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: S2W-03605

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 18 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ban the commercial growing of genetically modified (GM) beet and oilseed rape.

No decision will be taken onthe possible commercialisation of GM beet and oilseed rape until the results of the farm scale trials and GM dialogue have been fully evaluated. The resultsfrom the trials have been forwarded to the statutory Advisory Committee onReleases to the Environment (ACRE) for their advice on implications for thecase-by-case assessment of these particular crops. The Executive expects toreceive ACRE’s advice by the end of the year.

Question reference: S2W-03034

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the political activities, over the past five years or in the five years prior to appointment, of each member of the (a) Fife NHS Board, (b) newly-formed NHS Fife Acute Care Division board and (c) newly-formed NHS Fife Primary Care Division board.

It is neither possible norappropriate to detail the political activities of board members prior toappointment. Nor is information held for the newly-formed NHS Fife Acute CareDivision and Primary Care Division as their members are not appointed by ministers.

In accordance with theCommissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice, all current members of the Fife NHS Board have supplied a declaration covering their recent politicalactivity. The information is as follows:

Fife NHS Board
Name	Position	Declared Political Activity
Ms Esther Roberton	Chair	Labour
Mr James Mudie	Non-executive	None
Mrs Ruby Hughes	Non-executive	None
Cllr Theresa Gunn	Non-executive	Labour
Mr Denis Bradley	Non-executive	None
Mr Simon Fevre	Non-executive	None
Mrs Doreen Bell	Non-executive	Labour
Mr David Stewart	Non-executive	None

Question reference: S2W-03758

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 12 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-588 by Ross Finnie on 9 October 2003, whether any of the area formerly known as Rosyth Royal Naval Dockyard, purchased by Babcock Rosyth Defence Limited in 1997, still has Crown immunity in respect of planning purposes and any other purposes as defined in the Radioactive Substances Act 1993.

It would be inappropriate tocomment on the planning position of particular sites, as development proposalscould come before the Scottish ministers for a decision. In general, Crown immunityfrom planning controls would extend to development by or on behalf of the Crownon Crown land. It would be a matter for the developer and the planningauthority, in the first instance, to determine if planning permission wasrequired, based on the facts of the case at the time the development was to becarried out.

Radioactive discharges fromthe Dockyard are regulated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, byauthorisations issued under the terms of the Radioactive Substances Act 1993.Crown immunity is not applied.

Question reference: S2W-03759

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 12 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-411 by Ross Finnie on 18 September 2003, what the outcome was of discussions with Her Majesty's Government following the Ministry of Defence's announcement on 11 September 2003 regarding the decommissioning and storage of nuclear submarines in Scotland.

Question reference: S2O-00706

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to improve transport links across the River Forth.

Question reference: S2W-02382

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 24 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what directions it has made to electoral registration officers on ensuring that all marked registers from the Parliament general election in 2003 are returned to the appropriate sheriff clerks and what information it has received that such registers are now with sheriff clerks.

Question reference: S2W-02380

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 18 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many crawler lanes there are on the trunk road network; what distance each such lane covers, and what the location is of each such lane.

A crawler or climbing laneis defined as an additional lane added to a single or dual carriageway ongradients greater than 2% and 3% respectively and longer than 500 metres. Theseadditional lanes provide guaranteed overtaking opportunities and improve safetyand capacity.

There are 21 crawler laneson the trunk road network in Scotland and these are detailed as follows:

Route	Location	Overtaking Lane Length in Metres
A1	A1107 Burnmouth to Ayton Junction (south)	1,500
A1	C130 Cockburnspath to Cockburnspath Roundabout	2,490
A68	C83 Oxton to Soutra Hill	3,570
A68	Soutra Hill to B6368 Gilston Road	1,350
A75	The Glen	1,340
A75	Ramhill	2,917
A75	Twynholm	1,383
A75	Gatehouse of Fleet Bypass (3 sections) (964 + 638 + 2227)	3,829
A75	Glenluce Bypass	1,624
A77	Bennane Hill	1,692
A77	Holmstone to Bankwell	550
A82	South of Rubha Mor	505
A830	Polnish Hill	1,139
A830	Glenmamie Hill	619
A9	Glastullich Roundabout to Calrossie Woods	1,150
A96	Boghole	890
A96	Glenn of Foudland	1,440
A96	Drumdelgie	1,900
A96	Dramlachs	2,200
A96	Alves	896
A96	Newtongarry to Adamston	1,300

Question reference: S2W-02381

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 18 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many overtaking lanes there are on the trunk road network; what distance each such lane covers, and what the location is of each such lane.

An overtaking lane, asopposed to a climbing lane, is defined as a widening of a single carriageway toprovide two lanes in one direction whilst the opposing traffic is restricted toone lane. These additional lanes are added to single carriageways on gradientsgreater than 0% but less than 2% and longer than 500 metres. These additionallanes provide guaranteed overtaking opportunities and improve safety andcapacity.

There are four overtakinglanes on the trunk road network in Scotland and these are detailed as follows:

Route	Location	Overtaking Lane Length in Metres
A68	End of northbound climbing lane to Huntershall Junction	925
A68	Huntershall Junction to end of southbound climbing lane	1,025
A68	Leaderfoot to Drygrange Mains	850
A7	Meikledalehaugh to Mosspeeble	915

Question reference: S2O-00411

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 18 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government regarding the consultation process on the interim storage of laid-up submarines.

Question reference: S2W-00165

Asked by: Bruce Crawford, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 May 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 19 June 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many miles of Scottish Water drinking water pipes are in need of replacement or repair and when this work will be completed.

Information about the conditions of assets and the scheduling of repair work is an operational matter for Scottish Water. I have asked Jon Hargreaves, Chief Executive of Scottish Water to respond. His response is as follows:Based on Scottish Water's assessment of their assets as of June 2002, it is estimated that 62% of the length of the water pipe network is in need of replacement or repair. The 2003 review is currently being carried out and more updated information will be available later this year. Between 2002 and 2006, Scottish Water is replacing in excess of 3,000 kilometres of water mains.