Alasdair Morgan

6 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to allow boat dredging for cockles in the Solway.

Answer · John Home Robertson: The Executive has no plans to allow boat dredging for cockles in the Solway. Following annual scientific survey and advice the fishery remains closed to mechanical fishing to allow continued stock rebuilding. I understand that there is local interest in apply…

5 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-1823 by Ross Finnie on 1 June 2000, why, following a departmental meeting with the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food on 5 May, it took 10 days to ascertain the exact nature of the GM contamination.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer Mr Morgan to the answer I gave to question S1W-7592.

30 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what efficiency savings each police force has to make as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Comprehensive Spending Review concluded that the police service in Scotland should make efficiency savings of 1% in 1999-2000, 1.7% in 2000-01 and 2.5% in 2001-02.

30 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what government funding Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary has received this year and in each of the previous five years.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Direct funding of Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary by the Scottish Executive in the current financial year and by The Scottish Office in the previous five years is shown in the table below. Forces also meet a proportion of their costs from local authority f…

30 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the government funding to be made available to Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary in each of the next four financial years.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Spending Review 2000 is presently examining overall funding requirements for 2002-03 and 2003-04. Decisions have not been taken on the level of funding to individual police authorities for the next four successive financial years.

30 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the #233,000 extra funding for Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary is for the current year only or is an ongoing spending commitment year on year.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The £233,000 allocated to Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary was part of the Scottish Executive's recent investment of £8.9 million in the police and was designed primarily to allow recruitment of more police officers. The increase will be taken into account …

30 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take to protect (a) the environment and (b) non-GM crops from cross-pollination of GM contaminated oil seed rape.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment have assessed the crop as posing very low risks to the environment and, on that basis, are satisfied that this does not pose a safety threat. On the basis of the information currently available, our unde…

30 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the volume is of (a) freight and (b) passenger traffic which has passed through the ports of (i) Stranraer and (ii) Cairnryan in each of the last ten years.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: he following information was obtained from surveys commissioned by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. Passenger numbers are not available for the years prior to 1990. <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY"><TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WID…

30 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what amounts have been spent upgrading (a) the A75, (b) the A76 and (c) the A77 in each of the last ten years.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Capital expenditure on trunk road improvements and repairs on the A75, A76 and A77 since 1996 (the period for which information is available) was £8.55 million, £3.12 million and £36.75 million respectively. The figures exclude revenue expenditure on routine …

26 Apr 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake a re-examination of any planned improvements to the A76 in the light of the road's safety record.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The A76 Route Action Plan Study included a review of road safety. Three improvements costing £2.3 million are currently being prepared for construction.

12 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the net yearly costs in the first year of implementation of the climate change levy to (a) the dairy industry and (b) the whole agriculture industry in Scotland.

Answer · Henry McLeish: As a tax measure, the climate change levy is a matter reserved to the UK Government. I understand it is not possible to say with precision what the effects of the climate change levy will be on individual sectors in view of the many factors involved.

4 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were assessed to ascertain whether they require a record of needs last year, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: This information is not held centrally.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">This question was originally answered on 24 May 2000.

4 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were granted a record of needs last year, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The figures for 1999-2000 are not yet available.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">This question was originally answered on 24 May 2000.

4 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the school population in each local authority area in Scotland is made up of children with records of needs.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: I refer the member to my answer to question S1W-5947.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">This question was originally answered on 24 May 2000.

4 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children have records of need in each local authority area in Scotland.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The information requested is given in the table below.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=606><TR><TD VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN=11 HEIGHT=17><FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica" SIZE=3><P>PQ S1W-5746 - Data collected by the School Census in September 1998</TD>…

28 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what social and economic indicators are used to measure (a) deprivation and (b) poverty, at what geographic level such indicators are measured and how frequently these measures are taken.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive's indicators for measuring the effectiveness of action tackling poverty were set out in <I>Social Justice: A Scotland where everyone matters</I>, published on 22 November 1999, and the companion technical document. The Scottish Executiv…

28 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it has had, and with whom, regarding the appointment of the Chairman of the Scottish Quality Meat Council.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The appointment of the Chairman of Quality Meat Scotland is a matter for the members of this new company, in consultation with other key industry interests. I have been kept informed of details of the search to find the right Chairman and, at the invitation o…

28 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement it has in the establishment and running of the new Scottish Quality Meat Council.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The task of establishing, then running Quality Meat Scotland, which is a registered limited company, is principally a matter for the industry itself. I do however support strongly the merging of the expertise and resources of SQBLA, SPII and MLC's Scottish op…

23 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of agricultural subsidies, processed by its Rural Affairs Department since 1 July 1999, have been paid within the timescale indicated by the department's own efficiency guidelines, and whether it has any plans to increase this percentage.

Answer · Ross Finnie: My department has a requirement to make payments to farmers and crofters within mandatory targets and deadlines laid down in EU legislation. These are the targets and deadlines against which my department's performance is measured and they are reflected in de…

10 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce competitive tendering for local veterinary inspector services.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has no plans to do so at present. We will, however, be taking a keen interest in the outcome of the UK pilot project being conducted in Lancashire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester. That year-long pilot project begins on 1 Ju…

16 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who has planning jurisdiction for the South Pier at Cairnryan, Wigtownshire.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The matter of planning jurisdiction for the South Pier at Cairnryan is, in the first instance, for Dumfries and Galloway Council, as planning authority, to determine.

16 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many farm businesses have been the subject of double counting of sheep with regard to payments under agri-environment schemes and how much money is involved.

Answer · Ross Finnie: There are 121 farm businesses which appear to be have been subject to double counting of ewes resulting in double payment of approximately £500k under agri-environment schemes.

11 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the current arrangements for enforcing the regulations pertaining to the use of red diesel.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The enforcement of the regulations pertaining to the use of red diesel is a reserved matter.

11 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it necessary for Scottish Ambulance Service personnel to be aware of the mental health of patients in their care.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The decision on divulging patient information needs to be taken by those involved in the care of the individual. The Code of Practice on the Confidentiality of Personal Health Information makes clear that personal health information should not be divulged wit…

2 Feb 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects the number of police officers employed by Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary to increase or decrease during the next two years.

Answer · Jim Wallace: It is for the Chief Constable, in consultation with his police authority, to determine staffing levels in the light of the budget set for the Force.

26 Jan 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the current level of meat inspection charges for Scottish abattoirs.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The current level of meat inspection charges has remained at the level fixed for the year 1998-99 while the burdens on the meat industry have been reviewed. As stated in today's written answer by the Minister for Health and Community Care, Ministers' response…

25 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the Over Thirty Months Scheme with regard to agreeing a birth date from which cattle over thirty months old will be allowed to be sold for human consumption.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) began a review of the thirty month rule in November 1998. The Committee's conclusion, announced on 22 December 1999, was that no change should be made at this time as it may reintroduce an unacceptable l…

24 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools in Scotland do not have school boards.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The latest published statistics (from May 1998) show 476 schools which were eligible to have a school board did not. 95 schools in Scotland were not eligible to have a school board.

20 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many current school board members in Scotland are parent representatives and of these how many took their position as a result of a contested election.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: This information is not collected centrally.

20 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many current school board members in Scotland have been appointed as opposed to elected and by which organisations.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: No school board members are appointed by outside organisations. School boards are made up of elected parent and staff members and other members co-opted by the school board. In denominational schools, one of the co-opted members must be nominated by the relev…