Parliamentary questions

Fergus Ewing

2,894 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

14 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost would be of buying out the public private partnership (PPP) for Inverness airport; whether the terms of the PPP are a disincentive to increasing the number of routes and passengers using the airport; what its estimate is of the total cost of payments due over the life of the…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The buying out of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) Public Finance Initiative (PFI) deal on the development and operation of the Inverness Airport Terminal is not under consideration by Scottish ministers. The contractual parties to the deal are r…

14 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has confidence in the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland and whether the costs of having such a commissioner are justified.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has every confidence that the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland is promoting the interests of customers of Scottish Water in keeping with his responsibilities as set out in the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002. We expect the re…

14 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it became aware that Scottish Water has increased charges for used process water from filleting machines in the fish processing industry from about 9p to 96p per cubic metre; whether the increase is justified, and whether it will take any steps in respect of reducing the charges.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scheme of Charges that determines charges for businesses and households was agreed between Scottish Water and the Water Industry Commissioner on 31 January 2003. The overall level of charges has been set to raise the revenue needed for investment to impro…

14 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it will provide to the fish processing sector.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive will fund 95% of the cost of hardship relief awarded by local authorities for those fish processors with a rateable value not exceeding £50,000, affected by the reductions in whitefish catches. The enhanced contribution will be availabl…

14 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will reply to my letter of 27 February 2003 to the Minister for Environment and Rural Development about the future of the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit; whether the minister will meet me to discuss the issue, and whether he will visit the unit to meet staff and hear their views about…

Answer · Ross Finnie: A reply was issued today.

14 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many charges of causing death by dangerous driving under section 1 of the Road Traffic Act 1991 have (a) been recorded by the police and (b) proceeded to court and how many of the cases that proceeded to court have been proven, showing, in respect of the sentence passed, the number of…

Answer · Jim Wallace: The available information is given in the following table. The statistics on crimes recorded by the police and on court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime, and a crime may be recorded in one ye…

7 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any measures have been introduced in order to avoid displacement of fishing effort from the white fish sector to nephrops fisheries; if so, what measures have been introduced; if not what the reasons are for this position and what measures will be introduced, and when it first rec…

Answer · Ross Finnie: In the short-term, it is our intention to target forthcoming transitional support of up to £10 million through a variety of selection criteria and conditions of award. One such condition will require white fish vessels restricted to 15 days per month (or the …

7 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been, or will be, made available to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Scotland for the maintenance of a database of wildlife crime; whether the information held on such a database will be verified and, if so, by whom; whether such a database would contraven…

Answer · Allan Wilson: In the financial years, 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) received a grant of £20,000 per year from the Scottish Executive. This was a contribution given towards the continuing costs of species protection mea…

6 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met with COSLA to discuss the implementation and funding of the McCrone settlement; what action the Executive will take following that meeting; whether The Highland Council has a shortfall in funding of around #6.6 million over the period 2001-02 to 2003-04; whether the form…

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive meet regularly with COSLA on all aspects of implementation of the agreement A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century. The Scottish Executive and COSLA agreed funding arrangements for the three years from 2001-02 to 2003-04 w…

6 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total estimated cost is of implementing the McCrone settlement and whether this estimate is lower than COSLA's estimate.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive remain committed to delivery in full of all recommendations of the agreement A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century.Following Spending Review 2000, the funding agreed for implementation of the agreement was £174 million in…

5 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that the private developer that installed traffic lights on the A96 trunk road at Bath Terrace, Nairn, fulfils the undertaking given in the letter of 20 May 2002 from the Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning to David Stewart M…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Scottish Executive officials have arranged for a director of the private development company to meet with Mr and Mrs McLeod on 13 March 2003. A representative of BEAR Scotland Ltd will also attend the meeting.

3 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the effects of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease will be with regard to job and economic losses in (a) the Scottish Borders, (b) Dumfries and Galloway and (c) Scotland over the next five years.

Answer · Ross Finnie: This information is not yet available. The Economic Impact Assessment Group has commissioned external consultants to provide an assessment of the outbreak and that work is in its final stages.In addition to a Scotland total, the assessment will quantify th…

3 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest figures are for the number of people that have migrated (a) into and (b) out of each local authority area.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Reliable information for in and out migration at local authority level is not readily available from the current data sources used to estimate annual migration. However, a new methodology which aims to provide this information has been developed, for use with…

3 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs have been (a) created and (b) lost in each local enterprise company area in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000, (iii) 2001 and (iv) 2002.

Answer · Iain Gray: Information on the number of jobs created or lost is not held centrally.

3 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs have been (a) created and (b) lost in the Highlands and Islands in (i) 1999, (ii) 2000, (iii) 2001 and (iv) 2002.

Answer · Iain Gray: Information on the number of jobs created or lost is not held centrally.

3 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to prevent the closure of the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit by the Sea Fish Industry Authority.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Highlands and Islands Enterprise stand ready to support prospective operators in accordance with their established remit and have been proactive in recent weeks in terms of attempting to broker a deal.

3 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre a copy of the Sea Fish Industry Authority preliminary study carried out by Dr M.A. James, Dr B.R. Howell and Professor J.A. Young of Fisheries Resources Management Ltd; whether the authority has made the employees at the …

Answer · Ross Finnie: No. The report on the study commissioned by the Sea Fish Industry Authority is commercial-in-confidence. The publication or otherwise is very much a matter for the authority.

3 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to which institutes involved in aquaculture research, other than the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit of the Sea Fish Industry Authority, the Minister for Environment and Rural Development was referring at the meeting of the Rural Development Committee on 18 February 2003 (Official Report, c 4…

Answer · Allan Wilson: Other Scottish institutes involved in aquaculture research include Fisheries Research Services, the North Atlantic Fisheries College, the Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling, Aberdeen University and a num…

3 Mar 2003 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what support will be provided to ensure that the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit will continue to operate as a national resource for research into marine fin fish farming.

Answer · Jack McConnell: I am concerned about the loss of research and the implications for the economy in Lochaber following the decision by Seafish to withdraw from the Ardtoe facility. Highlands and Islands Enterprise stand ready to support prospective operators in accordance w…

27 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure the future of the Ardtoe Sea Fish Aquaculture Research Facility.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive and the Enterprise Network stand ready to assist any prospective operator from within existing grant assistance schemes subject to that operator satisfying the usual application criteria.

24 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will urge Her Majesty's Government to arrange to meet members of the Parliament in order to discuss the situation of members of the Scottish Bus Group pension schemes and, in particular, the issue of whether Scottish Bus Group Pensioners should have to pay tax on their ex-grat…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The decision on whether to agree to such a meeting is entirely a matter for UK ministers. Tax and equity issues formed part of the case made by Scottish ministers to the Treasury which secured additional funds of £26 million for distribution to beneficiaries.

18 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will implement the recommendations made by the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee in paragraphs 213 and 214 of its 1st Report 2003, Report on the Future of Tourism in Scotland, regarding renegotiation of the private finance initiative contract for Highlands and Islands…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is considering the recommendations contained in the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee's Report on the Future of Tourism in Scotland, and will respond in due course.

18 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the additional financial aid for dentistry, announced on 12 February 2003, will be deployed and how much of it will be used to ensure that dentistry services are available at locations within reasonable travelling distance for people in rural areas.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: I announced on 12 February, a £6 million package of measures aimed at improving dental practices and access to NHS dental treatment across Scotland. £3 million will be used for improvements to NHS dental practices of which NHS boards with rural areas will rec…

17 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any financial assistance will be provided for the promotion of the (a) Edinburgh Marathon 2003 and (b) Loch Ness Marathon 2003; whether financial assistance in meeting part of the costs of advertising such events in journals such as Runners World may lead to a substantial return o…

Answer · Mike Watson: The Scottish Executive has not been approached for financial assistance for the Edinburgh Marathon or the Loch Ness Marathon and, therefore, has no plans to support either event. It is for VisitScotland to consider the various approaches it receives for su…

13 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30425 by Mike Watson on 25 November 2002, how many people have visited Scotland on holiday to participate in outdoor pursuits in each month of 2003 to date and what its estimate is of the total number of such visitors in 2002.

Answer · Mike Watson: The information requested is not available for each month. Complete statistical information on tourism in 2002 should be available early in April.

13 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether brown tourist signage indicating accommodation is sufficiently informative in relation to the type of accommodation available, given that such signs do not specify what type of accommodation is available and whether this practice is consistent with the Executive's position in resp…

Answer · Mike Watson: Commercial names on Thistle tourism signs are now being widely used to indicate the type of tourist accommodation or attraction being signposted. Only accommodation and other tourist facilities which are accredited under the VisitScotland Quality Assurance sc…

12 Feb 2003 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer, with regard to paragraph 25 of The 2001/02 Audit of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by the Auditor General for Scotland, from whom Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd (FCAM) sought an advance payment of #2 million; who made the request on behalf of FCAM; by whom it was rece…

Answer · David Steel: The Corporate Body has noted that these four questions are in addition to the 149 the member has already asked about the Holyrood Project. Accordingly, I shall write at length to the member in due course, placing a copy in SPICe. The following is a furt…

12 Feb 2003 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer, with regard to paragraph 22 of The 2001/02 Audit of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by the Auditor General for Scotland, when the request for a parent company guarantee under the second interim contract issued to Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd in January 2001 was first…

12 Feb 2003 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer, with regard to paragraph 22 of The 2001/02 Audit of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by the Auditor General for Scotland, why Holyrood project management did not obtain advice from the Parliament's legal directorate prior to issuing the interim contracts to Flour City Architectur…

12 Feb 2003 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer, with regard to paragraph 20 of The 2001/02 Audit of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body by the Auditor General for Scotland, in respect of which aspects of awarding and managing the Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd contract the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body did not o…