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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: S2W-16376

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Euan Robson on 19 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any studies have been made of the effects of exposure to advertising on children; whether any action is planned as a result of such studies, and, if no such studies have been undertaken, whether any are planned.

Question reference: S2W-16375

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is issued to police forces regarding the recruitment of female police officers.

Question reference: S2W-16438

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the employment levels in the aquaculture sector are currently and have been in each of the last six years.

The information requested is provided in the following table.

Salmon Production	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Staff Full-time	1,117	1,036	1,141	1,066	1,083	1,066	N/A**
Staff Part-time	192	268	256	191	223	151	N/A**
Total	1,309	1,304	1,397	1,257	1,306	1,217	N/A**
Smolt Production
Staff Full-time	318	300	341	317	312	291	N/A**
Staff Part-time	96	124	103	111	93	82	N/A**
Total	414	424	444	428	405	373	N/A**
Rainbow Trout Production
Staff Full-time	137	126	121	118	114	107	N/A**
Staff Part-time	49	51	47	41	46	41	N/A**
Total	186	177	168	159	160	148	N/A**
Other Species Production (fin-fish)
Staff Full-time	N/A*	54	73	75	69	73	N/A**
Staff Part-time	N/A*	18	25	22	30	24	N/A**
Total	N/A*	72	98	97	99	97	N/A**
Shellfish Production (all species)
Staff Full-time	116	118	138	137	128	146	149
Staff Part-time	127	114	135	146	134	144	170
Staff Casual	60	76	90	89	85	74	83
Total	303	308	363	372	347	364	402

Source: Fisheries Research Services Annual Production Survey (1998-2004).

Notes:

*Data not available – other species production data not available before 1999.

**Data not available – 2004 fin-fish production data is still being collected and verified. Annual survey results are published retrospectively.

Question reference: S2O-06741

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 19 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to assess the impact on rural areas and industries such as agriculture and fisheries of rising road fuel prices.

Question reference: S2W-16044

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 11 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many requests have been submitted to each minister under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and whether it will provide details for each minister in respect of the percentage (a) disclosed, (b) refused, (c) where the initial appeal was successful and (d) where a subsequent appeal to the Information Commissioner was successful.

Question reference: S2W-16226

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive which responsibilities in relation to the regulation of carbon sequestration and capture are (a) devolved and (b) reserved.

The Scottish Executive does not currently regulate carbon sequestration and capture.

There is a mixture of reserved and devolved responsibilities for policies and functions that have an influence on carbon sequestration. In general terms, fiscal policies that may influence carbon sequestration or capture, and offshore capture, are reserved. Land-based policies on matters such as agriculture or forestry, that may influence sequestration or capture, are devolved.

Question reference: S2W-16121

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fisheries officer posts there were in each of the last five years, broken down by port and taking into account unfilled and new vacancies, also showing year-on-year percentage changes and expressed where possible as a ratio of the number of relevant registered vessels.

The figures requested are shown as follows:

Eastern Area		Aberdeen	Buckie	Eyemouth	Fraserburgh	Pittenweem	Peterhead
2000-01	Enforcement Staff	7	2	2	10	2	14
	Var. (%+/-)	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Reg. vessels	105	101	120	276	117	144
	Ratio to reg. vessels	15.00	50.50	60.00	27.60	58.50	10.29
2001-02	Enforcement Staff	6	2	2	9	2	16
	Var. (%+/-)	-14.29%	0%	0%	-10.00%	0%	+14.29%
	Reg. vessels	102	100	114	270	115	133
	Ratio to reg. vessels	17.00	50.00	57.00	30.00	57.50	8.31
2002-03	Enforcement Staff	5	2	2	3	2	23
	Var. (%+/-)	-16.67%	0%	0%	-66.67%	0%	+43.75%
	Reg. vessels	99	90	112	246	109	122
	Ratio to reg. vessels	19.80	45.00	56.00	82.00	54.50	5.30
2003-04	Enforcement Staff	5	2	2	4	2	22
	Var. (%+/-)	0%	0%	0%	+33.33%	0%	-4.35%
	Reg. vessels	90	82	106	215	109	104
	Ratio to reg. vessels	18.00	41.00	91.00	53.75	54.50	4.73
2004-05	Enforcement Staff	4	2	2	4	2	22
	Var. (%+/-)	-20.00%	0%	0%	0%	0%	0%
	Reg. vessels	92	79	108	222	111	104
	Ratio to reg. vessels	23.00	39.50	54.00	55.50	55.50	4.73

Question reference: S2W-16052

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what its fisheries-related priorities are for the United Kingdom's forthcoming presidency of the European Union and how it intends to pursue them.

Scottish Executive ministers and officials will play a full part, in both a Presidency and member state role, in the UK team working to ensure a successful Presidency that delivers our fisheries-related objectives. It is not possible to be precise at this stage as to what our specific priorities will be. These will, to a large extent, depend on what is agreed during the Luxembourg Presidency and what issues will carry over to the UK Presidency. I look forward to discussing our priorities with the Environment and Rural Development Committee in September.

Question reference: S2W-16082

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that its Environment and Rural Affairs Department's information systems are compatible with those of the British Cattle Movement Service.

Question reference: S2W-16078

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any changes to the EU agricultural subsidies appeals procedure are planned and, if so, whether it will provide details and the likely timescale for such changes.

The EU agricultural subsidies appeals procedure has been in operation since November 2000 and I have no plans to make any changes to the structure of the procedure itself. In March this year, the legislation was amended to extend coverage of the procedure to the new Single Farm Payment Scheme and Scottish Beef Calf Scheme. The extension of the procedure to the Land Management Contracts Menu Scheme should take place shortly.