Parliamentary questions
Fergus Ewing
2,894 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
14 Oct 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the comments made by the Permanent Secretary and reported in the media on 9 October 2003 were supported by a written briefing and, if so, whether a copy of that briefing will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Permanent Secretary hasintroduced management changes to strengthen and sharpen the capacity of themachinery of government to support ministers when they work collectively. Theorganisational changes, which are not the subject of any written pressbriefing, …
14 Oct 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre copies of all submissions received to its consultation paper Business Improvement Districts as soon as possible so that members may consider them prior to the parliamentary debate on building better cities scheduled to be…
Answer · Tavish Scott: Copies of submissions to theBusiness Improvement Districts consultation paper have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 29738).</p>
8 Oct 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why, with regard to the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme, it has not adopted the suggestion from NFU Scotland for a uniform pro rata reduction of payments by the percentage equivalent to the total reduction in funding available for the scheme; what the rationale is behind its new proposa…
Answer · Ross Finnie: The arrangements for theLess Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) for 2004 are still under discussionwith the European Commission. An announcement on these will be made as soon aspossible.</p><p>The arrangements for the2004 scheme have been discussed within t…
3 Oct 2003 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer what powers are held by Lord Fraser in relation to the Holyrood inquiry and whether the inquiry has any power to compel the attendance of witnesses or require the production of documents and tapes.
Answer · George Reid: It was made clear when theInquiry was announced that it is a non statutory Inquiry and , as such, has nostatutory power to compel the attendance of witnesses nor the production ofevidence. In his opening statement to the inquiry, Mr John Campbell, QC, Counsel…
3 Oct 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the European Commission to oppose measures which would adopt the proposal from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) that a bacteriophage should be run over 20 degrees over five days; whether such a regulation, if introdu…
Answer · Tom McCabe: I am advised by the FoodStandards Agency (FSA) that no such representations have been made to theEuropean Commission as the work on bacteriophages has yet to be completed.CEFAS has been commissioned by the EU Commission to carry out research tocontribute to t…
30 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from NFU Scotland requesting it to publish its plans for implementing the proposed budget reduction in the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme and whether it will introduce measures to provide a safety net.
Answer · Ross Finnie: National Farmers UnionScotland issued a news release on 26 September urging the Executive to publishits plans for implementing the reduction in expenditure from £63 million in2003 to the budgeted figure of £61 million. Changes to the 2004 Less FavouredArea Su…
30 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-2515 and S2W-2516 by Malcolm Chisholm on 24 September 2003, whether it expects the annual administration costs of the new UK General Medical Services contract to be greater or less than the annual central administration costs of the current General…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As already stated in myprevious answer S2W-2516 on 24 September 2003, work is currently under way onimplementing the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract. Until this workis complete it is not possible to say whether the annual administration costsof th…
18 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to implement target 16 of objective 10 of the Environment and Rural Development chapter of its Draft Budget 2004-05 in order to support the development of new products, markets and infrastructure and to enable the full potential of Scotland's timber resource to be…
Answer · Allan Wilson: Our policiesand priority actions to help the development of new products, markets and infrastructureand to enable the full potential of Scotland's timber resource to be realised are set out in the <i>ScottishForestry Strategy</i>. Key areas of support include…
18 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it measures the impact on the forestry and forest products sectors of the economy of all proposed measures that will potentially add costs to those sectors, including additional measures regarding certification, the designation of forest areas as sites of special scientific inter…
Answer · Allan Wilson: We take seriously the needto take account of the interests of all stakeholders who have an involvement inforestry and forest products whether they are economic, environmental or socialwhen we develop and implement legislation and other policy instruments. In …
17 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what responses it has received from local authorities to the legislative requirement that provision be made for Gaelic-medium education as a national priority; what action it plans to take in relation to such responses; whether its draft Gaelic Language Bill will be extended to education …
Answer · Peter Peacock: Education authorities are requiredby the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc Act 2000, to prepare and publish an annualstatement of education improvement objectives, which shall include an account of the ways in which they will provide Gaelic-medium education…
16 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has spent on Kinloch Castle since the inception of SNH; how much has been spent on restoration of the castle; what plans SNH has to restore the castle, and when any such plans will be implemented.
Answer · Allan Wilson: This is an operational matterfor SNH.</p>
10 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated annual cost is of administering (a) the new contracts provided for by the Primary Medical Services (Scotland) Bill and (b) any new quality targets for GP practices arising from the bill and how many additional staff will be employed to carry this out.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The new UK General Medical Services contract was accepted in a ballot of allUK GPs, the results of which were announcedon 20 June 2003.</p><p>The new contract will take effectfrom 1 April 2004 subject, of course, to the Scottish Parliament approving the requi…
10 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost is to the NHS of administration of payments to GPs.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The annual cost to the NHS of the central administration of the current General Medical Services contract by theCommon Services Agency is £5.1 million. It is not possible to separate out the costof the payment element for the other central functions which inc…
10 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2056 by Ross Finnie on 9 September 2003, whether the minutes of all meetings of the Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum will be made available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre and whether it will publish a list of the research requests s…
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Aquaculture ResearchForum will discuss these issues at its next meeting.</p>
10 Sep 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether expenditure by non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) is properly controlled and achieves value for money.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Funding provided by the Scottish Executive to NDPBs is authorised by the Scottish Parliament. NDPBs operate underdefined financial arrangements to ensure accountability and the efficient andeffective use of resources in accordance with the principles of Best …
4 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made, or is making, any representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding the impact of the aggregates tax in Scotland, on whether Scotland and Northern Ireland are treated in the same way in respect of the tax and exemptions to it, and in support of a level playing fi…
Answer · Ross Finnie: No such representations havebeen made.</p>
3 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide assistance to Highland Council and other funding partners to ensure the renewal of the service provided by the Family Association for Children with Special Needs at the Bada-guish Centre at Glenmore and what steps it will take to ensure that children with special n…
Answer · Frank McAveety: This is a matter forHighland Council and any funding partners.</p>
1 Sep 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it invited Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to produce a proposal to address the detail of the relocation of SNH's headquarters to Inverness; whether it has received such a proposal from SNH and, if not, whether it will impose a deadline for its submission; how many staff of S…
Answer · Allan Wilson: Ross Finnie wrote to the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Chairman on 2 September and a ministerialdirection, under section 11 of the Natural Heritage (Scotland)Act 1991, was issued on the same day. The direction requires SNH to produce aproject plan for the r…
21 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government regarding more tax powers being devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
Answer · Andy Kerr: None.</p>
18 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it received a copy of Securing the future of the Scottish Capercaillie: a trans-European approach for establishing best practice from North Highland College; on what dates it received further correspondence from the college requesting a response, and what its reasons are for not resp…
Answer · Allan Wilson: The report was received inMarch.</p><p>No further detailed writtenrepresentations were made by the North Highland College and the Scottish Gamekeeper’s Association. I metrepresentatives of both organisations on 21 August to discuss this and otherrelated natur…
18 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why there was a #500 million underspend in its expenditure for 2002-03; what the breakdown of this underspend was by each of its departments; which items of expenditure were not met that contributed to this underspend; what aggregate funding was carried forward to the current financial ye…
Answer · Andy Kerr: Full details of the End YearFlexibility carry forward from 2002-03 into this financial year were set out inmy statement to the Parliament and supporting documentation yesterday.</p>
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from Highland Council requesting that the headquarters of Forest Enterprise Scotland be located in Inverness; what procedures it will employ when arriving at a decision on this matter, and what the timetable is for such procedures.
Answer · Allan Wilson: <div class=Section1><p>I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2059 on 19 August 2003,announcing details of the outcome of the review for the location of theheadquarters of Forest Enterprise Scotland. All answers to written parliamentary questi…
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision will be made on the budget available to mountain rescue teams for (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, and (c) 2005-06; whether funding for mountain rescue teams will be ring-fenced, and whether it will increase funding for police authorities for the purpose of enhancing existing mo…
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Executive has already committed£300,000 for radio equipment. We are in discussion with the Police Service and theMountain Rescue Committee of Scotland about possible options for future fundingsupport. Decisions on future funding will be announced once tho…
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that no auxiliary fire service is terminated without a debate in the Parliament being held on the issue and whether it has any plans to bring forward the proposals previously contained in amendment 59 to section 33 of the Local Government in Scotland Bil…
Answer · Hugh Henry: The importance which the Executive attaches to the development of the fire service, including the contribution by retained/auxiliary firefighters, was set out in our consultation paper, <i>The Scottish Fire Service of the Future</i>, published in April 2002. …
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure the continued existence of auxiliary fire services, and what representations it has made to joint fire boards on the issue.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The importance which the Executive attaches to the service provided by retained and volunteer firefighters was highlighted in our policy consultation paper, <i>The Scottish Fire Service of the Future</i>, published last year.</p><p>More specifically, the Exec…
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated underspend is for the current financial year; when it first estimates any underspend during the financial year, and whether it will publish any future estimates of any underspend.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Full details of End YearFlexibility for 2002-03 were set out in my statement and the related documentspublished yesterday.</p>
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the Ministry of Defence to ensure the continued existence of all six Scottish regiments in view of the social and economic implications of the disbandment of any of these regiments.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the answer given to S2W-1830 on 27 August 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/sear…
15 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-679 by Cathy Jamieson on 17 June 2003, whether it has made representations to the Ministry of Defence regarding the extension of Operation Youth Advantage throughout Scotland and whether it will place a copy of any correspondence on this issue in the…
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: As I indicated in my earlier answer, Operation Youth Advantage is an initiative run by the British Army Career Service as part of a range of activities aimed at encouraging young men and women to consider a career in the army. Northern Constabulary and Grampi…
14 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to the European Commission on its responsibilities under the EU LIFE programme to control the predation of capercaillie.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive has made no representations to the European Commission in this regard.</p>
14 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to the Swedish Government regarding the numbers of capercaillie in Sweden and the measures that the Swedish Government employs to protect capercaillie, and whether the Executive has made any representations on these issues to the European Commission.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive hasto date made no representations to the Swedish Government or the EuropeanCommission on this issue.</p>