Rob Gibson

9 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the report of the Committee of Inquiry on Crofting will be published and whether the Scottish Ministers will make a statement.

Answer · Michael Russell: The report of the Committee of Inquiry on Crofting was published on 12 May 2008. The Scottish Government will respond to the committee''s recommendations in due course. Copies of the report can be accessed through the Committee of Inquiry on Crofting website …

17 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to protect important seabird populations.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: To date, 144 Special Protection Area''s (SPAs) have been classified in Scotland under the EC Birds Directive, 49 of which relate to seabird interests.</p> <p >We recognise that Scotland''s seabird populations are of European and Global renown.</p> <p >I a…

7 Mar 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what formula capital funds are being made available to NHS boards and special health boards for 2008-09.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards have been given a formula capital allocation of £324 million for 2008-09, and notified of indicative allocations of £329 million and £334 million for 2009-10 and 2010-11.</p> <p >Details of NHS boards formula capital allocations for 2008-09 and in…

22 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools completed under PPP contracts contain art departments with kilns.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>

22 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in what years the ceramics departments in the art schools in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Edinburgh and (c) Dundee ceased to take undergraduate students.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The Duncan of Jordanstone Art School at the University of Dundee ceased to admit undergraduate students to ceramics courses in 1999.</p> <p >Edinburgh College of Art ceased to admit undergraduate students to ceramics courses in 2002.</p> <p >Gray''s School …

22 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many students qualified from art schools in Scotland with a degree majoring in ceramics in each year from 1999 to 2007.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The following table provides the number of graduates from Scottish higher education institutions that completed their studies with a degree qualification where the major subject of study or the title of the course was ceramics.</p> <p >Number of Graduates fr…

22 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many students presented in ceramics at standard, higher and advanced higher grades in each year from 1999 to 2007.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) does not provide courses in ceramics at Standard Grade, Higher or Advanced Higher level although candidates have the option of studying ceramics within Art and Design courses at all levels.</p> <p >The total numbe…

22 Feb 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools have a kiln in their art departments.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>

30 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how long the process to achieve candidate status for UNESCO World Heritage Site status takes to be agreed.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: The process for achieving World Heritage Site status is a long one. The UK nominations until 2010 have already been announced. In order to be nominated for World Heritage status a site must be on the UK Tentative List. Preparation of a nomination usually take…

30 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its role is in the process of supporting a Scottish candidate for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: To be nominated for World Heritage Site status a site must first be on the UK''s Tentative List. Scottish ministers are responsible for nominating Scottish sites for inclusion on the Tentative List.</p> <p >The Department for Culture Media and Sport and the …

30 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) criteria require to be met and (b) assessment is made to achieve candidate status for UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: </b>To be nominated for World Heritage Site status a site must be on the UK''s Tentative List. The current List was published in 1999 and it is due to be reviewed as part of a wider review of World Heritage in the UK. The Department of Culture, Media and Spor…

28 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to lobby the UK Government to reduce or remove VAT on house repairs and improvements.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The setting of rates of VAT is a reserved matter, but the government is aware of concerns around these particular VAT rules and will consider bringing them to the attention of the UK Government. The government's national conversation on Scotland's constitutio…

28 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what peer-reviewed information it has gathered on the Crown Estate Commissioners’ recent report on proposals to create an undersea connector from Shetland to Norfolk in respect of costs, routes and markets.

Answer · Jim Mather: The East Coast Transmission Network: Technical Feasibility Study was commissioned by the Crown Estate. The Scottish Government has not gathered any additional information on the report but welcomes the contribution it makes towards exploring ways of harnessin…

8 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence has been provided by the Chief Scientific Adviser to ministers to justify the view that “the public doesn’t get good-quality information and decisions are being made based on prejudice about GM crops”.

Answer · Michael Russell: Ministers have not asked for,nor been provided with, advice on GM crops from the Chief Scientific Adviser forScotland, Professor Anne Glover.</p>

8 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how often the Chief Scientific Adviser has visited the Rothamsted Research centre and when she last visited the centre.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Chief Scientific Adviserfor Scotland, Professor Anne Glover, has visited Rothamsted Researchonce, on 10 December 2007.</p>

3 Dec 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in co-operation with the Northern Ireland Executive on the Campbeltown to Ballycastle ferry service.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: At the British IrishCouncil in July 2007 agreement was reached to re-examine the case for theCampbeltown to Ballycastle ferry service. In taking this forward, I have agreedwith my counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive to commission jointly aSTAG appra…

28 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children were relocated from (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools as a result of school closures in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The ScottishGovernment does not collect information on the number of pupils relocated as aresult of school closures.</p><p>Information onthe school rolls from 1996 to 2006 of all primary, secondary and specialschools in each local authority area is available …

28 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the condition was of each (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special school building that was closed in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The condition of any schoolat the time of its closure would have been be a matter for the local authorityconcerned.</p>

28 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools have been closed in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Maureen Watt: Information onprimary, secondary and special schools which have opened and closed since1996-97 is available on the Scottish Government website at:</p><p><ahref="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/openingsnarrative07">http://w…

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which agency is responsible for identifying areas of intertidal land around our coasts which are vulnerable to the impact of sea level rise and what steps that agency is taking to avoid the loss and deterioration of areas protected by EU conservation measures.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Local authoritieshave discretionary powers under the Coast Protection Act 1949 to protect the coastagainst erosion and encroachment by the sea.</p><p>Scottish Natural Heritageis responsible for providing advice to relevant public bodies on all aspects of the …

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much intertidal land and wildlife habitats have been lost as a result of sea level rise and coastal erosion since 2000 and what its policy is on protecting the extent of intertidal habitats, particularly those protected by EU conservation measures, from future losses due to rises in s…

Answer · Richard Lochhead: There are no figuresavailable for total losses of intertidal areas in Scotland since 2000. I understand that Scottish Natural Heritage’s (SNH) view isthat rocky intertidal areas are not considered likely to have changed significantlyin this period. Intertidal…

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was disbursed in grants to traditional, rock and classical music and jazz in each financial year since 1999-2000.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: Funding for musiccan come from three main sources: the Scottish Arts Council; ScottishEnterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Theseorganisations do not keep records by specific genres. A breakdown of thefunding given to music from 1999-2000 to 2007-0…

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what grants were given to festivals in each financial year since 1999-2000.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: The Scottish Governmentdoes not generally fund festivals directly, although on occasion exceptional one-offgrants are made.</p><p>Grants for cultureare distributed via relevant agencies. In the main, funding for festivals comesfrom the Scottish Arts Council, …

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive under what headings the Scottish Arts Council provides grants.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: The Scottish ArtsCouncil’s Guide to funds 2007-08 sets out the specific headings for grantprovision. This grant providing scheme covers crafts; dance; drama; literature;visual arts and music art forms.</p><p>The guide can befound on the Scottish Arts Council’…

19 Sep 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, when providing funding to Northern Constabulary, it takes into account policing costs in remote and rural areas and what information it has on what policing duties and equipment are more expensive in remote and rural forces.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Yes.The methodology used to calculate the distribution of funds to Scotland’s police forces takesinto account the increased costs of policing area of lower population density.Northern is one of the forces which benefits from this, in recognition of theincreas…

10 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3517 by Stewart Stevenson on 6 September 2007, for how many road traffic accidents on the (a) A835, (b) A836, (c) A837, (d) A838, (e) A894, (f) A897 and (g) A9 north of the Dornoch Bridge Roundabout foreign motorists have been deemed to be responsibl…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Data about injuryroad accidents is collected by the police and reported to the ScottishGovernment using the Stats 19 statistical report form. These returns cover onlyroad accidents in which oneor more people were injured and which become known to the police. …

10 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3515 by Stewart Stevenson on 6 September 2007, how many road traffic accidents involving foreign motorists have taken place on the (a) A835, (b) A836, (c) A837, (d) A838, (e) A894, (f) A897 and (g) A9 north of the Dornoch Bridge Roundabout in each ye…

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Data about injuryroad accidents are collected by the police and reported to the ScottishGovernment using the Stats 19 statistical report form. These returns cover onlyroad accidents in which one or more people were injured and which become knownto the police.…

10 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-3516 by Stewart Stevenson on 6 September 2007, how many road traffic accidents have taken place on the A838 in each year since 1999.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Government using the Stats 19 statistical report form. These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured and which become known to the pol…

31 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings have taken place since May 2007 between its Transport Directorate and the UK Department for Transport regarding the devolution of further powers for the Scottish Parliament under UK marine legislation.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: There is regulardialogue between officials in the Scottish Government and a variety of UK government departments in relation to marine issues.In relation to the UK Marine Bill, it is the Marine Directorate who lead onengaging with Whitehall, and as indicated …

31 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings have taken place since May 2007 between its Marine Directorate and the UK Department for Transport regarding the devolution of further powers for the Scottish Parliament under UK marine legislation.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: There is regular dialogueBETWEEN officials in the Marine Directorate and a variety of UK Government Departmentsin relation to marine issues. In relation to the UK Marine Bill, officials fromthe Marine Directorate attend Departmentfor Environment, Food and Rur…