- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 24 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what the arrangements are for counting the raptor population in Scotland, including the relevant qualifications of the personnel involved.
Answer
Arrangements vary for different species. Common species such as the kestrel sparrowhawk and buzzard are monitored by the Breeding Bird Survey organised by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). In Scotland much work is undertaken by Raptor Study Group members, all of whom are volunteers and undertake the work in their spare time.
Some scarce species (e.g. peregrine, merlin, hen harrier and golden eagle) are surveyed by dedicated professional surveyors who are employed by one of the main bird conservation groups such as RSPB. .All surveyors are familiar with the species concerned and possess good field ornithological skills. Where appropriate, they are licensed by Scottish Natural Heritage, and in this event SNH undertakes checks on all applicants to establish that they are fit and proper persons to undertake such work.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a detailed account of the process being employed to prepare the draft concordats between the Her Majesty's Government and itself, in particular which of these two bodies is preparing or has prepared the initial drafts for consideration.
Answer
The UK Government has prepared drafts, which have now been received by the Scottish Executive. Once they have been agreed between the UK Government and the devolved administrations, they will be presented to the Parliament for their endorsement.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 24 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets its departments have been set regarding replies to correspondence received from MSPs.
Answer
The targets are for an acknowledgement to be issued within 2 working days of receipt of an MSP's letter; for a substantive reply to be issued within 17 working days of receipt; and for an interim reply to be issued where it is evident that a final reply cannot be issued within the 17 working day target.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 24 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive to specify funding provided by Scottish Natural Heritage to the Scottish Raptors Group in the form of grants, loans and contracts, for each of the last three years.
Answer
There were no contracts or loans from SNH to Scottish Raptor Study Groups in the period 1996-1999. Grants paid during this period were:Year | No of grants | Amount |
1996/97 | 2 | £5,358.00 |
1997/98 | 4 | £12,363.50 |
1998/99 | 10 | £25,026.00 |
1999/2000 | 4 | £12,597.00 (provisional figure) |
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 24 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a target for the total raptor population in Scotland and, if so, what it is.
Answer
There is no target for the total raptor population in Scotland.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1W-307 by Sarah Boyack on 9 August, whether it will provide details of the individual schemes recommended by the Route Action Plan study.
Answer
The individual schemes recommended by the A77 Route Action Plan study are as follows:-
1. Dalquat | 1.1 kms - Northbound climbing lane |
2. South of Ayr | 1.9 kms - Dual carriageway |
3. North of Maybole | 1.8 kms - Dual carriageway |
4. North of Kirkoswald | 3.1 kms - Wide single carriageway |
5. Burnside | 1.4 kms - Wide single carriageway |
6. Haggstone | 1.4 kms - Northbound climbing lane |
7. Ardwell to Kennedy's Pass | 1.4 kms - Wide single carriageway |
8. Auchencross to Carloch | 1.5 kms - Southbound climbing lane |
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authority areas will not be taking part in the voluntary Scottish concessionary travel scheme.
Answer
I hope to launch the scheme towards the end of this year, and arrangements are being put in hand by my officials.It is too early to say what the level of participation will be, but our aim is to reach a voluntary agreement with all local authorities and transport operators to provide blind people with free concessionary travel on bus and rail services throughout Scotland.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 23 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is or intends taking to insure that people living in deprived communities have access to financial services.
Answer
The recent results from the first round of the Scottish Household Survey suggest that across Scotland, 12% of householders (or their partners) do not have a bank account. This conceals a wide variation: for example only 61% of single parents have some form of account. This is a matter of concern and Scottish Ministers are commited to improving access to financial services. We are actively engaged in discussions with a range of bodies, including financial institutions, to promote wider access to a broad range of financial services.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 23 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the estimated #12 million expenditure on the Warm Deal by category and by year of spend.
Answer
£12 million is the budget for the Warm Deal for the year 1999/2000. 47% has been set aside for the local authorities stock and 53% for private and housing association stock.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 23 August 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the targets set for each Social Inclusion Partnership in Scotland and the latest available information on their performance in relation to these targets.
Answer
A network of 47 Social Inclusion Partnerships is now in place, tackling the problems of exclusion in rural and urban areas across Scotland. Of these, 26 are new Social Inclusion Partnerships, which began their work on 1st April 1999. The new Social Inclusion Partnerships are currently developing their strategies. Their finalised targets will be set out in monitoring and evaluation plans, which each new Social Inclusion Partnership will develop later this year. New guidance is currently being developed to assist the Social Inclusion Partnerships in doing this.As well as the new partnerships, 21 of the existing Priority Partnership Areas and Regeneration Programmes were designated as Social Inclusion Partnerships on 1st April 1999 following a re-focusing of their work programmes. Each of these converted Social Inclusion Partnerships has a set of targets agreed with the Scottish Executive early in its life. Each partnership sets out details of its performance against these targets every year in its annual report. Annual reports for 1998/99 have now been submitted to the Scottish Executive, and I have placed copies of the annual reports in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
