Richard Lochhead

10 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive by how much, and by what percentage, each NHS board's budget has increased in each of the last five years (a) in total and (b) per capita, showing the cumulative increase over that period, and what it estimates any such increases will be in each NHS board in any future years for which fi…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Details for 1998-99 to 2002-03 are as follows.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=609><TR><TD WIDTH="26%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Health Board</TD><TD WIDTH="18%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>1998-99<P>Total Budget Increase <P>(£000)</TD><TD WIDTH="18%" VALIGN="TOP"><…

9 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive where the 15% figure in respect of possible future decommissioning originated and how this figure was calculated.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Article 6 of Annex XVII of Council Regulation 2341/2002 provides that the Commission may allocate additional fishing days to member states on the basis of the results or expected results of decommissioning programmes in 2002 and 2003. <P>As part of the negoti…

9 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the 2002 decommissioning package was announced; when the package came into force, and when the (a) first and (b) last vessel was decommissioned under the package.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The most recent decommissioning scheme in Scotland was The Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2001. The decommissioning package was announced on 8 March 2001, and the scheme was open for applications between 31 August and 31 October 2001. The…

9 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fishing vessels are classified as (a) white fish vessels and (b) in each other category.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The following table shows the number of Scottish based vessels and the main vessel fishing method as declared by owners when re-licensing their vessels.<P>Active Scottish Based Vessels, by Main Fishing Method and Overall Length Group, 31 December 2001<TABLE B…

9 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what will happen if no white fish vessels have been decommissioned by 1 July 2003 under any decommissioning programme introduced and vessels have been fishing for 15 days at sea each month from 1 February until 1 July 2003.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Annex XVII of the new total allowable catches and Quota Regulation sets out the provisions of the new effort control (days at sea) regime. Article 6 requires that member states which acquire additional fishing days from the Commission related to decommissioni…

9 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how fishing vessels that fish for different species will be classified for the purposes of the days at sea regulations that allocate different number of days depending on the species caught.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Annex XVII of the new total allowable catches and Quota Regulation sets out the provisions of the new effort control (days at sea) regime. It stipulates that days at sea will be derived from the mesh size of the fishing gear carried by particular vessels. The…

7 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many drivers (a) were tested and (b) tested positive for drink driving in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area, showing separately figures for the Christmas festive period and giving percentage changes between years in each case.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The information held centrally relates to breath tests of drivers involved in injury road accidents. The latest available statistics are published at Table 19 in <I>Road Accidents Scotland 2001</I>, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Centre (Bib…

6 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what basis it stated in its press release SEen278/2002 that fishermen in cod-related fisheries will be able to fish for 15 days per month, given that Annex XVII to regulation 2341/2002 states that the number of days in which vessels in such fisheries may be absent from port is nine.

Answer · Ross Finnie: As provided for by Article 6 of Annex XVII to Regulation 2341/2002, the Commission has undertaken to provide an additional six days to the relevant fishermen. This will be confirmed in due course as an official Commission decision recorded in the <I>Official …

6 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for how long the effort limitation measures agreed at the EU Fisheries Council in December will be in place.

Answer · Ross Finnie: In legal terms, the interim regime will lapse when the Total Allowable Catches and quota regulation 2341/2202 (of which it is a part) lapses at the end of the year. However, there is a political commitment to bring forward a successor regime for agreement by …

1 Jan 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions are planned with the fishing industry regarding the outcome of the December meeting of the EU fisheries council.

Answer · Ross Finnie: We have already had discussions with industry representatives regarding the outcome of the Council. Discussions continue about the implications and implementation arrangements.

16 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31980 by Ross Finnie on 10 December 2002, whether keeping the Common Fisheries Policy's (CFP) principle of relative stability central to a new CFP would not be facilitated by a permissive interpretation of the legal scope of the review clause of EEC …

Answer · Ross Finnie: Ministers at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in December voted in favour of retaining the principle of relative stability in quota allocation, as part of a wider package of CFP reforms.

16 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it, in leading a UK delegation, would have a right of veto on the current Common Fisheries Policy review package should evidence emerge that the European Commission had incompetently invited the European Council to rely on illegal decision-making procedures to overturn provisions …

Answer · Ross Finnie: All fisheries matters, including legislation undertaken under the Common Fisheries Policy, are subject to Qualified Majority Voting under the terms of the Treaty establishing the European Community. It is for the European Court of Justice to decide whether or…

16 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought any legal opinion on whether the 1985 Act of Accession envisages that Spain's northern EEC fishing access rights will expire on 31 December 2002.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Following discussions in EC Working Groups, the opinion of the Council Legal Services was sought on that and related matters. Their view is that the access restrictions defined in Articles 156-164 of the Iberian Act of Accession definitively expire after 31 D…

16 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought any legal opinion on whether the interpretation of the review clause in EEC Regulation 3760/1992 must be circumscribed by other provisions of EU law that are not open to amendment, suspension or repeal other than by recourse to treaty amendment procedures or by other…

Answer · Ross Finnie: Article 14.2 in Regulation 3760/1992 stipulates 31 December 2002 as the date by which the Council was to decide on access arrangements to follow the arrangements for six- 12-mile limits and the Shetland Box defined in Articles 6 and 7 of the same Regulation. …

16 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-31980. S1W-31981, S1W-31982 and S1W-31984 by Ross Finnie on 10 December 2002, how these answers are consistent with the terms of Articles 6 and 154.1 of the Spanish fisheries chapter of the 1985 Act of Accession which protect certain parts of the a…

Answer · Ross Finnie: Article 6 of the 1985 Iberian Act of Accession refers to suspending, amending or repealing its provisions. Article 154.1 of the same refers to the fact that Chapter 4 applies to the fisheries sector. Neither of these articles in any way conflicts with the fac…

16 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-31980. S1W-31981, S1W-31982 and S1W-31984 by Ross Finnie on 10 December 2002, how these answers are consistent with the terms of Article 155.3 of the Spanish fisheries chapter of the 1985 Act of Accession which states that the European Council "act…

Answer · Ross Finnie: Fisheries is a matter for Qualified Majority Voting, as stipulated in Article 37 of the Treaty establishing the European Community. The legal interpretation of Article 155.3 of the Fisheries chapter of the 1985 Iberian Act of Accession is that it, and the una…

11 Dec 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on securing the future of fishing communities.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Ross Finnie is currently participating in the December Agriculture and Fisheries Council at which decisions about fishing quotas for 2003 will be taken. He will continue to emphasise that fishing is crucial to the economy of dependent communities in Scotland…

10 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on sending referrals to solicitors on matters concerning the cross-border abduction of children.

Answer · Hugh Henry: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32486 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/sear…

10 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on sending referrals to solicitors on matters concerning the Hague Convention.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Civil Justice and International Division of the Justice Department supports the Minister for Justice as the central authority for the operation in Scotland of Hague Conventions on Child Abduction, Maintenance, Service and Evidence. Applicants under the fo…

4 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has received about the timescale for any forthcoming decisions by the European Commission on anti-dumping measures in relation to the importation of farmed salmon into the EU.

Answer · Allan Wilson: At a meeting with the Commission on 11 December the Executive was advised that the outcome of investigations into dumping of farmed salmon on the EU market should be known by the end of this year. Member states' views will then be sought on any proposed actio…

4 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to introduce anti-dumping measures to protect the salmon industry in relation to farmed salmon imported to the EU.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The EU/Norway salmon trade agreement has been in operation since 1997 and is currently the subject of review by the European Commission. The European Salmon Producers Group have also lodged with the Commission complaints about the dumping of farmed salmon fro…

4 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the impact on the salmon farming industry of salmon dumping on EU markets.

Answer · Allan Wilson: It is for the European Commission to investigate complaints about dumping on the European market.

4 Dec 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30895 by Mr Jim Wallace on 3 December 2002, why it did not state in the answer what events the (a) First Minister and (b) Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning have attended in support of the Friends of Scotland initiative and whet…

Answer · Hugh Henry: To the best of my knowledge, the First Minister has not received any personal invitations to attend events. The Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, however, attended the launch of the initiative in November 2001, and Scottish Executive m…

28 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental practices in each NHS board area are currently accepting new NHS patients and whether each such practice imposes any restrictions on patient acceptance.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The information requested is not held centrally.

28 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when its standing committee under Sir John Arbuthnott to review the formula for the allocation of NHS board funding will produce its conclusions and whether these conclusions will be made available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I expect the Standing Committee on Resource Allocation to produce its conclusions by the summer of 2003. I see no reason why its conclusions should not be available in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

28 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations are represented on its standing committee under Sir John Arbuthnott to review the formula for the allocation of NHS board funding.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The membership of the Standing Committee on Resource Allocation comprises experts, senior managers from NHSScotland and officials from the Scottish Executive Health Department. The experts and senior managers, and the organisations that they represent are as …

28 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how often, and when, its standing committee under Sir John Arbuthnott to review the formula for the allocation of NHS board funding has met.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Standing Committee on Resource Allocation has met on three occasions - in June and September 2001 and in August this year.

28 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when its standing committee under Sir John Arbuthnott to review the formula for the allocation of NHS board funding was established.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Susan Deacon announced on 21 March 2001, in reply to question S1W-14299 lodged on 21 March 2001, the establishment of the Standing Committee on Resource Allocation.

27 Nov 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on securing a future for fishing communities.

Answer · Ross Finnie: In order to secure a future for fishing communities, we need to safeguard the fish stocks on which they depend. The Scottish Executive takes very seriously the latest scientific advice that a substantial reduction in fish mortality is required if a collapse o…

26 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency measures it proposes to take should the EU Council of Ministers fail to take a decision to re-confirm Spain's northern access fishing rights before the end of 2002.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31975 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/sear…