- 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 will investigate the issues raised by the Road Haulage Association at the meeting of the Rural Development Committee on 13 March 2001, in particular the adequacy of the arrangements for disinfection of vehicles transporting livestock from farms to abattoir under licence, whether it is satisfied that all vehicles are effectively disinfected at abattoirs, what methods are being employed to ascertain whether this is the case, and whether these monitoring methods are sufficient and, if not, what additional measures will be taken to ensure adequate disinfection of such vehicles.
Answer
Thorough disinfection of vehicles is carried out under strict supervision on behalf of Scottish Ministers, once livestock have been unloaded at the abattoir. This system should help to ensure that any risk of infection is minimal.
- 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 the scheme allowing the licensed movement of livestock from farm to abattoir (a) permits or (b) prevents (i) the movement of livestock from farms which lie within areas where foot and mouth disease has been confirmed and (ii) the transportation of livestock on or across roads within such areas; whether any licences have been sought in relation to farms within infected areas; if so, whether any such licences have been granted; whether there has been any transportation of livestock across roads within infected areas and, if so, whether it plans to reassess the risks involved in such transportation.
Answer
The scheme licensing the movement of animals to slaughter for human consumption, which came into effect at midnight on 2 March, permits animals from outside infected areas to be moved under strict controls direct from the farm to a slaughterhouse. Where such movements go within 3km of an infected place this may only be done by motorway, trunk road or railway. The movement of livestock from farms which lie within areas where foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed is prohibited.Information on the number of applications for a licence to move livestock from an infected area is not held centrally. If any such applications were received they would be rejected.The transportation of livestock across roads within infected areas is not permitted unless under licence for animal welfare purposes.With this arrangement operating, the movement of stock is kept under review.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 6 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it plans to take to promote salmon farming and when it will respond to the letter sent by the Convenors of the Rural Development and the Transport and the Environment Committees on 7 February 2001 asking whether it will hold an independent inquiry into the environmental impacts of sea cage fish farming.
Answer
The Executive will continue to support the development of salmon farming within a framework which has due regard to the environment and to the interests of other coastal stakeholders. To that end it is involved in a range of initiatives which includes a comprehensive R&D programme, a fish health inspection regime and a new FIFG scheme designed to support competitiveness and to assist businesses to diversify and embrace more environmentally sustainable practices. We are actively considering the Rural Development and the Transport and Environment Committees' recent request and will give our reply soon.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13221 by Susan Deacon on 9 February 2001, what gross salary will be offered to salaried GPs in rural Scotland under the initiative launched on 19 February 2001 and what criteria will be used to determine the salary levels of such GPs.
Answer
Personal Medical Services contracts are designed to meet local needs and the local services which will be provided to meet those needs. The level of GP remuneration will be determined locally, on the basis of the local services to be provided.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times permission for new accesses to trunk roads for new or proposed developments has been refused in recent years and whether it can quantify the impact of its policy on new accesses to trunk roads on the rural economy.
Answer
During 1999 and 2000, officials within the Scottish Executive Road Network Management and Maintenance Division gave advice to Scottish planning authorities on 1250 planning applications some of which would have included requests for new accesses onto trunk roads. The determination of these planning applications then rests with the relevant local planning authority. Generally, proposals for new accesses to trunk roads are assessed by the Executive and relevant local planning authority, on a case by case basis. The benefits and costs of trunk road access are carefully assessed, (with particular regard to the likely impact on accidents and traffic flows), alongside those of the alternative options available to meet the developers' needs.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 5 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether sportscotland received a proposal from the Camanachd Association to set up a working party to discuss an increase in its core funding; whether this proposal has been rejected and what the reasons were for any such decision; whether sportscotland has requested that an independent review of shinty be conducted, what the reasons are for any such request and what such a review will cost, and whether it will consider redirecting the cost of any such review towards increasing the core grant of the Camanachd Association.
Answer
As explained in my response to question S1W-12677 on 14 February, sportscotland has offered to fund an independent review of the Camanachd Association. The Association's response was to reject the offer and instead propose that an independently chaired working party be set up to look at the differences between it and sportscotland. sportscotland rejected this approach because of concerns that a working party would focus on the issue of the Camanachd Association's core funding, an issue on which a decision has already been taken.An independent review of the Camanachd Association would be wide ranging and its aim would be to ensure the long term success of shinty and the viability of the Association. The cost of a review would be approximately £10,000. sportscotland would not consider redirecting the one off costs of a review to the Camanachd Association's core grant as there is presently no basis on which to increase the Camanachd Association's core funding. sportscotland's offer of an independent review remains on the table. The way forward for the Camanachd Association and the sport of shinty is to accept the offer.
- 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 4 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to prevent local authority workers employed in connection with trunk road maintenance being made redundant in the event that private sector bids for the trunk road unit contracts are successful and whether the tender documents specified that all existing staff be retained.
Answer
It will be for the existing and incoming operators to decide whether there is a need for workers to be made redundant. The tender documents do not require that all existing staff be retained. Our current expectation is that the TUPE Regulations will apply.
- 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 4 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the continuity of winter roads maintenance will be affected in any way by the award of any trunk road unit contracts to private sector bidders.
Answer
The award of contracts will secure the continuity of the levels of service of winter maintenance required by the Scottish Executive.
- 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 4 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered all of the points raised by trade unions about the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (as amended) in connection with the awarding of the trunk road unit contracts, in particular those points relating to those workers who spend most but not all of their time on trunk road work; whether private sector bidders were given information about the number of employees in respect of whom the Regulations would apply in this instance and whether employees were given an opportunity to check that any such information is correct.
Answer
Employment of existing staff and workers is a matter to be resolved between the existing and new operators and staff and their Unions. During the tender period, existing employers circulated lists of staff involved. The Scottish Executive is not aware of what notice and information has been given to employees by the several operators.
- 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 4 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it took to establish the accuracy of comments relating to the position of staff, and the terms and conditions of such staff, currently employed by local authorities in connection with trunk roads maintenance attributed to staff of one of the private sector bidders for the trunk road unit contracts in Construction News on 9 November and, if these comments were correctly attributed, whether they would be contrary to any conditions to be included in the trunk road unit contracts and, if so, what action was taken in relation to these comments.
Answer
The Scottish Executive recognised at the outset that the comments made in Construction News on 9 November were inaccurate. The Executive issued letters to concerned councils to advise them that the articles were without foundation as no decision had at that time been taken.