- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 May 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 21 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3O-6612 by Shona Robison on 23 April 2009, when the proposed visits to each local authority will take place.
Answer
Following a letter being sent to local authorities at the end of April asking whether such meetings would be beneficial, eleven authorities have finalised arrangements, with the first meeting scheduled for 12 June. It is anticipated that the majority of councils will participate over the coming months.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 12 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the reopening of the Rural Priorities scheme for applications.
Answer
The applications process for Rural Priorities has not been closed or suspended.
The deadline for applications was extended, as a direct result of the success of the most recent assessment round in February. However, the facility has remained available throughout for applicants and their agents to submit Statements of Intent or Proposals using the online applications system.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what transport provision is in place for day case patients who need to attend health appointments before 9 am and leave after 5 pm.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-23342 on 11 May 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 11 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what provisions are in place for patients not eligible for patient transport services who require to use taxis and cannot afford to pay the fare before reclaiming it from the NHS board.
Answer
All NHS boards have arrangements in place for dealing with requests for payments in advance to meet travel costs from any patient who is eligible for reimbursement of travelling expenses under the Patient Travelling Expenses Schemes. This will include, where considered appropriate, the costs of travel by taxi.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding remains available for applications to the Rural Priorities scheme.
Answer
The amount actually available for new commitments under Rural Priorities will depend on a number of factors, including the level of uptake for demand-led elements within the relevant budget headings, and any future policy changes.
At the start of the SRDP, taking assumptions for the amount of spending on the other elements within the relevant budget headings, around £500 million was expected to be available for new commitments under Rural Priorities overall.
So far we have committed nearly £125 million under the RPAC rounds to date, so assuming spend under other linked budget headings remains steady, there is about £375 million still to commit.
However, in the light of UK budget outcome, there is no guarantee that the resources available for commitment under the SRDP will remain at currently anticipated levels. The Scottish Government will need to consider effects of UK budget on all its expenditures.
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- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what compensation will be payable to businesses that have already spent money drawing up applications for the next round of the Rural Priorities scheme.
Answer
The applications process for Rural Priorities has not been closed or suspended. Applicants and agents may still submit proposals through the online applications system.
Any applicant who has put forward a proposal will still have the opportunity to have their proposal considered in full at the next assessment round. Therefore no money or effort will have been wasted by applicants in preparing their applications.
In light of the success of the February assessment round, we are currently considering the arrangements for the next assessment round for Rural Priorities and I will make an announcement on these arrangements in the near future.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the Rural Priorities scheme funding has been allocated for 2009.
Answer
A total of £49 million in Rural Priorities funding has been allocated, over the first four assessment rounds, for spend in 2009.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when applications to the Rural Priorities scheme will reopen.
Answer
The applications process for Rural Priorities has not been closed or suspended. Applicants and their agents may submit Statements of Intent or Proposals through the online applications system.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 11 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason it has suspended the next round of applications to the Rural Priorities scheme.
Answer
The applications process for Rural Priorities has not been closed or suspended. Applicants and agents may continue to submit proposals through the online applications system.
We are currently considering the arrangements for the next assessment round for applications which have been submitted to Rural Priorities. In light of the success of the February assessment round, it has been necessary to look again at the planned assessment rounds for the remainder of the year.
Any applicant who has put forward a proposal will have the opportunity to have their proposal considered in full at the next assessment round.
We will make an announcement on the dates for future assessment rounds in the near future.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank Mulholland on 8 May 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when considering plea bargains, what emphasis is placed on the sentence, particularly in domestic abuse cases, in order to give comfort to victims who are also witnesses so that they know society and the legal system will not tolerate domestic abuse.
Answer
The possible sentence is one of many factors the Procurator Fiscal considers in deciding whether to accept any plea which the accused is prepared to offer. A plea will only be accepted when it is considered to be in the public interest to do so.
There is a joint protocol between the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). The protocol stresses the seriousness of domestic abuse and includes the presumption in favour of prosecuting all cases of domestic abuse which involve violence against the victim where there is sufficient evidence in law to prosecute.
