- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive under what circumstances a crofting community body will be able to dispose of land that it has acquired under Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.
Answer
The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill contains no provisions that specify circumstances in which a crofting community body may or may not dispose of land acquired through the exercise of the right to buy. Any restrictions on disposal of land will be governed, where required, by the terms and conditions of the grant or loan documentation of the crofting community body's funders, and by the crofting community body's own Memorandum and Articles of Association.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive why no test of necessity forms part of the crofting community right to buy contained in the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill, given practices under standard compulsory purchase legislation.
Answer
The powers of compulsory acquisition in the bill do not seek to emulate compulsory purchase legislation in every respect. It is the policy of the Scottish Executive that crofting communities should have the opportunity to buy their croft land if the acquisition of the land would be compatible with sustainable development and in the public interest. A test of necessity would not be compatible with the achievement of that objective.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive why salmon fishings are the only non-croft land to be included in the crofting community right to buy contained in Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.
Answer
Salmon fishings are not the only non-croft land to be included in the crofting community right to buy. The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill provides for the acquisition by the crofting community body of additional land that is not croft land. Salmon fishings and minerals are separate tenements of land and as a consequence may be held on a separate title from the land itself. Both of these can be acquired by the crofting community body through the crofting community right to buy along with or separately from the croft land.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1719 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 September 1999, when the research commissioned into business finance and securities over moveable property will be published.
Answer
Summary findings and a full research report on Business Finance and Security over Moveable Property were published on Monday 23 September 2002. The research can be accessed on the Scottish Executive's website and copies have been lodged with the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 22 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28916 by Ross Finnie on 25 September 2002, why the reasons contained in that answer do not also apply to the absolute right to buy salmon fishings contained in Part 3 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.
Answer
The reasons given in answer to question S1W-28916 relate to an absolute right to buy and because of that are not relevant to the crofting community right to buy salmon fishings. The crofting community right to buy is not an absolute right to buy. It is conditional on a range of criteria being met and can be exercised by a crofting community body only when ministers consider that the acquisition of the property would be in the public interest. There are also very tight constraints on when the right to buy salmon fishings can be exercised. So the existence of the right should have no impact on the value of salmon fishings. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at .
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 10 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in developing services for women suffering from alcohol dependency.
Answer
The Executive's Plan for Action on alcohol problems, which was published in January, sets out that alcohol problems services should be sensitive to the needs of particular groups including women. The Executive published an Alcohol Problems Support and Treatment Services Framework on 5 September, which identifies women as one of the groups who might need support to access services.The Health Education Board for Scotland, Alcohol Focus Scotland and the Scottish Association of Alcohol Action Teams are currently establishing a women and alcohol network. The network will provide a vehicle for the development and dissemination of good practice in working with women.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 10 October 2002
To ask the First Minister what support the Scottish Executive will give to the development of Gaelic-medium schools.
Answer
We are providing specific grants towards the costs of Gaelic-medium education, supporting 1,860 pupils in 59 primary schools across the length and breadth of Scotland.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 9 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on the construction of new junctions on the A9 between Perth and Inverness.
Answer
The A9 between Perth and Inverness is a high speed long distance road with limited access. There is a strong presumption against providing new junctions.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 7 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what sums (a) have been spent in the current year and in each of the last five years and (b) are planned to be spent over the next three years by each NHS board and trust in respect of preparing for the possible adoption of the euro as the national currency of the UK.
Answer
As part of on-going strategic planning, NHSScotland bodies have been requested to produce individual outline changeover plans for any possible changeover, similar to that produced by the Scottish Executive during 1999. This was a limited management pre-planning exercise carried out from within agreed running costs. Resources have not been diverted from patient care.As part of the pre-planning exercise, NHSScotland bodies were required to produce resource profiles that might be required for different activities during various phases in the event of a possible changeover to the euro.This exercise did not constitute an estimate of the costs of a possible future changeover. It is not possible at this stage to produce estimates of the cost of a changeover to the NHSScotland. The cost of a changeover would be dependent on the timing, the approach taken and individual management decisions. Details of preparations in the public sector for a possible UK entry into EMU may be found in the Treasury's Sixth Report on Euro Preparations published in July.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 7 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what instructions it has issued to NHS boards and trusts about preparing for the possible adoption of the euro as the national currency of the UK.
Answer
Under the UK Government's prepare and decide policy, preparatory work for the possible adoption of the euro is under way. This work takes place at both the UK level and at the Scottish level.NHS boards and trusts have been asked to undertake a review of the implications of any possible changeover to the euro. NHS bodies have also been asked to assess the practical steps required and to submit implementation plans to the Scottish Executive. Details of preparations in the public sector for a possible UK entry into EMU may be found in the Treasury's Sixth Report on Euro Preparations published in July.