- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3598 by Michael Russell on 5 September 2007, which local authorities applied for flood prevention funding but were unsuccessful and for what reasons they were unsuccessful.
Answer
Grant is only availableto those authorities carrying out this year confirmed flood prevention schemes whichmeet our criteria. No others applied.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-27234 by Rhona Brankin on 20 July 2006, whether it will list subsequent (a) projects and (b) applicants seeking financial assistance from the Strategic Timber Transport Fund, also showing whether each application was successful and, if so, the amount (i) applied for and (ii) awarded.
Answer
To date, 20 projectshave been approved and awarded financial support through the Strategic Timber TransportFund. Six further projects are under consideration with another four under revisionby the applicants. Three projects have been rejected, but two of these have beensubsequently accepted as new applications after significant revision.
Full details of all applications received to date underthe Strategic Timber Transport Scheme are summarised in the following table:
| Project Title | Applicant Name | Amount Awarded | Potential Award | Current Position | Overall Project Value |
| Timber Transport Officer – Stirling and Tayside | Stirling and Tayside Timber Transport Group | £25,000 | | On target | £34,000 |
| South of Scotland Timber Logistics Programme | Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway | £68, 900 | | On target | £457,645 |
| Programme Manager/Co-ordinator (Argyll) | Argyll and Bute Council | £94,000 | | On target | £152,000 |
| Rosneath | Tilhill Forestry Ltd | | | Rejected | |
| Eskdalemuir | Tilhill Forestry Ltd | £2,918,448 | | On target | £4,468,448 |
| Study of performance of forest and public roads under construction | Forest Enterprise | £232,500 | | On target | £336,500 |
| Project Co-ordinator, Highland and Grampian | Forestry Civil Engineering | | | Rejected | |
| Floating Pier | Scottish Woodlands Ltd | | | Rejected | |
| Rannoch Rail Head | Tilhill Forestry Ltd | | £128,000 | Under consideration | £371,500 |
| Developing and promoting a Timber Transport Strategy and solutions for the Highlands | Forest Enterprise on behalf of the Highland Timber Transport Group | £43,333 | | On target | £65,000 |
| Fersit Road, Lochaber | Highland Council | £100,000 | | On target | £850,000 |
| Dunoon Timber Haul Route | UPM Tilhill | £324,034 | | On target | £586,200 |
| Glen Masson – B836 link | Scottish Woodlands Ltd | £44,085 | | On target | £92,771 |
| Barrhill railhead catchment | FCS Galloway Forest District | £1,682,337 | | On target | £2,687,437 |
| B8024 Tarbert Bypass | Argyll and Bute Council | £600,000 | | Delayed | £802,000 |
| Argyll Central Tyre Inflation | Argyll and Bute Council | | £237,000 | Being revised | £355,000 |
| Rathad-Mara (Sea Road) | Scottish Woodlands Ltd | | £150,000 | Being revised | £190,000 |
| Arran Link Road | Forest Enterprise | £318,000 | | Delayed | £623,680 |
| South of Scotland Timber Transport Officer | Dumfries and Galloway Council | £85,000 | | On target | £135,000 |
| Driver Training Programme | FC Learning and Development | £17,725 | | On target | £34,445 |
| Facilitating change in Forestry Industry supply chains, South of Scotland Focal Study | ConFor | | £77,500 | Being revised | £118,500 |
| Ardfern Bypass | J Robin Dixon | £39,990 | | On target | £99,975 |
| B836 phase 2 | Argyll and Bute Council Operations Department | £655,000 | | On target | £1,230,000 |
| Glenstriven Timber Haul Route | UPM Tilhill | | £218,000 | Being revised | £396,700 |
| Peaton Hill Link Road | Tilhill Forestry Ltd | £45,000 | | On target | £90,000 |
| Hareshawmuir Road Project | UPM Tilhill | £37,000 | | Delayed | £120,000 |
| Moray Strategic Timber Transport Road Infrastructure Project | Moray Council | £65,000 | | On target | £131,000 |
| A897 Partnership Project | Highland Council | | £400,000 | Under consideration | £500,000 |
| Upper Loch Fyne Pier, Technical and Financial Feasability Study | Argyll and Bute Council | £6,000 | | On target | £12,000 |
| Marr area | Aberdeenshire Council | | £82,900 | Under consideration | £165,800 |
| Tomdoun Link Road | J Robin Dixon | | £74,579 | Under consideration | £186,447 |
| South West Glendaruel Timber Haul Route | Argyll and Bute Council | | £253,450 | Under consideration | £741,500 |
| North West Mull Community Woodlands | North West Mull Community Woodlands Company Ltd | | £398,530 | Under consideration | £936,465 |
| Timberlink Project (inshore shipping from Argyll) | Forestry Commission Scotland | £1,800,000 | This project is supported through the Fund and not the Scheme | On target | £1,800,000 |
| Total | | £9,201,352 | £2,019,959 | 33 | |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 10 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3598 by Michael Russell on 5 September 2007, how many applications for flood prevention funding are in progress, broken down by (a) local authority and (b) amount applied for.
Answer
Since 5 September,grant applications from the following local authorities are in progress:
| Local Authority | Grant Applied For |
| North Ayrshire | £968,000 |
| City of Edinburgh | £4.4 million |
| Glasgow City | £5.7 million |
| Moray | £3.4 million |
| Falkirk | £641,000 |
In addition, EastAyrshire, Perth and Kinross, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian Councilshave advised that they intend submitting detailed costed applications by 14 December2007.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how much backpaid salary NHS boards estimate that they will have to pay in the next 24 months to staff who have yet to be banded under Agenda for Change, broken down by (a) profession and (b) board.
Answer
This information isnot held centrally.
I can report howeverthat health boards are making steady progress towards the conclusion of the implementationof Agenda for Change pay, and the vast majority of staff now assimilated have alreadyreceived arrears of pay.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what target date NHS boards have set for completing the banding process for NHS staff under Agenda for Change, broken down by (a) profession and (b) board.
Answer
There has been notarget date set for the conclusion of the implementation of Agenda for Change pay.However, I can confirm that health boards are very close to completing this process,with around 18,000 of the 140,000 plus substantive staff across NHSScotland stillwaiting to assimilate to the new pay bands. A substantial number of these staffare actually in receipt of their job evaluation outcome, and therefore know whichof the pay bands they will be moving to.
Health boards areaware of the need to conclude assimilation as quickly and effectively as possible,and progress towards this continues to be monitored and supported by the ScottishGovernment.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of staff working in the NHS in the last 12 months are appealing their new salary bandings under Agenda for Change, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) profession.
Answer
We are currently inthe early stages of gathering data on the number of job evaluation review requestswhich have been received by health boards. Initial indications are that approximately20% members of staff are seeking a review of their Agenda for Change job evaluationoutcome across NHSScotland. The information held centrally does not break this downby health board or profession.
Of the reviews processedto date 14% have resulted in post holders being awarded a higher band while in 85%of cases the initial decision was found to have been correct. 1% of cases were re-directedto another Agenda for Change process related to job evaluation and are currentlyunder further consideration.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many job analysis questionnaires have been completed in the last year by NHS boards for staff who have yet to be salary banded under Agenda for Change, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
This information isnot held centrally.
I can, however, advisethat approximately 7% of the NHSScotland workforce covered by Agenda for Changedo not match national job profiles, and will therefore have to complete a job evaluationquestionnaire as part of the job evaluation process.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many forced marriages have been annulled by Scottish courts in each year since 1999.
Answer
The information requestedis not held centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 5 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-32 by Richard Lochhead on 31 May 2007, when the regulations in respect of the transportation of puppies pursuant to the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 will be laid.
Answer
The draft Regulationson the licensing of dealers in puppies and kittens will be laid before Parliamentearly in the New Year. This is slightly later then anticipated as further legalwork on the detail of the regulations was delayed due to essential work resultingfrom the outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in the autumn.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 November 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 5 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to raise awareness of the unacceptability of forced marriages in Scotland and to ensure that relevant support services have the necessary access and resources to offer assistance to individuals who are subject to or under threat of forced marriages.
Answer
In 2008 the ScottishGovernment plans to consult the people of Scotland on whether civil legislationshould be introduced to protect those affected by forced marriage, or that thereis currently sufficient legal protection. This consultation will link with the workcurrently underway within communities to raise awareness of this very serious issue.Members of the Forced Marriage Network are key to this activity and the networkwill reconvene in 2008 to furtherdevelop the Scottish Government’s work in this area.
The majority of theorganisations working to support those affected by forced marriage are funded bythe Scottish Government. We recently demonstrated our on-going commitment to tacklingViolence Against Women by allocating £40 million over the next three years to thiswork.
