- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what the population of Rum was and (b) which government conservation agency owned it, in each year since 1957.
Answer
The following table shows the population for Rum collected by the Registrar General in the Census of Population which is carried out every ten years.
Population Present1 | Resident Population2 |
1961 | 1971 | 1981 | 1981 | 1991 |
40 | 40 | 42 | 17 | 26 |
1
Persons present on census night.2
Persons usually resident. The 1981 figure includes both present and absent residents of households where someone was enumerated as present on census night; the 1991 figure includes both present and absent residents of households including a count or estimate where no-one was enumerated as present on census night.
Rum was purchased for the nation in 1957 by the then Nature Conservancy and has been managed by its successor agencies the Nature Conservancy Council, the Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland and, since April 1992, by Scottish Natural Heritage.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of a delay in the submission date for the application by the Scottish Natural Heritage to the Heritage Lottery Trustees in respect of Kinloch Castle from September 2001 to January 2002 at the earliest and what the reasons are for any such delay.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Natural Heritage.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Natural Heritage can effectively fulfil its duty both to the environment and to community development on Rum and what action the Executive will take to resolve any conflict between these duties.
Answer
The Scottish Executive believes that both functions can be progressed by Scottish Natural Heritage with the assistance of its partners.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 6 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16022 by Mr Jack McConnell on 13 June 2001, whether any institutions offer a part-time course for qualification as a primary school teacher that is recognised by the General Teaching Council for Scotland and, if not, whether it will take steps to ensure that such a course is provided.
Answer
A part-time Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) primary course at Strathclyde University, accredited by the General Teaching Council for Scotland and approved by the Scottish Executive, will be piloted in session 2001-2002.
A key feature of this part-time route is a formal agreement with four local authorities in the west of Scotland (Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Stirling) to recommend and sponsor students from their non-teacher school employees. The first cohort in session 2001-2002 will have 20 students.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost is of the contract let to Environmental Resources Management Ltd on 30 October 2000 in relation to the need for improved information on rural land holdings and on beneficial ownership.
Answer
The estimated cost is 拢23,030.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 1 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it expects demand for primary aggregates to change in the next five years and what factors it expects to account for any change in the level of demand.
Answer
Demand for aggregates will continue to be a matter for market forces. A number of initiatives are in place to increase the use of recycled aggregates which are intended to impact on the use of primary aggregates by the construction industry, particularly fiscal measures such as the Landfill Tax and the forthcoming Aggregates Levy.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 1 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the imposition of groundwater charges upon sheep producers.
Answer
The Executive has no plans to review the annual maintenance charge levied by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on those sheep producers who require authorisation under the Groundwater Regulations 1998 for the disposal to land of spent sheep dip.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 1 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it expects demand for recycled aggregates to change in the next five years and what factors it expects to account for any change in the level of demand.
Answer
The Scottish Executive expects demand for recycled aggregates to increase in the next five years as a result of the introduction by the UK Government of a tax on primary aggregates in April 2002.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 1 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the imposition of groundwater charges upon sheep producers constitutes an unfair competitive disadvantage in comparison with the position of sheep producers in England and Wales.
Answer
The annual maintenance charge levied by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency under the Groundwater Regulations 1998 is not unfair. The charge, which for the great majority of farmers is 拢127 or less, covers the costs to the agency of monitoring and administering the scheme.
Special dispensation will be made for those sheep farmers that have lost stock because of foot-and-mouth disease. Charges will be waived for the current financial year and farmers wishing to delay restocking until 31 March 2005 will be able to have their authorisations revoked without incurring extra fees when reapplying.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 1 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reform regulations on the specifications of construction materials and waste management in relation to the use of aggregates and whether any such changes will lead to a lower proportion of waste material and produce environmental gain.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is fully committed to seeking opportunities for sustainable construction and current standards already encourage such techniques.
As an example, the Scottish Executive Development Department is a signatory to the latest May 2001 version of the Specification for Highway Works, which incorporates new specification clauses permitting wider usage of recycled or secondary materials in road construction, rehabilitation and maintenance. This Specification will be utilised for all trunk road new works projects and will also be available for use by other clients, such as local authorities, where appropriate. Additionally, the Scottish Executive's Trunk Roads Divisions are actively involved in research and site trials of recycled road materials where it is hoped that these will provide further valuable support in promoting a sustainable approach to techniques for road construction.
In relation to reform of regulations for waste management, there is a long-standing governmental commitment to review the exemptions set out in Schedule 3 of the Waste Management Regulations 1994. DEFRA is taking the lead on a UK basis, with a view to the production of a consultation paper by the end of this year. The purpose of the exemptions is to encourage the re-use and recycling of waste. Specifically in terms of Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency published, in 1999, the National Waste Strategy, which sets out a framework for reduction, re-use and recycling of waste.
