Parliamentary questions
Mark Ruskell
1,773 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish all scientific evidence available to it and its agencies, so that independent scientists may assess the claims and counter-claims in relation to any potential health risk associated with farmed salmon.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I am advised by the FoodStandards Agency that it publishes all results from surveys and research thatit commissions. Results from previous dioxins surveys are in the public domain,and more results are due to be published shortly. The agency also aims topublis…
13 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set up an independent inquiry into the safety of eating farmed salmon.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I am advised by the FoodStandards Agency that the recent publication of an American study in thejournal Science, does not give rise to any new food safety concerns, and thelevels of dioxins found in the farmed salmon and the resultant intakes arebelow the saf…
13 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take following Advocates for Animals recent investigation into Scottish pet shops referring to a range of unacceptable practices, including a lack of guidance by local authorities, breaches of pet shop licence conditions and aspects of the pet trade being unregulat…
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Pet Animals Act 1951,which is the legislation that governs the licensing and operation of pet shops,is currently under review as part of a wider review of animal welfarelegislation. The information provided by Advocates for Animals will beconsidered as pa…
13 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take to ensure that conditions are improved and enforced on pig farms in Scotland following the report in December 2003 by Advocates for Animals of unacceptable conditions in which pigs were being kept on Scotpigs' farms.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Welfare of FarmedAnimals (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2003 introduced a range ofnew conditions to improve the welfare of pigs. In addition, the StateVeterinary Service will continue to monitor conditions on pig farms andappropriate enforcement action …
12 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what levels of (a) dioxins, (b) polychlorinated biphenols, (c) toxaphene and (d) dieldrin were found in (i) farmed salmon, (ii) wild salmon and (iii) fish farming feedstuffs sampled by government agencies between 1990 and 2003.
Answer · Allan Wilson: This is a matter for theFood Standards Agency and industry trade associations. The informationrequested is not held centrally.</p>
5 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to ensure that the general public, in addition to farmers and crofters, is encouraged and enabled to contribute to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform consultation process.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has undertaken a wide-ranging consultation exercise to encourage debateon CAP reform. The Executive launched the three-month consultation with a conferencein Edinburgh on 6 October. The consultation paper was sent to awide range of stak…
5 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what data it has showing how funding would be redistributed across regions and agricultural sectors under single payments based on hybrids of area-based and historic approaches following Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has undertaken modelling into the redistributive effect of differentapproaches to calculating the single farm payment. This shows how funding wouldbe redistributed at regional level under the historic approach compared with anumber of h…
5 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what modelling has been done on the impact, under the reformed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), of basing the single payment on hybrids of area-based and historic approaches and how the results of any such modelling can be publicly accessed in order to inform responses to the second ques…
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has undertaken modelling of the impact of calculating the single farm paymenton various hybrid area‑based approaches and of the historic individualapproach. The results of the modelling are publicly available on the Executive’sCAP…
4 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for which habitats Scottish Natural Heritage is the lead partner under the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and how much was spent on the management of each such habitat in the last year for which figures are available.
Answer · Allan Wilson: This is a matter forScottish Natural Heritage. The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
26 Nov 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in determining the extent of illegal fishing outside European Union quotas and regulations.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The ScottishFisheries Protection Agency devotes significant resources to the monitoring,control and enforcement of fisheries related legislation. However, illegalactivity, by its very nature is clandestine and, therefore, difficult toquantify. Nonetheless, va…
31 Oct 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what Common Agricultural Policy funds have been allocated within Scotland, broken down by region, and when this information will be published.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The amounts paid out bySEERAD under the main Common Agricultural Policy Schemes in 2002 and brokendown by region are as follows:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> <p> </p> </td> <td> <p align=center>£ million</p> </td> </tr> <tr>…
21 Oct 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which policy commitments in A Partnership for a Better Scotland it expects to be delivered through reforms made to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Answer · Ross Finnie: The underlying objectives of the CAP reform agreement link closely with our own strategic objectives forScottish agriculture as set out in <i>A Forward Strategy for ScottishAgriculture</i>. These also underpin many of the commitments set out in therural secti…
13 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the process is for local community involvement in wind farm planning applications that are considered by it and not the local authority.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: An application to the Scottish ministers for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 to construct a wind farm entails a wide ranging consultation process involving a large number of statutory bodies as well as other organisations and members of t…
13 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made on setting a minimum tariff per megawatt per year that local communities will receive from the developers of wind farms.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Executive supports the principle of community benefit as ex-gratia payments butwe believe these are best handled by community representatives. We therefore have no plans to set a tariff for wind farm developments.
13 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the national co-ordination of the building of wind farms.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The guiding principle to our policies on promoting renewable energy developments is that the land use planning system should play its full part in the process. Within this framework, positive provision is being made for wind farm developments whilst ensuring …
13 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements are being made to the National Grid infrastructure to ensure that the target of generating 40% of energy from renewable sources by 2020 is met.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We continue to work with theUK Government, the regulator Ofgem, and the industry to ensure that the grid isstrengthened in order to fully realise Scotland’s renewable energy potential. Both Scottish andSouthern Energy and Scottish Power have recently announce…
13 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that wind farms are not excluded from Ministry of Defence tactical training areas.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: <div class=Section1><p>The safeguarding of TacticalTraining Areas (TTAs) is a matter for the Ministry of Defence and is thereforea reserved matter.</p><p>I can, however, confirm thatwind farms are not excluded from Ministry of Defence TTAs. The policy of theM…
13 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1227 by Ross Finnie on 30 July 2003, whether it will give the information requested on the numbers of live sheep, lambs and pigs exported for slaughter, further fattening and breeding, for Scotland only.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The information requested, for Scotland only, is given in the following tables:</p><table class=MsoNormalTable border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>2000</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>Live Sheep</p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td>…
30 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive for how long farmers contracted to grow GM oilseed rape during Her Majesty's Government's field-scale evaluation (FSE) programme are legally required to prevent any GM material from entering the supply chain and whether, in the case of tenanted land involved in the FSE trials, any such le…
Answer · Allan Wilson: Consents to release GM material as part of the farm-scale evaluations are held by the biotechnology company concerned. It is their responsibility to ensure that the conditions of consent are adhered to, whether the land is farmed by the owner or a tenant. As …
9 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the budget allocations for organic aid schemes for 2003-06 are linked to the targets in the Organic Action Plan and, if so, how they are linked
Answer · Ross Finnie: The budget allocations for agri-environment schemes (including the Organic Aid Scheme) are programmed in the Scottish Rural Development Plan for the period 2003-06. It will be for Scottish ministers to decide on the allocation of resources in light of the pri…
9 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what budget has been spent on agri-environment schemes that support organic agriculture in (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2002-03 and what information it has about spending on comparable schemes in (i) England and (ii) Wales in those years
Answer · Ross Finnie: The total amounts spent on the Organic Aid Scheme in 2001-02 and 2002-03 are detailed in the table:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=293><TR><TD WIDTH="48%" VALIGN="MIDDLE"><P>Scheme</TD><TD WIDTH="23%" VALIGN="MIDDLE"><P>Year</TD><TD WIDTH="29%…
9 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget allocation is for the Organic Aid Scheme for 2003-04.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The overall budget for agri-environment schemes is not allocated in advance to the individual schemes, which are demand led.<P>Details of the estimated amounts available for new and existing agri-environment schemes, including the Organic Aid Scheme are avail…
9 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget allocations are for the new and existing rural stewardship schemes.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The overall budget for agri-environment schemes is not allocated in advance to the individual schemes which are demand led.<P>Details of the estimated amounts available for new and existing agri-environment schemes, including the Rural Stewardship Scheme, are…
9 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on the Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance Scheme in (a) 1999-2000 and (b) 2000-01.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The expenditure on support measures targeted at Scotland's less favoured areas in 1999-2000 was £59.3 million and in 2000-01 was £63.1 million. The Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances scheme (HLCAs) accounted for the total expenditure in 1999-2000 whereas …
3 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total budget was for Less Favoured Area Support Scheme spending in (a) 2001-02 and (b) 2002-03.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The budget was £63 million in each of the financial years 2001-2002 and 2002-2003.
26 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many live (a) sheep and lambs and (b) pigs were exported in (i) 2000, (ii) 2001 and (iii) 2002 for (1) slaughter, (2) further fattening and (3) breeding, broken down by destination country.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Information on numbers of live sheep and pigs certified for export from the UK is given in the following tables: <TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=585><TR><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16><B><P>2000</B></TD><TD WIDTH="65%" VALIGN="TOP" COL…
25 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it received to its consultation on Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill - A draft for consultation and, of these, how many were (a) broadly supportive and (b) opposed in principle.
Answer · Ross Finnie: One hundred and forty one responses have been received in response to the consultation on the draft Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill. Of this total (a) 128 are broadly supportive and (b) seven are opposed in principle.<P>The remaining six respondents did n…
25 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce its proposed bill on nature conservation.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive will introduce the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill to the Scottish Parliament later this year, as announced by the First Minister in his statement on 28 May.
18 Jun 2003 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations have taken place with Her Majesty's Government on its position on the need for progressive and substantial reductions in discharges of radioactive substances in the north-east Atlantic being considered at the Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of t…
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive has regular discussions with the UK Government on a number of issues, including issues relating to the Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Northeast Atlantic (OSPAR). <P>The UK strategy for radi…
11 Jun 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many objections to the proposed Shieldaig hydroelectric generation scheme have been received and from whom.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The public consultation period ended on 6 June 2003 and the Scottish Executive received 837 objections to the proposal. They have been split into six location categories:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=191><TR><TD WIDTH="77%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>N…