- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 2 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15219 by Nicol Stephen on 20 June 2005, whether it will now make an order to lower the speed limit to 30 mph on the A95 at Cromdale.
Answer
The order cannot be made untilthe two objections referred to in the answer to question S2W-15219 have been properlyaddressed. Transport Scotland is currently seeking to resolve these objections asquickly as possible.
Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 27 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking as a result of a letter, dated 5 December 2005, to it from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) in respect of the Electricity Act 1989 and an application for the development of the Muaitheabhal Windfarm in the Western Isles, in which SNH states that the methodology employed in the collusion risk assessment of the impact of the development on golden eagles and white-tailed eagles was flawed; whether the Executive considers that the methodology in other assessments may also have been flawed; whether it has asked SNH for any further information in respect of the methodology, and how much the assessment cost.
Answer
The letter from SNH referred to by Fergus Ewing, was a revision of the advice in its earlier response to this application and arose from the error identified in the original collision risk assessment, which was undertaken as part of the Environmental Assessment prepared on behalf of the applicant. This was, I understand, not an error in the methodology, but in the way in which it was applied. The error has been acknowledged by the applicant. It has no particular bearing on other proposals.
The revised advice from SNH will inform the eventual determination of this application by the Scottish ministers.
The Executive conducts a statutory consultation exercise for all Electricity Act consent applications, which seeks the views of SNH, as advisers to the Executive on these matters, to help assess the likely impacts of individual developments on wildlife species and their habitats. As this incident demonstrates, this is a robust procedure.
The cost of the collision risk assessment, undertaken on behalf of the developer, is not known to the Executive.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 27 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed review of the Sport 21 programme can be regarded as independent if sportscotland and the Scottish Sports Association are appointed to the group which conducts the review.
Answer
The review of Sport 21 has been established to produce recommendations on how the key partners in Scottish sport might better support the delivery of the Sport 21 aims and objectives. I believe it would be inappropriate for the review to exclude any of the key delivery partners such as sportscotland and the Scottish Sports Association.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed review of the Sport 21 programme should be carried out by a body independent of sportscotland and the Scottish Sports Association.
Answer
No. The review of Sport 21 will build on the established vision for the development of Scottish sport but take into account the need to secure legacies from the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics and if successful, the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Therefore, it would be inappropriate for the review to exclude the key delivery partners.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it estimates that the proposed review of the Sport 21 programme will cost.
Answer
The review of Sport 21 will cost in the region of £30,000.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to assist Scottish skiing centres and whether it supports the measures which have been taken in the centres to diversify and provide other attractions and experiences for visitors throughout the year.
Answer
I certainly welcome positive approaches to diversification at ski centres. Our Enterprise Networks, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, provide business development support relating to such diversification when there is a good business case for doing so. Support has been given to all five ski centres.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost is of SEPA View, the magazine of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency; whether it considers that the magazine is necessary, and how many statements or articles it has carried in any of its 28 issues from MSPs outwith the Scottish Executive parties.
Answer
I believe that SEPA View provides a useful means for SEPA to communicate with its stakeholders, schools, NGOs, other interested parties and the general public about the agency’s activities and wider environmental issues. It is, however, for the agency to decide whether the publication represents value for money. Information on the content and cost of SEPA View are operational matters for SEPA itself. I have asked Dr Campbell Gemmell, Chief Executive of SEPA, to respond to these issues direct.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 2 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the natural life of the buildings comprising the Belford Hospital is nearing its end and, if so, whether contingency plans will now be made for a new purpose-built hospital in Fort William.
Answer
It is not for the Scottish Executive to form an opinion on such issues as operational responsibility for the strategic planning and day-to-day operational management of health care buildings is delegated to NHSScotland bodies, in this case NHS Highland.
The Belford Hospital was built in 1965 with an anticipated lifespan of 65 years and has been designated by NHS Highland as a Rural General Hospital following a fundamental review of all hospital facilities. This review examined each hospital for fitness for the new purpose of delivering care as close to home as possible in line with Delivering for Health. The consequence of this decision is that the Belford hospital will be retained as part of the local clinical framework.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that Her Majesty’s Government will bring forward the new grant programmes intended to replace the PowerShift scheme and on what date applications for grants under the new programmes will be considered.
Answer
The UK Government Department for Transport (DfT) is developing a new scheme. The timescale for introduction is dependent on clearance by the European Commission.
The Energy Saving Trust (EST), which administers transport programmes on behalf of the Department, will continue to keep the public informed of developments via its website www.est.org.uk.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when the buy-out of the PFI contract for the Inverness Airport terminal building will be completed and from what date it will be legally extinguished.
Answer
The buy-out of the InvernessAirport PFI is expected to be achieved through the purchase of Inverness AirTerminals Limited (the PFI concession company) by Highlands andIslands Airports Limited (HIAL). As a consequence, the PFI contract will comeunder the control of HIAL. Completion of the purchase will take placeimmediately after agreement between HIAL and the PFI owner is executed. Negotiationsare at an advanced stage.
