Parliamentary questions
Robin Harper
759 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
6 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the objectives of Forward Scotland are.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The objectives of Forward Scotland are set out in the company's Memorandum of Association, as follows: <P>Within the context of promoting sustainable development for the benefit of communities across Scotland, the objects of the company are:<DIR><DIR><P>(a) t…
23 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many reported cases of infectious pancreatic necrosis amongst farmed salmon have occurred in (a) Shetland, (b) Orkney, (c) the Western Isles, (d) Skye, (e) Highland Region and (f) Argyll in each year since 1979.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The information requested is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Fisheries Research Services will reply to the member with information as close as possible to that requested and will place a copy in the Parliament's Reference Ce…
23 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many escapes of salmon from salmon farms were reported where incidents of infectious pancreatic necrosis have also been reported in each year since 1979.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The available information for escape incidents is as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=132><TR><TD WIDTH="71%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>1995</TD><TD WIDTH="29%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>1</TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="71%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>1998</TD><TD WIDTH="29…
23 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many escapes of salmon from salmon farms were reported in (a) 1998, (b) 1999, (c) 2000, (d) 2001 and (e) 2002.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The numbers of reported escape incidents were as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=132><TR><TD WIDTH="71%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>1998</TD><TD WIDTH="29%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>4</TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="71%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>1999</TD><TD WIDTH="29%" V…
23 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many salmon farms have reported cases of (a) infectious pancreatic necrosis, (b) bacterial kidney disease and (c) infectious salmon anaemia in each year since 1979.
Answer · Allan Wilson: This information is not available. Farms subject to movement restrictions (Designated Area Orders - DAOs) for infectious pancreatic necrosis and bacterial kidney disease since 1979 follow. These tables give a general indication of the number of cases. Some DA…
23 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many farmed salmon have been slaughtered as a result of designated area orders relating to infectious pancreatic necrosis in each year since 1998.
Answer · Allan Wilson: None. There is no requirement to slaughter fish infected with infectious pancreatic necrosis under the terms of a designated area order (DAO). DAOs limit the spread of disease by prohibiting the movement of live fish or eggs of fish, on or off a fish farm, wi…
23 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents involving the death of farmed salmon resulting from algal blooms and jellyfish swarms have been reported and how many salmon have died as a result of such incidents in each year since 1990.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The reported information is as follows:<P>Algal Bloom Mortalities<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=404><TR><TD WIDTH="15%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Year</TD><TD WIDTH="34%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Number of Incidents</TD><TD WIDTH="51%" VALIGN="TOP"><P>Estimated…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Biodiversity Forum will report to it with a draft Biodiversity Strategy.
Answer · Allan Wilson: I have asked the Scottish Biodiversity Forum to report to me with a draft Biodiversity Strategy for Scotland at its next meeting in late February 2003.
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current situation is on P&O employees being transferred to Northlink Ferries with respect to Trade Union Protection of Employment legislation.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: While P&O Scottish Ferries have taken the view that Trade Union Protection of Employment legislation (TUPE) applies, Northlink have taken the view that it does not. TUPE is a matter of law and only the courts can determine whether TUPE does or does not ap…
9 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how Scottish Health Care Supplies (SHS) and the Common Services Agency (CSA) ensure patient safety through the design of syringes used on the NHS; whether the SHS and the CSA have issued any guidance to NHS boards on the effectiveness of safety devices, and what representations it has mad…
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The Scottish Executive Health Department published its report entitled <I>Needlestick Injuries - Sharpen Your Awareness</I> in May 2001. This recommended that the Medical Devices Agency, Health Services Advisory Committee, Health and Safety Executive, Chief S…
1 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether cattle purchased for restocking in former foot-and-mouth disease areas must be first confirmed as not carrying bovine tuberculosis and what its policy is on this matter.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Cattle purchased for restocking must come from unrestricted herds which have a clean testing history. They are tested again three months after the new herd is established at the new location.
1 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cattle herds are in (a) six month, (b) twelve month, (c) two year, (d) three year and (e) four year testing areas and how many under each testing regime are overdue for a bovine tuberculosis test.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Due to the low incidence of bovine tuberculosis in Scotland, all herds are subject to testing on a four yearly cycle.<P>As at 30 June 2002, 1,652 tests were overdue.
1 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many confirmed incidents of bovine tuberculosis were identified in each local authority area in each quarter in (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) to date in 2002.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The number of confirmed incidents of bovine tuberculosis in Scotland since the year 2000 is shown in the following table.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=529><TR><TD WIDTH="23%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=14><P>Local</TD><TD WIDTH="25%" VALIGN="TOP" C…
1 Aug 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many cattle herds in former foot-and-mouth disease infected areas have been re-stocked since the lifting of foot-and-mouth restrictions; how many herds have been tested for bovine tuberculosis, and how many cattle were confirmed positive.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Two hundred and four cattle herds have been restocked since foot-and-mouth disease restrictions were lifted and 197 herds have been tested for bovine tuberculosis. Thirteen Reactors have been identified in three of these herds. A further five herds have had t…
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects participants at the first meeting of the Sustainable Development Forum to remain members throughout the life of the forum and if not, what procedures have been put in place to replace any member or to add to the membership of the forum.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27187.
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be used to select and appoint members to the first meeting of the Sustainable Development Forum and whether these criteria will be used to select and appoint members to any subsequent meeting.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27187.
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many members it expects to attend the first meeting of the Sustainable Development Forum.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27187.
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who will chair the first and subsequent meetings of the Sustainable Development Forum.
Answer · Ross Finnie: In my unavoidable absence because of illness, the forum was chaired by Mr John Graham, Head of the Scottish Executive, Environment and Rural Affairs Department. The arrangements for the next meeting will be announced in due course.
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what issues will be on the agenda for the first meeting of the Sustainable Development Forum.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The agenda for the first meeting of the forum will include presentations on the Executive's strategy for sustainable development as set out in "Meeting the Needs...", on the "Do a Little, Change a Lot" campaign and on the World Summit on S…
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive where it advertised for interested persons to take part in the Sustainable Development Forum and what the normal process is for canvassing interest for such bodies.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Adverts in the national press on 7 June invited nominations and requests to attend the Sustainable Development Forum. Information was also available at: www.sustainable.scotland.gov.uk. The adverts indicated that we want to ensure that the forum has a wide ra…
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many officials and what budget have been made available to support the work of the Sustainable Development Forum.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Forum will be supported and funded by the Executive's Sustainable Development Team as part of their normal business.
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms it has put in place to report the deliberations and conclusions of the Sustainable Development Forum and to take these conclusions into account.
Answer · Ross Finnie: We intend to place further information about the Sustainable Development Forum on our website at: www.sustainable.scotland.gov.uk. We envisage that this will include a note of the main points raised at the forum. We will ensure that points raised are drawn to…
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many organisations across civic society and involved in sustainable development work were invited in writing to participate in the Sustainable Development Forum.
Answer · Ross Finnie: No organisation has been directly invited to participate in the Sustainable Development Forum. Instead, advertisements were placed in the national press on 7 June and expressions of interest have been received from a wide range of sectors including civic soci…
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how often it expects the Sustainable Development Forum to meet.
Answer · Ross Finnie: As indicated in the answer given to question S1W-18932, the Sustainable Development Forum will, in the first instance, operate until May 2003. The first meeting was held in Dundee on 24 July. We anticipate that the forum will meet again later in 2002.
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people it expects to take part in the Sustainable Development Forum and what the remit of the forum is.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27187 on 1 August 2002.
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it announced the formation of the Sustainable Development Forum to the Parliament and the public and what form the announcement took.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive's intention to set up a Sustainable Development Forum was announced in the answer to question S1W-18932 on 9 October 2001.
5 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Sustainable Development Forum is due to meet.
Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27187 on 1 August 2002.
3 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take in the light of the report by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage, which stated that pollution from urban traffic and factories is breaching safety limits and damaging wild flowers, crops and probably wildlife acro…
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive welcomes the report by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. It builds on the findings of earlier reports on the environmental effects of air pollutants and provides a valuable update on the position in Scotland<P>Earlier studies in thi…
3 Jul 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how maximising the extraction of oil and gas reserves is compatible with sustainable development as referred to by the Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning in his announcement on 28 June 2002 on sustainable development.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Our commitment to sustainable development, set out in <I>Meeting</I> <I>the Needs...Priorities, Actions and Targets for Sustainable Development in Scotland</I>, acknowledges that the pursuit of economic growth has to be done in such a way that it does not har…
20 Jun 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to conduct a consultation equivalent to consultations carried out by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on Implementation of Directive 2001/18/EC on the Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified Organisms into the Environment.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Yes. The Executive expects to begin consultation on draft Scottish regulations in July 2002.