- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 17 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its principles of good practice for Ministers with regard to the requirement for civil servants to be impartial and non-party political are to be changed.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 10 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4387 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 February 2001, whether it will provide the updated average time period figures for the same courts for each quarter from January 2000 to date.
Answer
The following table shows the average waiting periods between plea and trial, in summary criminal proceedings, at the conclusion of each quarter of the year 2000 for the sheriff courts at Linlithgow, Stirling, Falkirk, Dundee, Hamilton, Lanark, Dunfermline and Haddington. The Parliament's Reference Centre currently receive monthly updates on the average waiting periods for summary criminal and ordinary civil proceedings for all sheriff courts.Average Waiting Periods:
| | March 2000 | June 2000 | Sept 2000 | Dec 2000 |
| Linlithgow | 17 | 12 | 16 | 15 |
| Stirling | 21 | 14 | 14 | 13 |
| Falkirk | 20 | 14 | 13 | 15 |
| Dundee | 22 | 20 | 17 | 15 |
| Hamilton | 11 | 15 | 18 | 17 |
| Lanark | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Dunfermline | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| Haddington | 10 | 11 | 11 | 14 |
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will be in a position to say whether compensation will be paid, and, if so, at what level, to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland in respect of loss of income caused by voluntary closure due to foot-and-mouth disease.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer that given to question S1W-14552 on 28 March 2001.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Royal Zoological Society for Scotland will receive support to compensate for the voluntary closure of Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
Answer
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Royal Zoological Society for Scotland will receive support to compensate for the voluntary closure of Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 28 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the failure of the Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs to vote, although present at Decision Time, in support of its policy on amendment S1M-1725.1 to motion S1M-1725 on Scotland's Fishing Industry was a breach of paragraph 2.4 of the Scottish Ministerial Code, which relates to the collective responsibility of junior Scottish Ministers.
Answer
I voted on all three divisions in line with Executive policy, however my vote on the second division appears not to have been recorded by the electronic voting system. I have written to the Presiding Officer about the matter.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 22 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Historic Scotland will consider a grant application to repair Cramond Weir now that the question of the weir's ownership has been resolved.
Answer
I have asked Graeme Munro, Director and Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to answer. His response is as follows:It is open to anyone who is in a position to undertake repairs to the weir and to maintain the structure thereafter to seek financial assistance from Historic Scotland towards the cost of the repair. Any such application will be considered alongside other bids for financial assistance.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 20 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland sustains directly and indirectly and how much money it generates for the local economy through Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park.
Answer
Data on the employment and turnover of companies and institutions are held by the Inter-Departmental Business Register, to which the Scottish Executive has access. However, the Executive is not able to publish individual record data.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 20 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it can provide to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland to safeguard the Scottish National Zoological Collection during the current foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and beyond.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has provided authoritative veterinary advice on foot-and-mouth disease through its website and a link to the MAFF website. Specific advice where required can also be provided to bodies such as the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland on request.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 20 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to provide financial aid to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland to enable it to continue to fulfil its national conservation, education, research and economic roles at Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park following their closure due to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.
Answer
I announced on 8 March that work would begin to assess the wider element impacts arising from the present foot and mouth outbreak. The priority is to assess the immediate implications and I expect an initial assessment to be available in the near future. It is too early therefore to reach any decision on compensation in individual cases.
- Asked by: Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 20 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is providing, or will provide, to current conservation, education and research programmes of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland which assist Scotland and the United Kingdom to meet obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Answer
No support for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland for conservation, education or research programmes to meet obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity is either in process or intended by the Scottish Executive.
