Jean Urquhart

28 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on transferring land held in commonty under the Division of Commonties Act 1695 to land held in common ownership.

Answer · John Swinney: The 1695 act allows an area of land, still held as commonty, to be divided amongst the common owners of that land. This may arise where change of circumstance means that it is no longer beneficial to one or more of the owners to hold the land as commonty. It …

28 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people hold land in commonty under the Division of Commonties Act 1695 and what the differences are between such land and land held in common ownership.

Answer · John Swinney: There are no figures for the number of people in Scotland who hold land as commonty, however the number is likely to be very low. One of the difficulties with identifying such land is that the title deeds will not necessarily expressly convey a proprietary r…

19 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to link cultural organisations and language communities to foreign language provision in schools.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-08107 on 28 June 2012. 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/parliamentarybu…

19 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage local authorities to teach a wide range of foreign languages.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-08107 on 28 June 2012. 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/parliamentarybu…

19 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to help local authorities coordinate foreign language teaching between secondary schools and their feeder primary schools.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-08107 on 28 June 2012. 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/parliamentarybu…

19 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote foreign language teaching as a career option for foreign languages graduates.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-08107 on 28 June 2012. 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/parliamentarybu…

19 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to work with local authorities to increase the number of foreign language assistants in schools.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-08107 on 28 June 2012. 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/parliamentarybu…

19 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to help local authorities deliver foreign language teaching as part of the Curriculum for Excellence.

Answer · Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government is committed to improving language learning in Scotland and welcomes the far-sighted and ambitious Languages Working Group Report published on 17 May, Language Learning in Scotland: A 1+2 Approach. The report’s headline recommendation …

14 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Faroe Islands Government on the resumption of access to mackerel fishing

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government has actively participated in all rounds of negotiations between the coastal states for mackerel so far. We act as part of the UK delegation to the European Union, the EU being the Coastal State with negotiating authority on behalf of m…

14 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the returned quotas that have been allocated to the Scottish Fishermen’s Organisation and the (a) Orkney, (b) Shetland and (c) Lunar fish producer organisations will come into force.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: These fish quotas can be utilised now. It is the practice of the UK Fisheries Administrations to issue provisional allocations of fish quotas in the early part of the year. These provisional allocations then become final allocations later in the year, when a…

14 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether returned quotas that are allocated to the Scottish Fishermen’s Organisation and the (a) Orkney, (b) Shetland and (c) Lunar fish producer organisations are directed to the producer organisations or to specific vessels.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Allocations of fish quota are made to Fish Producer Organisations. In the case of the quotas that were reserved by the European Union to facilitate a mutual access agreement with the Faroe Islands (where agreement was not reached and therefore quotas will be …

14 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the value is of the returned quotas that have been allocated to the Scottish Fishermen’s Organisation and the (a) Orkney, (b) Shetland and (c) Lunar fish producer organisations.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The value of any fish quota, in terms of the price per tonne achieved at first sale, can fluctuate considerably in light of prevailing market conditions. Any estimate of value can therefore only be an approximation. Noting this level of uncertainty, the table…

14 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it has given to fish producer organisations affected by the reported lack of access to waters around the Faroe Islands for mackerel fishing.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The absence of an agreement between the EU and the Faroe Islands for mutual access to fishing waters has caused a number of significant disruptions to the Scottish fishing industry. Most importantly, the setting of unilateral and excessive quotas by the Faroe…

14 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new crofts have been registered since August 2010.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The information requested is not held centrally. The current Register of Crofts is administered on behalf of Scottish Ministers by the Crofting Commission and I have asked the Chief Executive of the Crofting Commission to respond to you directly with the info…

14 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it encourages the development of new crofts.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government encourages the development of new crofts in a number of ways, including through working closely with the Crofting Commission to help it better regulate crofting and with Highlands and Islands Enterprise in its crofting development func…

14 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it remains its position to bring forward the third commencement order for the Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 2010 in summer 2012.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government expects to lay before the Scottish Parliament the third commencement order for the Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, commencing the remaining provisions in the Act, which include the new Crofting Register, as planned, shortly after …

14 Jun 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what work it has carried out with Registers of Scotland and the Crofting Commission to compile a new crofting register and when the register will be posted online.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government is working closely with the Registers of Scotland and the Crofting Commission to develop the new Crofting Register, to be held by the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland under Part 2 of the Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, which wi…

23 May 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on land reform.

9 May 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether part of its preventative spend budget will be spent on health matters.

Answer · John Swinney: The decisive shift to preventative spending in the Scottish budget includes change funds for older people’s services and for early years – each rebalancing care, support and service provision towards anticipatory care and preventative services – improving the…

2 May 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome is of the trial of using retained staff to provide ambulance cover in the Shetland Islands.

18 Apr 2012 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in light of the UK Government's decision not to renew the contract for the Emergency Towing Vessel service in the Pentland Firth and other northern waters.

11 Apr 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on a loss of music and art tuition as a result of specialist teachers losing their posts due to local authority budget reductions.

10 Feb 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it can take to address the difficulties being faced by the Scottish whitefish fleet after being excluded from Faroese fishing grounds.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The recent talks in Reykjavik did not result in an EU/Faroes agreement for 2012, as a consequence of which there will be no access to Faroes waters by Scottish vessels again this year. That is regrettable in view of the interest of Scottish vessels in fishing…

30 Nov 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to improve employment opportunities in small and micro businesses in the Highlands and Islands.

16 Nov 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is encouraging the development of allotments.

9 Nov 2011 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the role of common grazings with regard to the future of crofting.

19 Oct 2011 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the importance and value of the organisation, Room 13, which is based at Caol Primary School in Lochaber.