- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish all veterinary advice it has received with regard to the lifting of the Over Thirty Months scheme.
Answer
The Food Standards Agency has provided advice to the Scottish Executive on the lifting of the Over Thirty Month rule. This advice, which is published on the agency鈥檚 website, included veterinary input. The Executive did not seek or receive separate veterinary advice on this matter.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 11 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the progress made by the visitscotland.com website and in what financial year it is expected to break even.
Answer
Visitscotland.comacts as a highly-effective shop window for Scottish tourism, and promotes Scotland to a global audience. It is performing well against its businessplan targets, and is generating significant business for the tourism industry inScotland. Since its inception it has generated 拢22million worth of business. It was always anticipated that it would take some yearsbefore visitscotland.com made profits. Its management is confident that it is ontrack to achieve profitability in the next three to four years.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the use of limited duration tenancies, as created by the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 2003
Answer
Informationprovided by respondents to our recent Agricultural and Horticultural Censussuggests that, as at 1 June 2004, over 100 limited duration tenancies and a similarnumber of short limited duration tenancies had been entered into.
I understand there issignificant demand among potential tenants for these new tenancies. I willexpect landowners to offer more LDTs in the near future, as experience of the2003 act grows and following the introduction of the new single farm payment.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 10 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses are scheduled to be built on land owned by the Forestry Commission in each of the next five years.
Answer
Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) currently proposes to build one FCS house on the national forest estate, at Glencroe, near Ardgartan.
In addition, in December last year, ministers asked FCS to work with Communities Scotland and local housing trusts to identify sites within the national forest estate that may be suitable for affordable housing. This initiative has identified forty potential sites.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8282 by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 May 2004, when it will publish the conclusions of Towards Better Oral Health in Children; what the reasons are for the delay in publication, and whether there have been any longer delays in the publication of other reports on consultations and, if so, which consultations.
Answer
The outcome of our consultation on measures to improve the oral health of children in Scotland will be announced as soon as we have completed our consideration of the many responses we have received.
Information about the interval between consultations and the announcement of their outcome is not routinely collected and collated.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 10 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive when Forestry Commission Scotland will bring forward a community purchase scheme; how many houses such a scheme will aim to provide, and when such houses are expected to be available for occupation.
Answer
In December last year, ministers asked Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) to work with Communities Scotland, registered social landlords, some local authorities and local housing trusts to identify sites within the national forest estate that may be suitable for affordable housing. This exercise has identified forty potential sites but it is too early to estimate the number of houses that may be built or when they may be available for occupation.
Ministers also asked FCS to prepare a draft community purchase scheme in respect of the national forest estate. Once this has been completed, FCS will undertake a public consultation exercise about the details of the scheme.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 10 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that someone who donates an organ to another human being should, if they take time off from their employment, have annual leave deducted as a consequence.
Answer
Responsibility for matters relating to employment is reserved to the UK Government. I understand that leave entitlement is a matter of contractual agreement between the employer and employee, taking account of any relevant legislation. The granting of additional leave under exceptional circumstances is a discretionary matter for employers.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the cost of the Over Thirty Months scheme is per animal; whether that cost is approximately 拢1,200; what the total cost of the scheme to it was in each of the last two years, and what estimate it has made of the total cost of the scheme in the current year and each of the next two years.
Answer
In 2003, the average cost per animal under the Over Thirty Months Scheme, as estimated by the Rural Payments Agency, was approximately 拢510. The Executive makes no contribution to OTMS costs, which are part funded by Defra and the EU.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what interest has been expressed from overseas about the purchase of Scottish pedigree livestock; whether any assessment has been made of financial benefits that could be derived from the lifting of the ban on live exports, and, if no such assessment has been made, whether there will now be one.
Answer
There have been no direct approaches made to the Executive regarding the purchase of Scottish pedigree livestock for subsequent export. However, I understand there have been periodic approaches to the industry on this matter. An assessment to determine the financial benefits of lifting the ban in relation to live exports has not been conducted by the Executive and there are no plans to initiate one.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 8 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the transitional funding for fire service modernisation, announced on 28 September 2004, can be used in order to prevent the loss of 32 auxiliary units in the Highlands and Islands earmarked for possible closure and whether this is a matter for Highlands and Islands Fire Board.
Answer
The funding announced on 28 September 2004 is to assist Highland and Islands Fire Board with local fire station improvements and the upgrading of staff from volunteer to retained firefighter status. The provision of emergency fire cover, including the 32 units in question, is a matter for the board.
