Parliamentary questions
Mr Duncan Hamilton
494 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
8 Mar 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13385 by Ross Finnie on 28 February 2001, whether it will provide figures for the percentage of beef and sheep farmers who were eligible for the previous Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance who will be worse off under the new less favoured area for…
Answer · Ross Finnie: Analysis based on claims processed to date could be misleading. I shall make analysis available once all Less-Favoured Area Support Scheme claims have been analysed and processed.
28 Feb 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is regarding the current fare structure of Caledonian MacBrayne.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I expect to receive shortly a report from CalMac on the conclusions of a review of its current fares structure. I shall take decisions in the light of those conclusions.
15 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail all investigations, projects or working groups currently under way which are concerned with GP provision in rural areas, including the timescale for any such research and whether or not reports arising from the research have been or will be published.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The following investigations, projects and working groups are currently under way:<FONT FACE="Arial"><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Access to primary care<P>A research project is currently being undertaken by the Scottish Consumer Council on behalf of the Executive. The …
14 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12634 by Ross Finnie on 2 February 2001, what percentage of beef and sheep farmers who were eligible for the previous Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance will be worse off under the new less favoured area formula, broken down by Scottish Executive …
Answer · Ross Finnie: It will not be possible to provide this information until all this year's area-based LFA claims have been processed and analysed.
2 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be any additional costs to local authorities as a result of the McCrone settlement and, if so, whether it will publish these costs, broken down by each authority.
Answer · Jack McConnell: As I made clear in my statement to Parliament on 14 February and previously in correspondence with CoSLA, local authorities will not, as a result of the McCrone settlement, be expected to make any contribution from their budgets beyond that which they would n…
2 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail all funding given to local authorities and public bodies in the Highlands and Islands Parliamentary region for the provision or improvement of ferry services to islands or on mainland to mainland routes in (i) 1999 and (ii) 2000, broken down by project and local au…
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive funds ferry services and associated infrastructure provided by local authorities and other public bodies in a number of ways, including the support given to Caledonian MacBrayne, resources from the Public Transport Fund and Rural Transp…
2 Feb 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail all capital funding given to local authorities and public bodies in the Highlands and Islands Parliamentary region in (i) 1999 and (ii) 2000 for the provision or improvement of island infrastructure including marine works, roads and coastal defences, broken down by…
Answer · Angus MacKay: The information requested is not held centrally.
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the integrated transport centre in Gourock which it announced funding for on 12 January 2001 will open and whether the final design and building of the centre will be delayed until a final decision on the Gourock-Dunoon ferry service has been reached.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-12652.
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the design of the integrated transport centre in Gourock which it announced funding for on 12 January 2001 will have any impact on the type of ferry service able to operate between Gourock and Dunoon.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-12652.
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assumptions have been made about the type of ferry service operating between Gourock and Dunoon in the design of the integrated transport centre in Gourock which it announced funding for on 12 January 2001.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Matters relating to the design, construction and opening of the Gourock transport interchange are for Inverclyde Council and its private sector partners.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Scottish Executive will shortly be writing to all authorities that received funding…
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that no Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) will receive less funding under the new funding arrangements announced by the Minister for Communities on 4 October 2000, in particular in areas where for geographical reasons there is more than one CVS in a…
Answer · Jackie Baillie: Executive funding for the national network of Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS) will increase by £1.2 million in 2001-02, in addition to an extra £0.21 million this year. The increased funding recognises the strategic potential of the network in supporting…
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when pilot studies into new contractual arrangements for GPs referred to in Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change are due to be wound up, what evaluation process has been established to study the success of the projects, who will be involved in that process and when a…
Answer · Susan Deacon: The first seven pilots in Scotland went live on 1 April 1998 and were initially planned to last three years (this was later extended to four years). Five of these seven pilots were included in a National Evaluation project being led by Southampton University …
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which GP surgeries are involved in the pilot studies into new contractual arrangements for GPs referred to in Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, where the surgeries are located, how many GPs there are at each practice and what geographic area each covers.
Answer · Susan Deacon: The table gives the details requested:<P>PMS Pilots: Scotland<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=609><TR><TD WIDTH="33%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial"><P>Practice</FONT></TD><TD WIDTH="37%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial"><P ALIGN="CENTER">Numbe…
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the decision on new contractual arrangements for GPs referred to in Our National Health Plan: A plan for action, a plan for change will be made on a Scottish or UK-wide basis.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Decisions on contractual arrangements for GPs are taken in close consultation with colleagues in all the other UK Health Departments.
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the projects which will benefit from the #2.3 million funding for the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Network announced in Press Release SE3266/2000, specifying how much of this funding each project will receive.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: On 19 December 2000 I announced an additional allocation of £2.275 million to Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) in respect of the current financial year. This money has now been made available to HIE as part of the Spring Budget Revision. The tables deta…
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many homes are connected to the world wide web, broken down (a) by local authority area and (b) enterprise area.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Figures are not currently available on how many homes are connected to the world wide web by local authority area or by enterprise area. Survey work conducted between April 1999 and March 2000 by the Office for National Statistics suggest that across Scotland…
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9867 by Susan Deacon on 8 January 2001, what guidelines it has made available to health boards to ensure that the services obtained from sources other than the NHS deliver value for money and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer · Susan Deacon: Boards and Trusts are under a general requirement to make best use of their resources to provide for the needs of their populations, it is not necessary to issue particular guidance in relation to services obtained from sources other than the NHS.
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of beef and sheep farmers in Kintyre will be worse off under the new less favoured area formula.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Estimates suggest that roughly two-thirds of beef and sheep claimants in Kintyre will receive lower LFA payments than last year and one-third will receive more. Under the safety net which I negotiated to ease the transition from headage to area-based support,…
19 Jan 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost is, in total and broken down by component, of each of the four school Public/Private Partnership projects recently confirmed by Highland Council.
Answer · Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive is not directly involved in the detailed contract and cost provisions of school PPP projects which individual local authorities may be pursuing. Any enquiries about the detailed costs of this project should be directed to The Highland C…
3 Jan 2001 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met officials of the National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers and what issues were discussed.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive last met with officials of the National Union of Marine, Aviation and Shipping Transport Officers on 10 May 2000 and discussed issues relating to Caledonian MacBrayne's operations and the proposed future tendering of the CalMac network.
22 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Rural Development will make a Ministerial Statement to the Parliament early in 2001 on any implications for farmers of the Urban Waste Water Directive.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) was adopted in 1991. As early as 1990, during negotiations leading to the Directive, the local authorities, who were then responsible for the provision of water services now undertaken by water authoritie…
22 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail all forms of public support which could be made available to Scottish Milk Products in relation to the costs of complying with the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Directive, for example through enterprise agencies.
Answer · Ross Finnie: A range of public sector support has been discussed with Scottish Milk in recent months to assist it to comply with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. These discussions have involved Argyll and Islands Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Wes…
22 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any other EU countries who have been able to seek and obtain an exemption to the rule that governments can contribute a maximum of 50% of the costs of a project under state aid regulations; if so which countries these are and what were the circumstances of the excep…
Answer · Ross Finnie: I am not aware of any such exemptions and, as stated in my reply to question S1W-12205, the relevant Council Regulation restricting the maximum amount of aid to 50% has the force of law in the UK.
22 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place between Ministers and/or officials and the EU over the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Directive, which Minister has raised the issue, when, and what was the response.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive is in contact with the European Commission on an ongoing basis about the EC Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. For example, Executive officials participate in the committee of representatives from member states which is chaired by t…
22 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to seek flexibility from the EU on the 50% state aid rule regarding creameries.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer to the answer given to question S1W-12205.
22 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to seek a delay in the implementation of the Urban Waste Water Directive with specific reference to creameries.
Answer · Sam Galbraith: None. A major tranche of the requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC) has already come into force.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>The Directive lays down, in Article 8, the circumstances in which a longer period for complying may be…
22 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific EU Regulations limit it to providing 50% state aid to the Campbeltown and Bute Creameries in relation to the cost of their compliance with the Urban Waste Water Directive.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The 50% limit relates to public sector investments in the processing and marketing of agricultural products under Article 28 of Council Regulation (EC) 1257/99. This governs the public sector investment - "The total amount of support .... is limited to a…
7 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what implications the ruling by the House of Lords on 27 July 2000 (Phelps (AP) v Mayor etc of the London Borough of Hillingdon Anderton (AP) (By Her Mother and Next Friend) v Clwyd County Council In Re G (AP) (A Minor) (By His Next Friend) Jarvis (AP) v Hampshire County Council) regardi…
Answer · Jack McConnell: The Scottish Executive is aware of the House of Lords ruling on 27 July 2000 regarding the legal duty of care for children with learning disabilities. This is a very complex issue and we are considering the implications of the ruling carefully. <FONT FACE="Ar…
6 Dec 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to help businesses prepare for possible entry into the Euro.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Policy on UK membership of the European Single Currency is a reserved function. The policy was set out in a statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the House of Commons in October 1997 and re-stated by the Prime Minister in February 1999. <P ALIGN="JU…
29 Nov 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what stage of proceedings the cases of Booker Aquaculture Ltd v The Scottish Ministers and Hydro Seafood GSP Ltd v The Scottish Ministers have reached.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Court of Session has asked the European Court of Justice, in respect of both cases, whether Community law requires Scottish Ministers to pay compensation for losses incurred as a result of steps taken to deal with the outbreak of disease on fish farms. A …