- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 17 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning and the Deputy Minister for Sport and Culture will reply to my letters of 21 July 2000 regarding my constituent Dr Mike Langran.
Answer
Dr Langran received a response to his own approaches to the Executive direct from officials on 9 March. A copy of this response has been sent to you.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 17 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether livestock hauliers will be eligible for assistance and support under the emergency relief package announced by the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning on 28 March 2001.
Answer
Yes.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 12 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many livestock haulage businesses it estimates may have to cease trading in the absence of any immediate financial assistance and whether it will ensure that such assistance is made available.
Answer
I appreciate fully the impact which livestock movement restrictions and other foot-and-mouth disease controls are having on livestock hauliers' businesses. The relaxation in controls which I referred to in my Statement to the Parliament on 5 April should help these businesses recover. The financial impact of the foot-and-mouth disease on businesses generally is being assessed.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what genetically modified material types will be used in GM crop trials and at which sites and whether the so called "terminator gene" will be tried anywhere.
Answer
The two varieties of oilseed rape which are currently being grown as part of the farm scale evaluations both contain the following introduced genetic sequences:- PssuAra (a promoter)- bar (a gene conveying tolerance to the herbicide glufosinate ammonium)- 3`g7 (stop signal)- PTA29 (a promoter)- barnase (a gene conveying male sterility)- barstar (a gene conveying fertility restoration)- 3`nos (stop signal)The outcome of this modification is a hybrid crop resistant to the herbicide glufosinate ammonium, which is widely used in agriculture to control annual and perennial weeds. Further details of the construction of these varieties is contained in the public register along with precise location details for each of the trial sites.The term "terminator gene" is understood to apply to genetic modifications which leave a plant incapable of producing seed able to germinate (seed sterility). Crop varieties containing these genes have neither been developed nor grown in Scotland. The varieties of modified oilseed rape which are grown in Scotland are fully fertile and produce viable pollen.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 11 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre details of the road alignment scheme between Gaich and Craggan on the A95 which is targeted for completion in 2001-02.
Answer
The plans for the A95 Gaich to Craggan improvement scheme require to be reviewed and once completed they will be subject to public consultation prior to construction which is programmed for 2001-02. Details will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre when finalised.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the barnase gene will be tested in any genetically modified crop trials.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14585.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, in the event of the three water authorities being replaced by a single water authority for Scotland, whether the water charges for customers of the existing North of Scotland Water Authority are expected to reduce, increase or remain the same.
Answer
In advance of the Water Industry Commissioner's Strategic Review of Charges, it is difficult to predict precisely how water and sewerage charges will change. Given the need to invest, as set out in the Quality and Standards consultation paper, it is unlikely that charges in the north will fall. It is, however, the case that if a single water authority for Scotland is established, then we would expect that charges in the north would need to rise far less sharply than if the three authorities remained separate.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 9 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of the services provided by Deloitte and Touche in connection with Proposals for a Highlands and Islands Integrated Transport Authority; why the remit given to them did not include a requirement to present a case for the creation of a Highlands and Islands Integrated Transport Authority for consideration by consultees or to make any recommendations on the form of any such authority.
Answer
The total costs incurred by Deloitte and Touche were around £125,000. This represents good value, given the comprehensive consultation exercise and the need to analyse a very complex set of issues.
The remit given to Deloitte and Touche was prepared in partnership by the Scottish Executive, the six local authorities involved in the study, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. All the partners agreed that it was not for Deloitte and Touche to recommend a single way forward, but instead to advise on the issues to be considered by the partners in reaching such a decision.Consistent with this, Deloitte and Touche set out the case for and against establishing a HIITA and make recommendations about the form a HIITA might take, for example, that Shetland should not be included in any authority.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 9 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive why Deloitte and Touche in their report Proposals for a Highlands and Islands Integrated Transport Authority did not provide any estimate of costs or range of costs for Options 4A and 4B and whether an estimate will now be provided for the costs for these two options.
Answer
On pages 89-90 of Volume I of the report, Deloitte and Touche estimate the resource costs of option 4A, a minimum function HIITA, as being around £600,000.This estimate provides a baseline by which one could calculate the resource costs of a most-function HIITA (Option 4B), depending on which of the additional functions were taken on.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to meet representatives of the Road Haulage Association as a matter of urgency to discuss concerns about the practical arrangements for the movement of livestock from farm to abattoir under licence and in particular about how to ensure that such movement and transportation does not involve any increase in the risks of transmission of the foot and mouth virus.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has had discussions with the Road Haulage Association.Conditions under which livestock can be moved under licence direct from the farm to the abattoir are tightly drawn and enforced, to minimise any risk of transmission of foot-and-mouth disease.