Scottish Executive

Livestock

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much extra money will be available for livestock producers through coupled payments under the European Commission’s CAP Health Check proposals.

Richard Lochhead: The European Commission’s proposals for the Health Check of the Common Agricultural Policy intend to reduce coupled payments and continue the process of decoupling payments from production. We are currently consulting on Scotland’s response.

NHS 24

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many emails have been received by NHS 24 in each month since its inception.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of time is for a substantive reply to an email sent to NHS 24.

Nicola Sturgeon: In August 2007, NHS 24 set up an online inquiry service for people seeking health information advice. The numbers of emails received each month are set out in the following table:

As part of the continued development of their online service, NHS 24 has recently introduced a facility to enable people to respond to NHS 24 via the feedback form on www.nhs24.com. The monitoring of the number of emails received through this channel began in January 2008 and figures are detailed in the following table:

The average response time to emails is 1.8 days for online enquiries and 0.9 days for website feedback.

Complaints to NHS 24 are not routinely received directly via email and are not recorded separately from other complaints. Email complaints are accepted, but would require postal address details to allow the complaint to be processed in line with NHS 24 security protocols. A complaint received via email would be managed within the standard complaints procedure and would be acknowledged in writing within three working days. A full response should be given within 20 working days.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were employed by NHS 24 as (a) call handlers, (b) nurse advisers, (c) pharmacists, (d) dental nurses or (e) health information advisers as at 1 May 2008, broken down by grade and those employed (i) full-time and (ii) part-time, also showing how many were on (A) permanent and (B) temporary contracts.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS 24 have provided the requested information and this is set out in the following table. All of these staff are employed on permanent contracts.

Note: *Includes Breathing Space advisers

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many visits have been made to the www.nhs24.com in each month since its inception.

Nicola Sturgeon: Visits to www.nhs24.com have only been recorded by NHS 24 since November 2006. The monthly breakdown since then is set out in the following table.

Note: *Information provided by NHS 24.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of setting up www.nhs24.com.

Nicola Sturgeon: The initial costs of establishing NHS24.com were not recorded separately by NHS 24 as they were included within a number of infrastructure and application developments.

However, as part of an on-going process to improve public accessibility to NHS 24 services, the website was redesigned in 2007 at a cost of £36,687.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the monthly costs have been of www.nhs24.com in each month since its inception.

Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not recorded by month. However, the annual maintenance cost of the website for 2007-08 was £7,200. This covers technical support, server and database monitoring, uploads, creation/modification of page designs including images and the development of content management.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive which telephone operating company has the contract for NHS 24 and when the contract will be due for renewal.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-14264 on 24 June 2008. 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/webapp/wa.search.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are based in each of NHS 24 call centres.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS 24 operates four regional centres and the numbers of staff based in each centre, as of 1 May 2008, were:

In addition, 172 staff were based in five local centres across Scotland.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) set-up and (b) ongoing costs have been of each NHS24 call centre since its inception.

Nicola Sturgeon: Establishment and running costs for NHS 24 are not recorded by location. However, details of the net operating costs, or running costs, of NHS 24 are set out in its annual accounts each year and laid before the Parliament.

Planning

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to reach a decision on the Beauly to Denny power line application.

Jim Mather: The Beauly Denny public inquiry, the largest in Scotland since devolution, started on 6 February 2007 with public hearings concluding in 20 December 2007.

The inquiry reporters are now preparing their report, which is not expected until the end of 2008.

Scottish ministers will consider the reporters findings in reaching their determination and therefore a decision may be expected in 2009.

Tourism

Des McNulty (Clydebank and Milngavie) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13078 by Jim Mather on 27 May 2008, when the research being carried out by VisitScotland on the total value of golf tourism to Scotland will be published.

Jim Mather: The research being carried out by VisitScotland on the total value of golf tourism to Scotland will be published in January 2009.

Trading Standards

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-7851 by Shona Robison on 14 January 2008, what measures would be required to transfer responsibility for test purchasing and monitoring underage alcohol sales from the police to trading standards officers and whether it will consider introducing such measures in the interest of more efficient and cost-effective policing of underage sales of both tobacco and alcohol.

Shona Robison: Primary legislation to amend the provisions of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 would be required to give trading standards officers such a responsibility. As emphasised during the Scottish Parliament debate on alcohol on 25 June 2008, the Scottish Government is keen to ensure everything possible is done to ensure the effective enforcement of licensing law. We are currently exploring with COSLA and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, therefore, the scope for giving trading standards officers a role, alongside the police, in the enforcement of the law in relation to off-sales and, more specifically, in the organisation and execution of test purchasing programmes.

Transport

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the projects being considered as part of its strategic transport projects review.

Stewart Stevenson: The projects that have been considered as potential interventions will be detailed in the Appendices to the Strategic Transport Projects Review reports which will be published later this year.

Water Charges

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the question S3W-14046 by Stewart Stevenson on 19 June 2008, in terms of financial magnitude what is meant by "minimal" in the reference to minimal costs.

Stewart Stevenson: With the opening of the non-household retail market to competition, questions about Business Stream’s detailed retail costs are a matter for it.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it notified Scottish Water and Business Stream of its intention to extend the Water Charges Exemption Scheme until 2014.

Stewart Stevenson: Ministers published their draft 2010-14 Principles of Charging Statement (covering all aspects of future water charging policy including the continuation of the water services charges exemption scheme in its present form until 2014) on 30 May 2008.

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when it notified Scottish Water and Business Stream of its intention to extend the Water Charges Exemption Scheme until 2014, it provided any guidance to them on the issuing of invoices for nil amount water and wastewater charges to charitable and voluntary organisations which qualify for exemption under the scheme.

Stewart Stevenson: With the recent opening of the retail market to competition, the billing of non-household customers is entirely an operational matter for retail services providers – in this case Scottish Water’s retail subsidiary, Business Stream.