George Lyon

29 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much the latest feasibility study conducted by Steer Davies Gleave into the Campbeltown to Ballycastle ferry route cost.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scotland Office, in consultation with the Scottish Executive and the Northern Ireland Executive, commissioned Steer Davies Gleave to assess the costs and benefits of re-introducing a ferry service between Campbeltown and Ballycastle and to carry out a ful…

21 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17736 by Sarah Boyack on 24 October 2001, whether it can now specify a date on which payments to members of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes are likely to commence; how much is likely to be paid, and whether the number of years' service w…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: No. The Scottish Executive's timetable for the payment process to begin is dependent upon the formal wind-up of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes by the trustees.<P>It is expected that payments will reflect levels of benefit entitlements reflecting…

15 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have registered for a pay out from the Transport Operative Pension Scheme.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: A pro-forma issued by the Scottish Executive has been completed by some 4,000 potential beneficiaries. It was issued to confirm basic details such as current addresses and not to register a claim.<P>The Executive will publicise the details of distribution arr…

1 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of every individual allocation of money it has made to Argyll and Bute Council in this financial year and for what purpose each such allocation was made.

Answer · Angus MacKay: Allocations made to date are listed in the table. However, further allocations are likely to be made in this financial year.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=609><TR><TD WIDTH="76%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial"><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Purpose</FON…

31 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many mortgage repossession orders have been made in each court district in each quarter of 2001 to date.

Answer · Iain Gray: The recorded figures for the number of mortgage repossession orders granted in each court district in each quarter of 2001 to date are shown in the following table:<P><TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=302><TR><TD WIDTH="34%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT F…

22 Oct 2001 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what assessment the Scottish Executive has made of UK research into the incidence of BSE in sheep.

Answer · Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is advised by Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee on the UK's research and surveillance programme for possible BSE in sheep. That research is on-going and is likely to be expanded in an effort to understand the many uncertainti…

16 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) Argyll and Bute Council and (b) Highland Council spent on roads maintenance in the last financial year (i) in total and (ii) per mile.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The provisional outturn figures for 2000-01 for revenue spend on road maintenance by these local authorities are :<P><TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=359><TR><TD WIDTH="45%" VALIGN="TOP"> </TD><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZ…

21 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioner households in each local authority area live in fuel poverty.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: We have produced an all-Scotland estimate of the number of fuel poor households but the data does not permit disaggregation by local authority area.

21 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in private rented housing in each local authority area have registered an interest in the central heating programme.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18421.

21 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to publicise the central heating programme to encourage the take-up of grants by pensioner households in private rented housing in rural areas.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: Local authorities and housing associations are responsible for identifying eligible tenants. Eaga will be using a range of media to encourage applications from homeowners and private renters throughout Scotland.

21 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many leaflets publicising the central heating programme were made available for distribution in each local authority area.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14987 on 30 April 2001.

21 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to publicise its central heating programme to those living in tied accommodation in rural areas.

Answer · Iain Gray: Our intention is that all eligible households should benefit from the Central Heating Programme. In February 2001 we published a guide to the programme inviting applications. The guide was widely distributed throughout Scotland. Eaga are now the Managing Agen…

21 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the level of registration of interest in its central heating programme by households living in private rented housing in rural areas compared to the Scotland-wide average.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: Those who have registered an interest in the central heating programme to date were asked to give an address only. Of the total number of expressions of interest, some 30% are estimated to be from rural areas. There is no information on the number of expressi…

19 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it is giving the people of Gigha in relation to a community buy out for the island.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Gigha residents are considering whether to take forward the option of a community purchase. The Scottish Land Fund and the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Community Land Unit are currently funding feasibility studies this, on behalf of the island's residents…

3 Sep 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15269 by Ross Finnie on 8 May 2001, whether the information requested on a breakdown of the payments made to farmers and crofters in the Argyll and Bute constituency under the new Less Favoured Area scheme for this year is now available and, if so, w…

Answer · Ross Finnie: An analysis of the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme for 2001 has been placed on the Scottish Executive website and is available from the Parliament's Reference Centre. The data is broken down at Area Office, not constituency level.

29 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether West of Scotland Water Authority (WoSWA) has provided it with an account of (a) why it changed evidence brought before the public local authority into land south of High Bogany, Rothesay, on the Isle of Bute and (b) the reasons for any delay in it submitting such evidence to the i…

Answer · Ross Finnie: A reporter has been appointed to the inquiry into West of Scotland Water's appeal against the planning condition to cover the tanks at the Rothesay Waste Water Treatment Works at High Bogany.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">West of Scotland Water is providing information t…

29 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much West of Scotland Water Authority has spent to date in developing proposals for sewage treatment facilities at High Bogany, Rothsey, on the Isle of Bute.

Answer · Ross Finnie: West of Scotland Water has to date invested a total of £6.082 million in the provision of wastewater treatment facilities at High Bogany, Rothesay, to meet the standards required by Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations. <P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Of this total, £1…

29 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available in terms of finance and advice for members of the public who act as third party objectors in public local inquiries.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: There is no financial assistance available to members of the public who act as third party objectors to an appeal. All parties to an appeal, including the appellant and the planning authority, are required to meet their own expenses.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Informa…

29 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many planning appeals have been received by Scottish Ministers from Executive agencies, non-departmental public bodies or non-devolved agencies in each year since 1996 and, in each case, which organisation made the appeal, what the total cost to the Executive was of conducting each i…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This information is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

29 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions since 1996 any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies have employed Queens Council to make representations on their behalf at public local inquiries and, in each case, which organisation was the employing body, what the cost was and what the outcome of the…

Answer · Angus MacKay: This is a matter for individual agencies and non-departmental public bodies. The information requested is not held centrally.

29 Jun 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the costs to it and to the Inquiry Reporters Unit of conducting two public local inquiries into land south of High Bogany, Rothsey, on the Isle of Bute.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has received two planning appeals into land south of High Bogany, Rothesay. Only one of these is being determined by public local inquiry; the other was determined by the written submissions procedure.<P>The public local inquiry commenc…

20 Jun 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to invest in modern replacement or additional vessels for the Caledonian MacBrayne fleet this financial year.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: We are in discussions with the European Commission on our proposals for the tendering of CalMac's present routes to bring them into line with European state aid rules, including the arrangements governing investment in new vessels. Accordingly, discussion abo…

8 May 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13631 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 12 March 2001, when funding for the development of further education in Argyll will be announced and what funding will be given to Argyll College.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: As indicated in the answer to question S1W-13631, funding for the development of further education in Argyll will be directed through Lews Castle College. In addition to development support, ongoing funding for the delivery of further education activity in Ar…

2 May 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what further progress had been made in attracting jobs to Campbeltown to replace the 160 jobs at the Jaeger factory.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: We are making good progress on resolving a number of issues connected with a particular job-creating project. I remain hopeful that an announcement can be made very soon.

25 Apr 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial implications the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak will have for the Scottish consolidated fund and whether there will be any implications for any existing spending plans.

Answer · Angus MacKay: Representatives of the Scottish Prison Service and the Prison Officers’ Association attended a conciliation hearing on 1 May 2001 which was chaired by the Director of ACAS for Scotland.<P>As a result, the dispute about staff attendance patterns has been refer…

24 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the payments made to farmers and crofters in Argyll & Bute under the 2001 Less Favoured Area (LFA) scheme detailing in particular, (a) the number of farmers receiving payments in Argyll and Bute constituency compared with last year, (b) the number of…

Answer · Ross Finnie: The information is not available. The vast majority of claims were paid, at least up to the level of the safety net, by the end of April. The priority now is to settle outstanding balances and claims. We will not be able to supply information on payments unti…

12 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the financial settlement for Caledonian MacBrayne will be in 2001-02, broken down into capital and revenue support.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: We propose to make available to CalMac in 2001-02 revenue deficit grant of £21.4 million and capital grant of £0.4 million. The proposed level of capital grant makes no provision for the purchase of new vessels, since European regulations no longer permit the…

26 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding arrangements are in place for Argyll College in the financial year 2001-02.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Funding for the development of further education in Argyll in financial year 2001-02 will be directed through Lews Castle College, in its capacity as the chosen partner college of Argyll College, as part of the grant-in-aid allocated by the Scottish Further E…

26 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Natural Heritage will be able to provide financial compensation to farmers for damage to their income or land resulting from the reintroduction of beavers to the Knapdale Forest and, if so, what criteria will have to be met to trigger such payments.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The trial re-introduction of beavers proposed by Scottish Natural Heritage is planned for Forest Enterprise land, on part of Knapdale Forest in Mid Argyll. I understand that Scottish Natural Heritage believes that farmers are unlikely to be adversely affected…

26 Feb 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has undertaken any research into the success or otherwise of beaver re-introduction schemes in other European Union countries such as Austria, Germany or Swit'erland and, if so, whether any of the research is relevant to the Knapdale environment.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive has not carried out research into beaver re-introductions in other EU countries. I understand that Scottish Natural Heritage can provide details of all relevant research including work to consider specific aspects of the impact of beave…