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-01375

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 20 September 1999

To ask the Presiding Officer, further to his answer to question S1W-394 on 16 July, whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has reached a conclusion regarding the use of pre-postage paid envelopes by MSPs for constituency business and, if so, when such envelopes will become available and whether the SPCB will publish any correspondence which it has had with the Scotland Office on this matter.

The SPCB has decided that first and second class pre-postage paid envelopes should be provided for Members' use for constituency business. Staff are currently pursuing the options and the envelopes will be available as soon as the necessary procurement procedures - which are complicated - have been completed later in the autumn. In the meantime, MSPs should continue to obtain rolls of stamps from the Mail Room in Parliament Headquarters for use in their constituency offices.There has been no correspondence with the Scotland Office on this issue.

Question reference: S1W-01273

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 20 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the members of the focus groups and industry representative bodies who will be invited to play a part in developing and implementing the new strategy for tourism and how these members were selected.

Question reference: S1W-00820

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive at what depth of water testing for Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning has been carried out.

Question reference: S1W-00819

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by John Home Robertson on 20 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fishing boats are currently licensed solely to fish for scallops, and of those, how many are affected by the current ban on scallop fishing, and how many people's incomes have been affected as a result of the ban.

There are no vessels currently licensed to fish solely for scallops. At present there are 214 over 10 metre vessels, administered by the Scottish Executive, which are licensed to fish for scallops by mechanical dredge in addition to other species appropriate to the terms of their licence. All vessels of 10 metres and under may fish for scallops.

Since vessels may fish for other species and in other areas, depending on the conditions of the licence, it is not possible to determine definitively how many fishermen's incomes may have been affected by the ban on scallop fishing which began on 9^th July in certain sea areas in the west of Scotland. Local assessments suggest that many of the larger vessels have targeted other species or re-located; so far, the total value of landings recorded centrally for the first seven months of this year by those over 10 metre vessels licensed to fish for scallops by mechanical dredge is about 3 per cent higher than the same period last year. It is not possible accurately to assess the effect on smaller vessels. We recognise the importance of the scallop fishery, and we will lift the restriction as soon as it is safe to do so. The safety of consumers is the overriding priority.

Question reference: S1W-00821

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received representations, dated 4 August 1999, from the Western Isles Fisherman's Association asking it to take steps to alleviate the severe financial difficulties faced by some of its members and, if so, what response it will make to these representations.

Yes. A letter has been received from the Western Isles Fisherman's Association requesting the early opening of specific grid boxes within the scallop grounds which are currently closed due to high levels of Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning. The letter also expressed concern over the activities of scallop divers.

A reply to the Association was sent on 6 August 1999 providing them with a copy of the results from the grid boxes mentioned. Further results from the latest round of sampling which took place last week are awaited and these results will be considered as soon as they become available.The comments regarding scallop divers have been passed to the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency and Western Isles Council who are responsible for the monitoring and enforcement of the Emergency Closure Orders.

Question reference: S1W-00797

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 20 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has examined the impact on the Scottish economy of the current level of taxation on hauliers and motorists, and if so, whether it will provide information on its findings.

Question reference: S1W-01380

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 17 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister has met with the Chairman of Caledonian MacBrayne since Dr Mills' appointment to that position and, if so, on what dates.

Question reference: S1W-01378

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by John Home Robertson on 17 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any recent representations from the Mallaig and North West Fishermen's Association regarding amnesic shellfish poisoning and, if so, whether it will make a statement.

Question reference: S1W-01382

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 17 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-521 by Mr Jack McConnell on 23 August, how the #100 average cost of answering a Scottish Parliamentary Question was calculated and whether this average cost is a mode, median or mean average.

The £100 average cost was calculated by estimating the amount of time spent by members of staff of the Scottish Executive on dealing with a limited sample of Scottish Parliamentary Questions covering a range of subjects. Staff time was costed to include, for each grade of staff, a share of the overhead costs of the Scottish Executive. The overhead costs are based on expenditure in 1998-99. The total value of staff time was divided by the number of questions in the study to arrive at an average cost per question of about £100.The preliminary work to assess average costs was undertaken over a short period and with a relatively small sample of questions so that a broad indication of costs could be provided quickly to members who asked for that information. The Executive intends to undertake a detailed study of the cost of answering questions over the coming months and will make the results of that exercise available to members.

Question reference: S1W-01383

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 17 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-521 by Mr Jack McConnell on 23 August, whether the reference to the #100 average cost of answering a Scottish Parliamentary Question being consistent with evidence from the UK Parliament means that the cost of answering Scottish Parliamentary Questions is (a) the same as or (b) different from the cost of answering UK Parliamentary Questions and, if it is different, whether the cost of answering Scottish Parliamentary Questions is more or less, and by how much, than the cost of answering UK Parliamentary Questions.

The average cost of £100 for answering written Scottish Parliamentary Questions is an estimate based on preliminary work undertaken over a short period and using a relatively small sample of questions. The Executive intends to undertake a detailed study of the cost of answering questions over the coming months and will make the results of that exercise available to members.The last comprehensive exercise to assess the cost of answering Westminster Parliamentary Questions was undertaken in 1991. The resulting average cost figure is uprated on an annual basis. The latest published figure for the average cost of answering written questions is £115 (Hansard, 11 March 1999, Column 363). This reflects uprating to April 1998.