Parliamentary questions
Mr David Davidson
1,095 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
22 Aug 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses to the consultation document Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout opposed the proposals contained in the document and whether the Parliament will receive a summary of these objections.
Answer · John Home Robertson: Responses to the proposals were mixed. Some supported all of them; some were totally opposed; others favoured some but not all. A file containing copies of all responses is available for viewing by MSPs in the Parliament's Reference Centre, and members of the…
22 Aug 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it has received to the consultation document Conservation of Salmon and Sea Trout issued by the Rural Affairs Department on 5 June 2000.
Answer · John Home Robertson: As at 28 August, 86 responses have been received.
22 Aug 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why it has decided to levy annual groundwater charges on Scottish farmers when these annual charges have been waived in England and Wales.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Our policy is that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) should move toward full recovery of the costs of regulation in line with the polluter pays principle. Charges are determined by SEPA at levels that enable it work towards cost recovery.<P AL…
22 Aug 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the economic position of Scottish farming justifies the imposition of new groundwater charges.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Yes. I refer to the answer I gave today to question S1W-9339 in which I have explained that charges have been kept as low as possible whilst still enabling SEPA to move towards recovering the costs of regulation.
20 Jun 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed transportation hub for the Union Square area of Aberdeen should incorporate the city bus services.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: As the planning application is currently before the Scottish Ministers, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on any aspect of the proposals at this stage.
20 Jun 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will financially support the Peterhead Bay Authority with the construction of a new outer breakwater.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Executive has no general scheme of assistance to ports and harbours throughout Scotland. Port and harbour authorities operate in a competitive market. They are responsible for making their own investment decisions and raising finance.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">As…
6 Jun 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any deterioration of the road bridge over the Montrose basin; whether it has seen the current engineering reports on the bridge; whether it will publish these engineering reports; whether it will work with Angus Council to expedite the replacement of the bridge, and…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is aware that Angus Council as the local roads authority is currently planning for a replacement of the Montrose bridge. The Executive has not received engineering reports on the structural condition of the existing bridge. We understan…
9 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government urging the introduction of export credit guarantee cover for the sale of pelagic fish from Scotland to Russia and the Baltic States.
Answer · John Home Robertson: The Executive has already taken this matter up. The UK Export Credit Guarantee Department (ECGD) provides cover for medium- to long-term capital projects in a variety of countries. The ECGD is not intended to provide cover for short-term commercial operations…
9 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive from which dates it expects funding from the new Objective 2 round and the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance to be available.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The European Commission officially received the Objective 2 Plans and the FIFG Plan on 28 April and has five months and six months respectively to provide funding Decisions.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Individual project approvals are not expected to be made until the …
3 May 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4696 by Mr Jack McConnell on 2 May 2000, whether it will provide details of those councils who made representations to the Minister regarding how the local government settlement impacted on them.
Answer · Jack McConnell: All councils made representations about elements of the settlement either directly or through the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans exist to invest additional money in the transport infrastructure, how much this will amount to and whether the availability of any additional funds will alter its position on the proposed western peripheral bypass for Aberdeen.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Minister for Finance informed Parliament on 16 May that an additional £15.9 million was to be allocated to transport in 2000-01. I have already announced that the money will fund a range of transport improvements across Scotland, notably Safer Routes to S…
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to make the whole of the Aberdeen to Peterhead road a dual carriageway.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: No. There are no plans to upgrade the whole of this section of road to dual carriageway.
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what charges were made by each local authority to their sheltered housing tenants in respect of warden services in financial year 1999-2000.
Answer · Iain Gray: Information is not collected centrally on the levels and numbers of individual charges made to sheltered housing tenants in respect of warden services.
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage change has been in each of the last three years in the charges made by each local authority to their sheltered housing tenants in respect of warden services.
Answer · Iain Gray: Information is not collected centrally on the levels and numbers of individual charges made to sheltered housing tenants in respect of warden services.
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities levy a charge on tenants in sheltered housing to recover or partially recover the cost of a warden service.
Answer · Iain Gray: Consistent information is not available.
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools, broken down by local authority area, have a member of staff who has received training in the management of pupils with asthma when they are in school.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: This information is not held centrally.
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have issued guidelines on the management of pupils with asthma when they are in school.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: The information is not held centrally. I have established a working group to draw up good practice guidance on the administration of medicine in schools. The National Asthma Campaign Scotland is represented on that group.
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on the management of pupils with asthma when they are in school.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive recognises the importance of children with healthcare needs such as asthma learning in an environment in which those needs can be met. I have established a working group on the administration of medicine in schools which will develop go…
27 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will bring forward the review of the single area licensing system for herring fishing given the changed circumstances following the introduction of satellite monitoring.
Answer · John Home Robertson: No. It would be inappropriate to do so. The forthcoming summer herring fishery provides the first opportunity to evaluate the impact of satellite monitoring. I have given the industry a commitment that the licensing arrangements will be reviewed later this ye…
6 Apr 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been asked by representatives of the Scottish fishing fleet, or others who sail off the East Aberdeenshire coast, to make representations to Her Majesty's Government requesting that the foghorn at Boddam Lighthouse be brought back into service pending consultation with all …
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Safety of navigation is a reserved matter and the responsibility of the Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions. Under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, management and superintendance of all lighthouses, buoys and beacons off the Scottish coastl…
31 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why the Northern Lighthouse Board has no representatives of the seagoing communities serving on it, and what action it will take to ensure that those who rely on lighthouses are properly represented on the Board in future.
Answer · Neil Davidson: That is not correct. The current board membership includes a number of representatives from the seagoing community who have a special knowledge and experience of nautical matters.
28 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will supply projections, for the next five years, of actual non-domestic rate payments in each local authority area in Scotland including comparisons with the payments which would have been expected if the UK unified scheme had continued to be applied and with the projected net…
Answer · Jack McConnell: Five-year projections by local authority area are not held centrally. In both Scotland and England the rate poundage for 2000-01 was set with a view to maintaining the total tax take in real terms. A paper showing how the Scottish Executive calculated the rat…
28 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take to implement a single licence system to enable Scottish herring fishermen to operate in both the North Sea and off the West coast.
Answer · John Home Robertson: Single area licensing for herring fisheries was introduced in the UK in 1996 to safeguard North Sea stocks.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">A review of pelagic management arrangements in the UK was undertaken jointly by the industry and Fisheries Departments last year. The…
28 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will address the concerns of the Scottish fish processing industry about the impact on the industry and the jobs it provides of the latest changes to the North of Scotland Water Authority effluent and water charges by introducing a new mechanism for capital investment cost reco…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: North of Scotland Water Authority, in common with the other two Scottish water authorities, is committed to a significant capital investment programme to meet exacting standards of wastewater discharge and drinking water quality. This will deliver essential i…
23 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide substantive answers to questions S1W-4449, S1W-4450 and S1W-4451 on Scottish trust ports, and why it has not answered them to date.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: These questions were answered on 23 March.
23 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce contraceptive measures to the Scottish seal population to control the current high level of seal numbers which is affecting Scottish fisheries.
Answer · John Home Robertson: There are at present no plans to introduce contraceptive measures to control the Scottish seal population but the Scottish Executive will continue to assess the potential of any such measures on an ongoing basis.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">In 1998, the Executive asked…
23 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Aberdeenshire Council has received direct funding for use by voluntary drug and alcohol support groups.
Answer · Iain Gray: Aberdeenshire Council's Grant Aided Expenditure allocation for social work in 2000-01 will be £39.118 million. It is for the Council itself to determine its expenditure priorities and allocate resources accordingly.
23 Mar 2000 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is considering a private finance package to complete the Holyrood Project.
Answer · David Steel: With the approval of Parliament and the co-operation of the Scottish Executive, the SPCB intends to complete the Holyrood Project by conventional public funding arrangements for major Scottish capital projects, from money assigned to Scotland in the "Sco…
14 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the latest deaths at the Ellon junction on the A90, it will now take immediate action to improve road safety on the A90 between Aberdeen and Peterhead.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I can confirm that the Scottish Executive is considering a road safety improvement programme for the A90 trunk between Aberdeen and Peterhead and that this will be taken forward subject to competing priorities on the trunk road network and subject to availabl…
9 Mar 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what concerns it has about the effect of the increase in charges of almost 20% to be levied on elderly residents in sheltered accommodation in Aberdeenshire following the local government finance settlement and whether it has any plans to address this situation directly.
Answer · Iain Gray: That is a matter for the Council. I understand that the increase relates to charges for the warden service in local authority accommodation. Residents currently pay approximately £6 per week, which is one third of the cost. Other providers of supported accomm…