Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-22806

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects to enhance the services at the Thurso Disease Surveillance Centre.

The Thurso Disease Surveillance Centre is not a Scottish Government facility but is part of the Scottish Agricultural College''s (SAC) network of veterinary laboratories. SAC are a private company limited by guarantee and independent of government. Questions relating to operation matters should be directed to them.

The Scottish Government currently provides SAC with £4.3 million per annum to provide a veterinary surveillance programme. We have no plans to alter this programme.

Question reference: S3W-22805

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a commitment that the Thurso Disease Surveillance Centre will remain open in its current form on a long-term basis.

The Thurso Disease Surveillance Centre is not a Scottish Government facility but is part of the Scottish Agricultural College''s (SAC) network of veterinary laboratories. SAC are a private company limited by guarantee and independent of government. SAC have been reviewing the structure of their veterinary laboratories and operational decisions are for them.

Following the untimely death of the veterinary manager Dr Sandy Clark, SAC moved rapidly to secure the services of two local veterinary practitioners who have been contracted to provide an uninterrupted service. An agreement has been reached with the local veterinary practice, DS McGregor and Partners, to ensure that appropriately trained vets will continue to provide a post mortem service from SAC''s existing Janetstown premises. Laboratory samples will also be sent to Thurso from other parts of Scotland to supplement this work.

Veterinary officials are satisfied that these arrangements will meet the requirements of the Scottish Government''s surveillance programme and they will continue to monitor the situation.

Question reference: S3W-22807

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 April 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects a veterinary manager to be recruited at the Thurso Disease Surveillance Centre.

Due to the specialist nature of this post, in a remote part of Scotland, recruitment of a suitably trained and experienced veterinary surgeon is difficult. Recognising this challenge SAC moved rapidly to secure the services of two local veterinary practitioners who have been contracted to provide an uninterrupted service. An agreement has been reached with the local veterinary practice, DS McGregor and Partners, to ensure that appropriately trained vets will continue to provide a post mortem service from SAC''s existing Janetstown premises. Laboratory samples will also be sent to Thurso from other parts of Scotland to supplement this work.

Veterinary officials are satisfied that these arrangements will meet the requirements of the Scottish Government''s surveillance programme and they will continue to monitor the situation.

Question reference: S3W-22324

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Housing Association Grant can be used to fund renewables when no other government funding is available.

Housing Association Grant can be used to fund renewables in registered social landlord (RSL) projects which meet our published grant benchmarks or other published value for money criteria such as the New Indicatives Cost System.

Otherwise we will expect RSLs to obtain additional funding contributions from partners, principally the Energy Saving Trust, who specialise in the energy efficiency sector and support innovative energy-saving approaches or technologies with grant schemes to complement investment in housing.

Guidance on the New Indicative Costs System and HAG Subsidy Target Benchmark can be accessed at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/investment/guidancenotes/nic.

http://www.scotland.gsi.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/investment/guidancenotes/hign0903.

Question reference: S3W-22112

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 30 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what happens to any surplus in the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme budget at the end of a financial year after all outstanding claims have been processed.

LFASS expenditure in any one year is a function of fixed payments rates and levels of demand in a constant eligible area. The indicative LFASS budget is £61 million a year, and is part of the overall Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) budget. Any variance between LFASS spend and its indicative budget results in correspondingly more or less funds being available for the rest of the SRDP.

Question reference: S3W-21810

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what power it has to remove fishing quotas from owners who do not sign up to the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system.

Question reference: S3W-21806

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out a risk assessment on the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system.

Question reference: S3W-21805

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out an economic impact assessment on the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system.

Question reference: S3W-21807

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what restrictions the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system will place on non-Scottish boats working out of and landing at Scottish ports.

Question reference: S3W-21804

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 24 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the legal advice it received when drawing up the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system.