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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-04496

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any reports made in respect of the Assynt - Coigach Area Protection Order 2004.

Question reference: S3W-04495

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 3 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to review the Assynt - Coigach Area Protection Order 2004.

Question reference: S3W-04493

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many protection orders have been issued under the Freshwater and Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Act 1976 and in which locations.

There are currently14 Protection Orders in force in Scotland. They are asfollows:

West Strathclyde Protection Order 1988 (SI 1988 No. 1516)

River Earn CatchmentProtection Order 1990 (SI 1990 No. 50)

River Don CatchmentArea (Part) Protection Order 1990 (SI 1990 No. 1971)

Loch Awe and AssociatedWaters Protection Order 1992 (SI 1992 No. 771)

Loch Morar and RiverMorar Protection Order 1992 (SI 1992 No. 2316)

River Clyde CatchmentArea (Part) Protection Order 1994 (SI 1994 No. 1949)

River Tummel CatchmentArea Protection (Renewal) Order 1991 Variation Order 1994 (SI 1994 No. 2623)

Rivers Tweed and EyeProtection (Renewal) Order 1991 Variation Order 1994 (SI 1994 No. 2621)

River Lunan CatchmentArea Protection (Renewal) Order 1991 Variation Order 1994 (SI 1994 No. 2644)

River Arkaig, LochArkaig and Associated Waters Protection Order 1995 (SI 1995 No. 2683)

Upper Spey and AssociatedWaters Protection (Renewal) Order 1993 Variation Order 1996 (SI 1996 No. 57)

North West SutherlandProtection Order 1994 (SI 1994 No. 3302)

River Tay CatchmentProtection (Renewal) Order 1993 Variation order 1996 (SI 1996 No. 58).

Assynt-Coigach AreaProtection Variation Order 2006 (SSI 2006 No.488)

The Assynt-CoigachOrder was made under Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003.

Details of the areascovered by these Protection Orders are given in the individual Statutory Instruments.

Question reference: S3W-04498

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Bruce Crawford on 2 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will respond to the findings of the review of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Question reference: S3W-04499

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Adam Ingram on 2 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding awarded for couple counselling services nationally is distributed to local organisations.

The ScottishGovernment currently funds two national couple counselling service providers,Counselling and Family Mediation Scotland (formerly Relate Scotland [CoupleCounselling Scotland] and Family Mediation Scotland) and Scottish Marriage Care(incorporating Stepfamily Scotland) amounting to £676,935 and £240,732respectively. It also funds 13 local Family Mediation services amounting to£920,550.

In the threeyears to financial year 2006-07, Change Agenda funding of £300,000 per annumwas distributed to local family support organisations to promote joint workinginitiatives and steps to improve integration.

Question reference: S3W-04500

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Adam Ingram on 2 October 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what savings there will be to the public purse from the merger of Relate and Family Mediation Scotland.

Question reference: S3O-00706

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 27 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to help promote greater financial stability for voluntary sector community organisations.

We support theprinciples of the Scottish Compact, last reviewed in 2004, which was explicitthat we should apply best practice in funding and in the administration ofgrants. We support the practice of three-year funding for the voluntary sectoracross the public sector and encourage the use of longer term fundingagreements, where possible, to provide a stable and efficient operatingenvironment for the sector.

Question reference: S3W-04288

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 27 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the performance of Scottish Gas in handling the central heating programme.

While Scottish Gasis currently forecasting that it will install enough systems to ensure that thecontract commitment of 12,000 installations is achieved, the Scottish Governmentrecognises that more can always be done to improve performance, particularly inview of the low number of installations undertaken in island and rural areas. CommunitiesScotland and Scottish Gas hold regular meetings aimedat improving this and other aspects of programme delivery.

Question reference: S3W-04289

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 21 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that contractors are paid in a reasonable time by Scottish Gas for work completed under the central heating programme.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

It is the managingagent’s responsibility to ensure its contractors are paid in a reasonable time.However, it is a contractual requirement placed on the managing agent thatcontractors are paid within 30 days of satisfactory completion of the work and onsubmission of a valid invoice.

Regular contract compliancemeetings are held between the managing agent and Communities Scotland. At thosemeetings the issue of payments to installers is discussed and the managingagent has indicated it makes every effort to pay contractors as quickly as possibleon receipt of a valid invoice.

Question reference: S3W-04290

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-31165 by George Lyon on 31 January 2007, whether it will pay out the remaining £167,000 that it agreed to make available in ex gratia payments from the Scottish Transport Group pension funds surplus.