new treatment pathways. The expert group will also look at the recurring service cost, and available capacity before any further criteria changes are considered.

Question reference: S4W-23555

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 18 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) deaths and (b) injuries have been attributed to drink driving incidents in each year since 2011, and how many cases involved a driver with a blood-alcohol level of between 50 and 80 mg per 100 ml.

The Scottish Government does not hold statistics on the blood/alcohol level of drivers involved in road traffic accidents. However, the Department for Transport (DfT) annually estimates the number of reported drink drive casualties: i.e. those casualties in reported injury road accidents involving drivers with illegal alcohol levels (above the drink-drive limit of 80 milligrams (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitres (ml) of blood or 35 micrograms per 100ml of breath which was in force at that time).

DfT estimates for Scotland were published in Reported Road Casualties Scotland 2013 in October 2014 and are provided in the following table:

Estimated number of reported drink drive casualties, Scotland	Killed	Serious	Slight	Total
2011	20	90	570	680
2012	10	100	470	580
2008-12 average	20	130	630	780

Source: Reported Road Casualties Scotland 2013 (based on DfT estimates)

Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10; columns may not sum due to rounding.

There are no estimates for Scotland of the number of alcohol-related injury road accidents which involve legal alcohol levels (i.e. alcohol levels up to and including the drink-drive limit in force at that time of 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood).

Evidence cited in the North report on drink and drug driving, published in 2010, found that a driver was approximately three times more likely to be involved in an accident with a blood alcohol concentration of 50mg per 100ml than with zero blood alcohol. The North report also highlighted that evidence shows a driver is approximately 10 times more likely to be involved in an accident with a blood alcohol concentration of 80mg per 100ml than with zero blood alcohol.

Question reference: S4O-03841

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is on track to meet its fuel poverty eradication target.

Question reference: S4W-23096

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 5 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many objections have been filed against applications to build wind farms with turbines greater than 50 mw in each of the last five years, and how many were upheld.

The following table sets out the numbers of objections and support by calendar year:

Year	Public Objections	Objections relating to an application subsequently refused	Public Support
2010	7764	0	1737
2011	1371	0	689
2012	5718	2814	1129
2013	2951	2631	2156
2014 (to date)	5942	370	1120

It is important to note in this context that of the applications determined during this period, a majority of the applications consented were subject to some sort of change before determination as a result of consultation responses received.

Question reference: S4W-23457

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 01 December 2014
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 4 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what research the Medical Research Council has funded in the last 10 years into the role of deciliation in the onset of autistic spectrum disorder.

Question reference: S4O-03801

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to encourage more new homes to be built in town centre locations.

Question reference: S4W-23402

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 3 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency regarding the dredging of rivers.

The Scottish Government meets regularly with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). A joint meeting was held with National Farmers Union Scotland (NFUS) earlier this year, which resulted in the publication of detailed guidance on dredging for land managers. This can be obtained by visiting the following link:

http://www.sepa.org.uk/water/water_regulation/guidance/river_clearance_and_dredging.aspx.

Not all works require a SEPA licence: large and complex projects in larger rivers do, but simpler rules apply to activities like ditch clearance and silt removal from already straightened burns.

For more significant engineering works permission may be required. As these, if carried out in the wrong place and in the wrong way, can result in serious environmental damage and a risk of increased erosion and flooding elsewhere. SEPA assesses licence applications for dredging on a case by case basis, and encourages applications to be part of sustainable, long-term catchment solutions to sediment management issues. However, SEPA staff are always available to discuss any river management work, and to provide appropriate advice.

Both the Scottish Government and SEPA are aware of the challenges facing farmers and land managers during spells of extreme wet weather, and SEPA continues to liaise closely with NFUS on this important issue.

Question reference: S4W-23401

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Aileen McLeod on 3 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on dredging the River Isla in Perthshire to prevent flooding.

Dredging can have a role to play in flood risk management, but carried out in the wrong way and in the wrong place can result in significant environmental damage, and increased flooding and erosion downstream.

The Scottish Government is working with local authorities, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Scottish Water and the other responsible authorities, to deliver strategic flood risk management plans for Scotland. These will set out objectives for reducing flood risk in potentially vulnerable areas across Scotland, and the best combination of measures to achieve this. These measures may include dredging where it is appropriate and is part of a sustainable, long-term catchment solution to sediment management issues.

We believe this is the best approach to managing flood risk across the whole of Scotland, rather than focussing on one single issue which is not a ‘cure all’ for flooding.

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