Parliamentary questions
Mr Duncan Hamilton
494 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
30 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what minimum level of service provision and fare guarantees will exist for the residents of Colonsay after the current tendering process on ferry services to the island is concluded and what representations have been sought from the residents there to ascertain whether the proposals on s…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-19498.
30 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports putting island ferry services out to tender every five years or whether it will seek an exemption from relevant EC regulations.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We are required to bring Caledonian MacBrayne's ferry services into compliance with EC rules on state aids and maritime cabotage. The Minister for Transport and Planning announced, in January, the Executive's proposals to bring the services into compliance an…
30 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations have been held with the residents of Colonsay on the tendering of ferry services to the island and what guidelines are in place to ensure that adequate consultation takes place before any decision is taken on the future provision of such services.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: In April last year we published <I>Delivering Lifeline Ferry Services</I> and used this as the basis for a wide consultation with users, including residents of Colonsay and others, on options for bringing Caledonian MacBrayne's ferry services into line with E…
29 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what conditions must be satisfied before analogue TV transmission is switched off and when this is expected to occur.
Answer · Allan Wilson: In the White Paper <I>A New Future for Communications</I>, the UK Government has set out tests which must be met before the analogue signal is fully switched to digital. Everyone who currently receives analogue television now must be able to receive the main …
29 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of (a) Scotland and (b) the Highlands and Islands has access to digital TV coverage.
Answer · Allan Wilson: This is a matter for the Independent Television Commission and I have asked them to write to you with the information requested.
24 Oct 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its assessment is of the current state of the Scottish scallop industry.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The current state of the Scottish scallop industry is good. Output has been at record levels this year. However, the decision last week of the European Commission's Standing Veterinary Committee to agree to the operation of a tiered testing system will requir…
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency plans it has in place to ensure continuity of service in the event of the failure of 999 lines in the Highlands and Islands area.
Answer · Jim Wallace: BT is responsible for the operation of the Public Switched Telephone Network which handles the 999 service in Scotland. I am advised that it has built up contingency plans over many years to take account of known risks and unforeseen events. These include the…
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken following the breakdown of several 999 phone lines in the Highlands and Islands area.
Answer · Jim Wallace: BT is responsible for the operation of the Public Switched Telephone Network which handles the 999 service in Scotland. I am advised that its immediate priority is to restore full service as soon as possible following any disruption. Following earlier failure…
2 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff and what resources it has available in Washington D.C for the promotion of Scottish interests both exclusively and as part of a wider brief.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The full resources of the British Embassy in Washington D.C. are available to assist the Executive as well as other devolved administrations and the UK government as a whole, and within the Embassy, the Executive has a member of staff on assignment. In additi…
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of a proposal by VisitScotland to change its quality assurance criteria for the year 2003 and, if so, (a) whether it has made an estimate of how many accommodation providers may lose a star in their ratings as a result and (b) whether businesses affected by the propose…
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: The VisitScotland Quality Assurance Grading is being strengthened in line with the objectives of National Tourism Strategy. This may result in a change in star grading for a small number of businesses. Applications for funding under the £36 million tourism in…
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to publish an annual report on the success of the schemes comprising the #36 million investment in tourism initiatives announced on 7 August 2001.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: No. This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the criteria used to establish the success or failure of the #36 million investment in tourism initiatives announced on 7 August 2001.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: No. This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets and goals have been put in place to enable an assessment to be made of whether the #36 million investment in tourism initiatives announced on 7 August 2001 has had a successful and significant impact on the tourism sector in the Highlands and Islands and whether an analysis o…
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information is not held centrally.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is an advertising campaign within the Highlands and Islands area to encourage applications in respect of the #36 million investment in tourism initiatives announced on 7 August 2001 and, if so, how much money is being invested in that campaign and from which budget is the mo…
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information is not held centrally.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the maximum amount of funding is that Highlands and Islands Enterprise may allocate to any one business under the #36 million investment in tourism initiatives announced on 7 August 2001.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information is not held centrally.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the deadline is for applications for funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise in respect of the #36 million investment in tourism initiatives announced on 7 August 2001.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information is not held centrally.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive where the responsibility lies within Highlands and Islands Enterprise for decisions on applications for funding under the #36 million investment in tourism initiatives announced on 7 August 2001 and whether it will publish a list of the criteria under which these decisions will be made.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information is not held centrally.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the application process for people wishing to apply for funding under the #36 million investment in tourism initiatives announced on 7 August 2001 and where such details will be publicly available.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information is not held centrally.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times ministers have met Highlands and Islands Enterprise in each of the last three years.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Ministers regularly meet with the Board and senior management of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Neither HIE nor the Department hold records on these meetings. Most recently, I met with the Chairman and Chief Executive in late August, the First Minister and…
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a distinction will be drawn between job creation and job retention in any criteria for considering applications for funding under the #36 million investment in tourism initiatives announced on 7 August 2001.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information is not held centrally.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the announcement on 7 August 2001 of #36 million for tourism initiatives, in what format, when and where the allocation of these funds will be published and whether such information will be published distinctly from information about general expenditure on tourism in the H…
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information is not held centrally.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of private investment businesses will be required to make to enable them to attract public money under the #36 million investment in tourism initiatives announced on 7 August 2001 and what ratio of public to private finance will apply to initiatives funded under the scheme.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information is not held centrally.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance will be given to Highlands and Islands Enterprise on how the #36 million investment in tourism initiatives announced on 7 August 2001 should be spent.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: None.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria businesses will be required to meet to qualify for funding for tourism initiatives under the #36 million investment announced on 7 August 2001.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information is not held centrally.
27 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how joint funding arrangements for the #36 million investment in Highlands and Islands tourism announced on 7 August 2001 will be broken down, in particular (a) how much public money is being committed, (b) from which budget such funds will be taken and (c) what amount of private capital …
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The information is not held centrally.
24 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether responses to its consultation paper A Modern Complaints System: Consultation Paper for Public Sector Ombudsmen in Scotland favoured the inclusion of enterprise external adjudicators in a "one stop shop", whether it intends to create such posts and, if so, (a) when the adjudicators…
Answer · Angus MacKay: The consultation paper, a copy of which I sent to each member, proposes that the External Complaints Adjudicators will be wound up and that complaints relating to Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise will instead be dealt with by the new S…
14 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses in each local authority area have (a) attained and (b) maintained the (i) ISO 14001 and (ii) eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) environment standard.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-18209.
14 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information and support is being given to businesses in relation to ways to attain and maintain the ISO 14001 and eco-management audit scheme (EMAS) environmental standards and what public bodies are involved in providing such information.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-18209.
14 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what category of membership Scotland currently holds with the International Organisation for Standardisation.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: None. Membership of the International Organisation for Standardisation is open to the national standardisation body of a country and the member for the United Kingdom is the British Standards Institution.
14 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who is currently responsible for the auditing of businesses for the ISO 14001 and eco-management and audit scheme (EMAS) and the awarding of certification when these standards are achieved.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-18209.