Parliamentary questions

John Farquhar Munro

549 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

14 Jul 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out research into any potential restriction of visibility splays resulting from the colonisation of road verges by Japanese knotweed.

Answer · Tavish Scott: No research into visibility splaysrestrictions resulting from the colonisation of road verges by Japanese knotweedhas been undertaken by the Scottish Executive.The Operating Companies who managethe trunk road network on behalf of the Scottish Executive…

14 Jul 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out research into any potential damage to road surfaces resulting from the colonisation of adjacent verges by Japanese knotweed.

Answer · Tavish Scott: No instances have been reportedregarding the root system of this particular weed having caused any damage to eitherthe road surface or sub base of any trunk roads in Scotland. Inlight of this, no research into this matter has been undertaken or instructed byT…

14 Jul 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any assessment has been made of the extent of colonisation of the trunk road network by Japanese knotweed and, if so, what the findings have been.

Answer · Tavish Scott: No assessment has been made of the extent of colonisation of Japanese knotweed on the Scottish trunk road network.However, all agents managing the trunk road network on behalf of the Scottish Executiveare contractually obliged to take appropriate action as ne…

14 Jul 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued any directions to local authorities to (a) survey the extent of and (b) take action to control Japanese knotweed.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive have notissued any directions to local authorities to survey the extent of Japanese knotweed.Local authorities already havepowers to take action where knotweed poses a threat to the local amenity of an area,or if it is considered…

14 Jul 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is in respect of the control and eradication of Japanese knotweed and what action is being taken to implement this policy.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: It is an offence under the Wildlifeand Countryside Act 1981 for any person to plant or otherwise cause to grow in thewild any plant included on Part II of schedule 9 of that act. Japanese knotweedis listed on that schedule.Local authorities already hav…

30 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many bookings VisitScotland.com has taken on the Inventory On-line Access (IONA) scheme for self catering accommodation in 2006, also broken down by region.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The IONA system forself-catering accommodation was launched by visitscotland.com last year. The numberof bookings that visitscotland.com has taken in the first six months of 2006 isshown in the following table, by VisitScotland local office area:<table bo…

27 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will invite Audit Scotland to test the accuracy of the reporting of the consultation process for Bills by sampling differences between the Executive’s summary of consultation responses received and the content of the actual responses received in relation to the Crofting Reform …

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive seesno need to carry out any audit or test of our reporting of the consultation processfor Bills and has no plans to do so. Copies of the actual responses are always madeavailable to the public, except where the respondents have asked f…

27 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to invite Audit Scotland to analyse the manner in which consultation responses in respect of Bills are presented by the Executive, compared with the content of the actual submissions made.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the questionS2W-27131 answered on 25 July 2006. All answersto written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.se…

27 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out any internal audit of the manner in which consultation responses in respect of Bills are presented by it compared with the content of the actual submissions made and, if so, whether it will publish the results of the audit.

8 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has assessed the economic effect of Scottish Water’s inability to supply water to new projects in the Highlands.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: It is not necessary to do sobecause over the eight years of the current investment programme, Scottish Water will befunded to remove all estimated constraints on development at a strategic level.As you will know fromprevious correspondence on this issu…

8 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to designate the entire area of Loch Ness as bathing water.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive has no plansto designate the entire area of Loch Ness as a bathing water under the ECBathing Water Directive. Anyone wishing to have a site consideredfor designation should apply to the Bathing Water Review Panel which mypredecessor asked Clean …

30 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive with what EU safety standard or regulation the water supply used to extinguish fires must comply.

Answer · Hugh Henry: There is no such standard orregulation. The Fire and Rescue services will use any available water supply whenfighting a fire, including sea water if necessary.

25 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the benefits of a nationwide public access defibrillation scheme.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is awareof the National Defibrillator Programme which has operated in England since February2000, and I am asking the National Advisory Group for CHD toundertake a further review of the emergent evidence. Meanwhile, there is nothingto p…

25 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has granted a relaxation of the discharge consent awarded to Historic Scotland for Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness and, if so, for what reason.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: This is an operational matterfor SEPA. I have asked the Chief Executiveto reply to you directly

22 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why operators of ferries will not have to apply for an alcohol licence under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005.

Answer · George Lyon: Ferries were exempted on thebasis that they are offering a lifeline service to which alcohol is ancillary.However, in recognition that a greater degree of control had to be exercised, ministersalso took powers which will enable the sheriff to make an order pr…

22 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why operators of passenger-carrying cruise vessels in inland and coastal waters will have to apply for an alcohol licence under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 when such vessels are already fully regulated in respect of the sale of alcohol by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Answer · George Lyon: The Licensing (Scotland)Act 2005 responds to the changing social climate in relation to alcohol inparticular the detrimental effect on individuals and their community. TheLicensing (Scotland) Act 2005 ensures those who sell alcohol as part ofa commercial ente…

17 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, if a single farm payment is made in euros, that information is published by its Environment and Rural Affairs Department.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Our policy is to publishinformation about recipients and amounts of subsidy under the single farm paymentand other new support regimes without exception. The details available on ourwebsite show the subsidy payments paid to date <ahref="http://www.scotland.go…

17 May 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Scottish Water regarding its operations in rural areas.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive has regular discussionswith Scottish Water about various aspects of the business, including Scottish Water’sactivities in rural areas generally.

12 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many discharge consents the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued for treated sewage effluent into Loch Ness in each year since 1999 and what the reasons were in each case where a discharge consent was relaxed.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. The information requested is not heldcentrally.

12 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much crofting land has been decrofted for housing development in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: This precise information isnot available. Following analysis of the available data over the last 10 yearsit is estimated that an average of 210 directions are issued to decroft 55hectares of croft land for housing development each year.Given that appro…

12 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the Crofters Commission has used each of its enforcement powers in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The commission’s powers of enforcementare contained in various sections of the Crofters (Scotland) Act1993.There has been extensive useof the absentee powers and this information is reported in detail in the CroftersCommission’s annual reports. The for…

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether pensioners residing in England are entitled to free bus travel in Scotland.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Article 3 of the National BusTravel Concession Scheme for Older and Disabled Persons (Eligible Persons and EligibleServices) (Scotland) Order 2006 requires that a person who is aged 60 yearsor over or who is disabled must be resident in Scotland to qualify fo…

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether pensioners residing in Scotland are entitled to free bus travel in England.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The new national free bus schemeallows a person resident in Scotland who is aged 60 years or over or who is disabled to travelon most services which operate wholly within Scotland. An eligible person canalso travel on certain services to or from Northern Engl…

22 Mar 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether apprentices funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise are paid less than if they were funded by Scottish Enterprise and, if so, why.

Answer · Allan Wilson: All modern apprentices are employedand therefore their wages are a matter between them and their employers. We do nothold this information and it is likely to vary from employer to employer. Althoughcontribution rates for modern apprenticeship frameworks vary…

7 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers are the reasons for reported adverse health symptoms within communities in proximity to TETRA masts and whether there are plans to investigate such reported symptoms.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: A publication byHealth Protection Scotland (HPS) on Dealing With Assertions of Risk or Effects From Environmental Exposures sets out a structured approach todealing with assertions of health effects associated with environmentalexposures.…

7 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Northern Constabulary Chief Constable’s statement that the force would need 287 TETRA sites to deliver Airwave, why only 150 have been installed.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The number of sites requiredis a matter for the service provider, O2 Airwave.

7 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what locations were considered as alternatives for the Kyleakin TETRA mast to the site above Old Kyle Farm Road and why they were rejected.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Kyleakin TETRAtransmitter on the site above Old Kyle Farm Road provides NorthernConstabulary with police radio communications in the area. The issues aroundthe selection of a site to provide the contractual level of coverage for the policein Kyleakin is …

7 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all the locations where TETRA O2 Airwave transmitters will be switched on in 2006.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive doesnot hold lists of TETRA radio sites.

7 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any reports of ill-health among those who live in proximity to TETRA O2 Airwave transmitters and, if so, what discussions it had with NHS Highland prior to the transmitter being installed near the village primary school in Kyleakin.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: A review of scientific evidence on “Possible Health Effects fromTerrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA)” in 2001 bythe UK Advisory Group on Non-ionisingRadiation (AGNIR) concluded that “Although areas of uncertainty remain aboutthe biological effects of low-level R…

7 Mar 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the community of Kyleakin was first informed about the recently installed TETRA O2 Airwave transmitter.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The installation of anyradio mast for the Police Airwave network is a matter for the service provider,O2 acting within the planning application framework.