Chamber and committees

The European Commission drew up its proposals about possible changes to the Suckler Cow and Beef Special Premium Schemes without consultation. Representations were made to the European Commission at the earliest opportunity following the publication of the Commission proposed regulation. I attended the Agriculture Council on 19 February and officials from my Department attended SCA on 19 February and a Council Working Group on 28 February.

The Scottish Executive, Road Network Management and Maintenance Division are in the process of preparing new guidelines on the assessment of development proposals that affect trunk roads. No specific timescale for the completion of these new guidelines has been set. However, once the guidelines are completed they will be published in draft form for consultation.

The information requested is not recorded by the Scottish Executive or its agents.

Scottish Ministers have approved the red meat premises listed below under the arrangements for livestock to go direct from farm to abattoir for slaughter contained in the Foot and Mouth Disease Declaratory (Controlled Area)(Scotland) (No 2) Order 2001. Any further applications for approval will be considered on their merits.Grampian County Pork Ltd (Buckie) Buccleuch Scotch Beef, Castle DouglasSandyford Abattoir Ltd, Paisley Millers of Speyside, Grantown on SpeyJohn M Munro Ltd, Dingwall St Andrews AbattoirBryson Meats Ltd, Strathaven Rhinds of ElginKepak Buchan, Turriff Wick SlaughterhouseMathers (Inverurie) Ltd James Chapman Ltd, ShottsOrkney Meat Ltd, Kirkwall Wishaw AbattoirScotch Premier Meat, Inverurie ABP Bathgate LtdScotbeef Bridge of Allan R Y Henderson & Sons, LinlithgowRobertson's Fine Foods, Ardrossan Scottish Borders Abattoir, GalashielsD S Stevenson, Dunblane Blackwaterfoot Slaughterhouse, ArranMcIntosh Donald, Portlethen G McTaggarts, IslayHighland Meats Ltd, Saltcoats Matheson Jess Ltd, BrechinABP Perth Heather Isle Meats, StornowayBiggar Wholesale Meats Scarinish Slaughterhouse, TireeRamsay of Carluke G D Vivers & Sons, AnnanGrampian County Pork, Matheson Jess Ltd, Dundee Halls Ltd, Broxburn Shetland Pork, ShetlandMagnus Smith, Shetland Shetland SlaughterhouseA K Stoddart, Ayr To obtain approval abattoirs must:(i) have a current licence under the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995;(ii) have adequate facilities to cleanse and disinfect each livestock vehicle before it leaves the premises;(iii) have adequate drainage;(iv) provide full veterinary ante-mortem inspection for all animals, and(v) have adequate management systems to ensure slaughter of animals within 24 hours of their arrival on the premises.Journeys from farm to slaughter must be direct, without a scheduled stop and should be completed within four hours. Longer journeys may be permitted but, where these exceed four hours, two drivers must be used.

Patients diagnosed with dementia will be treated in a variety of NHS locations depending on the severity of the condition. Many will be seen in general practice while others will be admitted to hospital or nursing home care. At present, it is not possible to estimate the current number of suffers in Highland Health Board area, or the number in 2006.

None. The closure of Balnain House was a decision for the company. The Scottish Arts Council continues to support traditional arts in the area and is working with others in the Highland Arts Partnership to develop long-term plans to ensure their sustainable future.

None. The main channel for public funding of the arts in Scotland is the Scottish Arts Council. I have therefore asked the Director of the Arts Council to write to the member with the requested information and to make it available in the Parliaments Reference Centre.

The Executive has not yet made a decision on whether to replace the external adjudicators of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise with an ombudsman. The question was discussed in the Executive's consultation paper Modernising the Complaints System. The closing date for comments was 10 January 2001 and we are currently analysing the responses. The Executive aims to publish a second consultation paper in the spring, setting out detailed proposals based on these responses.In terms of Article 6 of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR), whatever complaints system is put in place after the consultation, whether a continuation of the current system or otherwise, will be compliant with ECHR.

In order to answer the previous question, enquiries were made of the Headquarters of The Forestry Commission, Historic Scotland and the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency along with the Estate Management section of the Scottish Executive itself. The Agricultural Staff of the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department who are responsible for managing Ministers land settlement estates (99% of which is tenanted croft land) were also consulted. These bodies account for some 800,000 hectares of land owned or controlled by the Scottish Executive. No individual enquiries were made of any specific estate or croft.

In the Executive's consultation document An Open Scotland it was stated (paragraph 1.4) that "The statutory FOI regime will build upon, and extend, the principles of openness contained in the Code of Practice." A draft Freedom of Information Bill was published on 1 March 2001.