Parliamentary questions
Alex Fergusson
366 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
14 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21786 by Tavish Scott on 23 January 2006, whether it will provide a similar breakdown of the number of injury accidents recorded on the A76 between New Cumnock and Dumfries in 2005.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The number of injury accidentsrecorded on the A76 between New Cumnock and Dumfries in 2005 is as follows:</p><p>New Cumnock to Kirkconnel</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td valign=bottom> <p>Year</p> </td> <td valign=bottom> <p>Fata…
14 Sep 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21738 by Tavish Scott on 20 January 2006, whether Dumfries and Galloway Council has now responded, or indicated when it will respond, to the Executive’s invitation to explore the possibilities of a road improvement project in the Gateside area of the…
Answer · Tavish Scott: No, Dumfries and GallowayCouncil are currently examining options for the Gateside 2 Project and we awaittheir report. At present, we do not have a specific date for this as all effortshave recently been concentrated on the Glenairlie Orders which were publish…
19 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of hill land are no longer being grazed by sheep, broken down by SEERAD area office, and what the comparative figures were for (a) 1990 and (b) 2000.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Specific information on hillland is not available.</p><p>Information is availablefrom the June Agricultural Census on the area of Rough Grazing land, which is defined as: “Mountain, Hill, Moor, Deer Forest situated within the farming unit.”</p><p>The followin…
19 Jun 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide figures in respect of the change in sheep numbers in (a) very fragile and (b) fragile areas under the Less Favoured Areas Scheme from (i) 1995 to 2000 and (ii) 2000 to 2005, broken down by SEERAD area office.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The following tables provideinformation from the June Agricultural Census on the change in sheep numbers,for holdings in Less Favoured Areas, by SEERAD area office.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td width=609 colspan=6 valig…
7 Jun 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure the continued operation of Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway following the suspension of four senior managers in the agency.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The management arrangements forlocal enterprise companies within the Scottish Enterprise area are an operationalmatter for Scottish Enterprise.</p>
24 May 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-8697 by Hugh Henry on 19 January 2006, when it will notify the Parliament about its plans to increase the financial limit for small-claims cases dealt with by sheriff courts.
Answer · Hugh Henry: We are still considering allthe issues in relation to this matter and will make an announcement as soon as weare ready.</p>
18 May 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any studies to determine the economic potential of recreational sea angling and, if not, what plans it has to do so.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive hasnot carried out any such studies and currently has no plans to do so.</p>
18 May 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of visitors to Scotland participated in recreational sea angling in each of the last five years.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: On average,50,000 UK visitors to Scotland took part in sea angling each year over the lastfive years (less than 1% of all UK visits). No information is collected onoverseas participants.</p>
18 May 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the value of recreational sea angling is to the Scottish economy.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>
18 May 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people participated in recreational sea angling in Scotland in each of the last five years.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: This information is not heldcentrally.</p>
29 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the final two years of the Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme will be funded to a level that will allow all applications to be granted in full.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-24811 on 12 April 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.…
29 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all applications for forestry plantings within locational premium areas will be fully granted in 2007-08.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-24811 on 12 April 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.…
29 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether further funding will be made available to the Forestry Commission in order to cover planting grant applications within locational premium areas during 2006-07.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Funding has already been includedin the Forestry Commission Scotland budget in respect of grant applications forlocational premium areas, up to the limits announced, for 2006-07 and 2007-08.</p><p class=MsoBodyTextIndent>The budget allocation for the Scottish…
27 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out into the impact on Scotland of the Lighter Evenings (Experiment) Bill.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: No specific research has beenundertaken.</p>
9 Mar 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the establishment of the Strategic Timber Transport Fund, announced in October 2004.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Ministers established the £13million Scottish Strategic Timber Transport Fund to help pay for timber transportinfrastructure projects which will benefit local communities and the environment.Forestry Commission Scotland has since been working with officials f…
22 Feb 2006 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Environment and Rural Development last met officials from NFU Scotland and what matters were discussed.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I last met with officials ofNFU Scotland on Thursday, 23 February 2006. We discussed a range of topics including food chainsupply and competition issues, the burden of regulation on farmers, the prospectsfor re‑opening beef export markets and Less Favou…
8 Feb 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to increase the provision of routes for non-motorised road users in trunk road corridors outwith current schemes.
Answer · Tavish Scott: As part of the Trunk Road CyclingInitiative Transport Scotland is increasing the provision of routes for non-motorisedroad users in trunk road corridors outwith current schemes by taking forward a numberof projects. These include re-determination of suitable …
8 Feb 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to ensure that facilities for all non-motorised road users are included in trunk road upgrading schemes to enable such facilities to fit the surrounding network and be suitable for inclusion in forthcoming core path plans.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executivepublished <i>Cycling by Design</i> in December 1999. This representedinternational best practice in providing for cyclists through a system ofdesign guidance and audit, and implemented undertakings given in the earliertrunk road cycling …
24 Jan 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why only non-condensing boilers can be fitted under the central heating scheme managed by the Eaga Partnership on its behalf when condensing boilers are around 15 to 20% more fuel efficient and therefore cheaper to operate.
Answer · Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:</p> <p>The efficiency of boilers used in the central heating programme is set out in the Technical Specifications covering the installation of cent…
19 Jan 2006 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to cease the annual briefing with members of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists which it has traditionally held to mark the publication of the farm income figures and, if so, for what reasons.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive will be holding its annual briefing with the members of the Guild of Agricultural journalists on Tuesday 31 January at 9.30am.</p>
21 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of farm businesses in Dumfries and Galloway will have received the single farm payment by the end of December 2005 and when those businesses that have not received their payment should expect to do so.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Sixty-two per cent farm business in the constituencies of Dumfries and Galloway and Upper Nithsdale were paid under the Single Farm Payment Scheme by 31 December 2005. The number of businesses represented by this percentage is 1,267 and the total value of the…
15 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is within its responsibilities to distribute Action for ME’s Guidance on the management of CFS/M.E and, if so, whether it has done so.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive has no responsibility to distribute guidance produced by voluntary organisations, but may do so in exceptional circumstances. Action for ME’s existing guidance was aimed at English GPs and grant-funded by the UK Department of Health. The Executi…
15 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) fatalities, (b) fatal accidents, (c) serious accidents and (d) minor accidents have taken place in each year since the Route Action Plan for the A76 was published in 1996 between (i) New Cumnock and Kirkconnel, (ii) Kirkconnel and Sanquhar, (iii) Sanquhar and Thornhill, (iv) …
Answer · Tavish Scott: The number of injury accidents recorded on the A76 between New Cumnock and Dumfries between 1996 and 2004 is as follows:</p> <p>New Cumnock to Kirkconnel</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=485> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>Year</p></td>…
15 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments by the Minister for Transport and Telecommunications on 7 December 2005 (Official Report c. 21530), where it measures traffic flows on the A76; how frequently it takes readings at these collection points, and whether it will publish the traffic flow figures in eac…
Answer · Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive has 12 permanent automatic traffic counters located on the A76. Traffic data from these sites is collected on an hourly basis. The data is then loaded and held within the Scottish Roads Traffic Database.</p> <p>The site locations and An…
15 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it still intends to provide safe overtaking opportunities in the vicinity of Polquhirter, Brackenhill, Gateside and Cample within the projected 15-year period from October 1996, as referred to in paragraph 3 of the October 1996 A76 Route Action Plan Strategy, in addition to the sc…
Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer to the parliamentary debate on the A76 on 7 December 2005 in which I said that the current trunk road programme is full, with more than 40 major projects that will serve communities and users throughout Scotland, including the A76 Glenairlie scheme. I…
15 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the section of the A76 between New Cumnock and Sanquhar, identified in the October 1996 summary A76 Route Action Plan as exhibiting a higher accident rate than the national average, has compared with the national average for traffic accidents in each year since 2000, given the remedia…
Answer · Tavish Scott: The following table describes the accidents and accident rates for the A76 trunk road between New Cumnock and Sanquhar between January 2000 and December 2004:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>Year</p></td> …
14 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments by the Minister for Transport and Telecommunications on 7 December 2005 (Official Report c. 21529), when Dumfries and Galloway Council was asked to assess the possibilities of another scheme on the A76 in the Gateside area and whether it will appoint consultants t…
Answer · Tavish Scott: Dumfries and Galloway Council were invited by the Scottish Executiveon 1 April 2003, to explore the possibilities of an alternative schemein the Gateside area of the A76. There are no plans to appoint additional consultantsfor this work.</p>
14 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments by the Minister for Transport and Telecommunications on 7 December 2005 (Official Report c. 21529), what the estimated costs and benefits of the A76 Gateside-Knockenjig scheme are and when the decision was made not to proceed with the scheme.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The estimated cost of the proposed A76 Gateside-Knockenjig scheme was £1.7 million but this failed to satisfy value for money criteria or offer significant operational benefits. An attempt to redefine the scheme failed to gain support of the local landowners …
14 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the schemes identified in the A76 Route Action Plan at Polquhirter, Brackenhill and Cample have been subject to Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance or other appraisal and, if so, what the outcome of such appraisal has been.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The schemes at Polquhirter, Brackenhill and Cample identified in the A76 Route Action Plan were not selected as projects that should be taken forward as part of the Route Action Plan Review in 2002. As such they have not been subject to the Scottish Transport…
14 Dec 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments by the Minister for Transport and Telecommunications on 7 December 2005 (Official Report c. 21530), whether the A76 Glenairlie scheme has been subject to Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance or other appraisal; whether the scheme represents value for money and sa…
Answer · Tavish Scott: The A76 Glenairlie scheme has not been subject to STAG since it had already reached a significant stage of development before the introduction of that appraisal methodology. It is subject to an Environmental Statement which will be published with the statutor…