Parliamentary questions

Eleanor Scott

233 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

23 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) or its predecessor organisations have appointed since 1999 members of the SFC or these predecessor organisations who had any previous involvement with investigations into complaints against members of college boards to investigate subsequent comp…

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The handling of complaints, includingby its predecessor organisations, is an operational matter for the Scottish FundingCouncil. I have asked the chairman of the council to write to the member.</p>

23 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Funding Council or its predecessor organisations have carried out any investigations since 1999 into complaints against any members of college boards of management without first advising those involved that complaints had been raised against them, the nature of the co…

23 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of manufacturing industry and employment in Scotland is dependent on the (a) military and (b) arms industry, broken down by geographical area, and what action the Executive is taking to reduce such dependency.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: There are no figures currentlyavailable that show the proportion of manufacturing industry and employment dependenton the military or the arms industry by geographical area.</p>

23 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much land in Scotland the Ministry of Defence (a) owns and (b) has rights over and how these figures have changed over the last decade.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive hasno function in relation to land the Ministry of Defence owns in Scotland.</p>

23 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions ministers have had with UK ministers about the implications for Scotland of a decision on whether to replace Trident with a new nuclear weapons system.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Defence matters are reserved.Scottish ministers have not had any discussions with UK Ministers on this issue.</p>

15 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, under regulation 3 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994, to secure compliance with the requirements of the European Habitats Directive in relation to the potential impacts of commercial scallop dredging on the Firth of Lorne Special Area of…

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Firth of Lorn as a designatedSpecial Area of Conservation is subject to regular site condition monitoring byScottish Natural Heritage to ensure that the site interests remain in favourablecondition. The Scottish Executive is currently considering whether …

15 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20252 by Ross Finnie 0n 14 November, whether, in light of the 7 September 2004 judgment of the European Court of Justice in the Waddenzee case, it considers that commercial scallop dredging in the Firth of Lorne Special Area of Conservation is, or sh…

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is consideringthe implications of the Waddenzee judgement by the European Court both in generalterms with regard to fishing and specifically in relation to the Firth of Lorn marineSpecial Area of Conservation. Once we have come to a vie…

3 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Southern Isles ring fence promotes the interests of all dairy farmers within its area and how it assesses whether this is the case.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The milk quota ring fence arrangements were introduced primarily to safeguard the supply of milk to the island and Campbeltown creameries and to ensure that dairy producers had a local market for their output. Consultation and contact with local stakeholders,…

3 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when Islay was removed from the Southern Isles ring fence area and what effect its removal had on dairy farmers who remained within the ring fence.

Answer · Ross Finnie: A change to the definition of the “Scottish Islands area” (known as the Southern Isles ring fence) was made by The Dairy Produce Quotas Amendment (No 2) (Scotland) Regulations 2000, which came into effect on 29 November 2000. This had the effect of excluding …

3 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when Cowal was brought into the Southern Isles ring fence area and what effect its entry had on dairy farmers already within the ring fence.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Changes to the definition of the “Scottish Islands area” (known as the Southern Isles ring fence) were made by The Dairy Produce Quotas (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2004, which came into effect on 1 April 2004. This had the effect of bringing into the Sou…

3 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it estimates that the milk quota system will end.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The CAP reform package, agreed at the EU Agriculture Council in Luxembourg in July 2003, provided for the extension of the milk quota system until 2015, with a review in 2008.</p>

3 Mar 2006 · Written Question

Answer · Ross Finnie: The following table provides information on the number of dairy holdings situated within the Southern Isles milk quota ring-fence area in 1995, 2000 and 2005.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width=52 valign=top> <p…

3 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dairy farmers there were in Kintyre in (a) 2000 and (b) 2005.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The following table provides information on the number of dairy holdings, together with the number of occupiers, in Kintyre in 2000 and 2005.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width=52 valign=top> <p>Year</p></td> …

3 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dairy cows there were in Kintyre in (a) 2000 and (b) 2005.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The following table provides information on the number of dairy cows in Kintyre in 2000 and 2005.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width=52 valign=top> <p>Year</p></td> <td width=126 valign=top> <p align=center…

3 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much unused dairy quota there was in the Southern Isles ring fence area in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Information on milk quota utilisation is collected by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). In the milk quota year 2004-05 there was 1,775,219 litres of unused quota in the Southern Isles ring fence area. Figures are not available for previous years as prior to qu…

1 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the exemption for petroleum coke from the Waste incineration Directive provides a possible precedent for a similar exemption for tallow.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Petroleum coke is not exemptedfrom the Waste Incineration Directive (WID). Only material which is waste as definedin the Waste Framework Directive (75/442/EEC, as amended) falls to be regulatedunder WID. The European Court of Justice has decided that where pe…

25 Jan 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the economic benefits of improving the Perth to Inverness railway.

Answer · Tavish Scott: We are supporting the Highland “Room for Growth Study” which has been commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, which is examining both the constraints of the present Highland rail network and the potential for traffic growth. The results of this stud…

23 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can guarantee that Communities Scotland’s funding constraints do not lead to housing standards in island communities, such as Mull, being lower than on the mainland as a result of the increased costs associated with house building on islands.

Answer · Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p> <p>Communities Scotland’s published Indicative Costs, which guide the assessment of individual scheme costs, formally recognise the relatively …

23 Jan 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce legislation that would make the current voluntary system, whereby the Crown Estate accepts the recommendation of relevant planning authorities in respect of fish farm applications, legally binding.

Answer · Johann Lamont: The consultation paper <i>Extending Planning Controls to Marine Fish Farming</i> was issued in October 2004. We are still finalising the details but our intention at this stage is to bring, as appropriate, marine fish farming under the control of the statutor…

11 Jan 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision is required to allow frail elderly people who are unable to live in their own homes to remain within their own communities.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: It is for individual local authoritiesto determine and meet the care needs of older people, and we are providing councilswith £1.6 billion in support for community care the year to help them do just that.</p>

21 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the review of the strategic framework for aquaculture, referred to in paragraph 9.15 of Choosing Our Future: Scotland's Sustainable Development Strategy, commenced and when the Executive expects to revise the framework as a result of the review.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Strategic Framework for Scottish Aquaculture and associated action plan are continuously reviewed and updated by the Ministerial Working Group on Scottish Aquaculture. This process has sustainability as an overarching principle and will be the subject of …

30 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why there are no representatives on the Coastal and Marine National Parks stakeholder group of local community groups that have already expressed an interest in coastal and marine national parks and what discussions are being held with such groups to ensure that their views are taken into…

Answer · Ross Finnie: I understand that the purposeof Scottish Natural Heritage’s (SNH) national stakeholder group is to provide aforum for debate on the policy and legal issues that I have asked for its adviceon. It is also acting as a sounding board on the general process used f…

30 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how comments received in response to the consultation on the siting of a coastal and marine national park will be taken into account and whether a summary of these comments will be published together with a rationale for the site selection which sets out how these comments have been taken…

Answer · Ross Finnie: I have asked Scottish NaturalHeritage to report to Scottish ministers in early 2006 with an initial assessmentof potential candidate areas for a coastal and marine national park. SNH is workingclosely with stakeholders in considering Scotland’s coastal and ma…

16 Nov 2005 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences of environmental crime were reported to procurators fiscal during the last five years; how many resulted in prosecution, and how many secured a conviction.

Answer · Elish Angiolini: Environmental offences cover a wide range of statutory offences and can be reported to the Procurator Fiscal by a number of different reporting agencies. In the time available it has only been possible to collate information on cases recorded as having been r…

2 Nov 2005 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with provisions for small waste oil burners under the EU Waste Incineration Directive.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: I am satisfied that our approach to regulating small waste oil burners fulfils the Executive’s legal obligations under the Waste Incineration Directive. One of the aims of this Directive is to help protect human health and the environment from the impacts of …

1 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the issue of licences to fishing boats to allow scallop dredging inside the Firth of Lorne Special Area of Conservation amounts to the authorisation of a “plan or project” under regulation 48 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994 and the European Court of Ju…

Answer · Ross Finnie: No. The issue of licences to fishing vessels is not included in the mechanisms and regimes set out in Regulations 53A to 85 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations and Regulation 48 does not, therefore, apply.</p> <p>As a competent author…

1 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the transportation of nuclear waste in single-hulled ships in the Minch places the marine and coastal environment at risk and, if so, whether that risk is at an acceptable and manageable level.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executivehas no devolved functions in relation to the transportation of nuclear waste byship.</p><p>I understand, however,that this issue is strictly regulated and is governed by rules laid down by theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and…

1 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a strategic environmental assessment, including assessment of the impact on blue whiting stocks, will be required in consideration of the proposed Sildarvinnslan fishmeal processing factory at Sella Ness.

Answer · Ross Finnie: It would be for Shetland Island’s Council in the first instance to consider whether the planning application for this processing factory should be subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Scotland) Regulations 1…

1 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed Sildarvinnslan fishmeal processing factory at Sella Ness accords with advice on blue whiting from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea and the long-term management plan agreed for the stock by the European Union, Faroe Islands, Iceland and Norway i…

Answer · Ross Finnie: The currently agreed long-term management plan for the blue whiting stock sets an agreed target of maintaining a precautionary fishing mortality rate below F=0.32. The recent ICES advice notes that this target allows a Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 1.5 milli…

7 Oct 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any deadline has been set by which residents who are unable to access broadband via BT can be found some other means of accessing broadband and, if so, what that deadline is.

Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-19677 answered on 3 November 2005.All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.u…