Parliamentary questions
Richard Lochhead
2,448 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
3 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many overseas visits have been undertaken by the (a) First Minister, (b) Minister for Finance and Public Services and (c) Deputy Minister for Finance, Public Services and Parliamentary Business, giving dates and locations in each case.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer to the answers to questionsS1W-29052 given on 9 September 2002 and S2W-2904 given on 29 September 2003 forinformation regarding the dates, locations and costs of overseas travel by the FirstMinister, Minister for Finance and Public Services and Deputy…
3 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all overseas offices belonging to each of its agencies, giving the location and number of staff employed in each such office.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The information requested is not held centrally. This is an operational matter for the agencies concerned.</p>
2 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13417 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 28 February 2001, what percentage of the 15,000 organisations identified have benefited from the Executive's water charges exemption scheme and what action the Executive will now take to address the position of charities …
Answer · Ross Finnie: The regulations which established the exemption scheme The Water and Sewerage Charges (Exemption) (Scotland) Regulations 2002 require Scottish Water to administer the scheme. Data relating to the operation of the scheme is therefore a matter for Scottish Wate…
27 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the fishing fleet has reduced in si'e in each of the last four years, broken down by sector.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The table below shows the numbers of fishing vessels based in Scotland between 1 January 2001 and 1 January 2004 and the year-on-year changes in vessel numbers. The fleet has been segmented in the table by length group and, for vessels over 10metres in overal…
26 May 2004 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why it is seeking a new logo for Scotland and whether it will instigate a public debate to seek suggestions on the issue.
Answer · Andy Kerr: As Mr Lochhead knows from my previous answers, the Executiveis considering ways to help achieve Partnership Agreement objectives bypromoting Scotland overseas in a more effective way.</p><p>This workinvolves many different elements, one of which will be a cam…
20 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives it has instigated in order to celebrate, and respond to, the enlargement of the European Union.
Answer · Andy Kerr: We have instigated a rangeof initiatives to celebrate EU enlargement, in Scotland, in Brussels andin the new member states.</p><p>In Scotland Ihosted a business event in Glasgow on 5 May to celebrate enlargement and the success ofScottish business in the new …
20 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will use the underspends in respect of the 2003 decommissioning, transitional aid and hardship relief schemes for providing assistance to the fishing industry.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Any funds allocated in 2003for decommissioning and transitional support but not used for that purpose willbe available for reallocation. An announcement on the use of all 2003-04underspend will be made in due course by the Minister for Finance and Public Serv…
17 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on whether there should be further changes to the Common Fisheries Policy that have not already been agreed and, if so, what such changes would be.
Answer · Ross Finnie: We believe that there shouldbe progressive change within the Common Fisheries Policy, not least to ensureappropriate regional and devolved management in the light of the Council’s recentDecision to establish Regional Advisory Councils.</p>
17 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent it considers industrial fishing to be detrimental to commercial stocks caught by the Scottish fishing fleet.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive remains concerned about the level of by-catch in industrial fishing. Weare currently working with the Commission in order to develop a more rigorous systemfor measuring the by-catch of human consumption species in industrial fisheries.<…
17 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to increase the number of fishing days allocated to the white fish fleet.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The number of days at sea availableto fishing vessels is determined in Annex V to Council Regulation (EC) No. 2287/2003).We have recently written to the European Commission about the case for those fishingfor North Sea haddock under special permit arrangement…
17 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the fisheries budget has been in each year since 1999, showing year-on-year increases and decreases and, for each year, providing details of any element that related to aid schemes for industry such as decommissioning or transitional aid.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The following table shows outturn and planned spending on Fisheries in the period 1999-2000 to 2003-04. The Scottish Executive Environment and Rural AffairsDepartment Fisheries Budget makes provision mainly for the Operating and Capital expenditure of the Sco…
14 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to change the criteria for eligibility under the fund to develop post offices in deprived urban areas.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: There are no plans to changethe eligibility criteria under the Fund to Develop Post Offices in DeprivedUrban Areas.</p>
14 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to extend the fund to develop post offices in deprived urban areas.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: There are currently no plansto extend the Fund to Develop Post Offices in Deprived Urban Areas.</p>
14 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been paid out under the fund to develop post offices in deprived urban areas in each local authority area.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to reply. Her response is as follows:</p><p>Payments to the value of £219,451.66 have been made. The table below shows the relationship between number of grants awarded, value of grants aw…
14 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how long the fund to develop post offices in deprived urban areas will be in operation.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to reply. Her response is as follows:</p><p>The Fund to Develop Post Offices in Deprived Urban Areas will end on 31 March 2005.</p>
14 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many successful applications have been made under the fund to develop post offices in deprived urban areas, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Mary Mulligan: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her reply is as follows:</p><p>Offers have been issued and accepted for 11 grants to sub postmasters under the Fund to Develop Post Offices in Deprived Urban Areas. The breakd…
12 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the operating costs of its Brussels office have been in each year since 1999 and what the projected costs are for the current year.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The operating costs for the Scottish Executive EU Office since 1999 are the following: </p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>Year</p> </td> <td> <p align=center>Rounded Final Out-Turn</p> </td> </tr> </thead> <tr…
12 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22478 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 February 2002, how many joint ministerial committees (JMC) and sub-committees have been convened since 8 November 2001, where each meeting took place, which minister attended, and what was discussed.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The table below provides a complete list of Scottish Executive Ministerial attendance at all JMC meetings that have taken place since 7 October 1999:</p><p>Paragraph A1.11 of the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UK Governme…
12 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-21028 and S2W-3175 by Mr Jim Wallace and Mr Andy Kerr on 3 January 2002 and 30 October 2003 respectively, whether Scottish ministers have officially led any further UK Delegations to the Council of Ministers and, if so, whether it will provide simi…
Answer · Andy Kerr: Scottish Executive ministers have not led any further UKdelegations to EU Councils.</p>
12 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3401 by Mr Andy Kerr on 5 November 2003, how many meetings of the Council of Ministers Scottish ministers have attended since that answer and which specific councils ministers have attended in each year since 1999, expressed also as a percentage of a…
Answer · Andy Kerr: Scottish Executive ministers have attended 10 formal Council of Ministers meetingssince the answer to question S2W-3401 on 5 November 2003. Scottish Executive ministers attended the following specific formal Council meetings during the period 1 July 1999 to 3…
12 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff there are in its External Relations Division, broken down by section.
Answer · Andy Kerr: There are 14 staff in External Relations Division including one vacancy which is currently being filled. In addition to the Head of Division and a personal assistant, the remaining staff are currently arranged in three branches as follows:</p><table border=1 …
6 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to consult the Parliament on the role of legislatures in any operation of the subsidiarity early warning mechanism within the United Kingdom, as currently defined in the Protocol on the Application of the Principles of Subsidiarity and Proportionality of the European Union's …
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive supports Her Majesty’s Government in seeking the establishment of an effectivesubsidiarity early warning mechanism. Following the agreement of a ConstitutionalTreaty, the Scottish Executive will work closely with the Parliament to devel…
5 May 2004 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer how many times each parliamentary committee has met outside the parliamentary complex in each year since 1999.
Answer · George Reid: <p>The number of formal committee meetings held outside the parliamentary complex by each committee in each year since 1999 is shown in the table. The table does not include fact finding trips or committee events, details of which for the period 1999 to 2002 …
4 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government and what specific proposals it has made to ministers of Her Majesty's Government regarding its priorities for the proposed “Focal Points” meeting to be held in Dublin on 4 May 2004 and whether Scottish ministers will atte…
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive was consulted by Her Majesty’s Government on its priorities for the “FocalPoints” meeting held on 4 May 2004. Throughout the Intergovernmental Conference, the Executivehas had an input to the UK Government’s consideration of its negotia…
4 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what underspend there was in the (a) fishing vessel decommissioning and (b) transitional aid schemes in 2003 and how much has been paid out so far for the purposes of rates relief for onshore businesses affected by the 2002 fisheries agreement.
Answer · Ross Finnie: We made provision for expenditureof up to £10 million on Transitional Support Grant; and up to £40 million on the2003 decommissioning scheme. In the event, expenditure on decommissioning is expectedto be just over £30.5 million and, that on Transitional Suppo…
4 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings have taken place between it and Her Majesty's Government to discuss the draft European Constitution since the Prime Minister's announcement of a referendum; who attended each such meeting; what issues were discussed, and when and where each meeting took place.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Her Majesty’s Government about a wide rangeof issues, including the progress of the Intergovernmental Conference on the draftConstitution for Europe.</p>
4 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to restructure the higher and further education sector and, if so, what plans there are and what the timescale for implementation of such plans will be.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Executive has recently publisheda consultation paper and draft legislation regarding its proposals to merge the Scottish Further Education Funding Council and the Scottish Higher Education FundingCouncil. Beyond this merger of the fundingbodies, there are…
4 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the achievements have been of Scotland's presidency of the Group of Regions with Legislative Powers.
Answer · Andy Kerr: As President of REGLEG, the FirstMinister has raised the profile of the demands of the legislative regions for greaterinvolvement in European decision-making in a number of fora. He addressed the Chamberof the Regions of the Council of Europe’s Congress of Lo…
30 Apr 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to commission any studies regarding the economic and social impact of post office closures.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Royal Mail, Post Officesand postal issues are reserved matters and the UK Government remains committed toa viable network of post offices across the country. The Scottish Executive recognises the importance of the availability across Scotland of servicesp…
30 Apr 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government with regard to recent post office closures announced in Aberdeen and the north east.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Detailed arrangements for therestructuring of the post office network are operational matters for the Royal Mailwhich is answerable to its regulator, Postcomm and the UK Government on all aspectsof these reserved matters. A decision to close a Post Office bra…