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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 2743 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S1W-12457

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 26 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is currently provided to farmers and crofters on lower incomes and in particular to those whose net income is below that of a full-time worker in receipt of an income based on the minimum wage.

There are a wide range of agricultural support measures available to farmers and crofters regardless of income levels. In addition the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board sets a minimum hourly rate of pay for agricultural workers. The rate for an adult worker is currently 18% above the national minimum wage.Farmers and crofters on low incomes are entitled to the normal social security assistance. Social Security is reserved to the UK Parliament.

Question reference: S1W-12283

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 25 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the methods of controlling the seal population provided for by the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 are sufficient.

Question reference: S1W-12286

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 25 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Rural Development on 23 November 2000 regarding the latest scientific advice from the special committee on seal population si'es (Official Report, col. 335), whether this information has been received; if so, when and whether it will place the information in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Question reference: S1W-12285

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 25 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether additional measures are required in order to eradicate the feral mink population; if so, in which parts of Scotland and when such steps will be taken.

Feral mink are widely distributed over most of mainland Scotland and many offshore islands. Their impact on ground-nesting birds is well documented and it is widely believed that mink are also associated with the decline of the water vole.

The Scottish Executive is supporting Scottish Natural Heritage's application for EU LIFE-Nature funding to assist with the first phase of a mink eradication programme for the Western Isles.SNH continues to maintain an overview on the subject of mink predation and control as it relates to the natural heritage. In view of the extensive range which the species now occupies in Britain, total eradication of the species is not possible. Therefore, resources must be carefully targeted at key sites where long-term control is considered to be a practicable option.

Question reference: S1W-12284

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 25 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the use of non-lethal methods of control of seal populations; if so, what conclusions have been reached and, if not, whether it will now consider the issue.

The Scottish Executive has considered the use of non-lethal methods of seal population control. In 1998 the Executive asked the Special Committee on Seals (SCOS) of the Natural Environment Research Council to assess whether a recently developed Canadian method of contraceptive sterilisation of seals might be a feasible way to stabilise or reduce Scottish grey seal numbers.

On the basis of SCOS' advice it was concluded that there would be considerable practical and financial problems involved in attempting a successful sterilisation programme using this method in Scotland. In Scotland seal populations are more scattered and more wary of humans than in Canada and hence cannot easily be approached for effective sterilisation using this method. In order to stabilise the grey seal population at its 1997 level of 95,000 it was estimated that a total of 14,000 adult females would need to be sterilised in the first year with gradually reducing annual numbers thereafter reaching 3,000 after some seven years. In order to reduce the seal population below the 1997 level, much greater numbers of seals would need to be sterilised.There are no current plans to introduce contraceptive measures to control the Scottish seal population but the Executive will continue to assess the potential of any future non-lethal control measures.

Question reference: S1W-12373

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 24 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to change the working title of the First Minister to "Prime Minister".

Question reference: S1W-12382

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 24 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre a copy of the negotiating position used by the Deputy Minister for Rural Development at the recent EU Fisheries Council and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S1W-10071

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Angus MacKay on 24 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions a direction has been issued to a non-departmental public body and the direction has not been complied with.

Question reference: S1W-08252

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 24 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will classify petrol stations in rural areas as "essential services" as recommended by Highland Council.

The Executive fully recognises the importance of petrol stations in rural areas and is providing financial support through the Rural Petrol Stations Grant Scheme which is aimed at maintaining a network of petrol stations and safeguarding locally available fuel supplies.At the launch of Rural Scotland: A New Approach in May 2000, Ministers asked the Scottish National Rural Partnership to bring together service providers to identify innovative approaches to providing services in rural areas, to consider how these examples might benefit and be replicated in other parts of Scotland and to report back to Ministers. The group's report was published on 15 January. Among the services that the group concluded were important for rural areas were petrol stations. Ministers are giving the report careful consideration and an Executive response will be published in due course.

Question reference: S1W-12366

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Angus MacKay on 23 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-6883 and S1W-6884 by Angus MacKay on 1 December 2000, whether it can obtain the information regarding the number of contracts it or the Scottish Office had with external consultants from 1995 to 1999 and, if so, whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre details of the nature of work or services provided in each case, and the amount paid.