- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the economic impact over the next five years on sub-post offices of the removal of benefit and allowance payments; if it has made no such assessment, what plans it has to commission one; what information it holds on what the estimated number of sub-post offices over this period will be, and how many there were in each of the last five years.
Answer
Consignia, post offices and postal services are reserved to the UK Government. The Performance and Innovation Unit's report Counter Revolution: Modernising the Post Office Network (June 2000) showed that the future viability of the network was challenged by the introduction of automated credit transfer. The Department of Trade and Industry are concentrating on supporting the Post Office's efforts to build up new business opportunities, including universal banking services, in order to mitigate the effects of the move to automated credit transfer.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the #3.5 million allocated to it by Her Majesty's Government for the support of pilots of Government General Practitioners and Internet Learning and Access Points in post offices has been spent on and whether all of this allocation will be spent on post offices or sub-post offices.
Answer
All funding consequentials contribute to a block allocation to the Scottish Executive. The flexibility this gives ministers is considered a key element of the devolution arrangements. There was not a sufficient case for running a separate Scottish pilot on the project now known as Your Guide. DTI recently announced that the project would not receive further funding. The Scottish Executive remains in close contact with both DTI and Consignia regarding possible alternative projects.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will postpone bringing forward any statutory instruments on the introduction of technical conservation measures for the scallop fishing industry until all issues in relation to amnesic shellfish poisoning are addressed and whether it will consult further with the industry prior to any such statutory instruments being laid before the Parliament.
Answer
No, amnesic shellfish poisoning is a matter of public health. Its existence increases the need for further conservation of scallop stocks, and I am persuaded following extensive consultation that technical conservation measures are the best way of achieving such conservation. However, I do intend to consider carefully the points made to and by the Rural Development Committee before finalising and laying the statutory instrument in question.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Food Standards Agency Scotland (FSAS) spent on the issue of amnesic shellfish poisoning, including research and the taking of samples, and whether it will show these figures against the overall budget of the FSAS in each year since the agency was established.
Answer
FSAS have advised me that between the years 2000 and 2002 they have spent £238,000 on research into amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). In the case of monitoring and the taking of samples, it is impossible to separate spend on ASP from other algal toxins. The following table details total FSAS spend on the shellfish algal toxin monitoring programme per year since the creation of the agency.Cost of Shellfish Algal Toxin Monitoring Programme Since Creation of FSAS
| Financial Year | Total Monitoring Costs(£000) | Total Sampling Cost(£000) | Total FSAS Budget(£ million) |
| 2000-01 | 207 | 140 | 5.1 |
| 2001-02 | 466 | 307 | 5.9 |
| 2002-present | 292 | 233 | 5.5 |
In addition, £100,000 per annum is spent on monitoring phytoplankton in Scottish waters.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29308 by Lewis Macdonald on 30 September 2002, what steps it will now take and what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government on why it has not provided a response to the application for a public service obligation for the Inverness/Gatwick route.
Answer
The next step is a matter for the UK Government. The Executive has liased closely with the UK Government on what we believe is a substantial case for a public service obligation on the Inverness/Gatwick link.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of all communications, including e-mails, letters, telephone conversations and any other methods of communication, it has had with Her Majesty's Government and any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies in regard to flights to Inverness and the north of Scotland.
Answer
No. Disclosure of information which would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion is exempted from the commitment to provide information under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 6 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of all communications, including e-mails, letters, telephone conversations and any other methods of communication, it has had with Her Majesty's Government and any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies in regard to Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd.
Answer
No. Disclosure of information which would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion is exempted from the commitment to provide information under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 04 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 5 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23640 by Allan Wilson on 15 March 2002, what progress has been made towards delivery of online public services through post offices and sub-post offices and whether they have now been excluded from plans for the delivery of Your Guide.
Answer
Responsibility for the Post Office and Post Office services is a reserved matter.A decision not to roll out Your Guide nationally was announced by DTI Ministers on 15 October. The decision was taken largely on value for money grounds, following the evaluation of a major pilot.Officials will continue to stay in close contact with DTI and Post Office efforts to identify the potential for government departments to deliver services through post offices in future.The Executive's public internet access point initiative is creating over 1,000 new venues across Scotland where people can have cheap, easy access to the web and all its services - public, commercial and voluntary sector. We are actively encouraging rural post offices to participate in the scheme - which provides eligible venues with computer hardware, software, and internet connectivity - all free of charge. The scheme therefore allows rural post offices to provide another valuable service to their customers and potentially another source of income for small post offices.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 5 November 2002
To ask the Presiding Officer why the seating provision in the public gallery of the chamber in the new Parliament building will not be at least 250 as stated in press release no. 026/2000 issued on 2 June 2000; on what date approval was given to reduce the total number of seats below 250, and whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will provide a full explanation of why this decision was taken.
Answer
The total number of seats is not below 250. Seating provision for the press and public in the Holyrood Chamber, including that for disabled visitors, will total 277.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Elaine Murray on 4 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on schools obtaining funding from the New Opportunities Fund PE and Sport in Schools; what steps it will take to ensure that all schools benefit from this fund, and what average funding it anticipates will be available for each school from the fund.
Answer
The Scottish ministers set the policy directions under which the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) operates the PE and Sport Initiative in Scotland. This programme is now operational and is NOF's responsibility to administer based on guidance agreed with the Scottish Executive. Each local authority area has been given a provisional allocation and the local authority submits projects based on agreed local priorities.
