Parliamentary questions
Liam McArthur
3,663 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
4 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have had their electricity supply disconnected in the last 12 months as a result of outstanding debt, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government funds the Energy Saving Trust (EST) to provide free, comprehensive energy saving advice through the Energy Saving Scotland advice centres. Advisors signpost any callers reporting debt issues to appropriate money advice services.</p> <…
4 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost per recipient has been of measures issued under the Home Insulation Scheme in 2009-10, broken down by area.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29733 on 14 December 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at </p> <p ><a href="http://www.scottish.parliam…
4 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost has been of measures issued under the Home Insulation Scheme in 2009-10, broken down by area.
Answer · Alex Neil: Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) assessors began visits to every house in a HIS area in November, with the exception of those households who have previously responded by other means such as in response to a direct mailing. The assessors are currently working to i…
4 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have received support from the Home Insulation Scheme in 2009-10, broken down by area.
Answer · Alex Neil: Home Insulation Scheme (HIS) assessors began visits to houses in the 10 HIS areas in November. In the period to 6 December, which covers the first month of activity by assessors, 12,091 households had received an energy audit generating 4,667 referrals for th…
4 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have received support from the Energy Assistance Package in 2009-10, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Alex Neil: Statistical Information is not held at constituency level. The following table shows the households helped under the Energy Assistance Package (EAP) to the end of November 2009, analysed by local authority.</p> <p >The type of support provided includes energ…
4 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost per claimant has been of the Stage Three and Stage Four measures issued under the Energy Assistance Package in 2009-10, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Alex Neil: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29720, on 16 December 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Scottish Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <u><a href="http://www.scottish.parl…
4 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost has been of the Stage Three and Stage Four measures issued under the Energy Assistance Package in 2009-10, broken down by parliamentary constituency
Answer · Alex Neil: The cost of measures delivered under the Energy Assistance Package is analysed at national level.</p> <p >The Energy Assistance Package is supported by a budget of over £60 million in 2009-10, which is drawn from budgets for fuel poverty, tackling poverty a…
4 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have received Stage Three or Stage Four support from the Energy Assistance Package in 2009-10, broken down by parliamentary constituency.
Answer · Alex Neil: The Energy Assistance Package adopts an holistic approach to tackle fuel poverty: helping to maximise household incomes though benefits and tax credit checks; reducing fuel bills by providing advice on wise energy use and access to social tariffs and improvin…
3 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with stakeholders regarding the distribution of Scotland’s share of the recently announced 300 million euro EU funding package for the dairy industry
Answer · Richard Lochhead: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29590 on 15 December 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/App…
3 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to begin distributing Scotland’s share of the recently announced 300 million euro EU funding package for the dairy industry.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We expect to be in a position to begin distributing Scotland''s share of the EU dairy fund during the first half of next year.</p>
3 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive Scotland’s share of the recently announced 300 million euro EU funding package for the dairy industry.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We expect to receive Scotland''s share of the EU dairy fund next year.</p>
3 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to distribute Scotland’s share of the recently announced 300 million euro EU funding package for the dairy industry to ensure that the producers experiencing the greatest difficulty will receive adequate support.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: A final decision on how to distribute the EU funding to the Scottish dairy sector will be made after the views of stakeholders have been received.</p>
3 Dec 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that Scotland’s share of the recently announced 300 million euro EU funding package for the dairy industry will be used to support the most vulnerable dairy producers.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We are liaising with the Scottish dairy sector to ensure that this support is utilised to maximum effect.</p>
3 Dec 2009 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact on Orkney of the planned introduction of car parking charges at Kirkwall Airport.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We have not made such an assessment. Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd consulted interested parties prior to taking the decision to introduce car parking charges.</p>
17 Nov 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what capital investment was made by the Scottish Agricultural College in its Thurso Disease Surveillance Centre in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10 and will be made in 2010-11; what work was or will be carried out in each case, and what proportion of the funding came or will come from the Scot…
Answer · Richard Lochhead: </p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > <td width=71 valign=top > <p >2004-05</p> </td> <td width=525 valign=top > <p >£113,000 (SEERAD) and £15,000 (SAC).</p> </td> </tr> <tr > <td width=71 valign=top > <p align=left…
29 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it takes to monitor the animal health surveillance work of the Scottish Agricultural College in order to ensure that it complies fully with the terms of its contract with the Scottish Executive.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: There is no contract between Scottish Government and Scottish Agricultural College which regulates animal health surveillance activities. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28511 on 10 November 2009. All answers to written parliamentary question…
29 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial penalties would be applied were the Scottish Agricultural College to fail to carry out any of the animal health surveillance work required by its contract with the Scottish Executive.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: There is no contract between Scottish Government and Scottish Agricultural College for this work. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28511 on 10 November 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s web…
29 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the extent is of the animal health surveillance work that the Scottish Agricultural College is required to carry out in Orkney under its contract with the Scottish Executive.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: There is no contract between Scottish Government and Scottish Agricultural College which regulates animal health surveillance activities. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28511 on 10 November 2009. All answers to written parliamentary question…
29 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the extent is of the animal health surveillance work that the Scottish Agricultural College is required to carry out under its contract with the Scottish Executive.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The veterinary surveillance work carried out by Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) is not carried out under contract. The work is managed through a Memorandum of Understanding, which sets out the framework and a series of descriptors, revised annually, which…
29 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether fishermen will receive compensation for discarding nets that comply with the mesh-size regulations when measured by the wedge-shaped measuring device used previously but fail when measured by the new electronic net-measuring gauge and, if so, what compensation.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: We have no plans to offer compensation in such circumstances.</p>
29 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the cost of the new electronic net-measuring gauge to measure the mesh sizes of fishermen’s nets compares with that of the wedge-shaped measuring device used previously.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The cost of the new objective mesh gauge (Omega) is approximately £1,500 per gauge. The last time wedge gauges were purchased for enforcement officers was some 15 years ago. The cost then was approximately £35 per gauge.</p>
29 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether research was carried out to compare the measurements of the meshes in fishermen’s nets using the new electronic net-measuring gauge and the wedge-shaped measuring device used previously and, if so, what the results were.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The results of the laboratory trials showed that there was no significant difference between the objective mesh gauge (Omega) and the wedge-shaped gauge. In the field trials conducted by fisheries inspectors, in meshes of 55 mm or more, the measurements taken…
29 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the fishing industry and net manufacturers were consulted before the adoption of an electronic net-measuring gauge to measure the mesh sizes of fishermen’s nets, replacing the wedge-shaped measuring device used previously, and what views were expressed in reply to any such consult…
Answer · Richard Lochhead: No formal consultation was carried out by the Scottish Government as none is required to simply introduce a new piece of inspection equipment.</p> <p >However, the genesis of the objective mesh gauge (Omega) goes back to the late 1990s. During initial projec…
29 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the electronic net-measuring gauge now used to measure the mesh sizes of fishermen’s nets was independently tested for robustness and reliability before it was introduced
Answer · Richard Lochhead: The objective mesh gauge (Omega) was initially developed in an EU-sponsored research project, the Omega project. The partners in the project included fisheries inspection services and fisheries research institutes from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Net…
29 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the adoption of an electronic net-measuring gauge to measure the mesh sizes of fishermen’s nets, replacing the wedge-shaped measuring device used previously.
Answer · Richard Lochhead: In the late 1990s, a research project funded by the European Commission evaluated mesh measurement methodologies for fisheries inspection and research. In 1999, an international study group was set up by the International Council for the Exploration of the Se…
29 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release of 23 September 2009, Broadband for rural Scotland, when it plans to announce the list of rural telephone exchanges that are to be upgraded to increase access to broadband and the programme for the upgrading work.
Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government hopes to be in a position to announce the exchanges to be upgraded and indicative timescales by the end of this year. Further information will be posted on our website, in due course, at <a href="http://www.broadbandforscotland.co.uk/"…
28 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2014, Scottish Water will have a responsibility under a Priority 1 objective to address external flooding and, if not, whether it will take action to address its causes and effects.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: During the period 2010-15, Scottish Water is directed to create and maintain a register of properties affected by external sewer flooding. Details of the objectives set for Scottish Water are available at:</p> <p ><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/…
28 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation process was undertaken regarding the ministerial objectives for Scottish Water for 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2014.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Ministerial Objectives for Scottish Water for the period 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2014 were originally set following a public consultation by the previous administration in 2005. Minor alterations have been made to those original Objectives to reflect the…
28 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the ministerial objectives for Scottish Water for 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2014 will be finalised.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Ministerial Objectives for the period 2010-15 were published on the 27 October 2009 and are available on the government''s website at: </p> <p ><a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/waterindustryscot/latest-news/swdirections">www.…
28 Oct 2009 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken in the last two years to address the causes and effects of external flooding.
Answer · Stewart Stevenson: External flooding can be caused by insufficient capacity of the sewers to take the required volumes of sewerage or by operational issues such as blockages. In 2008-09, Scottish Water removed over 6,000 blockages, many of which were caused by customers disposi…