Parliamentary questions
John Scott
560 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact any importation of putrescible waste would have on its National Waste Strategy.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The National Waste Strategy provides a policy framework for dealing with Scotland's waste. One aspect of the strategy is the "proximity principle" that waste should be treated or disposed of as near as possible to the point where it arises, although…
7 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether putrescible waste can be imported from Northern Ireland to be disposed of in Scottish landfill sites; if so, under what legislative powers and whether it will outline the procedures surrounding such importations regarding matters such as licence applications, local consultation an…
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Regulations prohibit imports and exports of waste for disposal to and from the UK. However, there is no restriction on movement of waste between parts of the UK. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has no powers to c…
28 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what Scottish input there has been into the draft Marine Stewardship Report of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Marine Stewardship Report is intended to cover the United Kingdom as a whole. Although many of the matters addressed in the report are reserved, the Scottish Executive has been closely involved in the drafting of the report where it touches on devolved ma…
17 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding will be made available at the end of the current three year period to support the implementation of Area Waste Plans.
Answer · Ross Finnie: This is a matter for future Spending Reviews.
17 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce targets for recycling waste.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The introduction of recycling targets will be informed by the findings of the Area Waste Plans currently being developed as part of the National Waste Strategy. This will ensure that the Best Practicable Environmental Option for dealing with waste in each are…
9 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to appoint a dental services ombudsman.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Health Service Ombudsman is responsible for reviewing complaints wherever they occur in NHSScotland. The Scottish Public Sector Ombudsman Bill proposes the establishment of a "one stop shop", combining the offices of the Scottish Parliamentary, Health Ser…
9 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take to address any concerns over existing complaints procedures in respect of the provision of dental services.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The evaluation of the NHS complaints procedure which was carried out on a UK basis during 2001 considered the operation of the procedure in all parts of the NHS, including dental services. The report of the independent researchers can be found at: <A HREF="ht…
9 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will establish baseline figures in respect of controlled waste collected by or for local authorities for the purposes of meeting its obligations under the EU Landfill Directive (1999/31/EC), given that the Scottish Environment Protection Agency states in its report Waste Data Diges…
Answer · Ross Finnie: The obligation in the Landfill Directive to reduce the proportion of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill applies to Member States, based on 1995 levels. Scotland will be expected to meet a proportion of this. There are a number of potential methods…
9 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average timescale is from application to installation of central heating under the Central Heating Programme.
Answer · Iain Gray: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20749 on 10 January 2002.
9 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20910 by Iain Gray on 8 January 2002, how many central heating installations have been completed to date under the Central Heating Programme in total.
Answer · Iain Gray: As at 16 January, Eaga had installed 405 central heating systems in the private sector. They are on target to install over 3,500 systems by 31 March 2002. Information is currently being collected from the social rented sector landlords, but indications show t…
13 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how hospital managers' salaries at the North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust are structured and whether those salaries and any bonuses are dependent on throughput targets being met by the hospitals.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Chief executives, executive directors and senior management in NHSScotland are subject to the Executive Pay arrangements. Under these arrangements management posts are job evaluated and the integrity of the job evaluation process is maintained by a central ev…
11 Dec 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it is currently giving to befriending and mentoring services which assist people with health, social and educational difficulties and what future funding it plans to make available.
Answer · Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive does not currently fund these services and has no plans specifically in relation to befriending and mentoring services. However, national voluntary organisations are free to seek financial support from the Scottish Executive's direct gr…
28 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any guidance has been issued to retailers regarding the sale of refrigerators in light of the advice issued by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Answer · Ross Finnie: No.
27 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many redundancies in Forest Enterprise Scotland are likely following the annual Harvesting and Marketing Review.
Answer · Allan Wilson: Consultations with staff and the trade unions on the timber harvesting review have not been concluded and it is therefore too soon to speculate on staffing implications.
5 Nov 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in respect of composting bins issued by local authorities, whether it has issued any guidelines on benchmark figures for the amount of compost produced per bin that should form the basis of statistical calculations.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: No. However, various studies have been carried out to investigate the amount of waste diverted from the waste collection service as a result of home composting. Several local authorities used their share of the Executive's £3 million grant for recycling and c…
31 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any further funding will be made available to local authorities for investment in waste disposal beyond the three-year period of the Strategic Waste Fund.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: This is a matter to be considered in future spending reviews.
31 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether new Public/Private Partnership schemes are eligible for funding from the Strategic Waste Fund.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Yes.
30 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue guidance on best practice in respect of suitability for awards from the Strategic Waste Fund.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Yes. Draft guidance on the Strategic Waste Fund will be issued to local authorities for comment this month.
30 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that grants awarded from the Strategic Waste Fund represent best value for money.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: It will be for local authorities to ensure that expenditure of grant from the Strategic Waste Fund provides best value for money.
30 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will establish baseline figures for biodegradable waste products for each local authority with regard to meeting the EC Landfill Directive target for 2010.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: Following a public consultation the Scottish Executive announced, in May 2000, its intention to establish a system of tradable permits in order to meet the requirements in the Landfill Directive for the reduction of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landf…
30 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates it has made of the numbers of fridges that will need to be disposed of in Scotland in each of the next five years.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive's research project <I>The Determination of the Source, Nature, Amount and Disposal Routes of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Arising in Scotland</I>, published earlier this year, and available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib.…
30 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to encourage the development of fridge waste disposal processing plants.
Answer · Rhona Brankin: The development of refrigerator disposal capacity in Scotland would complement the Executive's policies on sustainability and the Executive would therefore welcome any decisions by the waste management industry to set up plant here. The Executive also recogni…
8 Oct 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has, following the recent terrorist attacks in the United States of America and any consequential impact on golf tourism, to encourage the Scottish Tourist Board to promote golf in Scotland and particularly in Ayrshire.
Answer · Alasdair Morrison: The marketing of Scotland as a golf tourism destination is, and will continue to be, a high priority. VisitScotland is spending around £1.5 million this year. As a major golfing area, Ayrshire will feature strongly in this effort and, of course, the area is a…
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of this year's total agri-environment budget will be available for the Rural Stewardship Scheme once the costs of all other agri-environment schemes have been met.
Answer · Ross Finnie: It is not possible at this stage to say how much will be available for the Rural Stewardship Scheme because payments will be funded from modulation and it is too early to know how much will be raised by modulation of 2001 CAP payments.
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a specific agri-environment scheme relating to land management in the proposed national park areas.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Farmers in National Parks will be eligible to apply to join the Rural Stewardship Scheme, but there are no plans to introduce a specific agri-environment scheme relating to land management in the proposed national park areas.
21 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Rural Stewardship Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2001 will come into force.
Answer · Ross Finnie: In the absence of a resolution of the Scottish Parliament to annul, the Rural Stewardship Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2001 came into force on Friday 28 September 2001.
20 Sep 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many candidates were interviewed for the position of (a) Chairman and (b) Chief Executive of the new Scottish Water Authority.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Three and two respectively.
17 Aug 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when a managing agent will be appointed to administer its central heating programme.
Answer · Jackie Baillie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17544.
27 Jul 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications it has received under the Rural Stewardship Scheme; what funding has been set aside for the implementation of the scheme, and what percentage of applications are likely to receive funding, all in the current financial year.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The number of applications submitted for approval this year is 476. The total agri-environment budget for the current financial year is £30 million, subject to sterling/euro currency fluctuations. The percentage of applications which will receive funding is d…
29 Jun 2001 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to provide funding for the production of an information pack, similar to that produced in England and Wales, for those bereaved as a result of murder.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Executive, through its Scottish Strategy for Victims, is committed to improving the information for victims of crime in Scotland. The Justice Department will consider providing an information pack for those families bereaved by murder, as part of this wor…