- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions on any measures towards establishing a single agency approach to deal with any future animal disease epidemic, as referred to in the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Seventh Report of Session 2001-02, Illegal Meat Imports, and whether such an approach would establish such an agency in Scotland separate from any other such agency in the United Kingdom.
Answer
The Scottish Executive was fully involved in the study undertaken by the Machinery of Government Secretariat of the Cabinet Office which examined the existing arrangement, administering the importation of legal and smuggled meat. Its report concluded that the responsibility for detecting and seizing illegal meat imports should be transferred to HM Customs and Excise and that, in the longer term, consideration should be given to establishing a single agency to deal with legal meat imports.Discussions on the best way to implement this recommendation are on-going and no decision has been taken on the form and size of any new organisation.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on when the Machinery of Government Secretariat is expected to report on the review of the system of import controls and the role of the responsible agencies.
Answer
The Machinery of Government Secretariat reported on 6 November 2002. The main recommendation is to transfer the responsibility for detecting smuggled meat from local authorities to HM Customs and Excise.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many tenders for quality contract schemes under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 were above the utilities sector threshold and needed to be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Communities.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31807 today. 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.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review quality contract schemes under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 to assess whether the complexities in the tendering process have hindered applications from local authorities.
Answer
I have no current plans to review quality contract schemes nor to review the guidance issued by the Executive on Part 2 (Bus Services) of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any local authority that has applied to introduce quality contract schemes under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 since 7 August 2002 has sought subsidies to secure the services listed within its application and, if so, how much each such authority received.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31807 today. 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.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have (a) applied and (b) been granted permission to introduce quality contract schemes under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 since 7 August 2002.
Answer
None.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 2 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement by the Minister for Environment and Rural Development on 30 October 2002, what scientific data is available on the impact of power station seawater coolants on fish stocks; whether it is estimated that 2 million fish per day per filter are killed, and what information it has which countries have banned the use of sea water coolants at power stations and what the EU policy is on this issue.
Answer
Scientific assessments have been carried out at selected power stations around Scotland. The results of the studies show that some fish are being killed when power stations abstract water, but a figure for fish killed per filter per day cannot be extrapolated from the data. A relevant scientific report titled, Are coastal power stations affecting Northern European inshore populations?, of which a copy is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 25349).
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 27 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice's letter to me of 7 November 2002 regarding preliminary investigations into the proposal for a new criminal offence of "grooming" to cover adult behaviour towards a child for the purpose of facilitating sexual contact, whether it will extend these preliminary enquiries to include the "grooming" of vulnerable adults.
Answer
We are considering whether to strengthen the law in this area and in particular whether we need a specific offence of grooming. We will include other vulnerable groups in this consideration.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 26 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31134 by Ross Finnie on 13 November 2002, when it will come to a view regarding the effects of industrial fishing on the food sources for young haddock and cod and whether it will make its findings public.
Answer
Young cod and haddock have a catholic diet that is not currently prejudiced by the industrial fisheries.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 25 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28895 by Ms Margaret Curran on 18 October 2002, whether it will define "reasonable adjustments" required to the physical features of premises to overcome physical barriers to access in relation to existing sheriff courts in historic/category B listed buildings.
Answer
There are no plans to provide a further definition of "reasonable adjustments" for a sheriff court or any other public building. Given the wide range of disabilities and the disparate nature of each building this would not be practicable. Ultimately it will be for the courts to decide on how the legislation should be interpreted in individual cases.
