Parliamentary questions
Fergus Ewing
2,894 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
17 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued, or will issue, any statutory guidance to National Park Authorities in respect of the workings and application of section 8 of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Statutory guidance relating toSection 8 of the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000<a name="OLE_LINK1"> - as set out at schedule1 to the act – was issued to the National Park Authorities in the relevant DesignationOrders and Elections Orders. </a> Both parkauth…
10 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact a mandatory catch and release scheme for salmon angling would have on tourism, particularly in relation to visitors from abroad.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The proportion of the total Scottish salmon angling catch that is subsequently released has risen year on year from 8% in 1994 to 55% in 2003. The adoption of the practice is therefore growing and widely practised. The report, <i>The Economic Impact of Game a…
10 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the value of spring salmon angling is to the economy.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The report <i>The Economic Impact of Game and Coarse Angling in Scotland</i> estimated that salmon and sea trout anglers spend some £73.5 million per year. No figures are available to break this down further, but it is recognised that spring salmon angling fo…
10 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports salmon netting.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We will continue to support any legal and sustainable form of fishing including salmon netting.</p>
10 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which district fishery boards are seeking to introduce measures for the conservation of salmon and whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre all correspondence and associated documents with each board on that issue.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Applications for Salmon Conservation Regulations have been received from the Esk District Salmon Fishery Board and the Annan District Salmon Fishery Board. Measures for the conservation of salmon under other provisions in the legislation, such as changes to a…
10 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre all documents relating to any Statutory Instrument regarding salmon fishing and netting on the Esk rivers, including all correspondence, including enclosures and attachments, with the Esk District Salmon Fishery Board and…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p>
3 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost has been to date of the Scottish Forest Industries Cluster and what the estimated cost is of the cluster continuing in the future.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Forest Industries Cluster is a partnership between Scottish Enterprise and the Confederation of Forest Industries Ltd. Details of cost are therefore an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and its partner.</p>
3 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has identified £3 million in the budget for 2005-06 and £5 million for each of the following two years for the Timber Transport Fund; if so, whether criteria governing grants from the fund have been devised; whether the timber industry, in particular the private timber industry…
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: As announced last October, the Scottish Executive has allocated £13 million overthe next three years for the Strategic Timber Transport Fund. £3 million hasbeen allocated for 2005-06 and £5 million for each of the following two years.</p><p>Forestry Commissio…
2 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-13350 by Nicol Stephen on 25 January 2005, what study it, its agencies or non-departmental public bodies have carried out regarding the impact of levels of fuel duty on the economy.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: No study has been carried out. Fuel duty is a matter reserved to the UK Government. However, Scottish ministers will continue to ensure that Scotland’s’ interests are placed firmly on the agenda in Whitehall on tax, as on other matters, through direct contact…
2 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the price sought by Network Rail in respect of the grant of a servitude right for a bridge over the Inverness to Aberdeen railway to enable the proposed airport access road to proceed; what powers of intervention it, or any other body, has on this matter and wheth…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for Network Rail, Highland Council and the other parties involved in the development of the bridge and the proposed airport business park.</p>
2 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of awards have been made from the strategic waste fund to date and what level of awards it estimates will be made in each year until 2030, broken down by local authority.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The following tables show theawards made to each local authority between the years 2005-06 and 2007-08. Thetables also show indicative awards between 2008-2009 and 2029-2030. The answerto question S2W-13423 on 25 January 2005, provided details of awards made …
2 Feb 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance it will provide in respect of the completion of the Inverness southern distributor road.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Inverness southern distributor road is a local road and therefore the responsibility of the Highland Council.</p>
31 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Local Government and Transport Committee on 19 January 2005, what the reason is for the discrepancy between the number of Network Rail employees provided by Network Rail and the number of employees provided by the Rail, Maritime and Transport Union; whether the figu…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Information regarding the number of Network Rail employees is a matter for Network Rail.</p>
28 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-13361 by Mr Andy Kerr on 25 January 2005, whether it will set out the full detail and text of any conditions which are to be imposed in respect of the provision of extra allocations to the NHS prior to the end of the financial year; what 'milestones'…
Answer · Andy Kerr: Where the Executive decides to attach conditions to allocations of additional money to the NHS, these will be agreed at the relevant time. It is entirely appropriate for the Executive, where it makes additional funds available to the NHS for specific purposes…
26 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific assistance it will provide for first-time buyers in rural Scotland and whether, in particular, it will provide assistance with (a) fixed or reduced price new properties and (b) shared equity schemes.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>The goal of the Scottish Executive’s housing investment programme is to provide new and improved housing in disadvantaged communities, to repl…
25 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the referendum on congestion charging in Edinburgh should be postponed pending the outcome of the on-going legal proceedings.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: We are aware of the on-going judicial review action but the Scottish Executive is not a party to that action. This is a matter for the local authorities concerned and the court.</p>
24 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an updated estimate of the total number of salmon which were lost from sea cages in the storms of 11 and 12 January 2005 and what proportion of this total was found dead in the cages.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We are not yet in a position to update the initial estimates of salmon losses and mortalities. Final figures will be provided to the Executive by the industry shortly, in accordance with statutory notification procedures.</p>
13 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many petrol retailers there are in operation outwith rural areas and how many of these it anticipates will close in the next 12 months.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
13 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the number of passengers who travelled on (a) trains and (b) buses in each year since 1999.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The information held by the Executive on passenger numbers relates to passenger journeys. The total numbers of journeys made by train and bus passengers (which count each person once for each journey made as a passenger) are given in my answer to question S2W…
13 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the number of journeys made by passengers on (a) trains and (b) buses in each year since 1999.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: There were 66.1 million rail passenger journeys originating in Scotland, and 449 million passenger journeys (boardings) on local bus services in Scotland, in 2003-04. </p><p>The equivalent figures for earlier years appear in table 8.1 (rail) and table 2.2 (bu…
13 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be spent on trunk road repairs and maintenance in each of the next three years.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The funding allocated to the Transport Portfolio was published in the Draft Budget 2005-06, a copy of which is available in the Parliaments Reference centre (Bib. number 34133)</p><p>The level of funding that has been allocated to be spent on trunk road repai…
12 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any additional financial provision will be provided to the NHS prior to the end of the financial year and, if so, whether, as last year, it will be provided subject to the implementation or fulfilment of certain conditions and, if so, whether these conditions may supersede the cli…
Answer · Andy Kerr: A small number of additional allocations are to be made to the NHS prior to the end of the financial year. This will include additional provision to assist NHS boards make progress towards delivery of national waiting time commitments and enable boards to red…
12 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when relocation of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) was originally due to have been fully implemented and when it now expects full implementation to take place.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: In line with Scottish Executive Policy, SNH undertook a relocation review as a result of one of its buildings reaching a lease break in March 2005. Since Scottish ministers issued a direction to SNH in September 2003, SNH has been working to a timetable of pr…
12 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will now publish the estimated total cost of the relocation of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to Inverness and, if not, when it expects to be in a position to publish these costs.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: SNH is currently finalising its relocation project plan to include up to date cost estimates. The plan will be placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre as soon as possible (Bib. number 35157).</p>
12 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost is of construction of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link on the basis of the proposals currently being consulted on and, in particular, what the estimated cost is of each of the options for the playing fields at St James Park, Paisley.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Based on the current proposals, the estimated cost of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link is £140 million. Strathclyde Passenger Transport’s consultation gives two options for the St James Spur: building the line either on a viaduct or an embankment. A comparative …
12 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers are now serving on the beat as a direct result of the prison escort service having been taken up by Reliance, broken down by police force.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The table below gives information provided by police forces for the number of police officers redeployed from court duties. Information on the number of officers freed up from escorting has not been quantified by the police but it is estimated to run to some …
12 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on whether it is possible for the handcuffs used by Reliance staff to be purchased, complete with keys, on the internet and whether Reliance staff are required to purchase these handcuffs.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>A wide range of security equipment used by the Scottish Prison Service and others is available on the open market including on the internet…
12 Jan 2005 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what further sections of the A9 it plans to upgrade and whether other sections will be upgraded to dual carriageway status or to "two plus one" on a similar basis to those sections recently completed.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: We are continuing to developour proposals to extend the dual carriageway at Crubenmore by around 2km at a costof £5.4 million, and to provide 4km of additional overtaking opportunities betweenKincraig and Dalraddy, by widening the carriageway to Wide Single 2…
11 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent representations it has made to Her Majesty"s Government regarding provision of access in all parts of Scotland to 3G telecoms services.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive has regular discussions with the UK Government on a wide range of issues. The requirements for 3G coverage were set in the conditions of the licences auctioned in April 2000 and now administered by the UK-wide regulator, OFCOM. Each 3G operator …
11 Jan 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent representations it has made to Her Majesty"s Government regarding payment to the Executive of income from the Crown Estate Commission in respect of salmon farming.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive has made no representations to Her Majesty’s Government regarding payment to the Executive of income from the Crown Estate. Any Crown Estate surplus is paid in full into the Consolidated Fund, no part of which is hypothecated or ring fenced.</p>