Richard Lochhead

5 Jun 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to protect Scotland's historic fishing rights during current negotiations on the Common Fisheries Policy.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is an integral part of the UK negotiating team on fisheries. We are working to ensure that Scotland's interests are fully represented during the current review of the Common Fisheries Policy.

5 Jun 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken in response to the recent announcements regarding job losses in the oil and gas sector.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Scottish ministers will continue to work with oil and gas companies through PILOT to ensure the long-term sustainability of the industry, and Local Enterprise Companies will continue to work with the industry on short-term changes which impact on jobs.

30 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many ministerial visits took place during the Parliament's visit to Aberdeen.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Ministers participated in 51 separate engagements, including events attended by two or more ministers, in the Aberdeen area during the Parliament's visit to Aberdeen.

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on the funding of civil service posts from external sources.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Civil service posts are not normally funded from external sources. Any proposal for an externally funded post would be determined by the circumstances of the individual case. Any such appointment to the civil service would operate within the framework of cond…

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil service posts are (a) wholly and (b) partly funded by charities and when each such post was created.

Answer · Andy Kerr: No civil service posts in the Scottish Executive are funded by charities at the current time. The Scottish Executive is currently conducting an exercise to recruit a project officer to provide guidance and environmental information to farm conservation advise…

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the capital grants made to each fire brigade in each of the past 10 years also expressed as per capita sums.

Answer · Richard Simpson: It is not possible to detail the capital made available to each fire brigade in each of the past 10 years as, prior to 1997, most Fire Boards were funded through the general capital consents for regional authorities.<P>The following table shows the capital al…

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average age is of fire stations in each fire brigade area

Answer · Richard Simpson: The information requested is as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=209><TR><TD WIDTH="68%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16><P>Central Scotland</TD><TD WIDTH="32%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16><P>29 years</TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="68%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=…

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of methadone prescriptions are exempt from NHS charges in each NHS board area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows the number and percentage of items dispensed free of charge in each NHS board area in 2000-01, the most recent complete year for which information is available.<P>Methadone - Items Dispensed Free of Charge in 2000-01<TABLE BORDER CEL…

22 May 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the review of the method by which funds are distributed between police forces will conclude.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The draft report of an independent study of the method of allocating funds to police forces was submitted late last year to a working group, involving the Executive, COSLA and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland. The group considered that, wh…

20 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25090 by Mr Jim Wallace on 30 April 2002, whether meetings of one working group held on consecutive days are counted as continued meetings or as separate meetings.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Whether the Council working group meetings are determined as continued meetings or separate meetings depends upon the meeting in question. If a meeting runs over two days and deals with the same topic on both days it would be considered to be the same meeting…

20 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25090 by Mr Jim Wallace on 30 April 2002, in respect of each working group attended by its officials in the year to 28 February 2002, what percentage of that group's meetings they attended.

Answer · Jim Wallace: We have tried to calculate the percentage of each type of meeting that has been attended by our officials, but this has not been possible due to discrepancies between the information sought and the way in which the EU Council Secretariat calculates the period…

20 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25090 by Mr Jim Wallace on 30 April 2002, what percentage of the total number of European Council working group meetings its officials attended in the year to 28 February 2002.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally.

17 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the current level of vacancies for retained fire fighters compares with the figures for 2001, broken down by brigade.

Answer · Richard Simpson: The information is as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=313><TR><TD WIDTH="55%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16><P>Brigade</TD><TD WIDTH="15%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16><P>2001</TD><TD WIDTH="30%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=16><P>2002 (Current)</TD></TR><T…

16 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many claims there were against each NHS trust, broken down by NHS board area, for (a) clinical mishaps or accidents, (b) non-clinical mishaps or accidents in each year since 1999-2000 and what the total cost of these types of claims was in terms of (i) compensation paid out and (ii) i…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is in the process of being collated and I will write to the member once it is available.

15 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of officers left (a) Grampian, (b) Tayside police forces and (c) all police forces owing to work-related ill health in each year since 1997.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Information at this level of detail is not held centrally.

15 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many and what percentage of officers in (a) Grampian, (b) Tayside police forces and (c) all police forces were (i) recruited and (ii) on long-term sick leave in each year since 1997.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The number and percentage of officers recruited in Grampian, Tayside and all forces is shown in the following tables.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=425><TR><TD WIDTH="18%" VALIGN="TOP">&nbsp;</TD><TD WIDTH="82%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN=5><P>Numb…

13 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23526 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 12 March 2002, whether there has been any progress towards launching a replacement for individual learning accounts.

Answer · Iain Gray: I expect to make an announcement later in the year. I want to understand fully the lessons from the first Individual Learning Account (ILA) programme and ensure that its successor builds on and improves on that scheme. It is still too early to say when a succ…

9 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average administration costs are for each scheme administered or run by its Environment and Rural Affairs Department, expressed as a percentage of total costs in each case.

Answer · Ross Finnie: My department has recently undertaken a review of its administration of the Common Agricultural Policy schemes in Scotland, which included an analysis of administration costs. The costs were presented as a cost per £ of subsidy paid, and the results are given…

9 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many functions, receptions, and conferences its representative in Washington DC has attended since appointment and (a) where and (b) when any such events took place.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive representative in Washington attends a wide range of meetings, formal and informal. It is not our practice to disclose details of such official-level contacts.

9 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions since May 1999 it has used (a) hotels, (b) commercial conference centres and (c) any other non-Executive venues for policy launches, press conferences and business breakfasts and how much was paid to the venue in each case.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Information in the form requested, regarding policy launches, press conferences and business breakfasts is not held centrally.

9 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average age of the pipe infrastructure within the water network was in each of the past five years, broken down by local authority area or as small an area as possible.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Information on the age of the public water supply distribution network is not held centrally by the Executive. This information may be available from Scottish Water, 6 Castle Drive, Carnegie Campus, Dunfermline.

7 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many drug-related deaths there were (a) so far this year and (b) in each of the last five years expressed per capita, broken down by NHS board.

Answer · Richard Simpson: Data for this year to date and 2001 is not yet available. Data for 2001 will be available in July. The following table details the number of drug-related deaths in each NHS Board area for years 1996-2000 and the rate per 100,000 population. <TABLE BORDER CE…

7 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to acquire advice from angling bodies and related businesses to help attract overseas visitors to Scotland for angling.

Answer · Mike Watson: VisitScotland sought advice from angling bodies last year and there is input from the sector in the development of the new brochure and website.

7 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what role angling tourism plays in the tourism strategy and whether there are any plans to enhance the role of angling tourism.

Answer · Mike Watson: Angling tourism is recognised by VisitScotland as an important niche market and one with growth potential. They are developing a guide and a website, which will be launched soon. The site will provide visitors with up to date information on matters such as se…

2 May 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what steps have been taken, or will be taken, to publish a daily document entitled "What's On in the Scottish Parliament" publicising parliamentary business, cross-party group meetings, visiting delegations, receptions and other related events within or around the vicinity of the parliamen…

Answer · David Steel: This information is not gathered together in one convenient place at the moment, and staff in the relevant offices are examining ways in which this might best be achieved without duplicating existing efforts.

1 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government in support of a postponement of the new 10% supplementary charge to the existing corporation tax on oil and gas company profits announced in the UK Budget 2002 until a full economic impact assessment and consultation with t…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25519 on 21 May 2002.

1 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the new 10% supplementary charge to the existing corporation tax on oil and gas company profits announced in the UK Budget 2002 will have on the Scottish economy.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25519.

1 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was consulted prior to the announcement in the UK Budget 2002 of those fiscal measures which impact on oil and gas company profits and, if so, what response it gave and, if not, when it was first informed.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We are in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the oil and gas industry.<P>The Scottish Executive has no function in relation to UK fiscal policy.

1 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the oil and gas industry regarding the economic and other effects of the new 10% supplementary charge to the existing corporation tax on oil and gas company profits announced in the UK Budget 2002 and whether it will detail any follow-up action it plans t…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We are in regular contact with the oil and gas industry on a wide range of matters affecting the industry. The main avenue for this contact is through PILOT, of which I am the Vice Chair.<P>The Scottish Executive has no function in relation to UK fiscal polic…

1 May 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to carry out an economic impact assessment on the impact of Her Majesty's Government's 10% tax on oil and gas profits.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Changes to the tax system are entirely reserved to the UK Government, but Scottish ministers work closely with the oil and gas industry, to maximise their contribution to the Scottish economy, and we will continue to do so.