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: S1W-03844

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it will make to Her Majesty's Government in relation to any proposed pesticide tax, in particular regarding what implications such as a tax might have on Scottish agricultural jobs and what evidence, if any, exists to show that some pesticides currently used by farmers have improved the quality of grain.

The UK Government asked the agrochemical industry and others to offer proposals to reduce the environmental impact of pesticide use. Proposals now brought forward by the British Agrochemicals Association will form the basis of discussions between the UK Government, industry and other interested parties over what form a partnership approach might take. It has been announced by HM Treasury that subject to further detailed discussions, the Chancellor will not proceed with the introduction of a pesticides tax in the Budget. The Scottish Executive will keep in close touch with developments on this.

Question reference: S1W-00202

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 June 1999
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 31 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to appoint permanent Sheriffs in order to reduce the amount of time spent by police officers waiting to appear as witnesses in Scottish criminal trials.

Very significant reductions in police waiting time at Court have been achieved through the introduction of first and mandatory intermediate diets. There is nevertheless a continuing need to improve procedures to ensure that waiting time for all witnesses, including police officers, is kept to a minimum. Availability of Shrieval resources is not the most critical issue here, but I intend to keep the matter under review.

Question reference: S1W-03763

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact will be in Scotland upon (a) levels of unemployment, (b) small businesses and (c) the economy if it decides to make final its decision to fix a business rate poundage of 10.1 % higher than the proposed poundage in England.

Question reference: S1W-03768

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it consulted with any representatives or representative bodies of the business community regarding its decision to fix a business rate poundage of 10.1% higher than in England prior to its ministerial statement on local government finance of 8 December 1999.

Question reference: S1W-03766

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 28 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact macro-economic policies planned by Her Majesty's Government will have on its enterprise policies, whether these policies will provide a good climate for people in Scotland to start up in business, and whether these policies will give small business the confidence to respond and invest in the future.

Inflation is now low and stable. Output in the Scottish economy continues to expand in both the manufacturing and service sectors. Unemployment in Scotland is falling and is low by historical and international standards, while employment is rising. These conditions provide a sound basis for the Scottish Executive's policies to promote a stable and competitive environment that will inspire more home grown enterprises to flourish.

Question reference: S1W-03764

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what was the average increase in the rateable values in Scotland as a result of the 1995 revaluation.

Question reference: S1W-03574

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been undertaken as to the incidence of wild fowl poisonings from lead shot in each of the last 20 years and what was the source of such research.

The poisoning of wildfowl from lead is now accepted as a serious problem for many populations. Research has been undertaken which establishes the problem and investigates the particular causes of acute poisoning incidents. A number of key reports giving international summaries of the problem of leadshot poisoning in waterfowl are available and are listed below:

Fawcett, D and van Vessen J (1995), Lead poisoning in Waterfowl: International update report 1995, Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), Report No 252. JNCC, Peterborough.

Kulvenhoven P and van Vessem J (1997), Lead poisoning in Waterbirds: International update report, Unpublished Wetlands International Report.

Mateo R Martinez-Vialta, A and Guitart R (1997), "Lead shot pellets in the Ebro Delta, Spain: densities in sediments and prevalence of exposure in waterfowl", Environmental Pollution 96, pp. 335-341.

Pain D J (Editor) (1992), Lead Poisoning in Waterfowl. Proceedings of an International Workshop, Brussels, Belgium, 13-15 June 1991, IWRB Special Publication No 16.

Scheuhammer A M and Norris S L (1995), A review of the environmental impacts of lead shot shell ammunition and lead fishing weights in Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Occasional Paper No 88.

More detailed research on this particular issue has been undertaken within the EU, UK and Scotland. The most relevant of which is:

Mudge G P (1983), "The incidence and significance of ingested lead pellet poisoning in British Wildfowl", Biological Conservation, 27, pp. 33-372.

Other studies include:

Beck N and Ganval, P (1987), "Ingestion de plombs de chasse par la Becassine des marais Gallinago gallinago et la Becassine sourde Lymnocryest minimus dans le Lord-ouest de la France", Gibier Faune Sauvage/Game Wildlife: In press.

Bellorse F C (1959), "Lead poisoning as a mortality factor in waterfowl populations III", Natural History Survey Bulletin, 27(3), pp. 235-288.

Bowler, J M and Hugest B, (1997) Biological monitoring of lead shot replacement in the UK, final report of pilot study, unpublished, Wetlands Advisory Service report to DoE, WWT, Slimbridge (in prep).

Degtyarev A G (1996), Incident of lead shot ingestion in waterfowl and cranes of Yakutia, Ibid., pp. 25-27.

Grand J B, Flint P L, Petersen M R and Moran C L (1998), "Effect of lead poisoning on spectacled elder survival rates", Journal of Wildlife Management, 62(3), pp. 1103-1109.

Hohman W L, Pritchert R D, Pacell R M, Woolington D W and Helm R (1990), "Influence of ingested lead on body mass of wintering canvasbacks", Journal of Wildlife Management, 54(2), pp. 211-215.

Mateo R, Martinez-Vilalta A, Dolz J C, Bellure J, Serrano J M A, Guitart R (1994), "Estudio de la problematica del plumbismo en aves acuticas de diferentes humedales espanoles", ICON, pp. 196.

Mateo R, Bellure Jm, Dolz J C, Agullar J M and Guitart R (1997), "An peizotic of lead poisoning in greater flamingos. Phoenicopterus ruber roseus in Spain", Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 33, pp. 131-134.

Mateo R, Molina R, Grifols J and Gruitart R (1997),"Lead poisoning in a free range griffon vulture Gyps fulvus", Vet Rec, 140, pp. 47-48.

Pain D J (1992), "Lead poisoning of waterfowl: a review" in Lead poisoning in waterfowl (editor D J Pain), IWRB Special Publication No 16, Slimbridge UK.Spray C J and Milne H (1988), "The incidence of lead poisoning among Whooper and Mute Swans Cyngus cygnus and Color in Scotland", Biological Conservation, 44, pp. 265-281.

Question reference: S1W-03575

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what research has been undertaken into the blood levels of trapped wild fowl.

Lead levels in wildfowl blood have been investigated in a range of studies throughout the world. These are listed below:

Anderson W L and Havera S P (1985), "Blood lead, protoporphyrin and ingested shot for detecting lead poisoning in wildfowl", Wildlife Society Bulletin, 13, pp. 26-31.

Dieter M P and Finley M T (1978), "Delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase enzyme activity in blood, brain and liver of lead-dosed ducks", Environmental Resources, 19, pp. 127-135.

Hall S L and Fisher F M (1985), "Lead concentrations in tissues of marsh birds: relationships of feeding habitats and grit preference to spent shot ingestion", Bulletin of Environmental Contaminant Toxicology, 35, pp. 1-8.

Madsen H H T, Kkjorn T, Jorgensen P J and Grandjean P (1988), "Blood lead levels in patients with lead shot retained in the appendix", Acta Radiol, 29, pp. 745-746.

Osweller G D, van Geldeer G A and Buck W B (1978), "Epiderminology of lead poisoning in animals" in Toxicity of heavy metals in the environment (editor F W Dehme), Marcel Dekker, New York.In Scotland, when acute poisoning incidents occur, investigations into the particular cause and poisoning level are carried out.

Question reference: S1W-03576

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any evidence of dead birds being washed ashore in wardened coastal reserves or elsewhere.

Question reference: S1W-03697

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 27 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its plans to introduce probationary tenancies are necessary given existing legislative measures to curb anti-social behaviour by tenants including powers to evict, provisions contained within the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and powers under section 48 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987.