Parliamentary questions

Euan Robson

186 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

26 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-4078 and S1W-4735 by Susan Deacon on 18 February 2000 and 10 March 2000 respectively, whether it has now received the Coronary Heart Disease Task Force's risk-benefit analysis on the placement of defibrillators in public buildings and whether it in…

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Coronary Heart Disease Task Force has produced a draft report on the placement of defibrillators in public buildings, and is now in the process of discussing the draft with bodies with an interest in the subject.The task force will be p…

26 Apr 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how widely it consulted before bringing forward its proposals on land reform.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The land reform policy development process has been highly consultative, and our proposals have benefited as a result.The Partnership Government embraced recommendations by the Land Reform Policy Group. These were informed by very extensive consultation. T…

25 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the internal review group on the funding formula for the police is due to report and whether it intends to publish the report or make a statement to the Parliament.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The review is being undertaken jointly by the Scottish Executive, Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, as part of the arrangements through which we consult local government on grant distribution ma…

19 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish its Consultation Paper on Judicial Appointments.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I am publishing the Consultation Paper Judicial Appointments: an Inclusive Approach today. This fulfils the commitment given in the Partnership Agreement and confirmed in A Programme for Government which we published last September.<P ALI…

17 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4070 by Ross Finnie on 14 February 2000, when it intends to publish the findings of the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute's extended study on hunting and the rural economy.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The MLURI Report will be published as soon as practicable after it is received.

3 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the witness schemes originally piloted in Ayr, Kirkcaldy and Hamilton Sheriff Courts to Sheriff Courts in the Scottish Borders.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I was pleased to announce in December 1999 an additional £2 million to extend the witness service to Sheriff Courts across Scotland, including the Scottish Borders, over the next three years.

23 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of the recent increase in water charges, it will renegotiate the five year phasing in of the removal of reliefs for village and community halls agreed with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations last summer.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Village and community halls are not among the premises whose relief from water and sewerage charges is being withdrawn over the period 2000-01 to 2004-05. Accordingly, they were not covered by last year's agreement with the Scottish Council for Volunta…

16 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice and/or extra resources it will provide to local authorities if materials for engineering purposes or engineering works at landfill sites are deemed to be waste, and hence subject to landfill tax, by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The rules for application of the tax are set out in reserved legislation and guidance is issued by HM Customs and Excise. There has been no change with respect to the classification of materials used for site engineering purposes.

14 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to the European Commission regarding the inclusion of Scottish projects on Trans-European (TEN) maps and what the outcome was of any such representations.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is contributing to the current Commission review of Trans-European Networks through the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions, which leads for the UK on the review. The review is ongoing and is unlikely to conclude befor…

14 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will submit the proposal for the reintroduction of a railway to the Scottish Borders to the European Commission for inclusion as a project on the trans-European (TEN) maps due to be revised by the Commission in June 2000.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority over the development of railways in Scotland. I understand that the emerging conclusion of the review is that no alterations should be made to the guideline maps at t…

13 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to lay before the Parliament the revised Small Claims (Scotland) Amendment Order 2000 and the revised Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1971 (Private Jurisdiction and Summary Cause) Order 2000 and what its timetable is for these Orders from laying to implementation.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Orders will be re-laid when a number of concerns which prompted their withdrawal are addressed. These concerns include the provision of an amended Table of Fees for solicitors in summary cause procedure and new summary cause rules. These are not matters f…

10 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider adding an annual uplift for inflation to the proposed ceiling of #1,500 for small claims and #5,000 for summary causes.

Answer · Jim Wallace: I intend to ask officials to undertake a consultation exercise every three to five years to establish the extent to which it is necessary to increase these limits. I would bring forward orders seeking to increase these limits beyond that required to reflect i…

9 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will invite the Forestry Commission to enter into sales or leases to community woodland trusts and other community bodies of small woodlands peripheral to its main holdings.

Answer · John Home Robertson: The subject of this question relates to matters undertaken by Forest Enterprise. I have asked its Chief Executive, Dr Bob McIntosh, to arrange for a reply to be given.

2 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a Route Action Plan for the A68.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Once the Route Action Plan has been finalised it will be published. The plan depends upon the construction and evaluation of a trial length of road improvement designed to give positive and unambiguous overtaking opportunities. The trial is being prepared to…

2 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency plans to designate the catchment areas of the rivers Eden and Eye in the Scottish Borders as nitrate vulnerable 'ones and, if so, what assistance or compensation is available for farmers to adapt their working practices to comply with s…

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I announced last November that we are considering evidence from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency indicating elevated levels of nitrate in several water courses including the Eye Water and Eden Water in the Scottish Borders. Assessment of that eviden…

19 Jan 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why its response to The Road Ahead consultation paper of April 1999 was published on the afternoon of 24 December 1999.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I reached my decision on future arrangements on 23 December and arranged for that to be published as soon as possible thereafter.

22 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many supervised attendance orders for fine defaulters have been imposed in the current and last four financial years, expressed in total and as a proportion of all fine defaulters.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the table. Supervised attendance order schemes were not available to all sheriff and district courts until 26th October 1998.Supervised attendance orders imposed on fine defaulters<TABLE BORDER CELLSPAC…

14 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made regarding the completion of the feasibility study into the reopening of the Waverley Line in the Scottish Borders.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Significant progress has been made on the study. A draft final report has been submitted to the original timescale. This has been commented on by a number of key stakeholders, including the rail industry and those local authorities and enterprise companies al…

5 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to list the local authorities in Scotland that charge music tuition fees in their schools.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Information on which local authorities charge for instrumental tuition, as part of the provision for social, cultural and recreative activities, is not held centrally.

28 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to amend the Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act (1971) to ensure that in establishing and maintaining such Courts, due regard is paid to "the desirability, the expense and inconvenience occasioned to those directly involved" as is required of local authorities in connectio…

Answer · Jim Wallace: I have no plans to propose amendment of the legislation. Any proposals to change the current arrangements for the provision of Sheriff Courts would require to be approved by the Parliament. Before bringing the appropriate Order before the Parliament, Minister…

20 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to list from 1990 the annual nephrops quotas in the North Sea for vessels of 10m or under including the tonnage initially agreed and any additions agreed thereto.

Answer · John Home Robertson: Member State quotas of North Sea Nephrops were only introduced in 1994. Before then, all Member States fished against a single quota and so quotas were not allocated at UK level. From 1994, UK quota allocations to vessels in the 10m and under group were as f…

20 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many bodies which do not fall under Section 21 (2) (a) of the Public Finance and Accountability Bill received an income of more than #100,000 last financial year and received less than 50% of their income from public funds as defined in Section 21(5) of that Bill.

Answer · Jack McConnell: This question covers two types of bodies; those that receive funds direct from the Scottish Ministers and those who are funded indirectly through other bodies. Information on the latter category is not readily available. To obtain this information would invol…

5 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to list the bodies and office holders, as defined in Section 21 (2) of the Public Finance and Accountability Bill, which have an annual expenditure of more than #250,000 and derive less than half their income from public funds.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Of the bodies defined in section 21(2)(a) of the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Bill, only the Scottish Qualifications Authority has expenditure of over £250,000 but derives less than 50% of its income from public funds. It will, however, b…

5 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to mark the border between England and Scotland in an appropriate manner and, if so, whether it will co-operate with Scottish Borders Tourist Board in doing so.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: There are currently signs on the cross-border routes A1, A7, A68, and A74(M) to mark the border crossings between England and Scotland. The Scottish Executive will co-operate fully with the Scottish Borders Tourist Board should it wish to promote alternative …

23 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the prosecution costs per case for the Edinburgh, Duns, Haddington, Jedburgh, Peebles and Selkirk courts in the categories of overall, solemn work and summary work.

Answer · Andrew Hardie: Prosecution costs per case are not held on an office by office basis. Information cannot be obtained except at disproportionate cost.

23 Aug 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the current court running costs per case for the Edinburgh, Duns, Haddington, Jedburgh, Peebles and Selkirk courts in the categories of overall, solemn work and summary work.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Information on running costs at each court is not collected on a case by case basis since the time taken for individual cases can vary significantly. The table below shows the information requested by sitting day for the most recent quarter (quarter ended Jun…

21 Jul 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the actual expenditure of each health board in Scotland in the last financial year on IVF treatment and the estimated expenditure in the current financial year.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information is as follows :-<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=409><TR><TD WIDTH="72%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN=2 HEIGHT=20>Health Board Expenditure on IVF Treatment*</TD><TD WIDTH="28%" VALI…

21 Jul 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to publish average waiting times for patients requiring IVF treatment for each health board in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is statutorily responsible for setting guidelines and directions on all aspects of IVF, including the collection and disclosure of information. I am advised that for reasons of patient confidentiality informati…

21 Jul 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to publish the guidelines on fertility treatment in Scotland as commissioned from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland was asked by the Scottish Programme for Clinical Effectiveness in Reproductive Health to undertake a review of the clinical management of infertility services with a particular focus on establishin…

21 Jul 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote awareness of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning in domestic premises in Scotland.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: Consumer protection and Health and Safety at work are reserved matters. Responsibility for promoting awareness in the UK lies with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), whose publicity campaigns to increase awar…