Parliamentary questions
Fergus Ewing
2,894 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish for each of the past five years (a) the total number of evictions raised by local authorities and (b) the number of tenants in such actions who purchased their home from the local authority under the Right to Buy scheme and thus avoided eviction.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: This information is not held centrally.
12 Jan 2000 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its decision to abandon the common poundage across the UK in respect of non-domestic rates as from 1 April 2000.
Answer · Jack McConnell: I announced on 8 December 1999 a provisional Scottish Unified Business Rate of 45.8p for 2000-01. I published the calculations underlying that rate on 17 January. I will announce a final decision in February.
6 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects approvals of applications for the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme to be re-started after its announcement of a delay in such approvals on 3 December 1999 and what action it is taking to ensure that the European Commission makes this delay as short as possible.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Commission has up to six months to approve the Scottish Rural Development Plan submitted on 29 December 1999 which includes the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme. The Scottish Executive will play its full part in the negotiations during this period.
6 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any evidence of dead birds being washed ashore in wardened coastal reserves or elsewhere.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: I am advised that dead birds are regularly washed up along the coast. The cause of bird mortality will vary depending on the location and time of year.
6 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been undertaken into the blood levels of trapped wild fowl.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: Lead levels in wildfowl blood have been investigated in a range of studies throughout the world. These are listed below:<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Anderson W L and Havera S P (1985), "Blood lead, protoporphyrin and ingested shot for detecting lead poisoning in w…
6 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been undertaken as to the incidence of wild fowl poisonings from lead shot in each of the last 20 years and what was the source of such research.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: <FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=3>The poisoning of wildfowl from lead is now accepted as a serious problem for many populations. Research has been undertaken which establishes the problem and investigates the particular causes of acute poisoning incidents. A number o…
5 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from the Dyslexia Institute Bursary Fund (Scotland); if so, what estimate that body has made as to the proportion of the population suffering from some degree of dyslexia, and what steps it will take in order to provide appropriate tuition at an…
Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive has received no representations from the Dyslexia Institute Bursary Fund (Scotland).<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2><P>The Scottish Executive is providing over £5 million in 2000-01 to local authorities for in-service development and training…
5 Jan 2000 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Dyslexia Institute Bursary Fund (Scotland) has drawn its attention to a recent study showing that half of the prison population is dyslexic; if not, what information it has as to the approximate level of the prison population in Scotland which suffers from some degree of dysle…
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Prison Service is not aware of the study. A significant proportion of prisoners have learning difficulties of various sorts and therefore, prisoner education gives priority to basic literacy and numeracy skills. SPS also works closely with the Sc…
22 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any evidence of increased travel prices during school holiday periods and if so, whether it will invite the Office of Fair Trade to investigate and report.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive does not hold comprehensive or systematic information about prices charged by transport or tour operators for trips by public transport or package holidays.
21 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what access it has to papers of the previous administration and whether that access differs from the practice followed when there is a change of administration of Her Majesty's Government.
Answer · Jack McConnell: When there is a change of Administration of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, there is a long established convention that a new Administration does not normally have access to papers of a previous Administration of a different political complexi…
21 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought and obtained legal advice about whether it is required to honour the assurances given by Lord Sewel in a letter to Mr Jim Wallace MP on 18 February 1999 and, if so, whether it will place a copy of the advice in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer Mr Ewing to the answer I gave to question S1W-3495 on 2 October 2000.
21 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers itself bound by an undertaking made by a Scottish Office Minister in February 1999.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I understand that the question refers to the Agricultural Business Improvement Scheme (ABIS) and a letter written by Lord Sewel on 18 February 1999.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">This matter was the subject of proceedings before the Rural Affairs Committee on 3 December …
21 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult about amendment of the 100 metre rule as contained in section 17 of the Abolition of Feudal Tenure Bill in order to ensure that the feudal title conditions are not simply preserved in most parts of rural Scotland by notice procedure.
Answer · Jim Wallace: We do not intend to consult further on this matter, but we will listen to any arguments expressed during Stage 2 of the Bill's progress both about the 100 metre rule and about the proposed notices procedures introduced in sections 17 and 18 of the Bill.
21 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the aims of the steering group being headed by Scottish Enterprise to look into the possibilty of setting up freight ferry services between Scotland and the continent and what effect it would expect such a service to have on the Scottish economy as a whole.
Answer · Sarah Boyack: The Executive welcomes the establishment by Scottish Enterprise of a Project Steering Group to promote the opportunity to operate a direct ferry service from Scotland to the Continent. The Executive would expect the Steering Group to examine the potential cos…
21 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the report by the Commissioner for Public Appointments as to the appointment of Dr Harold Mills as Chairman of Caledonian MacBrayne; if so, what action it proposes to take; in particular, whether it plans to invite Dr Mills to step down and conduct a new appointm…
Answer · Donald Dewar: The Scottish Executive welcomes the report prepared by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in response to complaints she had received concerning the appointment of Dr Harold Mills as Chairman of Caledonian MacBrayne.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Executive will …
16 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will conduct a study into the economic and social impact which Her Majesty's Government's proposals regarding the payment of benefits will have on rural sub post offices and consequently on rural areas generally.
Answer · Henry McLeish: The UK Government has indicated its commitment to maintaining a network of post offices which can meet its customer requirements throughout the country. The Scottish Executive will continue to ensure that the UK Government is aware of the particular needs of …
15 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister last visited Barmac fabrication yards at Nigg and Ardersier.
Answer · Henry McLeish: The fabrication yards at Nigg and Ardersier were visited by Alasdair Morrison and myself, along with Brian Wilson of The Scotland Office, on Thursday 9 December, in recognition of the concern of the whole Executive about the difficulties currently facing the …
15 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister last visited and will next visit the Highlands and Islands; whether he will meet Highland Council; whether he has received written representations from the Council as to the measures and steps which the council wishes to take to tackle the loss of jobs in the Highl…
Answer · Henry McLeish: The First Minister last visited the Highlands and Islands on 17 September, when he attended an engagement on Iona. His next scheduled official visit to the Highlands and Islands will take place in March when he is due to visit Orkney.<FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE=2…
15 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it estimates that the number of unemployed persons in the three Local Enterprise Council areas of Inverness and Nairn, Ross and Cromarty and Moray, Badenoch and Strathspey which totalled 4,738 as at September 1999 will increase and, if so, what its estimates are of the number in t…
Answer · Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive does not produce forecasts of unemployment either for local areas or for Scotland as a whole.
15 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the measures presently being taken or which it intends to take to tackle levels of unemployment in the Local Enterprise Council areas of Inverness and Nairn, Ross and Cromarty and Moray, Badenoch and Strathspey are sufficient and, if not, what additional steps or measures it plans…
Answer · Henry McLeish: A comprehensive set of response measures is being put in place to place redundant employees in new jobs and assist with skills development, following the recently announced reduction in the workforce employed by Barmac.<FONT FACE="Arial"><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">On…
15 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the effect has been upon the oil and gas fabrication industry of the review conducted by Her Majesty's Government between 1997 and 1998 of the tax regime on oil and gas in terms of (a) employment impact within the industry (b) economic impact and (c) deferral of investment by oil com…
Answer · Henry McLeish: Both the tax regime and the regulation of the oil and gas industry are reserved matters.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Scottish Executive is fully aware of the problems facing the fabrication industry, not only in Scotland but throughout the rest of the UK and indeed…
15 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give an estimate of the total local job losses in the Highlands and Islands both direct and indirect resulting from the downturn and redundancies in the fabrication yards at Nigg, Ardersier and Lewis Offshore.
Answer · Henry McLeish: On 4 October 1999, an audit of staff, commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, at Barmac's Nigg and Ardersier yards showed that there were 4,254 staff on site of whom approximately 2,400 were employed by sub-contractors. Employment at Lewis Offshore …
15 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been or will be any payment made to the former Special Adviser Mr John Rafferty arising from the termination of his employment and, if so, to provide full details of such payment.
Answer · Donald Dewar: Mr Rafferty will receive what he is due under the terms of his contract of employment. A copy of the model contract for Special Advisers is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICE).
15 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated total annual costs to the Executive are of each and all of the proposed joint committees between it and Her Majesty's Government and whether it will provide a detailed computation of such expenses showing the estimated costs of (a) any expenses, including travel, subsis…
Answer · Donald Dewar: The precise costs to the Executive cannot be known in advance, nor in such detail. They will be met from the overall administration budget.
14 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1892 by Susan Deacon on 28 October 1999, whether it will extend the period of consultation on the draft Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 1999 until the end of May 2000 in the light of the longer consultation period being allowed for si…
Answer · Susan Deacon: Consultation on the draft Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 1999 ended on 11 October.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The consultation on these Regulations were extensive and sought views on the effect which removing these derogations will have on industry.<F…
14 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Parliament's Information Centre evidence in writing from the Commission of the European Monetary Union for the proposition that EU Law does not permit the continuation of the derogations that are available under the 1995 Dairy Products (Hygiene) Regulations fo…
Answer · Susan Deacon: Article 8(2) of Council Directive 92/46 provides that Member States may, in so far as certain requirements of this Directive are likely to affect the manufacture of milk-based products with traditional characteristics, be authorised by the Commission to grant…
14 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of the prosecution of Jim Sutherland of Carfraemill Lodge in respect of offences under the Beef Bones Regulations 1997 including all costs incurred until conclusion of the case on 7 December 1999.
Answer · Andrew Hardie: It is not possible to calculate the total cost of this prosecution.
14 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2484 by Jackie Ballie on 3 December 1999, whether that answer is an endorsement of the statement made by the Minister of State at the Scotland Office (House of Commons Official Report 9 November 1999, col-868) that "there is no particular shortage of…
Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive is committed to developing a strategic approach to the funding of the voluntary sector. Last year our funding of the voluntary sector amounted to some £283 million, of which £23 million was in direct grants and £260 million was indirect…
14 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2636 by Henry McLeish on 2 December 1999, whether it will seek from Scottish Enterprise the details relating to the points raised in that question and, if not, why not and whether it will state by what mechanism members should seek such information g…
Answer · Henry McLeish: As the funding and performance monitoring of Scotland the Brand is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise, I have asked the Chairman to write to the Member providing the information requested in his earlier question (S1W-2636). A copy of that reply wil…
14 Dec 1999 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2640 by Mr Frank McAveety on 2 December 1999, whether, given its responsibility for local government, it will seek from North Lanarkshire Council the details relating to the points raised in that question and, if not, why not and whether it will stat…
Answer · Frank McAveety: No. Local authorities are autonomous corporate bodies; and they have powers to appoint officers on such reasonable terms and conditions as they think fit and similarly to terminate contracts of employment. In doing so they are, of course, required to comply w…