Parliamentary questions

Richard Lochhead

2,448 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

26 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the European Commission (EC) has sought any assurances from it that it can afford to assume the increased policing and enforcement obligations under the Common Fisheries Policy that are likely to result from the adoption of EC proposals to grant free access to approximately 17,000…

Answer · Ross Finnie: No such assurances have been sought. Spain's increased rights of access do not confer new quota allocations.

26 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Spanish fishing fleet poses a threat to the stability of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) and whether fresh access restrictions ought to be imposed on the Spanish fleet to ensure that the principle of relative stability of the CFP is respected.

Answer · Ross Finnie: There is no legal basis on which to discriminate against the Spanish fleet. Their fishing activities fall to be regulated by the access and quota allocation arrangements set out in the Common Fisheries Policy.

26 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on whether any European nation has more extensive Common Fisheries Policy policing and enforcement obligations than Scotland.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Common Fisheries Policy requirements in relation to policing and enforcement apply similarly to all EU member states.

26 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with Her Majesty's Government with regard to whether it intends to veto any proposal presented by the European Commission that invites the Council of Ministers to rely on majority voting procedures with regard to the principles of (a) relative stability …

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31980 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…

26 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the principle of relative stability of the Common Fisheries Policy, what its position is on the use of EU majority voting procedures to amend that principle.

26 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government on the opening-up of EC fisheries regulations to adjustment, amendment, suspension or repeal without the unanimous consent of member states, given the relative stability principle of the Common Fisheries Policy, and whether the req…

Answer · Ross Finnie: All fisheries decisions, including those on relative stability, are taken by Qualified Majority Vote. No member state has a veto in this area. The principle of Qualified Majority Voting for fisheries was first set down in the Treaty of Rome.

26 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to deploy sufficient policing and enforcement measures to monitor any increase in the number of Spanish vessels that might enter the Scottish sector of the EU fishing 'one should the EU decide to grant Spain free access to those waters from the beginning of 2003.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency will continue to deploy the enforcement resources at its disposal to meet perceived needs and risks within the Scottish zone.

26 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is preparing to take to ensure that Spanish vessels will be removed from the Scottish sector of the EU fishing 'one from 1 January 2003, in the absence of an intervening decision by the Council of Ministers on the renewal, extension, or reduction of Spain's current north…

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…

26 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it, or Her Majesty's Government, has discussed with other northern member states of the European Union the imposition of additional fishing access restrictions on the Spanish fleet.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is not discussing with other member states any proposed fishing access restrictions that are specifically directed at Spain.<P>Fishing access restrictions may not discriminate between the member states.

26 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the amendment of provisions of the Act of Accession of the Kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese Republic of 1985 to the European Union that were intended to permit European institutions to impose additional access restrictions on the Spanish fishing fleet to northern Europe…

26 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government, with regard to the Act of Accession of the Kingdom of Spain and the Portuguese Republic to the European Community in 1985, to seek confirmation that Spain's northern European fisheries access rights expire at the end of 2002 a…

Answer · Ross Finnie: As of 1 January 2003, Spanish and Portuguese vessels will, in accordance with the Iberian Act of Accession, enjoy the same access rights to Community waters as other member states.

22 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many sudden deaths from alcohol poisoning have occurred in each NHS board area in each of the last five years showing the percentage change (a) year on year and (b) over the whole five-year period.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The information requested is not available. The World Health Organisation's International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD), which is used to classify deaths in Scotland, does not have separate categories for "sudden" de…

21 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to send any representatives to the meeting of the EU Maritime Transport Council on 6 December 2002.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive will not send a representative to the EU Transport Council meeting on 5 to 6 December 2002. <P>Decisions on Scottish ministers' attendance at Council meetings are made on a case by case basis depending on the agenda of the Council meeti…

21 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what role it would play in responding to any incident in Scottish waters similar to the sinking of the oil tanker Prestige off the Spanish coast and whether it will give details of procedures that are in place to deal with any such incident.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Action to prevent marine pollution remains a function of the UK Government. However, the role of the Scottish Executive, and a number of other statutory bodies, is set out in the <I>National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Ins…

21 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring and assessment took place in relation to the closure of fishing grounds last year as part of the cod recovery plan and what the results of such monitoring and assessment were.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The purpose of the closure of some of the North Sea fishing grounds in 2001 was specifically to try to improve the spawning chances of cod with a view to enhancing future recruitment to the stock. Evaluations at the time predicted that, at best, a 5% increase…

21 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Scottish Environmental LINK's document Seas Fit for Scotland, launched on 6 November 2002, and whether there are any plans to take forward any of the document's proposals.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I will be replying to Scottish Environment LINK shortly. My letter will explain that the Executive is already committed, through the UK Marine Stewardship Report, to delivering a number of the initiatives identified by LINK. I will place a copy of my letter i…

20 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of EU white fish quota is fished by Scottish registered vessels, broken down by species.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Quotas are allocated to UK Fish Producer Organisations and uptake of these quotas by these organisations is monitored centrally. It is the responsibility of the Producer Organisations to allocate quota to individual vessels within their membership. Consequent…

20 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of EU waters the Scottish 'one represents.

Answer · Ross Finnie: There is no comprehensive definition of EU waters. The Scottish fishing zone is approximately 127,000 square nautical miles.

20 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has forwarded the findings of the recently published Fisheries Research Services reports, Industry/Science Partnership 2001-2002, Volume 1 Report of Scottish Trials Assessing the Selectivity of Trawls and Seines and Industry/Science Partnership 2001-2002, Volume 2 Report on Bi…

Answer · Ross Finnie: Yes; at our request, the UK Permanent Representation to the EU (UKRep) presented a formal copy of the report to the Commission on 22 November 2002.<P>In anticipation of that, and the relevance of the associated data, UKRep had previously written to the Commis…

20 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many community service orders were (a) applied for by each local authority, broken down by local court, and (b) issued by each local court in response in 2001-02 and in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Figures are available by individual local authority for the number of social enquiry reports which give community service orders as a preferred option, and the number of community service orders issued. The latest available figures, for 2000-01, are given in …

20 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many community service order supervisors are currently employed by each local authority.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Executive does not hold centrally information on numbers of community service order supervisors employed by individual local authorities. However, figures for the numbers of community service staff employed as of October 2001 are given in the following ta…

18 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it plans to make, either directly or through Her Majesty's Government, to the Danish Government regarding any benefits to white fish stocks in Scottish waters of decommissioning Danish industrial fisheries.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I will be holding confidential discussions on a range of pertinent issues with Commission, Presidency and other member states over the next few weeks including in the margins of the November Council.

18 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of industrial fishing on white fish stocks in Scottish waters.

Answer · Ross Finnie: North Sea white fish stocks are stocks common to EU and Norwegian waters and assessments are carried out at North Sea level. The Scottish Executive has carried out no assessment of the impact of industrial fishing on North Sea white fish stocks.

15 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any economic impact assessment has been conducted of various scenarios that may arise from the current fisheries negotiations in Europe and, if so, whether it will give details of each such assessment

Answer · Ross Finnie: We have assessed the possible socio-economic impacts of various outcomes from the December Fisheries Council. I am not prepared to disclose that advice.

15 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome has been of any discussions that have taken place with the Secretary of State for Scotland in relation to current fisheries negotiations in Europe.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I met with the Secretary of State for Scotland on 25 November to update her on the current position.

15 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the level and value of imports have been in each of the last 10 years of products from the North Sea industrial fishery and for what purpose such products are used.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The information requested is not held centrally.

15 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish registered vessels are engaged in industrial fishery.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The term industrial fishery encompasses a wide range of fisheries destined for purposes other than human consumption. The most important industrial fishery to Scotland is the blue whiting fishery. Thirteen Scottish registered vessels landed significant tonnag…

15 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it sought any second opinion or external comment on the methodology used by the Fisheries Research Services (FRS) in relation to the most recent contribution by FRS to the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea's advice.

Answer · Ross Finnie: No. The methodology is as agreed by ICES and was this year reviewed externally and approved by independent scientists from North America. FRS is at the forefront of developments in these analytical techniques.

15 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the source, date and results of any research into the impact of the ban on sandeel fishing off the Wee Bankie on white fish stocks.

Answer · Ross Finnie: A copy of the recent report into the impact of the closure off the Wee Bankie compiled for the Commission by UK and Danish scientists has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 25356). The report does not focus upon the impact of the ba…

15 Nov 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail each stage of the procedure that would have to be followed if it were to submit a request to Her Majesty's Government that the Executive be officially designated to lead the UK delegation to the EU Fisheries Council

Answer · Ross Finnie: The procedures surrounding the attendance and role of Ministers from Devolved Administrations at Council meetings is outlined in paragraphs B4.12-13 of the Concordat on the co-ordination of EU policy issues.