- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 July 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under 15 were admitted to hospital as a result of unintentional injuries incurred on the road in (a) 2006, (b) 2007 and (c) 2008.
Answer
The number of hospital admissions as a result of unintentional injury caused by a road traffic accident (RTA), for children aged 0-14, for year of discharge ending 31 March 2006 to 2008, are shown in the following table:
Year | Number of Admissions |
2005-06 | 707 |
2006-07 | 648 |
2007-08 | 463 |
Source: Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland. These statistics are based on data collected on discharges from non-obstetric and non-psychiatric hospitals (Scottish Morbidity Record 01, SMR01). Patient injury categories are identified in SMR01 by admission codes 32-35. Category 32 is used to describe road traffic accidents (RTA''s).
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 July 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children under 15 presented at hospital accident and emergency departments with unintentional injuries incurred in the home in (a) 2006, (b) 2007 and (c) 2008.
Answer
Data relating to patient age and their reason for attendance at accident and emergency (A&E) departments are not centrally available.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 July 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what data it has that disaggregates children with unintentional injuries by (a) age, (b) gender, (c) race, (d) socioeconomic status, (e) family circumstance, (f) geographic location and (g) other relevant characteristics.
Answer
The Scottish Government has funded a pilot in order to assess the current level and quality of data collected on unintentional injuries in selected Scottish accident and emergency departments as it has been agreed that the Health Directorate will lead on coordinating information on unintentional injury.
The pilot will be used to see whether it is necessary to enhance the data being collected. The pilot is expected to report back later this autumn. The results will help inform any perceived gaps in data, which should help influence delivery and planning of any future initiatives.
Information Services Division (ISD) has published data on unintentional injuries up to 31 March 2008, disaggregated by age, gender, NHS board, Community Health Partnerships (CHP) and deprivation level (SIMD quintile). These figures are available at
http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5867.html and http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1144.html.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 11 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out into the energy input/output ratio of coal extraction by opencast methods and in particular into the quantity of diesel required in the excavation, extraction and transportation of coal.
Answer
The Scottish Government has not carried out any research into this matter.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what appeal procedures exist for communities to challenge planning decisions that have been made by local authorities but will no longer be considered by the Scottish Executive.
Answer
There are no appeal procedures in planning legislation which allow for communities to challenge decisions that have been made by planning authorities. However, objections and representations from consultees and the public are an essential part of the decision-making process on planning applications. It is for planning authorities to give due consideration to such views when reaching a decision on planning applications. Forthcoming changes to the planning system will provide the public with greater opportunities to influence proposals through pre-applications consultation and decision making through pre-determination hearings on larger scale developments. Changes will also involve more information being available on applications and on decisions and how they were reached.
Individuals can challenge planning decisions made by local authorities through the courts.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 10 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation took place with communities in regions with a concentration of opencast coal mining operations prior to the policy changes contained in Planning Circular 3/2009.
Answer
The changes to the notification procedure in no way diminish the opportunity for the public or communities to be involved in the planning process. This administrative change was therefore not subject to consultation.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 5 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what its best estimate is of the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by burning one tonne of Scottish coal in a power station that does not have any form of carbon capture technology.
Answer
Figures supplied by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency suggest burning one tonne of coal would produce a range of between 2.5 to 2.9 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
Coal used in power stations in Scotland comes from various geographical locations. Due to the differing composition and moisture content of coal types, it is not possible to provide a more precise figure.
Carbon Capture and Storage Technology (CCS) has the potential to reduce emissions from power stations by up to 90 per cent. The Scottish Government supports CCS as a critical new technology that would make a significant contribution towards carbon emission reductions.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many opencast coal sites have been approved for new operations or expansion since May 2007, giving details of (a) site name and location, (b) new site or extension size in hectares and (c) granted coal reserves in tonnes.
Answer
The British Geological Survey collect this data. The information is published at
www.bgs.ac.uk/MineralsUK/minequar/coal/occ/home.html. Information for 2008 will be published shortly.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how it decides whether local authorities have a financial interest in opencast coal planning applications and whether this includes (a) sponsorship by coal companies of local projects or services and (b) existing contributions made by coal companies to community trusts on a levy-per-tonne basis.
Answer
In the first instance it is for the local authority to decide if it has a financial interest in an opencast coal application and whether an application requires to be notified under Circular 3/2009.
- Asked by: Patrick Harvie, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 May 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 4 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers climate change a matter of national interest in the context of Planning Circular 3/2009.
Answer
Planning applications are required by law to be decided in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Should issues related to climate change be raised in relation to a planning application, these will need to be taken in to account by the decision maker.