Alex Johnstone

11 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any plans to re-open the Kintore railway station in Aberdeenshire and whether it would support such plans.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I understand Aberdeenshire Council in partnership with ScotRail, Railtrack and Aberdeen City Council are investigating various proposals for the enhancement of local passenger rail services between Stonehaven, Aberdeen and Inverurie. Development of these serv…

11 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what was the number of accidents for each of the last five years on the Inverurie to Keith section of the A96.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The number of personal injury accidents for each of the last five years which have occurred on the A96 trunk road between Inverurie and Keith is as follows:-<P ALIGN="CENTER"><CENTER><TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=404><TR><TD WIDTH="20%" VALI…

11 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to reconsider the possibility of providing a bypass for Keith.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Executive's position remains as set out on pages 11 and 12 of <I>Scheme Decisions</I>, the annex to the Strategic Roads Review published on 4 November 1999.

11 Jul 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any plans to link Aberdeen with the Euro-star rail service and whether it would support such plans.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: European rail services is a reserved matter. The Scottsh Executive is unaware of any plans for the extension of Eurostar services to Aberdeen.

28 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has made to celebrate the 100th birthday of Her Majesty the Queen Mother on 4 August 2000.

Answer · Jim Wallace: A wide range of celebrations is being planned, principally in London but also in Scotland. Her Majesty's birthday will be the source of much pleasure to Scots everywhere in view of Her Majesty's long and close association with Scotland and the deep affection …

28 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will intervene to ensure that Tayside's Acute Services Review reports sooner than the end of 2000.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The timescale of the Acute Services Review is a matter for the health board to consider.

28 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will hold a public inquiry into the running of Stracathro Hospital, Angus, by Tayside Health Board and the local NHS Trust.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The future provision of services at Stracathro needs to be considered in the context of the current Tayside Acute Services Review which involves discussion with clinicians, primary care and other key partners in addition to public involvement.

27 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what volume of (a) wholesale and (b) direct sales milk quota was held within the Southern Isles ring-fenced area in each year from 1995-96 to 1999-2000 inclusive; what volume of production was claimed against each of these types of quota in this area in each of these years, and whether it…

Answer · Ross Finnie: The volume of milk quota and milk production held within the Southern Isles ring-fence area is shown in the following table.<P>Milk Quota within the Southern Isles Ring Fence Area<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="17%" VALIGN="…

13 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts and progress it is making to trace the 400 cattle sold from the Roslin Institute to farms in the UK which might be carrying the "Theileria annulata" parasite.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Tracing of cattle which have moved off Roslin Institute farms over the past three years is being carried out by the State Veterinary Service. To date investigations have revealed that 217 of the 400 cattle are no longer alive. Of the remainder, movements have…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of its acknowledgement on page 25 of A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture that the difficulties in re-establishing export markets have held back the recovery in cattle prices, it will give higher priority to regaining lost markets.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-7734.

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its understanding is of when it was first discovered that conventional Advanta rapeseed had been contaminated with GM rapeseed.

Answer · Ross Finnie: We understand that this problem first came to light on 3 April when laboratory tests in Germany identified low levels of GM rapeseed in conventional rapeseed stocks. Advanta informed UK Government officials of this on 17 April.

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken by Quality Meat Scotland to help regain lost beef export markets.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-7734.

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to help regain lost beef export markets.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive attaches high priority to assisting the industry to regain lost beef export markets. We have supported the industry's efforts to build up a brand of integrity; I have briefed influential European journalists, attach&eacute;s and others on the me…

8 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is still the case that only one abattoir in Scotland can deal with beef for exporting purposes and, if so, what steps it is taking to ensure that more abattoirs can deal with beef for exporting purposes.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I can confirm that only one plant in Scotland is approved to export beef under the provisions of the Date-Based Export Scheme.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">At present the plant is able to deal with the current volume of exports. Additional participation in the scheme is…

7 Jun 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its view is on the proposed closure of St. Vigeans Primary School, Arbroath, by Angus Council.

Answer · Peter Peacock: At this stage, this possible closure is a matter for Angus Council and it would not be right for Ministers to express a view on a school closure proposal on which an authority is consulting.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which statutory body or bodies had a legal duty or responsibility prior to 17 April 2000 to ensure the seed purity of imported supplies in Scotland.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Both before and after 17 April 2000, the legal duty and responsibility to ensure the seed purity of imported supplies lies with the seeds authorities in the producer country and with the seed merchant marketing the seed in this country.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a seed purity inspection system will be introduced; if so, when the process of planning this system began; when details of how the system will work will be published; whether the introduction of the system is conditional upon EU or other international agreements; how much the syst…

Answer · Ross Finnie: We have had a seeds inspection system in Scotland for many years. However, the EU Commission recently published proposals to tighten up seed purity legislation which will be discussed in the Commission and the EU Council before being negotiated through the OE…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it had in place before 18 May 2000 to inform farmers of the contamination of conventional Advanta rapeseeds with GM rapeseeds and whether these plans have been modified since this date.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive was not informed of the contaminated seed until 15 May. My officials discussed the problem with the National Farmers' Union of Scotland shortly thereafter, and have continued to liaise closely with it.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether current legislation on liability is sufficient in cases where (a) conventional crop seed is contaminated with GM crop seed; (b) conventional crops are cross-pollinated by GM crops and (c) conventional crops are contaminated with genetic material from GM crops as a result of other …

Answer · Ross Finnie: The question of liability is a matter of civil law and will depend on the specific circumstances in individual cases.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to publish advice to consumers wishing to avoid food containing ingredients which may have been produced from crops grown from conventional Advanta rapeseed contaminated with GM rapeseed.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Oil from the affected crop planted and harvested in 1999 will have been mixed with oil from other sources before being widely dispersed. In these circumstances there is no obvious way now to be able to identify for consumers those products which might contain…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its understanding is of the actual distances between fields that had been used to produce conventional Advanta rapeseed and the GM crops responsible for the cross-pollination of the conventional crop.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The circumstances which have given rise to the contamination of the seed in Canada are still being investigated. It remains to be determined with certainty that the contamination was caused by cross-pollination. The UK is working closely with the Canadian aut…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it remains satisfied that a voluntary code of practice is a sufficient means of ensuring minimum separation distances between GM and non-GM crops or whether it has plans to introduce legislation in this regard.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The recent incident involving conventional seed accidentally containing a small proportion of GM seed has highlighted the question of separation distances between GM and other crops. The circumstances of the contamination are still being investigated but the …

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, prior to being made aware of the contamination of conventional Advanta rapeseed with genetically modified seed, it had been aware of similar incidents involving crop seeds imported into other European Union member states and, if so, when it became aware of each such incident.

Answer · Ross Finnie: One of my officials attended a meeting of the EU Seed Certification Agencies in Italy on 4 May, when he heard that Greece had a problem with GM contaminated cotton seed imported from the USA.

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish all of the information which it holds from Advanta UK on the contamination of conventional rapeseed with genetically modified rapeseed.

Answer · Ross Finnie: We have received information on contaminated seed lot numbers which will help farmers confirm whether they have sown a contaminated crop but that is principally a matter between Advanta and farmers. As the farmers are the innocent party in this matter I do no…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any information from parties other than Advanta UK on the contamination of conventional Advanta rapeseed with genetically modifed rapeseed and, if so, when each such party first made such information available.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Since 15 May, in addition to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, I have received information from the Food Standards Agency, the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, t…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers to be an acceptable level of seed purity in the case of conventional crop seeds in relation to contamination with GM seeds.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Current seed purity levels are specified in various regulations implementing several EC Directives. The EU Commission, in response to representations from the Scottish Executive and the UK Government, is expected to produce shortly proposals to tighten up see…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to identify the crop sites sown with Advanta rapeseeds contaminated with GM rapeseeds and, if so, whether it will publish the locations of these sites.

Answer · Ross Finnie: We have sought information on crop sites from Advanta. Commercial confidentiality and data protection considerations notwithstanding, I do not believe it would add anything to the wider public understanding of this problem to publish the location of these sit…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to identify any stores of Advanta rapeseeds that have been contaminated with GM rapeseeds held in this country and what measures it will take to ensure that stored seed is not sown or released into the food chain.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Any unused seed from the contaminated batches can be identified by farmers from information supplied by Advanta on affected seed lots. It would not be in the interests of farmers to plant contaminated seed and disposal and compensation issues should be addres…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to restrict the import of supposedly GM free crop seeds from countries in which separation distances between GM crops and GM free crops are less than is the case in the United Kingdom.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Under EC and international agreements seed imported from non-EC countries is subject to equivalent standards of field inspection and certification. These arrangements do not include separation distances between GM crops and non-GM crops. Spot checks of import…

2 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish crop sites now growing GM oil seed rape as a result of the contamination of Advanta rapeseed with GM rapeseed will be subject to the same controls as crop sites intentionally sown with GM rapeseed for the purposes of a licensed crop trial.

Answer · Ross Finnie: No. The sites which have been unintentionally contaminated by the Advanta rapeseed have not been issued with consents and as a consequence it would be illegal for the contaminated crops to be marketed. Where a consent has been issued for the growing of a GM c…