- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to mitigate the impact of any penalties incurred by claimants as a result of an over declaration of eligible land under the Single Farm Payment and Less Favoured Area Support schemes.
Answer
The Scottish Government''s Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate (SGRPID) does not have any discretion to vary the level of penalties. Only the EC can alter the penalty regime by changing its legislative base. SGRPID''s approach to mitigation, therefore, is to help farmers and crofters to claim only land that is eligible for support and, thus, avoid penalties. It has done so by setting out what constitute eligible land in guidance booklets supporting its subsidy schemes, by holding around 20 public meetings, in cooperation with the National Farmers Union of Scotland, that were attended by over 2,000 farmers to hear how they could safeguard their CAP payments and by issuing a personal letter to farmers detailing how they could avail themselves of provisions to amend applications forms to remove ineligible land and avoid penalties.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many inquiries each Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate (SGRPID) office has received regarding Single Farm Payment and Less Favoured Area Support schemes land eligibility since January 2010 and how these figures compare with the number of inquiries received over the same period in 2009.
Answer
The Scottish Government''s Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate (SGRPID) receives numerous enquiries from its client group of c.21,000 farmers, and crofters. It does not keep, however, records of those enquiries as a matter of routine. It is not possible, therefore, to undertake the analysis required in order to answer this question.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how much support it expects to be withheld from claimants in 2010-11 as a result of penalties arising from an over declaration of eligible land under the Single Farm Payment and Less Favoured Area Support schemes.
Answer
The inspection cycle for 2010-11 is underway but not complete and the settlement of claims has not begun, so it is not possible to answer the question as asked.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-36066 and S3W-36059 by Stewart Stevenson on 30 September 2010, whether its “regular ongoing contact about ferry services in Scotland with a range of public bodies” included discussions with (a) Orkney Islands Council, (b) Shetland Islands Council and (c) Argyll and Bute Council regarding its plan to extend the Road Equivalent Tariff pilot on the Western Isles routes for a further 12 months before that decision was (i) taken and (ii) announced.
Answer
Orkney Islands Council, Shetland Islands Council and Argyll and Bute Council have, through regular road equivalent tariff (RET) stakeholder meetings, and the recent Scottish ferries review meetings, been kept fully involved and informed during all stages of the RET pilot.
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- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints were registered against the air ambulance service in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 4 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications there have been for Stage Four measures under the Energy Assistance Package; how many (a) were rejected, (b) were withdrawn and (c) are under consideration; for how many (i) the improvement work has been completed, (ii) the improvement work is underway, (iii) surveys have been undertaken but the improvement work has yet to start, (iv) surveys have yet to start, and what the average time is from the submission of an application to the completion of the improvement work, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
15,066 applications were referred to Stage Four of the Energy Assistance Package in the financial year 2009-10. Of these, five were duplicates, leaving 15,061. Of these 15,061 applications, by the end of August 2010:
a. 2,799 had been rejected because they were not eligible and a further 696 were cancelled before the initial screening process because the managing agent was unable to reach the customer, total 3,495;
b. 2,160 had been withdrawn, and
c. None were still under consideration.
i. 7,910 had received installations;
ii. 1,031 had work underway;
iii. 465 have had surveys undertaken but improvement work yet to start;
iv. None still had surveys yet to start.
The average time from referral to Stage 4 to installation was 68 days. An analysis by local authority area is given in the following table:
Energy Assistance Package: 2009-10 Stage 4 Applications Received and Processed by Local Authority Area: Status at End August 2010
| | Applications | a. Rejected | b. Withdrawn | Stage 4 Measures | Average Delivery Time (Working Days) |
| i. Installed | ii. Under-way | iii. Surveyed, Work Yet to Start |
| Aberdeen City | 349 | 87 | 38 | 198 | 17 | 9 | 75 |
| Aberdeenshire | 563 | 106 | 77 | 308 | 52 | 20 | 89 |
| Angus | 390 | 82 | 67 | 207 | 21 | 13 | 69 |
| Argyll and Bute | 404 | 70 | 81 | 198 | 38 | 17 | 96 |
| Clackmannanshire | 94 | 22 | 7 | 62 | 3 | 0 | 64 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 713 | 117 | 154 | 367 | 50 | 25 | 93 |
| Dundee City | 506 | 114 | 55 | 312 | 16 | 9 | 55 |
| East Ayrshire | 240 | 53 | 34 | 145 | 4 | 4 | 58 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 302 | 90 | 52 | 156 | 2 | 2 | 54 |
| East Lothian | 222 | 46 | 37 | 121 | 12 | 6 | 65 |
| East Renfrewshire | 272 | 70 | 47 | 145 | 5 | 5 | 57 |
| Edinburgh, City of | 920 | 248 | 155 | 466 | 34 | 17 | 61 |
| Eilean Siar | 1,045 | 188 | 172 | 294 | 278 | 113 | 90 |
| Falkirk | 375 | 106 | 35 | 220 | 8 | 6 | 64 |
| Fife | 1,062 | 257 | 146 | 589 | 46 | 24 | 66 |
| Glasgow City | 1,209 | 356 | 153 | 667 | 22 | 11 | 55 |
| Highland | 1,262 | 267 | 175 | 565 | 185 | 70 | 88 |
| Inverclyde | 209 | 58 | 30 | 112 | 9 | 0 | 60 |
| Midlothian | 188 | 42 | 20 | 112 | 4 | 10 | 53 |
| Moray | 288 | 49 | 42 | 176 | 18 | 3 | 82 |
| North Ayrshire | 429 | 102 | 50 | 254 | 11 | 12 | 65 |
| North Lanarkshire | 692 | 166 | 65 | 442 | 9 | 10 | 53 |
| Orkney Islands | 141 | 26 | 28 | 42 | 39 | 6 | 82 |
| Perth and Kinross | 434 | 81 | 57 | 247 | 30 | 19 | 72 |
| Renfrewshire | 343 | 89 | 40 | 203 | 5 | 6 | 56 |
| Scottish Borders | 343 | 61 | 59 | 191 | 24 | 8 | 83 |
| Shetland Islands | 55 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 19 | 8 | 152 |
| South Ayrshire | 322 | 61 | 65 | 178 | 10 | 8 | 64 |
| South Lanarkshire | 771 | 208 | 90 | 434 | 33 | 6 | 60 |
| Stirling | 466 | 124 | 64 | 244 | 19 | 15 | 59 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 224 | 72 | 25 | 123 | 2 | 2 | 59 |
| West Lothian | 228 | 67 | 32 | 122 | 6 | 1 | 59 |
| Scotland | 15,061 | 3,495 | 2,160 | 7,910 | 1,031 | 465 | 68 |
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 30 September 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the outcome of the studies made of the social and economic impact on Scottish Islands other than the Western Isles of an extension to the pilot of Road Equivalent Tariff fares on the ferry services to the Western Isles beyond spring 2011 before a decision was made to extent the pilot by one year.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36067 on 30 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 30 September 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered extending the pilot of Road Equivalent Tariff fares on the ferry services to the Western Isles to cover additional ferry routes to islands other than the Western Isles.
Answer
The possible extension of the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) pilot has been under consideration since the pilot was initiated. The impacts of the current pilot scheme are being closely monitored to allow ministers to make informed decisions on a possible wider roll-out of RET once the final evaluation report is completed next year.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 30 September 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions took place with (a) Orkney Islands Council and (b) Shetland Islands Council regarding its plan to extend the Road Equivalent Tariff pilot on the Western Isles routes for a further 12 months prior to that decision being (i) taken and (ii) announced.
Answer
The decision to extend the Road Equivalent Tariff(RET) pilot was taken on the basis of consultation and engagement as set out in the answer to question S3W-36059 on 30 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
styl
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 September 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 30 September 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has been made of the displacement of traffic from other island routes as a result of the Road Equivalent Tariff pilot on the Western Isles routes.
Answer
The evaluation of the Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) pilot will be completed in early 2011 and the final evaluation report will be published thereafter. Initial findings indicate that there has been no significant displacement of traffic as a result of RET. The interim evaluation report and other relevant documents are available on the Scottish Government website:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Transport/ferries-ports-canals/14342/TARIFF.
The final report on the RET pilot will take into account all of the impacts of the scheme, including any possible displacement of traffic, as well as consideration of the social and economic impacts.
