Parliamentary questions
Ms Rosemary Byrne
600 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
7 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it uses when determining renewable energy policy.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution recommended in its report <i>Energy – The Changing Climate</i> that the UK should aim to reduce its carbon-dioxide emissions by 60% by 2050. The UK Energy White Paper (2003) endorsed this target, and set out the…
7 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7685 by Nicol Stephen on 7 May 2004, what plans it has to publish its response to the Study Report published by the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute on biofuels.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The recommendations contained in the Study Report are still being considered.</p>
7 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7684 by Nicol Stephen on 7 May 2004, what the reasons are for the data not being held centrally; what information it has on which countries Scotland imports fuel from, and how much is imported from each such country.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The control of imports is a reserved matter. The Executive does not hold data on these matters.</p>
7 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what health safeguards are in place for the population surrounding the Energy, Power, Resources Ltd plant at Cardenden, Fife in respect of air, land and water pollution from the plant.
Answer · Ross Finnie: This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
7 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what environmental safeguards are in place for the area surrounding the Energy, Power, Resources Ltd plant at Cardenden, Fife in respect of air, land and water pollution from the plant.
Answer · Ross Finnie: This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
7 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what prosecutions have been undertaken as a result of (a) air, (b) land or (c) water pollution incidents at the Energy, Power, Resources Ltd plant in Cardenden, Fife, since 2001 and how many such prosecutions have been successful.
Answer · Elish Angiolini: The Procurator Fiscal at Kirkcaldy has received no reports against Energy Power Resources Ltd relating to pollution incidents since 2001 and, consequently, no prosecutions have been raised.</p>
7 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) air, (b) land or (c) water pollution incidents have occurred at the Energy, Power, Resources Ltd plant at Cardenden, Fife, since 2001.
Answer · Ross Finnie: This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
7 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring is undertaken into any potential air, land and water pollution incidents from the Energy, Power, Resources Ltd plant at Cardenden, Fife.
Answer · Ross Finnie: This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
7 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for those who (a) meet and (b) do not meet the criteria for accessing a methadone prescription or maintenance programme in Edinburgh.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Methadone prescribing is provided by individual GP practices, locality clinics, the Transitional Access Prescribing Service and the Community Drug Prescribing Service. Waiting times will vary and fluctuate from service to service.</p><p>By way of illustration…
7 Jun 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for accessing a methadone prescription or maintenance programme in Edinburgh.
Answer · Hugh Henry: There are no rigid local criteria. Patients must demonstrate a physical dependence on opiate drugs, but they do not have to be injectors. Prescribing is provided by GPs, by locality clinics, and by the new Transitional Access Prescribing Service. </p><p>In ad…
21 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which body is responsible for monitoring the operation of Torness, Hunterston and Chapelcross power stations and what such monitoring arrangements are.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Regulation of nuclear safetyis a reserved matter which is the responsibility of the Nuclear Installations Inspectorateof the Health and Safety Executive. Monitoring of environmental discharges fromnuclear power stations is a matter for the Scottish Environmen…
20 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many credit unions there are in rural areas.
Answer · Margaret Curran: There are currently seven creditunions with head offices based in rural areas in Scotland. Many more creditunions are accessible to people living in rural areas.</p>
20 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what pilot projects it has established to promote constructive dialogue between service providers in rural areas in each appropriate local authority area.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive funds a widerange of many and varied projects which promote constructive dialogue betweenservice providers in rural areas and between service providers and theircustomers, including projects which are funded through the ScottishRural Partnership…
20 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned on good practice by employers in providing for childcare needs in rural areas.
Answer · Euan Robson: The Scottish Executive part funded Children in Scotland’s “Growing up in Rural Scotland” programme, which,in 2001, included research into the role of local enterprise companies in ruralchildcare. It explored practical examples such as childcare as a business,…
20 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in extension of the Highland Wellbeing Alliance/Post Office/Barataria Foundation pilot projects to all areas of rural Scotland.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Highland WellbeingAlliance/Post Office/Barataria Foundation pilot project was set up to test waysof delivering services through the Post Office network. Post Offices are amatter reserved to the UK Government. The package of support from the DTI toPost Off…
20 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned into funders' requirements in respect of rural community buildings.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive is fully awareof the need to take into account the requirements of other funders in relation to the provisionof rural community facilities.</p><p>A consultation on the ScottishRural Partnership Fund (SRPF) came to an end on 28 May. One of the sc…
20 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned into international best practice in the provision of rural services.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive published <i>The Review of International Best Practice in Service Deliveryto Remote and Rural Areas</i> in 2002. In May we announced funding for the DESERVEproject through the Northern Periphery Programme, an EU Interreg IIIb programme,…
20 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned on the relationship between access to rural services and travel patterns.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive published research on rural accessibility in 2002 that examined the relationshipbetween travel patterns and access to rural services. Also in 2002, we publishedAvailability of Services In Rural Scotland, which provided maps of access to…
20 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what pilot schemes have been undertaken to investigate the "community mall" concept in each local authority area.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive has worked to facilitatea pilot project aimed at testing the “Community Mall” concept as an innovative approachto providing services in rural areas.</p><p>As a result of this work, BordersEnterprise has recently commissioned phase two of the Wal…
20 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in making rural community buildings accessible to all, given the requirements on the accessibility of buildings.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Disability discrimination legislation,including the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), is reserved to the UK Government.The Department of Works and Pensions has conducted an awareness raising campaignto ensure that those with responsibility for public facil…
20 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been allocated to the dissemination of good practice in the use of rural community buildings, such as schools and village halls.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has expended a total of £189,000 on dissemination of good practice in theuse of rural community buildings in the last two years. This includes the developmentof the Rural Community Gateway Website, a website devoted to sharing informati…
19 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for consulting parents regarding proposed school closures.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The statutory requirements onconsultation on proposals to close any school are set out in the Education (Publicationand Consultation Etc) (Scotland) Regulations 1981.</p>
18 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to monitor occurrences of ragwort arising on property under the control of BEAR Scotland Ltd in each year since the trunk road contract was awarded and how many enforcement notices and prosecutions there have been in each year as a result.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Under the Trunk Road MaintenanceContract BEAR Scotland Ltd is required to identify and treat areas of ragwort withinthe trunk road boundary to prevent them developing as infestations. The PerformanceAudit Group, on behalf of the Scottish Executive, monitors a…
18 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to monitor occurrences of ragwort arising on property under the control of Amey Highways Ltd in each year since the trunk road contract was awarded and how many enforcement notices and prosecutions there have been in each year as a result.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Under the Trunk Road MaintenanceContract Amey Highways Ltd is required to identify and treat areas of ragwort withinthe trunk road boundary to prevent them developing as infestations. The PerformanceAudit Group, on behalf of the Scottish Executive, monitors a…
18 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to monitor occurrences of ragwort arising on property under the control of Network Rail and its predecessors in each year since 1999 and how many enforcement notices and prosecutions there have been in each year as a result.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Weeds Act 1959 places theresponsibility for the control of certain weeds, including ragwort, on the occupierof the land. The act also empowers ministers to serve notices requiring the occupierto take action to prevent weeds from spreading. Failure to take…
18 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the trunk road contract contains a specific requirement for the removal of ragwort by contract holders when it arises in their area of operation and what monitoring controls the Executive has in place to ensure that any occurrence of ragwort is reported to it and removed.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Trunk Road Maintenance Contractsrequire the Operating Companies (OCs) to control the weeds specified in Section1 of the Weeds Act 1959 to prevent them developing as infestations or becoming anuisance. The performance of the OCs in all aspects of the contr…
18 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions for the non-clearance of ragwort under the Weeds Act 1959 have taken place in each year since 1999 and what percentage was successful.
Answer · Ross Finnie: No prosecutions for non-compliancewith notices served to control ragwort under the Weeds Act 1959 have taken placesince 1999.</p>
18 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many enforcement notices requiring the clearance of ragwort under the Weeds Act 1959 were served in 2003.
Answer · Ross Finnie: During 2003, three formal noticeswere served under the Weeds Act 1959, requiring action to be taken to clear ragwort.</p>
18 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to monitor any increase in occurrences of ragwort in each year since 1999.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department undertakes an annual review of the level of the problem posed by injurious weeds, including ragwort, by collatinginformation on the complaints received by its network of area offices. At the endo…
13 May 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when broadband will be available to all communities in the Borders.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Our broadband strategy for Scotlandhas accelerated the roll-out of affordable broadband across Scotland and we reachedthe coverage target of 70% of households announced in December 2002 ahead of timeand below budget. A new coverage target for the whole of Sco…