Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for ��˿�� to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-16803

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 July 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 1 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its policy in relation to the dipping of sheep.

Question reference: S1W-15580

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 May 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 30 July 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received or is aware of any veterinary advice that the human disease Ebola might reach the UK in consignments of smuggled meat.

The Ebola virus has not been found in meat imported into the UK. In countries where Ebola occurs, it may affect non-human primates. It has not been found in any other type of animal. As such the virus could in theory be present in meat from primates in outbreak areas. Import of meat from affected animals is however extremely unlikely, not least because infected primates develop the same severe illness as humans. Moreover, as most viruses require living cells in which to survive, it is highly unlikely that the virus would survive in meat.

Question reference: S1W-16281

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 11 July 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to ScotRail that it should review the reduction in the number of carriages from four to two operating on the Glasgow to Mallaig rail route on the 12:42 train from Glasgow and the 16:08 train from Mallaig.

Question reference: S1W-16526

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 6 July 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-3599 by Ross Finnie on 21 June 2001, whether it will give an undertaking that no measures relating to the proposal to introduce a 20-day standstill period following movements of livestock will be implemented prior to their consideration by the Parliament.

No decisions have yet been taken on the 20-day standstill proposal. Any new requirements that may arise from the proposal or alternative suggestions will require legislative backing before introduction and, as mentioned in the consultation paper, a further consultation will be undertaken on the draft legislation. Any new legislation will be subject to scrutiny in the normal way before coming into force.

Question reference: S1W-16540

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 6 July 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many objections Mouchel Scotland Ltd submitted during 2000 in respect of planning applications affecting access onto trunk roads which they were responsible for maintaining and in how many of these cases planning permission was (a) granted and (b) refused.

During 2000, Mouchel Scotland Ltd assessed 72 planning applications on behalf of the Scottish Executive. The Scottish Executive considered the information provided by Mouchel and recommended that 18 applications be refused.The responsibility for making final determinations on planning applications lies with the planning authorities and their decisions on these planning applications are not readily available to the Scottish Executive.

Question reference: S1W-16539

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 6 July 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether BEAR Scotland Ltd are statutory consultees in respect of planning applications which affect access onto trunk roads which they are responsible for maintaining and whether, if they lodge an objection to such an application, this automatically results in the application being called in.

The Scottish Executive is a statutory consultee in respect of planning applications that affect trunk roads. BEAR Scotland Ltd provide the Scottish Executive with an assessment and recommendation on planning applications submitted by planning authorities in the North of Scotland. Any recommendation by BEAR Scotland Ltd to refuse an application is assessed by the Scottish Executive before a decision is recommended to the planning authority. If the planning authority ignores the Scottish Executive's recommendation, a decision is taken on whether the planning application should be called in.

Question reference: S1W-16448

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 4 July 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many posts have been transferred from offices within the former regional structure of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to their corporate office in Stirling following the new appointments made to the agency.

Question reference: S1W-16449

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 4 July 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what new appointments have been made to the senior management team of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Since June 2000, the only new appointment to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) central management team was that of Dr Campbell Gemmell to the post of Strategic Planning Director in April 2001. There have been two retirements during the same period, resulting in an overall reduction in the number of Directors, so that the team now comprises the Chief Executive and four Directors. The only appointment to the SEPA Board during the past 12 months was that of Mrs M. Patricia Henton, on her promotion to the position of SEPA Chief Executive in October 2000.

Question reference: S1W-16282

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 July 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to lodge a motion in the Parliament on the fluoridation of the public water supply.

Question reference: S1W-16279

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 28 June 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government that it should ensure that the leaflets produced by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions which set out basic rules about driving in the United Kingdom, including advice on driving on the left, turning right at junctions and roundabouts, alcohol, accidents, motorways, speed limits and special motorway signs, are reprinted and made freely available through car rental companies and other outlets to tourists visiting Scotland from outwith the UK and whether it has any plans to produce a version of this leaflet specific to Scotland similar to Driving in Scotland, produced by the Scottish Road Safety Campaign.

The Scottish Executive is in touch with Her Majesty's Government on a wide range of issues.The leaflets produced by the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions, formerly the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, which set out basic rules about driving in Great Britain, are currently being revised. It is intended to make the new versions widely available later this year to a range of bodies in Great Britain including local authority and police Road Safety Units, ports and car hire companies.The Scottish Executive has no plans to produce Scottish versions of the GB leaflets. The Executive will continue to provide funding to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign for the development of road safety education and publicity materials, including leaflets such as Driving in Scotland.