- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether adequate legal and procedural safeguards are in place to prevent any illegal importation of meat and, in particular, whether more strict checking procedures are required at ports and airports and whether it has any plans to conduct any review of such safeguards.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-15399 on 10 May 2001.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 17 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will play in connection with its proposed consultation on the implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and its impact on the whisky industry.
Answer
We will seek the views of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on our proposals for the implementation of the EC Water Framework Directive as part of the consultation process.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15096 by Ross Finnie on 26 April 2001, whether any of the vehicles which are believed to have acted as transmitters of the foot-and-mouth virus were lorries hired on the instruction of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food through the Freight Transport Association and whether it will specify which vehicles were responsible for particular outbreaks.
Answer
There is no evidence to suggest that lorries hired on the instruction of MAFF through the Freight Transport Association have acted as transmitters of the foot-and-mouth virus. The vehicle movements mentioned in the answer to question S1W-15096 refer to farmer vehicles.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 16 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will convene an independent inquiry into the future of fish farming in Scotland and what the reason is for its position on this matter.
Answer
We are not persuaded that an independent inquiry into the environmental impact of sea cage fish farming would be the best way to proceed at this time. We have already identified the issues and are committed to driving forward the initiatives we have taken to address them. An inquiry would only divert effort. That said, if the Parliament were itself to mount an inquiry, as it was invited to do, my officials would offer it full assistance.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 16 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive with regard to the announcement on 1 May 2001 by Susan Deacon in respect of an NHSiS investment programme, whether this will include an upgrade of the accident and emergency unit at Raigmore hospital and, if so, what the estimated cost of this will be, when it is scheduled to take place, whether it is subject to any conditions and, if so, what these are.
Answer
As announced on 1 May 2001, £2.4 million has been included in the NHSScotland capital investment plan for an upgrade of the Accident & Emergency facilities at Raigmore Hospital.The Scottish Executive recently received the final proposal from Highlands Acute NHS Trust and it is currently being considered.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 14 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the trunk road unit contract tender documents specified the number of snow blowers and snow ploughs which the successful contractors would be required to maintain and whether, for each unit area, award of the contract to a private sector bidder will allow the number of such vehicles to be reduced.
Answer
The tender documents did not specify the type and number of plant which contractors have to provide for winter maintenance. The contractors are bound to meet the specification for the level of service set out in the contract. The Executive required bidders to declare, as part of their tenders, the minimum plant which they proposed to provide, where the proposed depots would be situated and the details of proposed gritting routes so that an assessment could be made of whether the service level could be met. The contracts require the declared plant to be provided, but the provision of that plant does not absolve the companies from the requirement to meet the specification for service level and the resource level necessary to achieve the specification. Snow ploughs and blowers will be provided in each of the new units.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 14 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost of putting the trunk road unit contracts out to tender has been to date and what future costs are expected to be incurred, providing a breakdown of all relevant costs in each case.
Answer
The costs incurred to the award of the contracts are:
Assigned internal costs | £437,252 |
Seconded engineering staff | £342,384 |
Review and Audit costs | £134,613 |
| Total | £914,249 |
The anticipated future annual costs relating to the supervision of the contracts are:
Assigned internal costs | £1.160 million |
Seconded engineering staff | £0.476 million |
Performance Audit Group | £1.533 million |
| Total | £3.169 million |
In each case the figures are inclusive of VAT which has been or will be due to be paid.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 14 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the standards of maintenance of trunk roads will change from 1 April 2001; if so, in what precise respects and whether it will decline to award contracts to any private sector bidders for any trunk road unit contract unless it is satisfied that such bidders can provide, without a radio network, a service in winter emergency conditions which is fully comparable to the current service.
Answer
The standards of maintenance contained within the new contracts are generally the same as specified in the existing contracts. In respect of the communications system specified in the contract, it is for the operators to examine carefully the technology they require to ensure safe communications across the unit. We are satisfied from the tender submissions that the contract specification will be met.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 10 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14258 by Angus MacKay on 17 April 2001, which persons or bodies were consulted in the formulation of the guidance to be issued to local authorities on hardship relief, on what date the guidance will be issued and whether it will place a copy of the guidance in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
CoSLA and the Scottish Assessors' Association were consulted in the preparation of the guidance to local authorities on hardship relief, which was issued on 10 April. A copy is available in the Scottish Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. no. 12527).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 9 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the report by George Street Research, Development Department Research Programme Research Findings No.111: Sharing Road Space; Drivers and Cyclists as Equal Road Users, and what policy measures it plans to take in the light of the report, in particular, whether it will introduce a programme of formal cycling training, including road experience, for all primary six and seven children.
Answer
The Executive is currently considering the recommendations of the report and what policy measures may be appropriate.As regards cycle training, the provision of cycle training for children is a matter for schools, police and local authority Road Safety Units. The Executive has commissioned a survey of cycle training provision in Scottish schools to provide baseline information on the numbers of children trained; that is currently being carried out. The Scottish Cycle Training Scheme, overseen by the Scottish Road Safety Campaign, itself funded by the Executive, recommends that on-road training should be provided where possible. Road Safety Units are responsible for carrying out risk assessment on any roads to be used for on-road training and for decisions on whether it is appropriate to conduct on-road training in any particular case. A new resource for Road Safety Officers to use when training volunteer trainers, developed by the campaign, was issued to Road Safety Units in March.
