Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-29058

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what capital investment was made by the Scottish Agricultural College in its Thurso Disease Surveillance Centre in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10 and will be made in 2010-11; what work was or will be carried out in each case, and what proportion of the funding came or will come from the Scottish Government funding to the Scottish Agricultural College for its animal disease surveillance work.

2004-05	£113,000 (SEERAD) and £15,000 (SAC).
2005-06	No spend.
2006-07	No spend.
2007-08	£99,500 (SEERAD), a refurbishment of the centre including new windows, flooring, redecoration, electrical works, blinds, furniture and DDA compliance.
2008-09	No spend.
2009-10	£71,190.44 (SAC), the refurbishment of the sheep shed into a large file/ equipment store, refurbishment of the centre to provide office accommodation for the SAC Farm Business Service advisors, additional parking, redecoration and furniture.
2010-11	Any planned spend has yet to be announced.

This information was provided by SAC.

Question reference: S3W-28417

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, between 1 April 2010 and 31 March 2014, Scottish Water will have a responsibility under a Priority 1 objective to address external flooding and, if not, whether it will take action to address its causes and effects.

During the period 2010-15, Scottish Water is directed to create and maintain a register of properties affected by external sewer flooding. Details of the objectives set for Scottish Water are available at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/waterindustryscot/latest-news/swdirections.

Scottish Water will be expected where possible to address issues of external sewer flooding through operational means.

Question reference: S3W-28415

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive when the ministerial objectives for Scottish Water for 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2014 will be finalised.

Question reference: S3W-28414

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken in the last two years to address the causes and effects of external flooding.

External flooding can be caused by insufficient capacity of the sewers to take the required volumes of sewerage or by operational issues such as blockages. In 2008-09, Scottish Water removed over 6,000 blockages, many of which were caused by customers disposing (illegally) of cooking fat down their sink or by flushing away sanitary waste. In most cases, instances of external flooding due to blockages are resolved through operational measures. For capacity issues, Scottish Water deals with some external sewer flooding as a consequence of investing to address internal flooding problems. In addition, where possible, Scottish Water speaks to local authorities about external sewer flooding when there are issues of surface water entering the sewers, as there can be practicable alternatives which divert this water away from the sewers in a safe manner.

Question reference: S3W-28416

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 11 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation process was undertaken regarding the ministerial objectives for Scottish Water for 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2014.

Question reference: S3W-28413

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact on farmers and veterinary practices in Orkney and Caithness of the decision by the Scottish Agricultural College not to appoint a successor to the manager of the Thurso Disease Surveillance Centre and what the outcome was of any such assessment.

Scottish Agricultural College review the work done at Thurso Disease Surveillance Centre on a quarterly basis. There have been significant year to year fluctuations that are related to market prices for cattle and sheep, the weather and the decline in livestock numbers which has been a particular concern in the north of Scotland.

For comparable periods January to September from 2006 to 2009 there has been downward trend in the number of carcases submitted for post mortem examination. The figures for clinical diagnostic submissions are more erratic but numbers and income are up from £28,620 in January to September 2008 to £39,920 for the same period in 2009.

Question reference: S3W-28411

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to carry out a review of the veterinary surveillance network.

Question reference: S3W-28513

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial penalties would be applied were the Scottish Agricultural College to fail to carry out any of the animal health surveillance work required by its contract with the Scottish Executive.

There is no contract between Scottish Government and Scottish Agricultural College for this work. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-28511 on 10 November 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The funding provided by Scottish Government to support veterinary surveillance activities at Scottish Agricultural College is in the form of an annual grant. Whether or not the grant is renewed each year is entirely a decision for Scottish Government.

Question reference: S3W-28493

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 10 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release of 23 September 2009, Broadband for rural Scotland, when it plans to announce the list of rural telephone exchanges that are to be upgraded to increase access to broadband and the programme for the upgrading work.

Question reference: S3W-28511

Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 10 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the extent is of the animal health surveillance work that the Scottish Agricultural College is required to carry out under its contract with the Scottish Executive.

The veterinary surveillance work carried out by Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) is not carried out under contract. The work is managed through a Memorandum of Understanding, which sets out the framework and a series of descriptors, revised annually, which set out the detail of what is required.

The disease surveillance activities carried out by SAC include:

Post mortem examinations,

Clinical diagnostic samples,

Collation and analysis of surveillance data,

Investigation of new syndromes,

Wild bird surveys for avian influenza and West Nile virus and

Zoonotic disease - investigation and reporting.

The work required for each of the topics listed above is the subject of a separate descriptor.