- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 15 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in persuading the European Commission to support a significant reduction in industrial fishing in the North Sea.
Answer
The Scottish Executive remains concerned about the scale of industrial fishing and itspotential impact on the marine ecosystem and has been active in discussingfuture management options.
In the course ofthis year, we have sought progress on two fronts.
As a result ofbilateral discussions with Denmark, representations have been made to theCommission to extend the sandeel fishery closure in the “Wee Bankie” area for afurther three years. The Commission is, we understand, minded to agree.
More generally,the UK Fisheries Conservation Group (which brings together relevantadministrations, and industry and other representatives) held a seminar in Mayon all issues relating to industrial fishing. Following this seminar a paperwas produced for the European Commission.
For the future,we now await the Commission’s specific proposals for the relevant TotalAllowable Catches (TACs) for agreement at the December council. It isnoteworthy that the International Council for the Exploration of the Seaappears to be implying that TACs in certain industrial fisheries (such as thatfor sandeels) should be reduced significantly.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 28 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many visits there have been by ministers to (a) Brussels, (b) London and (c) other locations outwith Scotland in each of the last four years and this year, expressed also as a percentage of ministerial visits outwith Scotland.
Answer
I refer the member to theanswers given to questions S1W-29052 on 9 September 2002 and S2W-2904 on 25 September 2003. These answers set out details of alloverseas engagements carried out by Scottish Executive ministers from July 1999 toMarch 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.The Scottish Executive does not hold records of ministerial visits within the United Kingdom.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 28 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34840 by Mr Jim Wallace on 31 March 2003, what proportion of formal meetings of the Council of Ministers have been attended by its ministers this year.
Answer
Scottish Executive ministers have attended six out of 39 formalmeetings of EU Councils in the period January to September 2003.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 22 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what service standards criteria it has laid down to Eaga Partnership Ltd and to contractors for implementing its central heating programme.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, the Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Herresponse is as follows:
The Executive has a formalcontract agreement with Eaga Partnership. That agreement sets out the servicestandards such as: technical specifications, technical inspections, qualitymanagement systems and monitoring procedures. Similarly, contractors working onthe programme have a formal contract agreement with Eaga.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with food manufacturers in Scotland about making healthier products and whether it has had any discussions about putting this issue on the agenda of the European Union.
Answer
The Scottish Executive and the Food Standards Agency have had discussions with a range of foodmanufacturers in Scotland, and the UK, about developing products with lower levels of fat,salt and sugar. Negotiations with the European Union are reserved to the UKGovernment.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 22 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether boiler replacement schemes are available under the central heating programme and, if not, when these will be made available.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, the Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Herresponse is as follows:
As part of a pilot project,applicants to the programme who request a boiler only replacement can have thismeasure carried out provided an engineer appointed by Eaga agrees theirexisting system is suitable for boiler only replacement. Applicants will haveto agree to insulation measures, energy advice and alarms being installed whereapplicable.
We will carry out a reviewon the outcomes of the pilot project in due course.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 22 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last conducted inspections of (a) Eaga Partnership Ltd and (b) contractors implementing the central heating programme and what the results of these inspections were.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, the Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Herresponse is as follows:
Communities Scotland meetwith Eaga on a regular basis to discuss progress being made on the central heatingprogramme and consider contract compliance issues.
Eaga are responsible for thework undertaken by their contractors and carry out 100% inspections of centralheating installations to ensure quality standards are met. They have in placeprocesses and procedures to deal with issues that may arise.
Communities Scotland iscurrently considering further measures for scrutinising the effectiveness of the delivery programme.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 22 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been cases where independent inspections have not been conducted of work carried out under the central heating programme.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, the Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Herresponse is as follows:
There have been no suchcases. All installations are inspected by Eaga’s technical monitoring officersas well as by one of two independent specialist companies.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 22 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out, or commissioned, research into the comparative costs of replacing heating systems and boiler replacements as part of the central heating programme.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, the Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Herresponse is as follows:
As part of the central heatingprogramme, the comparative cost of central heating systems installed under theprogramme are recorded by Eaga partnership for use in the programme. As part of the pilot project to replace boilers only, a cost analysis of boiler only andfull system replacements will be carried out.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 22 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any serious complaints made against (a) Eaga Partnership Ltd or (b) contractors with regard to implementing the central heating programme and what action has been taken with regard to any such complaints.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, the Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Herresponse is as follows:
The central heatingprogramme is a major programme of work impacting on the homes of individuals.The Executive expects that high standards of care are applied by thosedelivering the programme, and has contractual agreements in place governingthese aspects.
Concerns have been receivedabout the specifics of eligibility for assistance and about detailed aspects of the implementation programme. Issues of eligibility are for CommunitiesScotland to deal with. The eligibility criteria are set out in ScottishStatutory Instrument 2001 No 267, and this is an issue for the Scottish Executive to deal with. The execution of the eligibility criteria is a matter forEaga, and it is for them to determine whether individuals qualify for assistanceunder the programme.
