- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish all responses and evidence it received in respect of its consultation on tail docking.
Answer
All responses to the consultation papers issued by the ScottishExecutive on proposals to revise animal welfare legislation in March 2004, on thedraft Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Bill issued in May 2005 and the draftProhibited Procedures (Exemptions) (Scotland) Regulations 2007 issued in October2006 have been placed in the Scottish Executive library except where respondentsspecifically asked for their responses to be treated confidentially.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 29 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give, in respect of each of the components of the cost of the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link, the original cost estimate on which it relied and the current estimate.
Answer
A breakdown of costs hasalready been provided by the project promoter and is contained within thePromoters Memorandum for the EARL Private Bill under the Estimate of Expensesand Funding Statement, submitted to the Scottish Parliament on 16 March 2006. Theestimated cost of the project calculated at 4th quarter 2004 prices amounts to£497 million.
The projected outturn costof the EARL project is between £550 and £650 million.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 29 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the refurbishment of Castle Tioram.
Answer
Historic Scotland is on record as confirming that it is willingto consider grant-aid for consolidation and repair of Castle Tioram, and for improvingvisitor interpretation. This would be without prejudice to any proposals the ownermight subsequently make.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how much time per annum is spent by each Scottish fishery patrol vessel in patrolling fishing grounds, also broken down into the time spent in each ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) square.
Answer
Fishery Protection Vessels (FPVs)operated by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency spent a total of 1,117 dayspatrolling the fishing grounds in 2006.
A record of the time spent by individualFPVs in each International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) statisticalrectangle is not held centrally. The information requested could be estimated throughan analysis of available satellite monitoring data but only at a disproportionatecost. However, a record of the time spent patrolling fishing grounds in 2006 atthe next aggregated level, ICES sub area, is kept and is given in the followingtable broken down by each FPV:
| FPV | ICES sub areas | Total |
| IIA | IVA | IVB | VB | VIA | VIB | VIIA |
| Jura | 0.5 | 164.5 | 64 | 0 | 23.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 253.5 |
| Minna | 0.5 | 71.5 | 16 | 1.5 | 217.5 | 0 | 0 | 307 |
| Norna | 0 | 20.5 | 8 | 0.5 | 231 | 19.5 | 1 | 280.5 |
| Vigilant | 1 | 171 | 35.5 | 0.5 | 56.5 | 11 | 0.5 | 276 |
| Total | 2 | 426.5 | 123.5 | 2.5 | 528.5 | 31 | 2 | 1117 |
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many scallop fishing vessels were boarded by Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency officers in each of the last five years, broken down into those with (a) 10 dredges and over and (b) less than 10 dredges.
Answer
The number of scallop fishing vesselsboarded at sea by officers from the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency in eachof the last five years, broken down by vessels using a total of 10 dredges or more,and those using less than 10 dredges in total is given in the following table:
| | (a) Scallop Vessels with a Total of 10 Dredges or More | (b) Scallop Vessels with Less than 10 Dredges in Total |
| 2002 | 10 | 1 |
| 2003 | 11 | 1 |
| 2004 | 19 | 0 |
| 2005 | 32 | 1 |
| 2006 | 47 | 0 |
The number of scallop fishing vesselsboarded at sea by officers from the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency in eachof the last five years, broken down by vessels using 10 dredges or more per sideof fishing gear, and those using less than 10 dredges per side of fishinggear is given in the following table:
| | (c) Scallop Vessels with 10 or More Dredges Per Side of Fishing Gear | (d) Scallop Vessels with Less than 10 Dredges Per Side of Fishing Gear |
| 2002 | 6 | 5 |
| 2003 | 2 | 10 |
| 2004 | 8 | 11 |
| 2005 | 7 | 26 |
| 2006 | 9 | 38 |
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what total amount of time is spent by each Scottish fishery patrol vessel per annum in ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) area VIa.
Answer
The total amount of time spent byeach Fishery Protection Vessel (FPV) of the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agencyin ICES area Via: is as follows:
FPV Jura: 23.5 days.
FPV Vigilant: 56.5 days.
FPV Minna: 217.5 days.
FPV Norna: 231 days.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 28 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in providing a single system of transcription of reading materials for blind or partially sighted people and whether it has been in contact with the RNIB on this issue and, if so, what response it has received.
Answer
The Centre for Communication Aidsfor Language and Learning, University of Edinburgh, was commissioned to conducta scoping exercise on accessible curriculum materials for all young people withadditional support needs, and to consider the need for a national transcriptionservice for curriculum materials. The final report, which sought views from organisationssuch as RNIB, was submitted to the Executive on 9 March 2007. Discussions on thecontent of the report took place with RNIB on 26 March 2007.
A stakeholder group meeting will be convened in May to considerthe report. RNIB will be invited to attend this meeting and to participate in discussionson the way forward.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 28 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate or best prediction is of the amount of end-year flexibility for 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does notforecast levels of EYF but provisional outturn data for 2006-07 on which EYF willbe based is expected to be announced in June 2007. Figures for 2007-08 can similarlybe expected in June 2008.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 28 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how much and what type of housing has been built on Rum in each of the last 20 years, also giving the permanent population of Rum in each of these years.
Answer
This is a matter for Scottish Natural Heritage. The informationrequested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans there are to build additional housing on Rum in each of the next five years; what provision will be made for affordable housing on Rum, and whether, in the work being considered in relation to Kinloch Castle, the Executive considers that holiday homes or timeshare properties should be incorporated.
Answer
Scottish Natural Heritage are currentlyexploring a number of options with the Rum Community Association for the provisionof housing and hostel accommodation on Rum to meet its aspirations for communitydevelopment and tourism, including various options for development of Kinloch Castle.Any proposals would be subject to the normal planning processes.
A detailed planning application for the Greenhouse hostel buildinghas been submitted to The Highland Council and is currently under consideration.At this stage, this is seen as part of a larger project involving Kinloch Castle,the nature of which would be dependent on consultation with key partners and onthe availability of funding.
