- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 24 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28868 by Lewis Macdonald on 18 September 2002, whether it has made any representations, or has been involved in any joint representations with Her Majesty's Government, to secure the location of any European agency in Scotland other than the European Maritime Safety Agency.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in touch with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the location of EU agencies.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Simpson on 22 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to expand the number of drug courts and, if so, what the timetable is.
Answer
Drugs courts are currently being piloted in Glasgow and Fife and are the subject of an independent evaluation. The findings of the evaluation will be available early in 2004 and will inform our consideration of the future of the drugs court. There are therefore no immediate plans to extend the number of drugs courts.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 21 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the results have been of the most recent research into links between salmon farming and wild fish stocks and what action will be taken in the light of such results.
Answer
Recent research results suggest a correlation between levels of sea lice on salmon farms and in the local marine environment. Proposals for further research into the distribution and behaviour of sea lice and their impact on wild stocks are under consideration.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many sniffer dogs are employed by the Scottish Prison Service; where such dogs are based, and how much this service costs.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Twelve dogs are based at Cornton Vale at a current annual cost of about £370,000.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 18 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many secure tenancies there are in the agriculture sector and how many such tenancies have become available in each of the last ten years.
Answer
There were estimated to be around 14,000 full tenancy agreements active in Scotland in 2001. The Executive does not hold information which breaks this figure down further by type of tenancy. Nor do we collect information about the number of new tenancy agreements that are concluded each year.However, Land Tenure Patterns in Scotland, published in 1995 by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland, provides some indications of the number and nature of tenancies entered into in recent years.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 August 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many operational staff there were in each water authority in each year since 1996 and what percentage of overall employees this represented.
Answer
North, East and West of Scotland Water Authorities ceased to operate from 1 April 2002 and were formally wound up on 29 June 2002. Employee information by service for the years 1996 to 2002 is contained in their published annual reports and accounts - available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. numbers given in the following table):
| Year | Bib. Numbers |
| North | East | West |
| 1996-97 | 9751 | 12833 | 12836 |
| 1997-98 | 12832 | 12834 | 12837 |
| 1998-99 | 4005 | 12835 | 4004 |
| 1999-2000 | 8790 | 7898 | 7925 |
| 2000-01 | 16464 | 17792 | 16463 |
| 2001-02 | 24607 | 24610 | 24612 |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what work it is carrying out to ascertain the economic impact on various different types of farms and, in particular, on hill and upland farms of the temporary 20-day standstill rule on livestock movements.
Answer
A comprehensive cost benefit analysis of the post-foot-and-mouth disease 20-day standstill arrangements is being commissioned. The analysis will take account of the differences in the livestock industry in the various parts of Great Britain, including the stratified nature of livestock production in Scotland.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide statistics on cattle movements, by category, into and out of Scotland over the last six months and whether it can provide details of the amount of carcass meat, including primals, being brought into Scotland and what the eventual market is for such meat.
Answer
The statistics on cattle movements cannot be produced for the reply deadline but will be sent to the member in due course and a copy placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 24521). The information relating to carcass meat is not available.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the basis is for continuing with the 20-day standstill rule for livestock movements and whether it has any plans to review the position.
Answer
The 20-day standstill movement is an important element of the Scottish Executive's animal disease control strategy. If there were to be a further outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease or another infectious disease the 20-day standstill would greatly reduce the risk of disease spread and increase the chance of the disease being identified before animals from the infected farm were moved to other farms or markets.The present 20-day movement restriction will be reviewed once a detailed cost benefit analysis into its impact on the industry has been completed.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made an assessment of any financial benefit the current exemption from the 20-day standstill regulations has brought to the islands.
Answer
Scottish Islands must comply with the general requirements of the 20-day standstill arrangements but livestock from the Northern Isles and the Western Isles Council area are allowed to be moved to a mainland market within 20 days of being at a market on the islands.This exemption was introduced only recently and it would be very difficult to assess its financial impact at this stage.
