Colin Campbell

7 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17309 by Rhona Brankin on 21 August 2001, whether it is aware that Mellon Charles near Aultbea was sited as an example of a land storage site for cut-out submarine reactors in a report by Lancaster University for the Ministry of Defence.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Yes, I am aware that it was an example among many that the Ministry of Defence considered in its review of options for the storage of reactor compartments. I understand that the role of the University of Lancaster was to undertake, on behalf of the Ministry o…

30 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to secure the location of the proposed Army Foundation College in Dundee and what form these representations took.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: I understand that consideration of these matters within the Ministry of Defence is at a very early stage. My officials will be keeping in touch with developments.

30 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government to establish how much is currently invested by it in Scotland through defence research contracts and what action the Executive is taking to encourage Her Majesty's Government to place further defence research contracts in Scotl…

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Ministry of Defence and its agencies on a range of issues, including defence research contracts. Figures for expenditure in Scotland from defence research contracts are not available.

30 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17501 by Sarah Boyack on 28 August 2001, when it expects to be in possession of the study into the alleviation of flooding at Blackstone Roundabout, Newark, Port Glasgow.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is now in possession of the study undertaken by Inverclyde Council. The study confirms that the main cause of flooding at this location is due to upstream problems with local watercourses that are the responsibility of Inverclyde Counci…

30 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases the Scottish Qualifications Authority has failed to notify universities or colleges of potential undergraduates' results in the 2001 diet of results and how it proposes to address these cases.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Specific arrangements in connection with exam results and appeals are a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), and I will ask the Chair to write to you with a more detailed response to your query.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The SQA does not pass resul…

30 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is represented on the committee that vets Healthy Initiative Living Centre project proposals.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive Health Department has observer status on the New Opportunities Fund's Scotland Healthy Living Centre Committee, which considers and makes decisions on applications from Scottish projects.

30 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Healthy Living Centre Initiative project proposals have been submitted, where these proposals are based and which proposals have been successful to date.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Healthy Living Centre application process consists of two stages, the first of which had a closing date of December 2000. There were 165 first stage applications in total. The New Opportunities Fund believes that these applications provide good geographic…

30 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the planned guidelines for home schooling will require entry to premises used for home schooling by representatives of local councils.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The draft guidance, which has been issued for consultation until March 2002, indicates that authorities do not have an automatic right of access to a home educating family's home. It recommends that where a family does not feel comfortable in allowing an educ…

30 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the planned guidelines on home schooling will be common to all education authorities.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The guidance on the circumstances in which children may choose to educate their children at home will be common to all education authorities. It will be issued under section 14 of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Act 2000, which states that all author…

30 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the planned guidelines on home schooling will be available and how prescriptive they will be.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home is being issued to interested parties for consultation shortly. The draft guidance will address a wide range of issues that were raised by education authorities …

30 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many anti-social behaviour orders have been applied for to date by each local authority.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland has been commissioned by the Executive to undertake an annual exercise to determine the use being made of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs). In the period from 1 April 1999, when ASBOs came into force, to 1 De…

22 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17197 by Rhona Brankin on 20 August 2001, what member states will be attending the meeting of Fisheries Directors in mid-September, what other international fisheries-related meetings are scheduled before the European Fisheries Council on 25 October …

Answer · Rhona Brankin: An informal meeting of Fisheries Directors is to be held on 11 September. I understand that representatives from all member states with fishing interests in the North Sea have been invited.<P>Assuming the question refers to EU fisheries-related meetings, the …

22 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17196 by Rhona Brankin on 20 August 2001, whether it will specify exactly which groups and individuals, other than Fran' Fischler, she has spoken to on the matter of formal decision-making powers for fisheries regional management committees.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: I have discussed the matter of formal decision-making powers for fisheries regional management committees whenever relevant during my meetings this year with groups and individuals which discussed fisheries issues.

22 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17195 by Rhona Brankin on 20 August 2001, what representations it will make to Her Majesty's Government on the issue of formal decision-making powers being made available for regional management committees in the EU fishing industry and whether any m…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: None.<P>As previously stated, the agreed UK position is supportive of the setting up of regional bodies, and that careful consideration should be given to what powers such bodies should have.

22 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the recommendation of the 3rd Report 2001 of the European Committee, Reforming the Common Fisheries Policy, that 'onal management committees should have formal decision-making power.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive agrees with the European Committee's proposal that zonal management committees should be set up under a reformed Common Fisheries Policy. The committee's report recommends delegated decision-making powers only after an appropriate trans…

21 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4122 by Sarah Boyack on 7 June 2000, whether it approved the sealing of an unauthorised outlet which has already discharged sewage into Kilbarchan Burn as authorised by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, given the possible risk when the scre…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

21 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any negotiations with the Ministry of Defence concerning the impact of possible relocation of 51 Brigade Headquarters from Perth and what its position is on the matter.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Defence matters are reserved and there have been no negotiations between the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Scottish Executive concerning the possible relocation of 51 Brigade HQ from Perth. I understand that a Regional Brigade Study is being carried out u…

21 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether statistics exist on clusters of any illnesses that could be attributable to the siting of mobile telephone masts, either singly or in groups, and, if so, whether it will list the locations of such clusters.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: In compiling their report, the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones (IEGMP) considered existing scientific evidence on the relationship between mobile phone technologies and a number of diseases and behavioural effects. The diseases that have received mo…

21 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the sites of groups of more than two mobile telephone masts (a) within 500 metres of each other and (b) within 1,000 metres of each other.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive does not hold this information. However the Radiocommunications Agency (an Executive Agency of the DTI) is currently finalising its plans for launching a UK-wide map-based facility called "sitefinder" which will provide details about al…

21 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what negotiations it has had with the National Radiological Protection Board concerning reduction of any ha'ardous effects of mobile telephone masts by means of resiting, establishing "no entry" safe 'ones and diminishing high frequency output.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information and general advice from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) was taken into account during the preparation of <I>National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 19: Radio Telecommunications</I>. In addition, the NRPB were specifically consu…

21 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what negotiations it has had with the National Radiological Protection Board concerning the ha'ardous effects of mobile telephone masts grouped in close proximity to one another and what conclusions have emerged from these negotiations.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones, which was set up by the National Radiological Protection Board, has stated that "the balance of evidence indicates that there is no general risk to the health of people living near to base stations on the basis t…

21 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14840 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 18 April 2001, on what grounds it is not its policy to disclose the times and dates of meetings with the Defence Diversification Agency in Scotland since its inception.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Details of ministerial and official level meetings within government are internal matters for the parties concerned.

21 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-3658 by Mr Jack McConnell on 28 June 2001, after how many years information regarding talks between Her Majesty's Government and it in 2000 prior to the Inter-Governmental Conference in Nice will cease to be confidential and what the reasons are for …

Answer · Jack McConnell: No set deadline can be given for the release of any information arising from confidential discussions. The Scottish Executive's <I>Code of Practice on</I> <I>Access to Scottish Executive Information</I> recognises that the sensitivity of information will, gen…

21 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the railway sleepers used for the cremation of animals slaughtered in the course of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak came from existing stocks held in Scotland prior to the outbreak of the disease and, if they did not, from where they were sourced, when they were ordered, and w…

Answer · Ross Finnie: Information from the contractor engaged to construct pyres in Scotland during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak indicates that around 70,000 new softwood sleepers were used, 5,000 of which were imported from Austria and Belgium. This accounted for the wood …

21 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was warned of a possible outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease before the first outbreak in the UK and, if so, when, by whom, and what reason was given for such a warning.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive had no warning or expectation of a possible outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease before the first outbreak in the UK.

10 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients from each hospital in each health board area have been sent to a different hospital for a CT scan during the last year due to the non-availability of a CT scanner through staffing constraints.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information requested is not held centrally.

9 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16757 by Susan Deacon on 31 July 2001, how and by whom the UK representatives on the EU Social Protection Committee will be informed of Scottish Executive interests; what these interests are, and how these interests will be conveyed to the committee …

Answer · Jack McConnell: Arrangements for liaison between the UK Government and the Scottish Executive on EU issues are set out in the Concordat on co-ordination of EU policy issues. Discussions with the UK Government on issues of interest to the Scottish Executive are normally condu…

9 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has (a) shared, (b) sole or (c) no responsibility for alleviating flooding problems on the M8 at Blackstone roundabout, Newark, Port Glasgow.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive, as trunk roads authority, has a responsibility to ensure that the A8 at Blackstone roundabout, Newark, Port Glasgow is properly drained.<P>However, the main cause of flooding at this location is considered to be due to upstream problem…

9 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact closure of the HM Customs and Excise drugs collection and co-ordination unit in Paisley will have on the work of the Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency and whether it was consulted about this closure.

Answer · Iain Gray: The Scottish Drug Enforcement Agency (SDEA) works closely with Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Investigation Service and the National Criminal Intelligence Service in providing a co-ordinated partnership approach to tackling drug trafficking in Scotland. The…

1 Aug 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take in respect of public safety, health and the environment in light of the recommendations on the arrangements for the transportation of irradiated uranium fuel from Rosyth to Sellafield in The Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee's Advice to Ministers…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The report published by the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee makes clear that the transport of spent fuel is an issue for the Ministry of Defence to consider.<P>The regulation of the transport of radioactive material (including waste) is a rese…