- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to assess the impact of North Sea offshore drilling activity on the economics of (a) the north east and (b) Scotland.
Answer
Activity within the offshoredrilling sector has a significant bearing upon future oil and gas productionand the Executive, in conjunction with the UK Government and ScottishEnterprise, monitors such activity on an ongoing basis.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 20 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been (a) charged and (b) prosecuted for terrorist activities in each of the last five years and so far this year.
Answer
The statistical informationnecessary to answer this question is not readily available. The term “terroristactivities” could cover a variety of crimes – both common law and statutory.
The following table showsthe number of persons proceeded against in Scottish courts between 1997 and2001 for offences under prevention of terrorism legislation generally, wherethat offence is the main offence. It does not include offences which mightamount to terrorist activities where the main charge was libelled at common law.
| Year | Total Number | Number with Charge Proved |
| 1997 | 26 | 25 |
| 1998 | 30 | 30 |
| 1999 | 17 | 13 |
| 2000 | 9 | 8 |
| 2001 | 6 | 6 |
Of those persons prosecutedfor offences under prevention of terrorism legislation in 2001, three werecharged under the Terrorism Act 2000 against all of the whom the charge wasproved.
Information is not availablefor 2002 or 2003. However, records show that 78 persons have been reported to Procurators Fiscal forconsideration of proceedings for contraventions of the Terrorism Act 2000 inthe period from 19 February 2001 to date. This figure includes persons charged withoffences ranging from possession of articles for a purpose connected with thecommission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism to failing tocomplete a landing card at a port.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 19 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been, or will be, taken to assess the impact of the outcome of December's fisheries negotiations on the Scottish (a) economy and (b) fishing industry.
Answer
Our initial analysis is thatthe pelagic sector can expect stable economic returns, and that the nephropsand whitefish sectors should be able to secure significantly increased returnsbased on a 66% increase in the North Sea haddock quota and a 28% increase inthe North Sea nephrops quota.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 19 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it proposed the boundaries adopted at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels in December 2003 in respect of cod recovery 'ones for the North Sea and what the reasons were for each boundary adopted.
Answer
The Commission proposed thespecific boundaries of the cod recovery zone, which are set out in Annex V tothe TAC and Quota regulation. In the North Sea, the boundaries have been extendedto ensure that the cod recovery measures apply in all areas where cod iscaught.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 19 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Environment and Rural Development last met the European Commission to discuss the outcome of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels in December 2003; when he will next meet the commission, and what issues will be discussed.
Answer
No such meeting has takenplace and none is currently planned.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 19 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether foreign vessels will be able to fish without restrictions in areas where Scottish vessels are subject to restrictions agreed at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels in December 2003.
Answer
For a proportion of itshaddock quota, the UK will be subject to additional constraints notapplied to other member states (a special permit system and limited access to acod sensitive area). This reflects the fact that the haddock fishery in thiscod sensitive area is an almost exclusively UK fishery. Other member stateswere not willing to agree a 66% increase in the UK haddock quota withoutadditional controls to protect cod in that area.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 19 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide up-to-date figures for the 2003 fisheries aid package detailing funding paid out under the (a) Transitional Aid scheme, (b) decommissioning scheme and (c) rates relief package and whether each scheme is open for further application.
Answer
Transitional support grantstotalling £4.8 million have been paid to the owners of over 150 Scottishfishing vessels. Further payments of £0.6 million are currently being processedfor payment to cover the September 2003 aid period. Further payments in respectof October to December will follow.
Decommissioning grants ofover £25.5 million have been paid out so far under the 2003 fishing vesseldecommissioning scheme. The current deadline for vessel owners to complete thedecommissioning process and claim their grant is 29 February.
Neither of these schemes areopen to further applications.
To date (8 January 2004) thetotal amount of hardship relief granted by local authorities to harbours andbusinesses affected by the reduction in whitefish catches is a little under£200,000. Some applications are still being considered. Businesses can stillapply to their local authority for relief as a result of hardship beingsuffered between 1 April – 30 September 2003.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 15 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any evidence that drug treatment programmes entered into on a voluntary basis rather than through compulsion are more successful in rehabilitating drug misusers.
Answer
Since we do not operatecompulsory treatment programmes in Scotland, such a comparison is impossible to make. Those communitydisposals, including drug treatment and testing orders, containing a treatmentcomponent require the offender to indicate a willingness to participate beforethe court imposes the order.
There is evidence, however,that both voluntary treatment and community disposals have positive impacts onlevels of illicit drug misuse and offending.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether drug treatment programmes delivered in prison may only be entered into by inmates on a voluntary basis or whether there are any powers to make such programmes compulsory for drug misusers.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is asfollows:
Thereare no powers to make programmes compulsory for drug misusers.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been, and will be, taken to provide aid to Iran to help address the aftermath of the recent earthquake.
Answer
The recent earthquake in Iran was atragic event, causing tremendous loss of life and suffering. Our sympathy goesto the people of Bam.
International aid is theresponsibility of the United Kingdom Government. They responded immediately bysupplying search and rescue specialists, including a number based here inScotland, as well as supplying or funding the supply of tents, heating andwater purification equipment, and vaccines. The UK Government is nowconsidering support for the medium-term needs of those made homeless.
