- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Elaine Murray on 13 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24133 by Dr Elaine Murray on 28 March 2002, whether the annual Scottish Award for the best publicly-funded building will be awarded in 2003; if so, what consultation there will be regarding the award and the process to be followed in relation to it, and whether buildings constructed under private finance initiatives and public private partnership schemes will be eligible for consideration for the award.
Answer
The introduction of the annual Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland Award for Best Building in Scotland in 2002 which promotes good architecture in both private and public sectors has lessened the need for a further high profile Scottish based buildings award. Scottish public sector projects are also eligible for the annual Prime Minister's Better Public Buildings Award which is a UK-wide award scheme. The commitment to introduce an additional Scottish award for the best publicly-funded building remains under review, although I have no plans at present to launch the award in 2003.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 13 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the number of people suffering from impingement syndrome of the shoulder and whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government about the recognition of the syndrome as a prescribed disease for the purpose of industrial injuries disablement benefit, given the impact any such recognition would have on health and social justice issues.
Answer
Information derived from the Continuous Morbidity Recording (CMR) system based on a sample of Scottish General Practices estimates that approximately 500 individuals were seen in respect of impingement syndrome of the shoulder in the year ending December 2001.The Executive has no plans to make representations to HM Government about this syndrome.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 13 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received representations from Strathdearn Community Council in respect of the Tomatin junction on the A9; if so, what action it intends to take and, in particular, whether it will implement (a) improved lighting, (b) coloured hatched markings similar to those in place at the Moy junction, (c) double white lines, (d) 50 mph speed restriction at a point before the end of the dual carriageway and (e) installation of speed cameras similar to those at the Ballinluig junction.
Answer
Yes, the Strathdearn Community Council wrote to the Executive on 5 December 2002. The answers to your specific queries are:(a) there are no plans to install lighting at the Tomatin junctions,(b) red infill material within the hatched area at the northern Tomatin junction is programmed for completion (weather permitting) before the end of the financial year,(c) there are no plans to install a double white line system,(d) there are no plans to lower the speed limit and(e) the Safety Camera Partnership rules introduced recently set out accident and speed criteria under which it may be appropriate to install safety cameras. These junctions will be considered as part of any future programme to identify locations to install cameras.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 9 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to resurface the A9 at Altnaslanach.
Answer
Maintenance works, such as resurfacing, are identified and carried out on a needs basis taking into account safety, operational issues, budgetary restraints and competing priorities across the entire trunk road network. There are no current plans to resurface the A9 at Aultnaslanach.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 9 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what records there are of the number of road traffic accidents at the Tomatin junction on the A9.
Answer
The Scottish Executive Road Information System contains details of all injury accidents which occur on the Scottish trunk road network.Between January 1997 and June 2002, three slight injury accidents have been recorded at the northern Tomatin junction. At the southern Tomatin junction, for the same period, no injury accidents have been recorded.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Environment and Rural Development has met any MSP in connection with the future of the fishing industry, the impending negotiations with the EU and the future of the Common Fisheries Policy and, if so, whom he has met and on what dates.
Answer
I have had recent meetings with, or involving, MSPs as follows:
11 November: Nora Radcliffe, Nicol Stephen, Richard Lochhead and Stewart Stevenson;14 November: Iain Smith and Euan Robson;26 November: Lewis Macdonald and Elaine Thompson;2 December: Tavish Scott;12 December: Richard Lochhead, Fergus Ewing, Stewart Stevenson, Andrew Welsh, Winnie Ewing and Margaret Ewing, and17 December: Richard Lochhead.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 7 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the annual report of the Forestry Commission will be published soon; whether it will be published during the parliamentary recess, and, if so, whether any decision was taken specifically to delay publication until during recess.
Answer
The annual report for the Forestry Commission in Scotland was placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 25806), on Monday 23 December 2002. No decision was taken specifically to delay publication until during recess.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 7 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had, or plans to have, with the Office for National Statistics regarding any miscalculation of entitlement to Objective One funding for the Highlands and Islands.
Answer
Eurostat and not the Office for National Statistics (ONS) calculate entitlement to Objective One funding on the basis of the most up-to-date data available to them at the time. The ONS, as always, provided Eurostat with the most up to date and accurate statistics for the relevant period available at that time. No miscalculation was made.The Scottish Executive has been working very closely with the ONS over the period since May 2002 when the original publication date for the revised estimates of regional gross value added was deferred, and will continue to be consulted by ONS on the development of future regional accounts estimates and revisions.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31113 by Ross Finnie on 11 November 2002, whether it has received a response from European Commission officials with regard to the UK obtaining a contribution from the EU to the 2003 transmissible spongiform encephalopathies surveillance programme costs and whether any such response will be made public and a copy placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
I can confirm that the European Commission responded on 11 November to the UK Government's request to submit a late application for co-financing of its TSE monitoring programme for 2003. The Commission rejected that request on the grounds that it would be illegal to grant such assistance where an application was submitted after the deadline of 1 June. It is not the policy of the UK Government to publish correspondence with the Commission.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 6 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-2748 by Mr Tom McCabe on 11 January 2001, whether it is still its position that there is no need to make representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding disciplinary action against the Permanent Secretary in relation to any adverse impact of his actions on the Holyrood project.
Answer
The position remains the same.
