Murdo Fraser

21 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why salmon fishings are the only non-croft land to be included in the crofting community right to buy contained in Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Salmon fishings are not the only non-croft land to be included in the crofting community right to buy. The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill provides for the acquisition by the crofting community body of additional land that is not croft land. Salmon fishings and m…

21 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when salmon fishing owners were consulted about the proposed inclusion of salmon fishings in the crofting community right to buy contained in Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The proposals in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill were the outcome of extensive public consultation, dating back to 1997, to which salmon fishing owners were free to respond. The Scottish Landowners Federation (SLF) has responded at every stage of consultation…

21 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when, in the consultation process for the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill prior to the bill's publication, the acquisition of adjacent salmon fishings was proposed to be subject to the crofting community right to buy.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The first occasion when responses to a consultation proposed that crofters should have a right to buy salmon fishings was in responses to the paper on the crofting community right to buy circulated to members of the Crofting Consultative Panel. Four of those …

7 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28916 by Ross Finnie on 25 September 2002, why the reasons contained in that answer do not also apply to the absolute right to buy salmon fishings contained in Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The reasons given in answer to question S1W-28916 relate to an absolute right to buy and because of that are not relevant to the crofting community right to buy salmon fishings. The crofting community right to buy is not an absolute right to buy. It is condit…

7 Oct 2002 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Executive will give to the development of Gaelic-medium schools.

Answer · Jack McConnell: We are providing specific grants towards the costs of Gaelic-medium education, supporting 1,860 pupils in 59 primary schools across the length and breadth of Scotland.

2 Oct 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in developing services for women suffering from alcohol dependency.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: The Executive's <I>Plan for Action on alcohol problems</I>, which was published in January, sets out that alcohol problems services should be sensitive to the needs of particular groups including women. The Executive published an <I>Alcohol Problems Support a…

25 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on the construction of new junctions on the A9 between Perth and Inverness.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The A9 between Perth and Inverness is a high speed long distance road with limited access. There is a strong presumption against providing new junctions.

23 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of the cost across all its departments of preparing for the possible adoption of the euro as the national currency of the UK.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive (and UK Government) has made no estimate of the cost of a possible changeover to the euro, either to the public sector or business.<P>The cost of a possible changeover would depend on timing, overall approach taken and individual manage…

23 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what sums (a) have been spent in the current year and in each of the last five years and (b) are planned to be spent over the next three years by each NHS board and trust in respect of preparing for the possible adoption of the euro as the national currency of the UK.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As part of on-going strategic planning, NHSScotland bodies have been requested to produce individual outline changeover plans for any possible changeover, similar to that produced by the Scottish Executive during 1999. This was a limited management pre-planni…

23 Sep 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what instructions it has issued to NHS boards and trusts about preparing for the possible adoption of the euro as the national currency of the UK.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Under the UK Government's prepare and decide policy, preparatory work for the possible adoption of the euro is under way. This work takes place at both the UK level and at the Scottish level.<P>NHS boards and trusts have been asked to undertake a review of th…

28 Aug 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1719 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 September 1999, when the research commissioned into business finance and securities over moveable property will be published.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Summary findings and a full research report on <I>Business Finance and Security over Moveable Property</I> were published on Monday 23 September 2002. The research can be accessed on the Scottish Executive's website and copies have been lodged with the Parlia…

31 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the methodology for valuing croft land under current legislation, using a multiple of rental value, will not be used when valuing salmon fishings under Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The requirements of section 14(2) of the Crofters (Scotland) Act 1993 relating to valuation of a croft apply solely to the purchase of a croft by the tenant of that croft where that purchase is a consequence of an order made by the Land Court under section 13…

31 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its proposed Agricultural Holdings Bill will include a right of compulsory acquisition and, if so, in what circumstances.

Answer · Ross Finnie: When launching the draft Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Bill for consultation in April 2002, I announced my intention to include in the bill provisions that would give secure tenant farmers a pre-emptive right to buy their holding when the landlord intended…

31 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why it is proceeding with the crofting community right-to-buy in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill despite opposition from Highland Council to the salmon fishing provisions in Part 3 of the Bill.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Executive policy as reflected in the Land Reform Bill was determined in the light of a range of factors including views expressed in the wide-ranging series of consultations on land reform which started with the consultations undertaken by the Land Reform Pol…

31 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in what circumstances the factors in section 85(6)(a) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill would not be taken into account in assessing the value of croft land.

Answer · Ross Finnie: In assessing the value of croft land, a valuer would only not take account of the matters set out in section 85(6)(a) where these matters do not arise.

31 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any detriment to the seller of land under the crofting community right-to-buy will be taken into account when assessing whether an application is in the public interest under section 71(1)(o) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Ross Finnie: In considering whether any crofting community right to buy application is in the public interest, ministers will be bound to take account of all the information contained in the application, the responses to the application and in further comments from the ap…

31 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the existence of adequate compensation provisions alone justifies the introduction of powers of compulsory purchase of land.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The existence of adequate compensation provisions does not provide the justification for the use of compulsory purchase powers. The use of such powers is justified by the contribution they make to the delivery of public policy objectives in the public interes…

31 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the estimate of "1 exercise of the new compulsory purchase power every 10 years", given in paragraph 324 of the Explanatory Notes to the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, refers to the crofting community right to buy and, if not, to what it refers.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The estimate in paragraph 324 of the Explanatory Notes to the Land Reform Bill, to which the question refers, relates to the compulsory purchase powers to be found in sections 32(3) and 69(2) of the bill.

31 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many salmon fishings fall within the definition of "eligible croft land" in section 67(4)(b) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has no reason to collect such information and has not done so. In any case this is information that can only be readily established through local enquiry. In our view most salmon fishing proprietors will already know whether their salmo…

31 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26188 by Ross Finnie on 5 June 2002, where croft land abuts a salmon fishing for some of its length, whether it is intended that the whole of that salmon fishing is eligible croft land or only that section with croft land on its bank.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Where a salmon fishing abuts croft land it is intended that only the part of the salmon fishing property which actually abuts the croft land should be capable of being acquired through the crofting community right to buy.

22 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it or the Lord Advocate has to discipline any sheriff found to be incompetent to perform the functions of the office.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Under Section 12 of the Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1971 the First Minister may establish an investigation into the fitness for office of any sheriff. During such an investigation the sheriff may be suspended from office. If the First Minister receives a re…

22 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive with what on-going training programmes sheriffs are required to comply.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Training is not compulsory although the practice is for all new members of the Judiciary to attend induction training at the time of their first appointment. Training programmes are organised and run by the independent Judicial Studies Committee which is fund…

22 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how sheriffs' performance is assessed.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Sheriffs are independent of the Executive and there is no formal assessment of performance. Complaints about performance may be investigated in the manner described in the answer given to question S1W-27835 today.

22 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how litigants may make representations in respect of the conduct of a sheriff who they feel has not competently handled the case.

Answer · Jim Wallace: It is open to parties in a case to appeal against a decision of a sheriff to a higher court. If litigants wish to register a complaint about the actings of a sheriff they may write to the Sheriff Principal of the relevant sheriffdom or to the Judicial Appoint…

5 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what compensation will be paid to the owners of salmon fishings, sporting rights and mineral rights for any immediate losses in the market value of their holdings as a consequence of the absolute right to buy under Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive does not accept that the implementation of legislative provisions for a crofting community right to buy as proposed in Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill will have an adverse impact on the market value of salmon fishings, sportin…

28 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of constructing a parallel link road between Middlebank and Inchture with the flyover under construction at the Inchture Junction of the A90 will be and whether the cost will be higher than the cost would be if the link road were constructed at the same time as the flyover …

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: This situation did not arise as the additional statutory road and compulsory purchase orders required for a link road to Inchture are not in place.

28 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what account it took of the views expressed by its public inquiry reporter on the creation of a parallel link road for local traffic between Middlebank and Inchture to connect with the flyover at the Inchture Junction on the A90 when it took the decision not to proceed with the construct…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: In their decision letter following the Public Inquiry, Scottish ministers accepted the reporter's recommendation to give early consideration to funding the option of extending the link road through to Inchture Interchange. Due to higher priorities on the A90 …

28 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received in relation to the creation of a parallel link road for local traffic between Middlebank and Inchture to connect with the flyover under construction at the Inchture Junction on the A90.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Six expressions of support for the link road have been received.

23 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why communities should be given the opportunity by Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill to purchase land compulsorily in order to utilise it in a holistic fashion if this were to cause land severance and deny the present owner the ability to manage his land in a holistic fashion.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The objective of land reform is to remove land-based barriers to the sustainable development of rural communities. It is not expected that crofting communities will wish to exercise the crofting community right to buy unless the current ownership has proved t…

22 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses to its consultation paper, Draft Land Reform (Scotland) Bill expressed (a) support for, and (b) opposition to, the provisions in Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill for the compulsory purchase of salmon fishings, and which bodies expressed such support or oppositi…

Answer · Ross Finnie: All the non-confidential responses to the consultation on the draft Land Reform (Scotland) Bill are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre. The consultation was not a referendum on any particular bill provision but rather sought views on the bill as a…