Fiona McLeod

28 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will allow the sale of the non-genetically modified oil seed rape crop being grown 50 metres from the GM field scale trial at Munlochy.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Under the terms of the consent to release this variety of genetically modified oilseed rape, the consent holder must ensure that no harvested rapeseed from oilseed rape grown within 50 metres of the GM plants will be put into the human food or animal feed cha…

28 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding was made available to local authorities prior to April 2002 to prepare for the regulatory inspections by Communities Scotland.

Answer · Margaret Curran: None.

25 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the Report on Care Home Costs for Older People in Scotland, whether it has made any financial provision for water charges in respect of older people in care homes.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The National Review Group considered various ways of anticipating increases in care home costs. Rather than suggest any specific formula they concluded that an increase in real terms should be applied annually to take account of various pressures, including w…

13 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of the provisions of SI 1992/1331 and SI 1992/2955, the recovery of non-domestic water charges in respect of registered care homes by Scottish Water is appropriate and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26738.

13 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agreed to or required the replacement of exemptions from water and waste water charges under SI 1992/1331 and SI 1992/2955 by the former water authorities with a discretionary concession; if so, when it did so, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Statutory Instruments (SIs) referred to relate to council tax. Council tax is payable on all "dwellings" within the meaning of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 (section 72(2)). SI 1992/2955 varies the definition of dwelling for the purposes of that A…

10 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to revise A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture to reflect any changes in direction in the Common Agricultural Policy from farm production to environmental protection and the EU Waste Framework and Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control directives.

Answer · Ross Finnie: <I>A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture</I> anticipates changes in the Common Agricultural Policy, including increased emphasis on environmental protection, and so its key messages remain valid. A cross-sectoral group, similar in composition to the gro…

10 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Ministerial Group on Sustainable Scotland (MoSS) met as planned on 5 February and 26 March 2002 and, if so, when the minutes will be posted on the MoSS website.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Ministerial Group on Sustainable Scotland (MoSS) has been replaced by the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Sustainable Scotland (CSCSS) which is chaired by the First Minister. CSCSS met on 5 February and 26 March and reports of these meetings have been posted und…

10 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what environmental protocol or compliance regime is attached to the expenditure of public money on a national basis.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Sustainable development is an integral part of the current spending review. Spending departments within the Executive and those partners and agencies we fund, will need to demonstrate what contribution their proposals will make towards the achievement of sust…

10 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what targets have been set to improve energy efficiency in the public sector.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Under the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995, local authorities are working towards making substantial improvements in home energy efficiency over 10 to 15 years beginning in 1997. In their original strategy reports, setting out how they would improve home ene…

10 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what energy efficiency targets will be set for any new private prisons.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>Any such targets would be set consistent with the Executive's wider energy efficiency policies.

10 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what energy efficiency targets have been set for HM Prison Kilmarnock in each year since the prison was established and whether these targets were achieved in each year.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:<P>HM Prison Kilmarnock was designed in accordance with the energy saving measures outlined in the Energy Efficiency Office Guide to Best Practice…

10 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will set Scottish targets on climate change.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Measures in place through the <I>Scottish Climate Change Programme</I> are helping to deliver greenhouse gas emission savings in line with our commitment to make an equitable contribution to the UK Kyoto target. Scottish climate change targets are not conside…

21 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24525 by Allan Wilson on 18 April 2002, what it means by "as soon as possible" in respect of publishing a draft Nature Conservation Bill.

Answer · Allan Wilson: As the First Minister announced on 30 May, we intend to publish a draft Nature Conservation Bill by March 2003. We will also bring forward amendments to the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill, in order to implement our proposals on custodial sentences and enhan…

18 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications were made to the Sustainable Action Fund in 2001-02 and how many such applications were successful.

Answer · Ross Finnie: In 2001-02, 70 applications were made to the Sustainable Action Fund for grant funding, of which 23 were successful. Ninety-eight applications were received for grants to be paid in 2002-03. Of these, 11 were successful.

17 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost of the "do a little - change a lot" campaign was in 2001.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Accounts are currently being finalised, but the Scottish Executive has provisionally spent £1,015,000 on the "do a little - change a lot" environmental awareness campaign in financial year 2001-02. Many activities in this campaign are run with the help of cor…

16 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when a report will be made available on the incident at Sandside Beach in Reay in which the UK Atomic Energy Authority was prevented from monitoring radioactive particles on the beach.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I understand that the most recent occasion on which access to Sandside Beach was prevented was between 2 August 2001 and 23 August 2001. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has confirmed that this did not affect the planned monitoring programme at that…

16 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what instructions it will give, or has given, to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in order to ensure public safety in the area of Sandside Beach in Reay.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has not given instructions to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) on this matter, and has no plans to do so.<P>SEPA is required to follow the terms of the Radioactive Substances (Basic Safety Standards) (Scotland) Directio…

16 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has received about (a) why the owners of Sandside Beach in Reay have stopped allowing the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to access the beach in order to undertake monitoring for radioactive particles and (b) the circumstances on any prior occasion in which the UKAE…

Answer · Ross Finnie: I understand that the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority has not been prevented from gaining access to Sandside Beach in Reay to carry out monitoring for radioactive particles this year. <P>I believe that the most recent occasion on which UKAEA was preven…

5 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Enterprise has ever helped or offered business advice to firms that pitched for its brand and values exercise.

Answer · Iain Gray: This is an operational matter for the enterprise networks. The information requested is not held centrally.

5 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive with regard to the branding and value exercise at Scottish Enterprise (SE), awarded to Corporate Edge as reported in The Drum on 15 February 2002, what brief was issued to firms intending to enter the competitive pitch process; how much SE received to fund the exercise; what input it had…

Answer · Iain Gray: The information requested is not held centrally. This is an operational matter for the enterprise networks.

28 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the staff working on its special task forces for large-scale redundancies are employed on a full-time basis with pension and salary and, if so, how much it has spent on salaries for such employees on each task force.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24654.

28 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether action taken by its special task forces for large-scale redundancies include in all cases offering retraining to all staff in the target business, irrespective of age.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24654.

28 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the job titles and grades have been of members of staff on its special task forces for large-scale redundancies and whether any such members of staff have experienced being made redundant.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24654.

28 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the success of its special task forces for large-scale redundancies is measured and what the success rate of each such task force has been.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24654.

28 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources are made available to its special task forces for large-scale redundancies when deployed to businesses.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The national response to large-scale redundancy situations is the Executive's PACE (Partnership Action for Continuing Employment) framework. This initiative provides a national strategic framework for partnership working across key public sector agencies.<P>L…

21 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Bathing Waters Review Panel will have any input into the forthcoming Bathing Water Strategy and whether the strategy will set out a programme for completing the unfinished work of the Bathing Waters Review Panel as required by the European Directive on Bathing Waters 76/160/EE…

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Bathing Waters Review Panel was convened by The Scottish Office specifically to review nominations for the 1998 round of bathing water identifications. The Scottish Executive has no plans to reconvene the panel. We consulted widely when preparing the Bath…

21 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its forthcoming Bathing Water Strategy will result in the award of designated status to the eight currently undesignated beaches which were recently presented with a Seaside Award.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The intention of the Bathing Water Strategy is to co-ordinate action towards fulfilling the Scottish Executive's commitment to achieve European standards at Scotland's 60 existing bathing waters.

21 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can clarify what was meant by its spokesman's comment that "the situation was under review" as reported in The Scotsman on 14 March 2002 in relation to the incomplete work of the Bathing Waters Review Panel.

Answer · Allan Wilson: No decision on identifying further bathing waters will be made until the form of the proposed revision of the Bathing Waters Directive (76/160/EEC) becomes clear. This situation is being kept under review.

12 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-4810 by Allan Wilson on 7 March 2002, whether it is committed to achieving compliance with European standards for all Scottish bathing waters or only those beaches designated in Working Together for Scotland: A Programme for Government.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive is committed to achieving European standards at the 60 waters in Scotland, identified as bathing waters for the purposes of the Bathing Waters Directive (76/160/EEC).

12 Mar 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the bathing waters panel will next meet.

Answer · Allan Wilson: There are no plans to convene the bathing waters panel.