- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 19 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on teaching Scottish history in schools and whether it plans to change its policy.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's policy is to ensure that guidance to education authorities and schools provide ample opportunities for teaching Scottish history at every level of the school curriculum. There are no plans to change current policy.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 19 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, for each of the last five years, what the average age was of (a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers.
Answer
Information is only available for 1998 and 1994.
| At September 1998 |
| Average age of primary teachers | 43 |
| Average age of secondary teachers | 43 |
| At September 1994 |
| Average age of primary teachers | 42 |
| Average age of secondary teachers | 42 |
As you are aware I have recently sent a report on the supply of teachers to the Convenor of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee detailing the background to the current position on the collection of information relevant to teacher supply and outlining planned improvements to current methods. Copies of this report have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre for the information of all members. This information available on the average age of teachers will be inserted into the report as Annex G.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 19 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many farmers have taken their own lives in each of the last five years.
Answer
The information requested is given in the table. When analysing suicides it is conventional to include deaths due to 'Injury undetermined whether accidentally or purposely inflicted'. For the sake of clarity, the two categories have also been shown separately in the table.
| Suicides and undetermined deaths - farmers and farm workers 1 |
| 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 2 |
| Total | 24 | 15 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 16 |
| Suicide | 17 | 10 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 10 |
| Undetermined | 7 | 5 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| 1 The code used for farm worker includes farmer's wife2 Provisional |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 8 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is consulted as a matter of course on the appointment of the Crown Estate Commissioners.
Answer
Crown Estate Commissioners are appointed by Her Majesty on the recommendation of the Prime Minister on the advice of the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Scotland. As the management of the Crown Estate is a reserved matter under the Scotland Act, there is no formal requirement for the Scottish Executive to be consulted about such appointments.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any further changes are planned in connection with the promotion of meat produce following the establishment of Quality Meat Scotland.
Answer
QMS has been drawing up a Strategic Plan which, I understand, will be published soon.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any assessment has been made of whether the levies paid by farmers to the Meat and Livestock Commission offer value for money and, if so, what the findings were.
Answer
The MLC regularly monitors the impact of levy payers expenditure. The most recent independent review - Quinquennial Review - of the MLC was published in March 1999. I have arranged for a copy to be sent to you.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation has taken place with farmers on the proposals to increase the levy paid to the Meat and Livestock Commission.
Answer
As required by the Agriculture Act 1967, the MLC currently is consulting red meat industry interests, including farming interests, about proposals to increase beef and sheep levies.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average levy paid by farmers to the Meat and Livestock Commission is.
Answer
Levy is collected at the point of slaughter and paid by abattoir operators to the MLC. Abattoir operators deduct the farmer portion of the MLC levy from the payments they make to farmers for animals purchased. It is therefore not possible for the MLC to calculate the average levy paid by farmers as these records are not held by the Commission.For information, the levy charged per animal is:
| | General | Promotion |
| CATTLE | £2.05 | £2.30 |
| Farmers portion | £1.025 | £2.30 |
| SHEEP | £0.31 | £0.32 |
| Farmers portion | £0.155 | £0.32 |
| PIGS | £0.40 | £0.65 |
| Farmers portion | £0.20 | £0.65 |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to make representations to the Meat and Livestock Commission on its proposals to increase its levies.
Answer
It is the views of the levy payers which are of paramount importance in any decision to increase levies. I understand that the MLC's consultation process is not yet complete.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 7 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the cod recovery plan agreed between the EU and the Norwegian authorities and what the impact of this will be for the Scottish fishing industry.
Answer
Details of the cod recovery plan are given in the Agreed Record of Consultations between the European Community and Norway on the North Sea cod crises, a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. no. 11042).I am currently undertaking a series of meetings with the industry to discuss the potential impact of the North Sea Cod recovery programme and the outcome of last December's Fishery Council.
