- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31273 by Ross Finnie on 18 November 2002, whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre the responses received to the consultation document, Registration of Sellers and Buyers of First Sale Fish.
Answer
Consultation meetings with industry interests throughout the UK are still taking place. Against that background we have advised industry that we shall accept written comments until the end of the year. Copies of responses received will be made available (except where respondents have requested that they be withheld) through the Scottish Executive library and the Parliament's Reference Centre in the New Year.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 28 November 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer what the cost has been to date of the Holyrood Progress Group newsletters.
Answer
The cost to date of the Holyrood Progress Group's 11 newsletters is 拢8469.14 excluding VAT.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 November 2002
To ask the First Minister whether the Scottish Executive will submit a backdated application to the European Commission for Objective 1 status for the Highlands and Islands in the light of any errors made by the Office for National Statistics in compiling GDP figures.
Answer
We will fight to secure the best deal for the Highlands and Islands. The deal struck by Tony Blair in Berlin in 1999 means that the Highlands and Islands has not lost out as it secured a comparable amount of funding. If the statistics show that full status would have been more appropriate, we will raise that context well in advance of the next negotiations.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 27 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates it has met with European (a) Commissioners and (b) Commission officials since May 1999, and what topics were discussed at each meeting.
Answer
Executive ministers and officials have held a wide range of meetings, formal and informal, with European Union Commissioners and Commission officials in each of the last three years. It is not our practice to disclose details of such meetings, which are numerous, not all recorded in detail, and are often in the context of sensitive and confidential negotiations.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 21 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) widows, (b) widowers and (c) children of members of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes have made applications for ex-gratia payments from the schemes.
Answer
Data is not held in the form requested. However, of the 10,515 payments made to date, 738 were made in situations where the original member shown in the 1993 data has died. Of these, 680 recipients are female and 58 male.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 18 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to its consultation document Registration of Sellers and Buyers of First Sale Fish, why a registration system is necessary; what the estimated cost of putting the system in place would be, and whether a registration system is required given that it is a proposal contained in the review of the Common Fisheries Policy and, under Council Regulation EEC 2847/93, it is not a requirement of EU legislation.
Answer
EU legislation (Council Regulation 2847/93) envisages that auction centres or other bodies or persons responsible for the first marketing of fishery products and therefore, the submission of sales notes to the control authorities shall be authorised by member states. The proposed system of designated auction centres and registered sellers currently under consultation with industry has been designed to allow the UK to comply with that provision with little or no change to current practice. The registration of buyers of first sale fish is not yet a requirement of EU legislation, although Regulation 2847/93 places responsibility for submission of the sales note on the buyer in circumstances where first marketing takes place other than through an authorised auction centre or other seller. The registration of buyers of fish is also proposed as part of the review of the CFP. It seems sensible, therefore, to propose also the registration of buyers, in anticipation of possible EC requirements; to ensure buyers of fish who may be responsible for submission of sales notes can be identified, and as a logical extension of traceability and control arrangements.The Fisheries Departments view the registration processes as simple and straightforward and unlikely to result in any additional costs to industry. Consultation and discussions continue with industry on detailed implementation arrangements, on which decisions remain to be taken.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 18 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated budget for (a) Scottish Natural Heritage, (b) the national parks programme and (c) the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park will be in (i) 2003-04, (ii) 2004-05 and (iii) 2005-06.
Answer
The funding allocation for Scottish Natural Heritage over the three years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 is 拢58.5 million, 拢60.9 million and 拢61.5 million respectively.Over the same period the allocation for national parks is 拢6.7 million, 拢7.1 million and 拢7.8 million. As yet no apportionment of the national parks allocation has been made.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 15 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what its projected trunk road spending will be in 2003-04, broken down by project and detailing the work to be carried out, the road and exact location.
Answer
Projected motorway and trunk road spending plans for 2003-04 are shown in the recently published
Building a Better Scotland. It is not possible at this stage to provide a detail allocation of spending to individual schemes but specific projects on which funding will be incurred for next year include the following:
| Project by Location | Brief Description of Works | Road |
| Bowerhouse-Spott | Upgrade from single to dual carriageway. | A1 |
| Haddington-Dunbar | Upgrade from single to dual carriageway. | A1 |
| Howburn-Houndwood | Upgrade from single to dual carriageway. | A1 |
| Thistly Cross-Bowerhouse | Upgrade from single to dual carriageway. | A1 |
| Barfill-Bettyknowes | Overtaking section. | A75 |
| Cairntop-Barlae | Provide overtaking opportunities. | A75 |
| Dunragit Re-alignment | Replace bridge and provide overtaking opportunities. | A75 |
| Hardgrove-Kinmount | Overtaking section. | A75 |
| Newton Stewart | Acceleration lane north of roundabout | A75 |
| Planting End to Drumflower | Eastbound overtaking section. | A75 |
| Crossroads | Conversion of staggered junction to roundabout. | A76 |
| Gateside | Widen and create straight section of road. | A76 |
| Ardrossan-Stevenston | Bypass of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston | A78 |
| Baillieston-Newhouse | Refurbishment of carriageway | A8 |
| Shawhead Junction | Safety and congestion improvements. | A8 and A726 |
| Auchenkilns | Grade separated junction | A80 |
| Arisaig-Kinsadel | New 2 lane road. | A830 |
| Kincardine Bridge | New crossing and refurbish existing structure. | A876 |
| Forfar Grade Separation- Kirriemuir and Glamis | Road safety works. | A90 |
| Glendoick Interchange | Grade separation. | A90 |
| Inchture | Road safety works. | A90 |
| Kinfauns Interchange | Grade separation. | A90 |
| Preston-Balfarg | Upgrades of route junctions. | A92 |
| Coachford | Climbing lane. | A96 |
| Fochabers-Mosstodloch Bypass | Single carriageway bypass. | A96 |
| Newtongarry-Adamston | Climbing lane. | A96 |
| Kincardine Eastern Link Road | New wide single carriageway eastern link road. | A985 |
| M74 Completion | Provision of link between M74 and M8 | M74 & M8 |
| Fenwick-Malletsheugh | Motorway extension between Glasgow and Kilmarnock. | M77 |
| Enterkinfoot | Removal of road stability problems | A76 |
| Burnside Improvement | Provision of overtaking opportunities | A77 |
| Turnberry Climbing Lane | Provision of overtaking opportunities | A77 |
| Symington Roundabout | Junction Improvement | A77 |
| Roadhead | Roundabout Improvement | A737 |
| Helmsdale | Road re-alignment and new climbing lane | A9 |
| Bankfoot | Junction Improvements | A9 |
| Ballinluig | Grade separated junction | A9 |
| Hatton Bends | Road Re-alignment | A90 |
| Gaich to Craggan | Road Re-alignment | A95 |
| Lighting | Refurbishment of High Mast Lighting | M8 |
| Overhead Gantries | Refurbishment of Overhead Gantries | M8 |
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 14 November 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer how much expenditure, excluding entertainment and hospitality costs, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has authorised in each year since July 1999 for the Office of the Presiding Officer, showing costs associated with the Presiding Officer, Deputy Presiding Officers and staff of the office and travel costs separately.
Answer
The Office of the Presiding Officer has incurred the following expenditure (excluding hospitality costs) in each year since 1999:
| 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03(6 months) |
| Staff Costs | 34,000 | 78,000 | 95,000 | 53,000 |
| Travel Costs | 7,000 | 3,000 | 7,000 | 1,000 |
| Other Costs | 18,000 | 18,000 | 27,000 | 14,000 |
| Total Costs | 59,000 | 99,000 | 129,000 | 68,000 |
These figures incorporate the salaries and on-costs of the four staff providing support to the Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officers. The lower staffing costs in 1999-2000, and to a lesser extent in 2000-01, reflect the initial set-up of the organisation when posts had not been filled.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 14 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29484 by Lewis Macdonald on 14 October 2002, what information it holds on the number of persons eligible for payments under the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes and what its estimate is of the total number of such persons based on the records it has.
Answer
The initial records showed 13,369 potential beneficiaries satisfying the conditions for an ex-gratia payment. We have been notified of a number of deaths of which the majority have led to payments to dependants. We are seeking to identify any additional beneficiaries before completing payments to those already identified.
