- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 5 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake a mapping programme for grey squirrels to identify the exact whereabouts and extent of the spread of grey squirrels.
Answer
I am not aware of any plans tomap grey squirrel populations on a national scale. The Red Squirrel Action planincludes the mapping of red squirrel strongholds and areas where incursions of greysquirrels are most likely, with the intention that control measures will then betargeted on those areas.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 5 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the European Union in relation to the spread of grey squirrels and their impact on biodiversity.
Answer
Communication with the EuropeanUnion on the impacts of non-native species is co-ordinated through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 5 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are, or will be, funds available to carry out research into the immuno-contraception of grey squirrels.
Answer
The Scottish Red Squirrel ActionPlan 2006-2011, published recently by Scottish Natural Heritage, noted the needto identify and implement cost-effective methods of grey squirrel control. Immunocontraceptionis one method currently under consideration; funding is currently being providedfor investigation of this as a potential method of long-term control and trialsare underway to investigate methods of targeting delivery of chemical sterilantfor grey squirrel control.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 4 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list its 10 top priority road improvement initiatives and what action is being taken to implement them.
Answer
Scottish Executive ministersdo not have a “top ten” list of priority road schemes. The current schemes beingtaken forward are as follows:
Kincardine Bridge: Under construction
A68 Dalkeith Bypass
A90 Glendoick and Kinfauns Interchanges
M74 Completion: Tenders Invited
A9 Ballinluig
A830 Arisaig – Loch Nan Uamh
A75 Overtaking Opportunities
M80 Stepps – Haggs: Bidding InterestsInvited
M8 Baillieston – Newhouse: Majorschemes being prepared
M8 Associated network improvements
Aberdeen Western Peripheral Road
A725/M74 Raith Interchange
Schemes to improve the trunkroad network are published on the Transport Scotland Website
http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/.Transport Scotland should be contacted for further information regarding these schemes.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the 20 road stretches or junctions that have had the highest (a) accident and (b) fatality rates in each of the last five years.
Answer
Information in the form requestedis not available centrally.
Detailed statistics on road accidentsand casualties are published annually in Road Accidents Scotland, copiesof which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Road AccidentsScotland 2005, to be published on 24 November 2006, will include a range oftables giving accident rates per million vehicle kilometres and casualty rates perthousand population.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 14 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any concerns from the medical community about the use of hormone replacement therapy in Scotland.
Answer
The safety of medicines isreserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare productsRegulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA and its independent advisory committee theCommission on Human Medicines (CHM) keep the safety of all licensed medicines,including hormone replacement therapy (HRT), under close review.
The MHRA and the CHM run theUK Yellow card Scheme which is used to collect information from healthprofessionals and patients on suspected adverse drug reactions. The MHRA hasadvised that all of the important information on the safety of HRT has comefrom large epidemiological studies. They are not aware of any studies thatdemonstrate that the balance and risks of HRT differ in Scotland.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 October 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 14 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will commission any studies into adverse affects of hormone replacement therapy.
Answer
The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) within the Scottish Executive Health Department hasresponsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health andhealthcare needs in Scotland. CSO does notnormally commission research but supports research projects of a sufficientlyhigh standard initiated by the researchcommunity in Scotland. This role is well known and advertised throughoutthe healthcare and academic community.
CSO is currently funding onesmall project on the experience of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) amongyoung women with premature ovarian failure but nothing specifically on adverseaffects of HRT. CSO would be pleased to consider proposals for research in thisarea which would be subject to the usual peer and committee review.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 October 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 13 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were employed in the (a) fishing, (b) farming and (c) manufacturing sector in (i) 1997, (ii) 1999 and (iii) the last year for which figures are available.
Answer
The following table showsthe number of people employed in the fishing, farming and manufacturing sectorin the years, 1997, 1999 and latest available.
| Industry | 1997 | 1999 | Latest Available |
| Fishing* | 8,194 | 7,330 | 4,971 (2005) |
| Agriculture** | 68,830 | 69,417 | 66,854 (2006) |
| Manufacturing | 327,000 (1998) | 315,000 | 236,000(2004) |
Notes:
*The number of fishermenemployed on Scottish based vessels.
**The total number of peopleemployed in agriculture (includes totalnumber of occupiers, spouses, and employees working, full-time, part-time,seasonally and casually).
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 26 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28171 by Rhona Brankin on 20 September 2006, what the options are for a longer-term strategy for red squirrel conservation and when such a strategy will be put into place.
Answer
The options for a longer termstrategy for red squirrel conservation are wide ranging and complex. Full detailsof these options are contained within the Red Squirrel Action Plan. I have askedScottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to publish the plan on their website and expectit to be available soon. As I stated in my previous response to the MSP, the actionplan is being considered as part of the SNH Species Framework for Action, whichis currently being developed.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 26 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28171 by Rhona Brankin on 20 September 2006, what additional measures are now underway to protect red squirrels.
Answer
Two grey squirrel control officershave been appointed to work in the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, inwoodlands identified as priority areas for red squirrel conservation. They havebeen tasked with raising awareness of the squirrel pox virus amongst landowners and the public, offering training to land managers in live trapping andhumane methods of despatch of grey squirrels and carrying out control wheresuch assistance is required.
