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-03764

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what was the average increase in the rateable values in Scotland as a result of the 1995 revaluation.

Question reference: S1W-03768

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it consulted with any representatives or representative bodies of the business community regarding its decision to fix a business rate poundage of 10.1% higher than in England prior to its ministerial statement on local government finance of 8 December 1999.

Question reference: S1W-03575

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been undertaken into the blood levels of trapped wild fowl.

Lead levels in wildfowl blood have been investigated in a range of studies throughout the world. These are listed below:

Anderson W L and Havera S P (1985), "Blood lead, protoporphyrin and ingested shot for detecting lead poisoning in wildfowl", Wildlife Society Bulletin, 13, pp. 26-31.

Dieter M P and Finley M T (1978), "Delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase enzyme activity in blood, brain and liver of lead-dosed ducks", Environmental Resources, 19, pp. 127-135.

Hall S L and Fisher F M (1985), "Lead concentrations in tissues of marsh birds: relationships of feeding habitats and grit preference to spent shot ingestion", Bulletin of Environmental Contaminant Toxicology, 35, pp. 1-8.

Madsen H H T, Kkjorn T, Jorgensen P J and Grandjean P (1988), "Blood lead levels in patients with lead shot retained in the appendix", Acta Radiol, 29, pp. 745-746.

Osweller G D, van Geldeer G A and Buck W B (1978), "Epiderminology of lead poisoning in animals" in Toxicity of heavy metals in the environment (editor F W Dehme), Marcel Dekker, New York.In Scotland, when acute poisoning incidents occur, investigations into the particular cause and poisoning level are carried out.

Question reference: S1W-03574

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been undertaken as to the incidence of wild fowl poisonings from lead shot in each of the last 20 years and what was the source of such research.

The poisoning of wildfowl from lead is now accepted as a serious problem for many populations. Research has been undertaken which establishes the problem and investigates the particular causes of acute poisoning incidents. A number of key reports giving international summaries of the problem of leadshot poisoning in waterfowl are available and are listed below:

Fawcett, D and van Vessen J (1995), Lead poisoning in Waterfowl: International update report 1995, Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Report No 252. JNCC, Peterborough.

Kulvenhoven P and van Vessem J (1997), Lead poisoning in Waterbirds: International update report, Unpublished Wetlands International Report.

Mateo R Martinez-Vialta, A and Guitart R (1997), "Lead shot pellets in the Ebro Delta, Spain: densities in sediments and prevalence of exposure in waterfowl", Environmental Pollution 96, pp. 335-341.

Pain D J (Editor) (1992), Lead Poisoning in Waterfowl. Proceedings of an International Workshop, Brussels, Belgium, 13-15 June 1991, IWRB Special Publication No 16.

Scheuhammer A M and Norris S L (1995), A review of the environmental impacts of lead shot shell ammunition and lead fishing weights in Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Occasional Paper No 88.

More detailed research on this particular issue has been undertaken within the EU, UK and Scotland. The most relevant of which is:

Mudge G P (1983), "The incidence and significance of ingested lead pellet poisoning in British Wildfowl", Biological Conservation, 27, pp. 33-372.

Other studies include:

Beck N and Ganval, P (1987), "Ingestion de plombs de chasse par la Becassine des marais Gallinago gallinago et la Becassine sourde Lymnocryest minimus dans le Lord-ouest de la France", Gibier Faune Sauvage/Game Wildlife: In press.

Bellorse F C (1959), "Lead poisoning as a mortality factor in waterfowl populations III", Natural History Survey Bulletin, 27(3), pp. 235-288.

Bowler, J M and Hugest B, (1997) Biological monitoring of lead shot replacement in the UK, final report of pilot study, unpublished, Wetlands Advisory Service report to DoE, WWT, Slimbridge (in prep).

Degtyarev A G (1996), Incident of lead shot ingestion in waterfowl and cranes of Yakutia, Ibid., pp. 25-27.

Grand J B, Flint P L, Petersen M R and Moran C L (1998), "Effect of lead poisoning on spectacled elder survival rates", Journal of Wildlife Management, 62(3), pp. 1103-1109.

Hohman W L, Pritchert R D, Pacell R M, Woolington D W and Helm R (1990), "Influence of ingested lead on body mass of wintering canvasbacks", Journal of Wildlife Management, 54(2), pp. 211-215.

Mateo R, Martinez-Vilalta A, Dolz J C, Bellure J, Serrano J M A, Guitart R (1994), "Estudio de la problematica del plumbismo en aves acuticas de diferentes humedales espanoles", ICON, pp. 196.

Mateo R, Bellure Jm, Dolz J C, Agullar J M and Guitart R (1997), "An peizotic of lead poisoning in greater flamingos. Phoenicopterus ruber roseus in Spain", Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 33, pp. 131-134.

Mateo R, Molina R, Grifols J and Gruitart R (1997),"Lead poisoning in a free range griffon vulture Gyps fulvus", Vet Rec, 140, pp. 47-48.

Pain D J (1992), "Lead poisoning of waterfowl: a review" in Lead poisoning in waterfowl (editor D J Pain), IWRB Special Publication No 16, Slimbridge UK.Spray C J and Milne H (1988), "The incidence of lead poisoning among Whooper and Mute Swans Cyngus cygnus and Color in Scotland", Biological Conservation, 44, pp. 265-281.

Question reference: S1W-03703

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 27 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce a similar body in Scotland to the American body "The Small Business Administrator".

The Scottish Executive has no plans to introduce in Scotland a body similar to the Small Business Administration in the United States of America. Public sector support for small businesses in Scotland is delivered primarily through Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and we are currently reviewing the existing Enterprise Network in Scotland. We will also give careful consideration to any recommendations which emanate from the inquiry into Scotland's local economic development services by the Scottish Parliament's Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee. The Executive is determined to ensure that public sector support for business in Scotland meets the needs of the twenty-first century.

Question reference: S1W-03702

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 27 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take any steps to reduce regulation of small businesses and, if so, what steps it will take.

The Improving Regulation in Scotland Unit will pursue business concerns about the burden of regulation and will work closely with small business representative groups to ensure that the particular needs of small businesses are kept to the forefront of policy making throughout the Executive. My officials in the IRIS Unit will soon be arranging the first of a series of meetings I plan to have with business across the country to hear at first hand about the regulatory problems they are encountering.

Question reference: S1W-03711

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 27 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value is of financial assistance that has been provided in Scotland for each of the past five years to the pig industry.

The CAP pigs regime does not provide direct support to pig farmers. This sector does benefit indirectly through EU funded private storage aids and export refunds, although the benefit to the Scottish industry cannot be accurately quantified.The following table lists offers of known financial support which have been made to this sector over the past five years.Offers of financial assistance made to the pig industry 1995-1999 (£'000s)

1995	1996	1997	1998	1999
547	578	100	319	3,100

Question reference: S1W-03715

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 27 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider the introduction of the American policy of corporate venturing to promote growth of small businesses.

The Scottish Executive believes that corporate venturing can bring significant benefits to both small businesses and their larger corporate partners, and we want to encourage the establishment of more such relationships in Scotland. The Executive therefore fully supports the UK Government's commitment to introduce corporate venturing tax incentives in this year's Finance Bill and we have asked Scottish Enterprise to consider specific initiatives to help stimulate a culture of corporate venturing in Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-03697

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 27 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its plans to introduce probationary tenancies are necessary given existing legislative measures to curb anti-social behaviour by tenants including powers to evict, provisions contained within the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and powers under section 48 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987.

Question reference: S1W-03734

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 27 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what initiatives it has implemented since 1 July 1999 in relation to helping small businesses.

The Scottish Executive is committed to improving public sector support to small businesses. Through the Executive, and related agencies, we have introduced a number of measures that will have a positive impact on the small business community. New initiatives implemented since 1 1999 July include: the Innovators Counselling and Advisory Service for Scotland which provides a specialist counselling service for Scotland's inventors and small innovative firms; introduction of an e-commerce suppliers directory and SMART guides for users by Scottish Enterprise; the launch of Loan Action Scotland, an energy saving initiative which will allow small companies to adopt energy efficiency measures in the workplace; the Scottish Learning Network which will establish 500 "learning points" within small businesses; establishment of The Improving Regulation in Scotland Unit (IRIS) to assist with regulatory issues; and announcement of the formation of a Small Business Forum. To ensure direct and continuing dialogue between the Scottish Executive and the small business community as a whole, a range of other developments are also ongoing or in the pipeline including: a consultation on Scottish Tourism; the formation of a Scottish Manufacturing Strategy; Knowledge Economy consultation seminars; and the launch of a consultation document to help develop a framework for economic development in Scotland.