- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the external relations budget was, and how many civil servants were engaged in matters relating to external relations, in each of the last three years.
Answer
A very wide range of posts in the Executive involve responsibility for some aspect of external relations work. It is not possible therefore to quantify the number of civil servants engaged in matters relating to external relations at any given time, nor to identify a specific budget for external relations work.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times its ministers have requested to speak at meetings of the Council of Ministers and how many times permission was granted since July 1999.
Answer
Discussions on the roles of members of the UK delegation to a meeting of the Council of Ministers are normally conducted on a confidential basis.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many official visits have been undertaken outwith Scotland by (a) the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice in relation to his responsibility for external relations and the development and implementation of links with Europe and (b) the former ministers with responsibility for Europe and external affairs since July 1999.
Answer
I have not yet undertaken a visit overseas in relation to my responsibility for external relations. The following table lists visits undertaken by the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs, Mr Jack McConnell, between November 2000 and November 2001, not including visits relating to education business:
Date of visit | End date | Country | Purpose |
28/01/2001 | | Belgium | Meeting the UK Permanent Representative to the EU and the Swedish Representative Office |
15/02/2001 | 17/02/2001 | France | Meeting to prepare for the next CLRAE Conference of Presidents in November |
16/03/2001 | | Belgium | Attendance at Governance Hearing |
24/04/2001 | 26/04/2001 | Poland | Address at British Council conference "Borders and their impact on European citizens" |
29/05/2001 | | France | CLRAE: Regional chamber meeting and cultural and education sub-committee meetings |
04/09/2001 | | France | Attendance at CLRAE Working Group |
05/10/2001 | 08/10/2001 | Germany | Meeting with Ministerial counterparts and visits to the Bavarian and North Rhine Westphalia Parliaments |
09/10/2001 | 10/10/2001 | Belgium | A range of Scotland-themed events in Brussels |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it has held with UKRep since July 1999.
Answer
The Executive is in regular contact with the staff of UKRep. Information quantifying the number of meetings, visits or other contacts could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings of the EU Council of Ministers have been attended by its ministers since March 2000, expressed also as a percentage of the overall total of meetings held.
Answer
The information requested is given in the following table. This represents 12.8% of all council meetings held during that period. Scotland is represented at all council meetings as part of the United Kingdom.
Start Date | End Date | Council | Minister |
17/03/2000 | 18/03/2000 | Informal Council for Ministers of Lifelong Learning (Portugal) | Nicol Stephen |
20/03/2000 | 20/03/2000 | Agriculture Council (Brussels) | Ross Finnie |
08/06/2000 | 08/06/2000 | Education Council (Luxembourg) | Nicol Stephen |
16/06/2000 | 16/06/2000 | Fisheries Council (Luxembourg) | John Home Robertson |
22/06/2000 | 22/06/2000 | Environment Council (Luxembourg) | Sarah Boyack |
17/11/2000 | 17/11/2000 | Fisheries Council (Brussels) | Rhona Brankin |
20/11/2000 | 20/11/2000 | Agriculture Council (Brussels) | Ross Finnie |
30/11/2000 | 30/11/2000 | Justice and Home Affairs Council (Brussels) | Jim Wallace |
14/12/2000 | 15/12/2000 | Fisheries Council (Brussels) | Rhona Brankin |
12/02/2001 | 12/02/2001 | Education and Youth Council (Brussels) | Nicol Stephen |
26/02/2001 | 26/02/2001 | Agriculture Council (Brussels) | Ross Finnie |
08/03/2001 | 08/03/2001 | Environment Council (Brussels) | Sam Galbraith |
24/04/2001 | 24/04/2001 | Agriculture Council (Luxembourg) | Ross Finnie |
25/04/2001 | 25/04/2001 | Fisheries Council (Luxembourg) | Rhona Brankin |
04/06/2001 | 04/06/2001 | Health Council (Luxembourg) | Susan Deacon |
18/06/2001 | 18/06/2001 | Fisheries Council (Luxembourg) | Rhona Brankin |
28/06/2001 | 28/06/2001 | Transport Council (Luxembourg) | Sarah Boyack |
13/07/2001 | 13/07/2001 | Informal Council on Regional Policy (Namur) | Angus MacKay |
16/11/2001 | 16/11/2001 | Justice and Home Affairs Council (Brussels) | Jim Wallace |
20/11/2001 | 20/11/2001 | Agriculture Council (Brussels) | Ross Finnie |
17/12/2001 | 18/12/2001 | Fisheries Council (Brussels) | Ross Finnie |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its policy on external relations.
Answer
I propose to present a statement of the Executive's priorities for external relations at the time of my forthcoming appearance before the European Committee, the date of which is to be confirmed.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many visits it has received from UKRep since July 1999 and how many members of UKRep were present during each visit.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22471.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times ministers have been requested to take the lead on behalf of the United Kingdom at meetings of the Council of Ministers since July 1999.
Answer
Discussions on the composition of UK delegations to meetings of the Council of Ministers are normally conducted on a confidential basis. For a list of council meetings at which a Scottish minister led for the UK, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21028 on 28 January 2002.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance (a) is currently available and (b) will be available in 2002-03 to all farmers whose operations are affected by nitrate vulnerable 'one designations.
Answer
None. There is no specific financial assistance available at present but carrying out conservation management proposals which meet the objectives of a nitrate vulnerable zone is one of the criteria used to prioritise applications to join the Rural Stewardship Scheme. As regards 2002-03, regulations are being prepared to allow for a Capital Grant Scheme to be introduced. The proposed scheme would assist farmers in nitrate vulnerable zones by offering grant at a rate of 40% towards the building or upgrading of storage facilities.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 21 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many official engagements the First Minister has carried out in the north east Scotland parliamentary region since his appointment and whether it will detail these engagements.
Answer
I held a meeting with the Leader of Aberdeen City Council when I visited Aberdeen on 26 January 2002. I will be attending Parliament when it sits in Aberdeen in May and intend to carry out a number of official engagements in and around the region at that time.
