Jamie McGrigor

23 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the number of narrow-headed ants in Scotland.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Around 90% of the UK population is found in Scotland, mainly within the Abernethy-Glenmore-Rothiemurchus region where there are around 380 nests. Outlying populations exist at Rannoch (7 nests), Mar (17 nests) and Carrbridge. Most Scottish historic records ar…

23 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to protect the narrow-headed ant.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The narrow-headed ant (Formica exsecta) is a UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Species and is included on both the Scottish Biodiversity List and the UK Red Data Book. All mound-building red wood ant species are threatened by degradation of forest habitat…

22 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to protect the (a) wild land character of the Cape Wrath Trail and (b) Scottish National Trail between Fort Augustus and Cape Wrath.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Scottish Planning Policy states that planning authorities should safeguard the character of wild land areas in development plans. It will therefore be for Highland Council to protect the wild land character of the land around these trails. The Year of Natura…

22 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent comments by CNN, what plans it has to promote Cape Wrath as a desirable destination for walkers.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The Year of Natural Scotland 2013 is an excellent opportunity to promote Scotland’s stunning natural beauty and biodiversity. The whole country is being promoted as a destination for all visitors including walkers. The Year of natural Scotland presents an op…

22 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on recent comments by CNN that Scotland's natural heritage is a reason for it being an internationally notable travel destination.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: CNN’s accolade supports the Scottish Government’s ambition to grow the tourism sector.2013 has been assigned the Year of Natural Scotland, which is an opportunity to spotlight, celebrate and promote Scotland’s outstanding natural beauty, landscapes and biodiv…

18 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10860 by Keith Brown on 14 November 2012, for what reason redundancy payments were made by Argyll Ferries Ltd and not Cowal Ferries Ltd; for what reason redundancy payments amounted to £1,400,182; how much of this was incurred through charges for te…

Answer · Keith Brown: Under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) legislation, staff contracts transferred from Cowal Ferries Ltd to Argyll Ferries Ltd when the latter took over operations from the former. Redundancy payments amounting to £1,400,182 were, therefo…

7 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports dairy farmers (a) with and (b) wanting to establish small herds.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: A number of measures to provide support for dairy farmers can be accessed through the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). This includes support to dairy farmers through Less Favoured Area Support Scheme payments to those in the ring fenced dairy area…

7 Jan 2013 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-11554 by Richard Lochhead on 11 December 2012, what its position is on the decline in dairy (a) cow and (b) herd numbers in each area.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The decline in cow and herd numbers in these parishes is in line with the national trend over the same period, demonstrating a move toward more specialised dairy enterprises which allows farmers to achieve production efficiencies and economies of scale.

5 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when Scottish Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2011 will be published.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Scottish Greenhouse Gas Emissions 2011 will be published in June 2013. The exact publication date will be available by May 2013 on the Scottish Government website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Search/Forthcoming.

5 Dec 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10906 by Paul Wheelhouse on 20 November 2012, whether it will address the issue raised in the question as to which of the proposals in the Report on Proposals and Policies will be adopted.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The draft Second Report on Proposals and Policies currently under development will set out our proposals and policies for meeting our greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for the period 2013 to 2027. The draft report will be laid in Parliament in early 2…

27 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it paid in subsidy on publicly-funded vehicle service on the Gourock-Dunoon ferry service in each of the last 10 years in which it was in operation.

Answer · Keith Brown: Subsidy paid by the Scottish Executive and Scottish Government in respect of the Gourock-Dunoon route to Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd from 2001 to 2007 and to Cowal Ferries Ltd from 2007 to 2011 was only provided for the transport of passengers.

26 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many dairy (a) cows and (b) herds there have been in (i) Kintyre, (ii) Gigha, (iii) Cowal, (iv) Bute and (v) Arran since 1983.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Data on how many dairy (a) cows and (b) herds there have been in (i) Kintyre, (ii) Gigha, (iii) Cowal, (iv) Bute and (v) Arran since 1983 are contained in tables and placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre (SPICe) (Bib number 54543).

22 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what organisations and individuals the independent review of the scientific evidence for a proposed special area of conservation for the Sound of Barra will consult.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The review is primarily desk-based drawing up on scientific evidence submitted through the consultation period, but the reviewers will also visit Scottish Natural Heritage to view the scientific evidence used, and review how it has been used by the case offic…

22 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government who the chair is and members are of the independent review examining the scientific case for a proposed special area of conservation in the Sound of Barra.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Two well qualified UK marine scientists are undertaking the review. To maintain the independence of the review their identity will not be revealed until they have provided their report to Scottish Ministers.

15 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-09224 by Keith Brown on 20 September 2012, whether and, if so, when it will publish the amendments made to its public service contract with Argyll Ferries Ltd.

Answer · Keith Brown: Amendments to the public service contract with Argyll Ferries Ltd will be available on the Transport Scotland website before the end of the year.

15 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10862 by Keith Brown on 14 November 2012, what the additional annual cost in the leasing charge is as a result of the purchase price of the vessels and additional works.

Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-04045 on 28 November 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentar…

15 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the (a) details and (b) scope of Transport Scotland’s feasibility study into the viability of a vehicle and passenger ferry service on the Gourock-Dunoon ferry route.

Answer · Keith Brown: I can confirm that the terms of reference for this study will be published on the Transport Scotland website.

12 Nov 2012 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what assistance Historic Scotland provides to support and regenerate conservation areas.

8 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much it will invest in improving the safety of the crossings on the A83 at (a) Tarbert and (b) Ardrishaig.

Answer · Keith Brown: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-11072 on 21 November 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/MAQAS…

8 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the safety of the crossings on the A83 at (a) Tarbert and (b) Ardrishaig.

Answer · Keith Brown: Safety at the crossings at Tarbert and Ardrishaig will be looked at as part of the current A83 Study which is looking closely at what more can be done in managing the effects of landslides at the Rest and Be Thankful and also looking at removing pinch points …

2 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency measures are being developed should the 2020 emissions reduction not be met.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse : The Scottish Government remains absolutely committed to meeting our climate change targets. The Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 has set a legally binding target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 42 per cent by 2020. It also establishes a system of bind…

2 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10363 by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 October 2012, when the National Retrofit Programme will be in place.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Our aim is for the National Retrofit Programme to begin in April 2013 and cover Scotland in 10 years. In 2013-14 £65million will be available from the Scottish Government to Fund the National Retrofit Programme. We intend to use this money to lever in £120mil…

2 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to Paul Wheelhouse's statement on 23 October 2012 (Official Report, c 12411), and in light of the 25% reduction in domestic gas consumption, what evidence it has that an increased household consumption of heating fuels has led to a rise in emissions.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Figures from the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change report Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2012 indicate that domestic gas consumption in the UK as a whole rose by 17% between 2009 and 2010 before falling by 25% between 2010 and 2011. Bet…

2 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what contingency measures there are to deal with increases in emissions arising from extreme cold weather.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: Annual fluctuations in emissions are to be expected. Our second report on proposals and policies for reducing Scotland’s greenhouse gas emissions will focus on ways in which the second batch of annual emissions reduction targets for 2023-27 can be achieved. T…

2 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the proposals in the Report on Proposals and Policies will be adopted.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The draft Second Report on Proposals and Policies will provide an update on the proposals and policies set out in Low Carbon Scotland: Meeting the Emission Reduction Targets 2010-2022 published in March 2011 taking into account an 8.4% real terms reduction in…

2 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it is making on developing policies to reduce emissions in the transport sector.

Answer · Keith Brown: A wide range of Scottish measures are currently in place to encourage the sought after transformation to a low carbon transport system, with investment both in existing networks and transport modes and in developing new and alternative transport options. Poli…

2 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-06585 by Stewart Stevenson on 24 April 2012, what further progress has been made on meeting the recommendations of the UK Committee on Climate Change with regard to devolved policy areas.

Answer · Paul Wheelhouse: The answer to S4W-06585 on 30 April 2012 contains details about the emissions mitigation measures that the Scottish Government has brought forward since the publication of the first climate change Report on Proposals and Policies in March 2011. The Scottish …

1 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has for clan gathering events in the Year of Homecoming.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: Ancestry is one of five key themes underpinning the Year of Homecoming in 2014. The Scottish Government and the Homecoming Team at VisitScotland are working to engage with the domestic and international clan audience in the year and particularly in relation …

1 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10318 by Keith Brown on 31 October 2012, whether the additional costs of works have been factored into the lease payments from Argyll Ferries Limited to David MacBrayne Limited. 

Answer · Keith Brown: The leasing charge to Argyll Ferries Ltd has been set at a rate to provide a commercial return to David MacBrayne Ltd, taking into account the purchase price of the vessels and additional works.

1 Nov 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10318 by Keith Brown on 31 October 2012, how much the work on the vessels cost.

Answer · Keith Brown: Works undertaken on the MV AliCat and the MV Argyll Flyer were around £45,000 and £479,000 respectively.