Parliamentary questions

Fergus Ewing

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

16 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28258 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 September 2002, whether the first tranche of payments under the disbursement of Scottish Transport Group pension funds will be calculated using a fixed percentage of the total calculated entitlement and, if so, what that…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The first tranche of payments was calculated as £3.90 per £ of pension or pension entitlement at 1993 levels. The total to be paid out in this tranche, assuming that all the details on the database are correct, is approximately 80% of the £118 million then av…

16 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will amend the allocation of funding to The Highland Council under the McCrone settlement in light of the representations it has received from the council and from schools within the council's area.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Both the total provision for Modernising the Teaching Profession and the distribution methodology were agreed with COSLA on behalf of local government.<P>The distribution formula for these resources uses pupil numbers as an objective measure of councils' rela…

16 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27995 by Mr Jack McConnell on 2 September 2002, whether ministerial parliamentary aides deal directly with civil servants by (a) attending meetings with them, (b) communicating with them via telephone or any other means, and what the cost has been to…

Answer · Jack McConnell: Civil servants' contact with ministerial parliamentary aides is limited to occasions when the aide is supporting a minister in the minister's official capacity. This can be contact at meetings or by telephone or e-mail. No central record is kept of the amount…

16 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27999 by Peter Peacock on 2 September 2002, what it estimates will be the percentage of small businesses eligible for business rate relief under the scheme to be introduced in 2003.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Executive is currently preparing estimates of the number of properties eligible for relief and these will be published later this year, when the Minister for Finance and Public Services formally announces the provisional poundage rate for 2003-04.

16 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28202 by Lewis Macdonald on 2 September 2002, whether it still supports the application for a Public Services Obligation (PSO) for the Inverness/Gatwick route; what conditions are attached to its support for the PSO, and, in particular, whether its s…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Ministers unconditionally support the application of measures to secure Inverness' link with Gatwick and this is not dependent on the outcome of the present consultation process.

16 Sep 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his answer to question S1W-28270 on 4 September 2002, on how many days during each year for which figures were given the total number of visitors to the public gallery in the chamber exceeded 234.

Answer · David Steel: The information requested broken down by year is:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=311><TR><TD WIDTH="36%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Year</TD><TD WIDTH="64%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Number of days where visitor numbers exceeded 234</TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="36%" VA…

16 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what communication it is having with the Inland Revenue with regard to the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes and, in particular, (a) what concessions it is seeking from the Inland Revenue in respect of the schemes and (b) what response it has received.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Following previous exchanges of correspondence with the Inland Revenue on taxation issues, I wrote to HM Treasury on 9 August 2002 seeking a tax concession which would allow the ex-gratia payments to be made as tax-free lump sum payments. HM Treasury replied …

11 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the proposals of the Food Standards Agency on a tiered scallop testing regime will have on the future existence of the scallop industry and what steps it will take to ensure that the proposals do not have any adverse effect.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The Food Standards Agency is preparing a Regulatory Impact Assessment, which will provide a clear assessment of the likely effect of these proposals. Relative to the alternative options of a system based on whole animal testing, the tiered approach should res…

11 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are dependent upon scallop fishing for their livelihood.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive does not hold details of people dependent on scallop fishing. However, of the 202 Scottish boats licensed to fish for scallops in 2001, 62 caught no other species.

11 Sep 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of submissions made to the consultation exercise on the draft designation order for the proposed Cairngorms National Park, it will now widen the proposed boundaries and, if so, whether it will undertake a new consultation exercise on such new boundaries.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The consultation exercise into our proposals to establish a national park in the Cairngorms area has only recently finished. The responses are now being reviewed. We hope to complete that process shortly and will then bring forward a draft designation order f…

10 Sep 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer whether a performance bond was required for each of the works packages let as part of the Holyrood Project; whether such a bond was provided, and whether any claim under any such bond has been made or is under consideration.

Answer · David Steel: There are a number of mechanisms adopted within the workings of all trade packages, which ensure that the client's interests are suitably protected. The purpose of a performance bond is to provide a limited indemnity for the client from a surety in extreme ca…

10 Sep 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what the prospect is of the recovery of losses from Flour City International Inc. and whether any further expenditure on legal expenses to attempt such recovery would be financially worthwhile, detailing the reasons for the position on this matter.

Answer · David Steel: The legal directorate has instructed Shepherd and Wedderburn to examine the issues and report on the prospects of recovery against Flour City International. A report is expected to be considered by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) within the n…

10 Sep 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer how much in total has now been incurred in respect of legal costs and expenses in connection with Flour City Architectural (Metals) UK, including costs involved in examining and preparing the case for action under the Parent Company Guarantee, giving details of the invoices issued and the…

Answer · David Steel: Shepherd and Wedderburn has provided and continues to provide legal advice on contractual and other issues in connection with Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) and Flour City International. This includes instructing an agent to make inquiries in the USA. T…

10 Sep 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer, following the letter issued to me by the Auditor General of 5 September 2002, whether documents that relate to the contract with Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Limited (FCAM), previously withheld from publication, will now be published in full including (a) the recommendation by Bov…

Answer · David Steel: The Parliament has received legal advice that the documents requested should not be made public, while the SPCB's rights and entitlements are still being evaluated, as they may form part of the productions in any litigation which may follow.

9 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was a requirement of the contractual arrangements with BEAR Scotland Ltd that former employees of The Highland Council who, following the assumption by BEAR Scotland Ltd of legal responsibility for the maintenance of trunk roads in the area, were employed by that company should…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: There was no contractual requirement for transferred employees to be provided with continued membership of a final salary pension scheme.

6 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the estimated #100 million cost of liability to compensate landowners for losses to the market value of their holdings in the event of the introduction of an absolute right to buy for tenant farmers presumes that the absolute right to buy would extend to all tenant farmers or som…

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28916 on 25 September 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.…

6 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a detailed computation of the #100 million possible cost of liability to compensate landowners for losses to the market value of their holdings in the event of the introduction of an absolute right to buy for tenant farmers, as referred to on page 25 of its consul…

3 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will clarify its policy intentions in respect of how the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill will impact upon the recreational use of navigable rivers and, if its position is that the bill should not prevent the use of such rivers by canoeists, how legitimate interests of the various r…

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28859 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/searc…

3 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether section 6(f) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill applies to rivers navigable by canoe; whether this provision is intended to permit landowners possessing fishing rights over such rivers to exclude access to canoeists and, if so, how and to what extent, and if this is not the purpos…

Answer · Ross Finnie: I see no reason why responsible canoeists and angling should not be able to co-exist on the same stretch of water. I understand that the current voluntary code relating to canoeing and angling works well and this will be reinforced by guidance in the Scottish…

3 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, regarding its proposals for ex-gratia payments to be made in relation to the Scottish Bus Group Pension Funds, whether (a) it has (i) sought and (ii) obtained support from Her Majesty's Government that a concession should be granted by the Inland Revenue that recipients of such payments …

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I wrote to HM Treasury on 9 August 2002 asking for further consideration to be given to the tax charge applicable in respect the ex-gratia payments. I await a reply.<P>Where the principal beneficiary died on or after 18 December 2000, but before a payment is …

2 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the ex-gratia payments to be made to members of the Scottish Bus Group Pension Funds, how much the highest 20 payments will be; whether payments will be made to former directors of the Scottish Bus Group or the Scottish Transport Group companies, and, if so, how much will …

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: It is not possible to provide details of the amounts paid to individual former members of the Scottish Bus Group Pension Schemes, as to do so may breach the terms of the Data Protection Act 1998.

2 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions were raised under section 272 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Elish Angiolini: There have been no prosecutions under section 272 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997.

29 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the formula for calculating the special allowance for rural and island transport needs gives sufficient recognition of the costs of providing transport services in these areas and what plans it has to increase the allowance for rural and island local authorities in future years or…

Answer · Peter Peacock: The single capital allocation formula measures the relative need to spend of each local authority based on statistical indicators for the main capital programmes (excluding council-owned housing) and the total resources made available for local authority capi…

29 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities benefit from a special allowance for rural and island transport needs under their capital funding allocations and how much was paid to each such local authority in each of the last five years.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The single allocation formula contains special allowances to recognise the special transport circumstance of remote/rural areas. A top-slice (10%) of the roads and transport element of the formula is distributed to island authorities or those authorities cont…

29 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to alter the system for making local authority capital funding allocations and, in particular, whether the fixed award of #1 million is a sufficient recognition of a local authority's base expenditure need.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Capital allocations for the period 2001-02 to 2003-04 based on the existing capital formula were announced following Spending Review 2000. Local authorities have set their spending plans on the basis of these allocations and there are no plans to change these…

28 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what input affected interests will have before any regulations on the arrangements for the transportation of cattle and, in particular, the use of slatted courts as cattle housing, are brought into force.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Consultation with interested parties will be undertaken before any regulations on the arrangement for the transport of cattle or changes to the regulations on cattle housing are brought into force.

28 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any financial assistance has been provided by VisitScotland to promote the Loch Ness Marathon on 29 September 2002; whether any recommendation was made that VisitScotland should finance the marketing costs of the marathon; what response was made by VisitScotland to any such recomm…

Answer · Mike Watson: This is an operational matter for VisitScotland.

23 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it will commit to the development of land management contracts under its A Forward Strategy for Agriculture.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The future development of Land Management Contracts is being considered in a working group comprising a range of industry stakeholders. The working group is scheduled to report on this work to the Agriculture Strategy Implementation Group in early October. De…

9 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the full amount of the surplus of the Scottish Transport Group pension fund will be paid out this year or whether 20% of the fund is to be retained until 2003.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: An initial payment representing most of the overall total will be made to identified beneficiaries this financial year, with the remaining amount paid in the next financial year once the details of all those who are eligible are known.

9 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether payments from the Scottish Transport Group pension fund surplus will be made before the end of August 2002.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Public Pensions Agency began making payments on 31 August 2002.