Alex Fergusson

6 Jul 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16227 by Sarah Boyack on 25 June 2001, what plans it has to ensure that routine maintenance and grass-cutting continues on the land that is still in the ownership of the Scottish Executive but outwith the trunk road boundary, adjacent to the A77 betw…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Amey Highways Ltd has been instructed to undertake grass cutting on the land adjacent to the A77 between Hazelbank Holmston and the Bankfield roundabout. The performance of these operations is subject to audit and inspection by the Performance Audit Group emp…

20 Jun 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the report of the Performance Audit Group on the performance of Amey Highways Ltd.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive welcomes the generally positive findings of the detailed report by the Performance Audit Group on the performance of the trunk road Operating Companies, including Amey Highways. The report makes it clear that shortfalls are being addres…

20 Jun 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be a resumption of livestock auction sales this autumn.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Whether or not to allow the customary autumn sales to proceed on the normal lines is an important but difficult decision. The options are being evaluated at present. Ross Finnie will let the industry know the outcome as soon as he can.

20 Jun 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been refunded to date in registration fees to private care home owners under the Registered Establishments (Scotland) Act 1998.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Local authorities have been asked to provide details by 29 June of the total amount of registration fees to be refunded for their area as a result of the Registered Establishments (Scotland) Act 1998. Only Highland Council so far has submitted details, and re…

15 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who has applied to the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department or its predecessor over the last 15 years for (a) a licence to control protected species or (b) a licence to poison non-protected species; how many such licences were issued, and to whom.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Records of applications received are not held. Detailed information on licences issued is, however, available for the 10-year period 1990-2000, during which a total of 1,956 individual licences were issued and three general licences were in force. In view of …

14 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the regulation fees charged to some care homes under the Registered Establishments (Scotland) Act 1998, (a) on what basis it was established that less than 15% of care home residents have to be referrals from local authorities for registration fees paid by private care hom…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Some care home fees are being refunded because of a legal technicality in the Registered Establishments (Scotland) Act 1987 which was addressed by the 1998 Act of the same name. Only those establishments not providing substantial services to local authorities…

10 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average period is (a) between a child's parents or school requesting remedial help for the child and an assessment being made by an educational psychologist and (b) from a child being diagnosed as requiring remedial help to actually receiving such help, broken down by local autho…

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This information is not held centrally. Referral to an educational psychologist may be made by the education authority with parental permission but such action will not be appropriate in all cases. Schools may provide learning support either through their own…

18 Apr 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what further measures it will introduce to assist the restructuring and recovery of businesses related to both agriculture and tourism in rural areas which have been severely disadvantaged by the impact of foot and mouth disease.

Answer · Ross Finnie: We have already introduced a range of measures to offer both immediate hardship relief and assist business recovery. In addition, the Executive has already begun the task of identifying strategies to help all sectors affected, including the farming and touris…

4 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to assess any health risks associated with the incorporation of organophosphates in shampoos and other personal care products.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is not a matter for the Scottish Executive. Matters relating to consumer protection are the responsibility of the Department of Trade and Industry.

28 Mar 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what further steps it is taking to support rural businesses in the wake of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

Answer · Alasdair Morrison: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14552 on 28 March 2001.

13 Mar 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce how the #2 million which is still available for agricultural recovery following the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak will be spent.

Answer · Ross Finnie: As I announced recently at the AGM of NFU Scotland, we are committed to using the £2 million to assist the livestock sector. We are exploring how this money might be used to best effect and will take account of any views expressed by the industry.

23 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on compiling and publishing unemployment statistics on a more localised basis than the travel to work areas currently used.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Currently, only claimant count unemployment figures are published below large unitary authority areas. Numbers of claimant unemployed in 1991 wards, or postcode sectors are already published monthly via the NOMIS database. This is available via the Parliament…

7 Feb 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the work undertaken by the Aberlour Trust and others to rehabilitate young people with behavioural difficulties is continued after the age of 16.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Projects managed by Aberlour Trust or other voluntary organisations are normally operated in conjunction with the relevant local authority. The extension or coverage of such projects are therefore matters for local decision and there is nothing to prevent the…

24 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to improve the treatment and care of volatile substance abusers.

Answer · Iain Gray: The treatment of drug misusers is one of the key objectives within the Executive's drugs strategy. As part of the new three year £100m drugs expenditure package, we have committed an additional £10m to provide treatment services in the community for more drug…

24 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is being done to prevent volatile substance abuse.

Answer · Iain Gray: Volatile substance abuse is addressed within Scotland's drugs strategy as a whole. Drug Action Teams are asked to include it in their action plans. Efforts are focused on preventing volatile substance abuse through the education of young people, professionals…

24 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for improving the training available to those working in rural children's homes.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care, launched last year, is receiving grant of £4 million over a three-year period to offer education and training for staff working in a residential child care setting. This will include outreach work in rural an…

24 Jan 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to protect those who might be targeted by animal rights groups.

Answer · Jim Wallace: This is a matter for the police, who will investigate any alleged incidents involving violence or intimidation by animal rights protesters.

11 Jan 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to prevent further industrial decline and job losses in the Arbroath area following the recent job losses caused by the closure of the Alps Electric, Swankie's and Stewart and Stevenson factories.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The First Minister met with a delegation comprising Mr Andrew Welsh MSP and representatives of Angus Council and Arbroath Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Monday 15 January to discuss proposals for an aid package for Arbroath. These proposals are being car…

10 Jan 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage the inclusion of red meat as part of a healthy diet.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Diet Action Plan, <I>Eating for Health</I>, provides the framework for improving Scotland's diet. The plan acknowledges the valuable contribution which meat can make to health, provided it is lean, eaten in appropriate amounts and forms part of a…

14 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients treated on an acute basis were discharged from Dumfries Royal Infirmary and, of these, how many were discharged into (i) registered nursing homes, (ii) registered residential homes and (iii) local community hospitals in each of the last five years.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested in (a) is shown in Table 1.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The specific information requested in (b) is not collected centrally. However, limited information on where patients are discharged/transferred to is available and is shown in Table 2. Th…

14 Dec 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the provision of road markings, speed limits, sleeping policemen and other speed restrictions within the immediate proximity of schools to ensure the safety of pupils.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is responsible for the management and maintenance of trunk roads in Scotland, including measures to ensure the safety of users of those roads. The Executive has no specific plans to review the provision of safety measures outside school…

6 Dec 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to alter the rates payable under the Farm Woodlands Premium Scheme.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has no plans at present to alter the rates payable under the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme. There is a statutory requirement to review the rates every five years and that review is now underway.

1 Nov 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the Route Action Plan for the A75.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I have no plans to review the output of the A75 Route Action Plan.

1 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how long it envisages the free bicycle bus between Creetown and Newton Stewart being run.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I expect the bus to run until the end of October 2000, when Dumfries and Galloway Council anticipate that the related section of the National Cycle Network will be complete.

1 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the dedicated cycle route between Creetown and Newton Stewart will be completed.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: This is a matter for Dumfries and Galloway Council.

1 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it costs to run the bicycle bus between Creetown and Newton Stewart per week and how much it has cost to date.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The cost of the bike bus is currently £875 per week. The bus was commissioned on 22 June (the date of the official opening of the National Cycle Network Millennium Routes) and the cost to the end of August was £7,875.

1 Sep 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the use of the free bicycle bus between Creetown and Newton Stewart is monitored to determine how much use is made of it by (a) holidaymakers and (b) local residents.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Patronage is monitored by the number of passengers. A passenger is a person with a bicycle. Between 29 June and 2 September the bike bus carried 644 passengers. The monitoring does not distinguish between holidaymakers and local residents.

30 Aug 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to remove the annual groundwater maintenance charge of #123 per farmer.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: We do not propose to ask the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to waive the annual charge under the Groundwater Regulations 1998. It remains our policy that SEPA should move towards full recovery of the costs of regulation in line with the polluter pays …

21 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister's signature is required on the formal letters giving approval under section 74(2) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 or whether officials are authorised to sign such letters on his behalf.

Answer · Frank McAveety: Under the terms of the Carltona doctrine (derived from the case of Carltona v Commissioner of Works (1948) 2 All ER 560), the acts of a competent official are the acts of the Minister. Therefore, there is no requirement for the letter of consent to be signed …

21 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether consents under section 74(2) of the Local Government Scotland Act 1973 or under any other Act are required for the disposal of sundry assets such as home contents and equipment at below fair value.

Answer · Frank McAveety: It is for local authorities to decide whether or not they wish to dispose of land or assets, in accordance with any relevant legislation. Where a council is proposing to dispose of land at a consideration less than the best that can reasonably be obtained, th…