- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to other EU member states to secure support for the concept of 'onal management as referred to in the European Commission's proposals in relation to the Common Fisheries Policy.
Answer
The reference to the establishment of regional advisory committees in the European Commission's Green Paper on the future of the Common Fisheries Policy reflects the hard work already undertaken by UK fisheries departments and the UK fishing industry.The Executive has also promoted the idea of a strengthened regional dimension to the CFP with its contacts from other member states. In particular, amongst northern states, familiar with the way in which the various stock recovery plans have been developed, there is an increasing recognition of the benefits of a more regional and inclusive approach.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive why the technical measures described in the Fisheries Research Services' news release of 13 March 2001 are different from those mentioned in the letter of 9 March 2001 from the Deputy Minister for Rural Development to the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, despite both letters stating that a 70% reduction in discards should be achieved.
Answer
The measures referred to in the Fisheries Research Services' news release of 13 March 2001 were offered as a general piece of advice about changes that fishermen could make to their gear to substantially reduced discards. They did not refer to the Scottish Executive's proposals at that time, as outlined in my letter of 9 March 2001 to the Scottish Fishermen's Federation.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 19 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how the figures quoted by the Deputy Minister for Rural Development in Parliament on 4 April 2001 (Official Report, col. 1249) in relation to the cost to the voluntary sector of the removal of water rates reliefs were calculated, whether any check was made of their accuracy and whether any assessment of the economic impact of the proposals was carried out.
Answer
The figures quoted by the Deputy Minister on 4 April were supplied by the water authorities. They are based on reliefs actually granted to the relevant customer group. Though no assessment of the economic impact of the proposals has been made, the withdrawal of reliefs is being phased over five years to give the affected organisations time to adjust.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 18 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to order an investigation into the conduct of the Head of the Fisheries Group.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 18 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any action is to be taken following recent press allegations concerning contact made by the Head of the Fisheries Group with fishermen's organisations regarding a letter to be sent from them in relation to the dispute over the fisheries aid package.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it had prior knowledge of any correspondence it received from fishing industry organisations following the announcement of the recent fisheries aid package and, if so, how was that knowledge acquired in relation to each letter received.
Answer
The Scottish Executive received a range of letters from fishing industry organisations following the announcement of the fisheries aid package some of which reflected prior discussions and some putting forward new information and views.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 18 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice is given to civil servants regarding the maintenance of impartiality.
Answer
The conduct of civil servants is governed by the Civil Service Code which requires that they "conduct themselves with integrity, impartiality and honesty". The full code is available at:http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/central/1999/cscode.htm.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 17 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many UK regulatory bodies have offices dispersed to Scotland, what these bodies are and how many staff are employed in their offices.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no general function in relation to the location of UK regulatory bodies in Scotland or the number of staff employed within their offices. The Executive does not hold records regarding the location of regulatory bodies sponsored by UK Government Departments.One exception is in the case of the Food Standards Agency in Scotland (employing 57 staff in Aberdeen). Food safety and standards are devolved matters and legislation for Scotland is determined by the Scottish Parliament.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified vets there currently are in Scotland and how many have been employed by government agencies in each of the last five years.
Answer
The number of qualified vets in Scotland is not held centrally by Government. The State Veterinary Service (SVS) is a GB body sponsored by MAFF. A breakdown of vets employed by the SVS in each of the countries year by year is not readily available.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 12 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive which geographic areas will not be included in the first wave of broadband technology.
Answer
Infrastructure may allow the technical possibility of broadband connections but companies can be expected to provide connections and services according to the likely level of demand and return on investment. This has tended to favour urban areas.We are currently investigating how the aggregation of public sector demand for broadband could stimulate wider supply by the industry. As well as identifying public sector demand, we are considering whether different procurement strategies for public sector services could improve general access to broadband.
