- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 28 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether guidance issued to Scottish Water on sustainable development is made available to the Water Industry Commissioner.
Answer
The Water Services etc. (Scotland) Bill will require the Water Industry Commission to have regard to any guidance issued to Scottish Water. The Executive is currently revising the guidance on sustainable development to incorporate changes in legislation proposed under the Bill. Scottish Water, the Water Industry Commissioner and the Water Customer Consultation Panels are being consulted.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 28 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the provision of NHS wheelchair services from initial assessment to upkeep and upgrade.
Answer
The Executive has commissioned a national needs assessment to look at possible options for redesign of the NHS wheelchair service. The aim of the review, which will report in the spring of 2006, is to provide a plan for improved NHS wheelchair service provision across the whole of Scotland. The review will identify the needs of people using the service and make recommendations in consultation with stakeholders on how the service might be improved.
We also plan to take interim measures to reduce waiting times. Work on this is now being progressed in consultation with the five Scottish Wheelchair Centres and NHS boards and we will announce these measures shortly.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 24 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it intends to bring forward a revised code of practice for the safe use of plant protection products.
Answer
We expect to introduce a revised code of practice later in the year.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what contribution it made to the Office of Fair Trading"s review of the Supermarket Code of Practice.
Answer
The Executive made representation to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), early in 2003, to the effect that there was a very strong view from suppliers in Scotland that the Supermarket Code of Practice was not working. The representation made it clear that fear of de-listing was preventing suppliers making complaints under the code, together with concerns about lack of substantive penalties for non-compliance. The outcome of this representation, and other similar representations, was the OFT’s announcement of an audit of the code, aimed at establishing the effectiveness of the code. The report of the audit is nearing completion and is likely to be published early in 2005. The Executive will make further representation once the outcome of the audit is known.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has raised any concerns regarding the Supermarket Code of Practice officially with the UK Government and, if so, whether it will give details of the representations made.
Answer
The question of the effectiveness of the operation of the Supermarket Code of Practice is currently the subject of an audit by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The Executive made representation to the OFT about the effectiveness of the Code which, along with other representations, led to the audit being conducted. The results are likely to be published early in 2005. The Executive will make further representation once the outcome of the audit is known.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make any representations to the UK Government regarding the establishment of a confidential system for registering supermarket suppliers' complaints under the code of practice, given concerns expressed by suppliers and trade associations over the impact of the current system.
Answer
The question of the effectiveness of the Supermarket Code of Practice is the subject of an audit being carried out by the Office of Fair Trading. The issue of change to the code will be considered in light of the results of that audit, which are due to be published early in 2005. The Executive will make representation once the outcome of the audit is known.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any correspondence with supermarket suppliers who wanted to register their concern over the impact of the Supermarket Code of Practice but who were reluctant to make an official complaint under the code and, if so, what its response to these suppliers was.
Answer
The Executive has received little formal correspondence where the supplier wanted to register concern over the Supermarket Code of Practice, but was reluctant to make an official complaint under the code. However, informal and anecdotal views have been expressed over the lack of effectiveness of the Code. The Executive in all cases has invited complainants to contact the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), and also, early in 2003, made representation to the OFT about these views.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 16 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive when the TETRA system will be fully operational and ready for use by police.
Answer
By summer of 2006 all police forces in Scotland will be fully operational in the use of Airwave.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 2 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the main public interest criteria are in respect of planning appeals.
Answer
There are no set criteria for defining public interest, nor can there be. Planning decisions, including appeals, must be made in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. This means that each decision must be made taking into account the individual planning merits for and against the grant of planning permission.
- Asked by: Mark Ruskell, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive who were invited to its consultation seminars regarding the proposed Quality and Standards III investment programme for Scottish Water.
Answer
A series of three seminars were organised and hosted by Water Customer Consultation Panels and the Scottish Executive to discuss the issues contained in the Investing in Water Services 2006-2014 consultation These took place in Edinburgh, Inverness and Glasgow. A wide range of stakeholders were invited and these are listed below:
| Aberdeen City Council | Dundee Chamber of Commerce |
| Aberdeenshire Council | Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce |
| Angus Council | Federation of Master Builders |
| Argyll and Bute Council | Federation of Small Businesses |
| Scottish Borders Council | Fife Chamber of Commerce |
| Clackmannanshire Council | Forth Valley Chamber of Commerce |
| Dumfries and Galloway Council | Friends of the Earth |
| Dundee City Council | Glasgow and Clyde Valley Structure Plan Authority |
| East Ayrshire Council | Glasgow Chamber of Commerce |
| East Dunbartonshire Council | Glasgow housing association |
| East Lothian Council | Graham and Sibbald |
| East Renfrewshire Council | Highlands and Islands Enterprise |
| Edinburgh City Council | Highlands and Islands Partnership Programme |
| Falkirk Council | Homes for Scotland |
| Fife Council | Initiative on the Edge |
| Glasgow City Council | Inverness Chamber of Commerce |
| Highland Council | Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park |
| Inverclyde Council | McGregor Donald Sols |
| Midlothian Council | Moray Chamber of Commerce |
| Moray Council | Moray Firth Partnership |
| North Ayrshire Council | Orkney Housing Association |
| North Lanarkshire Council | Renfrewshire chamber of commerce |
| Orkney Council | Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland |
| Perth and Kinross Council | Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors |
| Renfrewshire Council | Royal Town Planning Institute |
| Shetland Council | Scottish Building |
| South Ayrshire Council | Scottish Council for Development and Industry |
| South Lanarkshire Council | Scottish Centre for Information and Environmental Health |
| Stirling Council | Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations |
| West Dunbartonshire Council | Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire |
| West Lothian Council | Scottish Enterprise Borders |
| Western Isles Council | Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire |
| | Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothians |
| Ayrshire Chamber of Commerce | Scottish Enterprise Fife |
| British Gas | Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley |
| Burness Solicitors | Scottish Enterprise Glasgow |
| Cairngorms National Park Authority | Scottish Enterprise Grampian |
| Caledonian Paper | Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire |
| Chemical Industries Association | Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire |
| Civil Engineering Contractors Association | Scottish Enterprise Tayside |
| Communities Scotland | Scottish Federation of Housing Associations |
| Confederation of Business and Industry | Scottish Natural Heritage |
| Confederation of Paper Industries | Scottish Power |
| Construction Industry Forum | Scottish Rural Property and Business Association (formerly Scottish Landowners Federation) |
| Director of Public Health Argyll and Clyde | SEPA |
| Director of Public Health Borders | Scottish Society of Directors and Planners |
| Director of Public Health Fife | Shepherd and Wedderburn |
| Director of Public Health Forth Valley | Tulloch Group (Housebuilders) } |
| Director of Public Health Glasgow | Transco |
| Director of Public Health Highland | Water Customer Consultation Panel members |
| Director of Public Health Shetland | World Wildlife Fund |
