- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 21 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many adverse health care events occurred in the NHSiS in each of the last three years and what percentage of these events had as one of their underlying causes a shortcoming in the provision of modern equipment.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 21 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the environment budget was not utilised in 1999-2000; how much of the end-year balance was originally allocated to water industry funding and how this end-year balance will be utilised in 2000-01.
Answer
A total of £4.685 million, excluding environment related expenditure by Local Authorities, was not utilised in 1999-2000. £4.4 million relates to the water industry funding and has been allocated in full to the water programme for the current year. Of the remaining £0.3 million, £0.2 million has been allocated to research and publicity and £0.1m to the reserve. The environment budget will, of course, be eligible to receive allocations from the reserve in the course of the year.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 16 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of additional resources has been given towards the maintenance of the register of sex offenders, broken down by police force.
Answer
Funding for the police is provided annually through the Grant Aided Expenditure process, which, for the current year, was based on estimates supplied by police forces. Funding is allocated in its entirety and not on the basis of specific operational requirements or policing tasks. The deployment of resources and the setting of operational priorities are matters for the Chief Constable.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 14 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to introduce further conservation designation orders in Scottish waters for the purpose of protecting freshwater fish.
Answer
I announced a list of new proposed Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) on 14 June (
Official Report, 14 June 2000, S1W-7913). Among those sites, the following were proposed for the protection of freshwater fish:
Berriedale and Langwell Waters
Grimersta
Little Gruinard River
River Bladnoch
River Dee
River Moriston
River Naver and Mallart River
River Oykel
River South Esk
River Teith
River Thurso
River Tweed
I indicated when I made that announcement that I was open to consideration of scientific evidence about any exceptions to the completeness of the list. I am awaiting further advice from Scottish Natural Heritage on this matter.
I trust that the proposed SAC designation of some Scottish rivers will be viewed as a positive move, with local interests, including District Salmon Fisheries Boards, working together to manage the sites for their conservation interests - as is happening already on the River Spey.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 14 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations that Scotland's proportionate share of Natural Environmental Research Council funding should be maintained following the decision to cease funding the Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory.
Answer
Research Council funds are allocated on the basis of quality, underpinned by peer review, and not by a formula. The decision to disband the CCMS, of which Dunstaffnage represents one part, does not alter that position. We will be liaising closely with the Natural Environmental Research Council on how funding for marine research in Scotland will be delivered following the Council's decision.
Research Councils and their operations are reserved under the terms of the Scotland Act.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 14 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was consulted by the National Environment Research Council or any other authority in connection with the decision to cease funding to the Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory and whether it is aware of any other bodies consulted in Scotland.
Answer
The Natural Environmental Research Council has not decided to cease funding Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, but to disband the Centre for Coastal and Marine Science (CCMS). We will be liaising closely with the Natural Environmental Research Council on how funding for marine research in Scotland, including Dunstaffnage, will be delivered following the Council's decision.
Research Councils and their operations are reserved under the terms of the Scotland Act.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by John Home Robertson on 14 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Deputy Minister for Rural Affairs will make a statement following his recent visit to the Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory.
Answer
My trip to Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory on 14 July represented part of a wider series of visits to fisheries related interests in the Highlands. I was impressed by the quality and range of scientific work that is being undertaken at this NERC funded establishment.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 14 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to secure funding for the promotion of marine science and research at Dunstaffnage.
Answer
The Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory (DML) is the shared responsibility of the Natural Environment Research Council and the Scottish Association for Marine Science. We will be liaising closely with the Natural Environmental Research Council on how funding for marine research in Scotland will be delivered following the Council's decision to disband the Centre for Coastal and Marine Sciences (CCMS)
. We expect the role of DML in delivering core strategic and applied marine science for NERC and other customers should continue in different ways involving local and regional collaboration.Research Councils and their operations are reserved under the terms of the Scotland Act.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 14 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make any representations to the Natural Environment Research Council in connection with its decision to withdraw funding from the Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory.
Answer
Consistent with the terms of the Concordat agreed with the Natural Environmental Research Council in 1997, the Executive will continue to liaise with the Council on any issues and initiatives of mutual interest. This includes the implementation of the Council's recent decision to disband their Centre for Coastal and Marine Science, of which Dunstaffnage represented a part, and how funding for marine research in Scotland will be delivered by the Council in future
.Research Councils and their operations are reserved under the terms of the Scotland Act.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 14 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made with the "Paths for All" initiative.
Answer
The Paths for All Partnership was set up by Scottish Natural Heritage with the aim of achieving a significant increase in well-managed access provision close to where people live. An independent evaluation carried out last year of the first three years of the initiative concluded that the Partnership was fulfilling its remit and successfully pursuing its objectives. The Partnership, which has secured core funding for the next three years, is currently developing its strategy for the period 2000-2003. I see "Paths for All" playing an important role in the provision of facilities to enable people to exercise the proposed new right of responsible access, particularly around the areas where they live.
