Karen Gillon

5 Jun 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it believes it can enhance rural development through the development of public transport.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We are funding a range of public transport services to support Scotland’s peripheral areas and piloting Road Equivalent Tariff on ferry links with the Western Isles. Local public transport provision in rural areas is a matter for the relevant local authoritie…

4 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-13395 and S3W-13396 by Richard Lochhead on 3 June 2008, what legal advice it has received that indicates how an independent Scotland could pursue withdrawal from the Common Fisheries Policy.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13880 on 19 June 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…

4 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-13395 and S3W-13396 by Richard Lochhead on 3 June 2008, what legal advice it has received that indicates that an independent Scotland could pursue withdrawal from the Common Fisheries Policy.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government does not reveal the content of legal advice it has received or whether legal advice has been sought in relation to any particular matter for reasons of confidentiality and good governance.</p>

4 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-13395 and S3W-13396 by Richard Lochhead on 3 June 2008, in what ways an independent Scotland could pursue withdrawal from the Common Fisheries Policy.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: With independence the relevant reservations in the Scotland Act that currently prevent us from pursuing withdrawal would no longer apply.</p>

4 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-13395 and S3W-13396 by Richard Lochhead on 3 June 2008, why he stated in Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland - A Consultation Paper that “The Scottish Government is seeking to withdraw from the…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We have always made clear that withdrawal from the CFP is a long-term objective, dependent upon independence. As an independent country, Scotland would be free to negotiate within the EU to withdraw from the CFP.</p>

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, whether fishermen in Scotland and elsewhere would be allowed to have in-membership vessels that were licensed by more than one fisheries department under a separate fi…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: It is sensible that a Scottish quota management and licensing system should be capable of interacting with other arrangements in the UK and this is clearly recognised in the consultation paper. Under the current restrictive licensing arrangements, vessels are…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, what the read across to the operation of western waters and deep sea species effort restrictions would be under a separate fish quota management system for Scotland an…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I am currently consulting on proposals for a Scottish quota management and licensing system. While Scotland takes seriously our fisheries management responsibilities, effort restrictions are not an issue in this particular consultation.</p> <p >That said, I …

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, whether it would be possible to continue to transfer or aggregate licences between English and Scottish fishing vessels under a separate fish quota management system f…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Yes, it is the Scottish Government’s proposal that vessel and/or licences will continue to be able to transfer from Scotland to other fisheries administrations in the UK and vice versa within the <acronym>UK</acronym><acronym>. I</acronym>n order to protect a…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, whether a separate fish quota management system would enable Scotland or the rest of the United Kingdom to allow the unlimited aggregation of whitefish licences onto a…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The proposals to establish a Scottish licensing system are to permit policy developments which support the needs of the industry in Scotland. Aggregations can be a useful tool in helping to deliver change in the fishing industry. Policy on aggregation needs t…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, whether, under a separate fish quota management system for Scotland, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to English vessels could discontinue licens…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Fisheries administrations are required to manage fleet capacity and this is currently done in the UK by operating a restrictive licensing system meeting EU obligations to maintain appropriate fleet sizes. It is for the Department for Environment, Food and Rur…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, whether, under a separate fish quota management system for Scotland, licences issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to English vessels would…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government does not intend to issue licenses to other UK vessels to fish in Scottish waters or to require such separate licences. These vessels will continue to work under current arrangements unless their own fisheries administrations change the…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, if separate licences were required to be issued by it to enable English vessels to fish in Scottish waters under a separate fish quota management system for Scotland, …

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government will continue to meet our control obligations in the Scottish zone. It is not our intention to require separate licences to be issued in relation to fishing activities of other UK fleets in the Scottish zone.</p> <p >I am committed to…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, what the implications would be for the operation of stock recovery measures for cod, hake, sole and plaice under a separate fish quota management system for Scotland a…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scotland takes seriously our fisheries management responsibilities. While the current consultation is on proposals for a distinctive quota management and licensing system in Scotland, we will continue to implement our EU obligations, and continue to work clos…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, if there is to be complete separation with no provision for the free movement of licences within the United Kingdom under a separate fish quota management system for S…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: It is the Scottish Government''s intention that vessels and/or licences will continue to be able to transfer from Scotland to other fisheries administrations within the <acronym>UK</acronym>, we do however propose that transactions in future will be governed …

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, whether, under a separate fish quota management system for Scotland, the quota allocations for Scotland and the remainder of the United Kingdom would be based on fixed…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The present system of allocating quotas on the basis of the number of fixed quota allocation (FQA) units associated with licences is well established and understood by the industry. Our proposals do not involve altering the current FQA allocation process.</p>…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, whether, under a separate fish quota management system for Scotland, a further round of reconciliation would be permitted to take account of the various quota transact…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: I am clear that while we need to be able to safeguard Scotland’s traditional fishing rights for the future, we also wish to maintain procedures which interface with other administrations in the UK. This is made clear in the consultation paper.</p> <p >We wou…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, whether the territorial quota allocations for the under 10-metre fleet would be based on the collective track records of the 1994 underpinning arrangements under a sep…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Our consultation paper proposes that, in moving forward, it will be necessary to establish separate quota allocations for the inshore groups in Scotland and the rest of the UK. In establishing these arrangements, we will be seeking a fair and equitable split …

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, what the repercussions for economic links would be under a separate fish quota management system for Scotland.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government proposes that the requirement to demonstrate an economic link to the <acronym>UK</acronym> will remain and be varied so as to require a vessel fishing against FQAs associated with a Scottish fishing vessel licence to demonstrate an eco…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, what the outcome would be under a separate fish quota management system for Scotland if Scotland were to overfish its quotas and the rest of the United Kingdom to unde…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scotland takes its current quota management responsibilities seriously and we will continue to do so under a Scottish quota management and licensing system. The current arrangements in respect of these issues follows the polluter pays principle and we have no…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, whether there would be an opportunity in the run-up to a separate fish quota management system for Scotland for vessels registered and licensed in Scotland to re-regis…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: This consultation is designed to set out proposals to safeguard the future of Scottish fishing communities. For the purposes of operating a distinct quota management and licensing system in Scotland it sets out proposals for licensing conditions of Scottish f…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of its consultation, Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland, how the interface with the European Union in respect of quota swaps with other member states, end-year flexibility, deductions for overfishing and response to infracti…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Fisheries is devolved and we will continue to carry out our responsibilities in respect to these issues as they apply in Scotland. Interaction with the rest of the UK is sensible as our consultation document makes clear. It also sets out our view on how these…

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to answer S3W 6214 by Linda Fabiani on 27 November 2007, what legal advice the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment received which indicated that it was competent for Scotland to seek withdrawal from the common fisheries policy.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Scottish ministers have frequently made clear that, whilst it would be in Scotland’s interests to withdraw from the Common Fisheries Policy, under the current constitutional arrangements the Scottish Government does not have the competence to so do.</p>

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-6214 by Linda Fabiani on 27 November 2007, how the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment considers it possible for Scotland to withdraw from the Common Fisheries Policy.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We do not consider it possible to withdraw from the Common Fisheries Policy under current constitutional arrangements. An independent Scotland would be, however, in a position to pursue withdrawal.</p>

22 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the legal advice received by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment in relation to implementing a moratorium on the permanent transfer of quotas by Scottish fishermen.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: It is not the practice of Scottish ministers to publish legal advice nor to disclose whether legal advice has been obtained. This is for reasons of confidentiality and in the interests of good and effective governance.</p>

7 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its suppliers have agreed to provide necessary stocks of bluetongue vaccine to Scotland.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government''s tender for bluetongue vaccine is being conducted under EU procurement rules. It is anticipated that contract will be awarded by July 2008.</p>

7 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects bluetongue vaccine to be available to Scottish farmers.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Under the EU Bluetongue Directive vaccine can only be used in a Protection Zone. There is a risk that declaring a protection zone too early can increase the risk of disease by allowing potentially infected animals to move from other protection zones. To minim…

18 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of every pupil having two hours of PE per week on pupils with asthma and other breathing problems.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has not carried out an assessment on the impact of every pupil having two hours of PE per week on pupils with asthma and other breathing problems. It is for local authorities and schools to consider the impact of decisions on all aspec…

18 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of every pupil having two hours of PE per week on childhood obesity.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government has not carried out an impact assessment on the target of two hours PE per week on childhood obesity. It is for local authorities and schools to consider the impact of decisions on all aspects of health and wellbeing on the whole schoo…

18 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of every pupil having two hours of PE per week on pupils’ health.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Scottish Government has not carried out an impact assessment on the effect of two hours PE has on pupils'' health. It is for local authorities and schools to consider the impact of decisions on all aspects of health and wellbeing on the whole school commu…

18 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has allocated to each local authority to deliver two hours of PE per week to every pupil.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The intention of the new relationship with local government is to move away from ring fenced funding. The settlement for each local authority is intended as a single budget which provides authorities with the flexibility to reach decisions on where money shou…