- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the impact of the introduction of the new cassette system for transporting livestock to and from the North Isles will be on the cost of such transport.
Answer
Freight and livestocktariffs are charged on the basis of the lane meterage used per journey and the agreementbetween Scottish ministers and NorthLink Ferries Ltd provides for annual index linkedincreases to those tariffs. The charge per head of livestock shipped will dependon how effectively the container space is used. As the new system will incorporateprovision for some “double decking”, average charges per head should fall, againassuming that container space is used effectively.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the (a) UK Government and (b) European Commission about the future of the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme.
Answer
Scottish Executive officialsare participating in discussions between UK Government and European Commissionofficials about future designation of Less Favoured Areas within the EuropeanUnion. In addition, the Scottish Executive has been discussing the interimScheme for the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme (LFASS) 2007-2009 with theEuropean Commission in the wider context of the Scotland Rural DevelopmentProgramme (SRDP) for 2007-2013.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to the designation of islands as particularly fragile under the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme.
Answer
All Scottish Islands areclassified as “very fragile” under the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme,recognising the higher transport costs and degree of natural handicap.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the designation of islands as particularly fragile under the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto 3W-629 on 14 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 14 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the (a) UK Government and (b) European Commission on designating islands as particularly fragile under the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-629 on 14 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the decision to retain full accident and emergency services at Monklands and Ayr hospitals will have on the (a) current and (b) future budget resources available to NHS Orkney.
Answer
None.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to raise awareness among oil industry brokers of the ship-to-ship oil transfer options available at Scapa Flow.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has norole in promoting operational activities of specific harbour authorities. That isa matter for the ports sector itself and for individual harbour authorities.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 7 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake a review of the system of penalties applied to mistakes in applications for agricultural grants and subsidies, and of the associated appeal system, with a view to finding ways of making the system fairer and quicker for farmers and crofters.
Answer
We shall be having early discussionswith key stakeholders on general issues surrounding the implementation of the commonagricultural policy. We shall also be undertakinga review of the EU agricultural subsidies appeals procedure.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 4 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional steps it considers might be taken to attract overseas buyers to Scottish craft trade shows.
Answer
Responsibility for internationaleconomic activity such as promoting Scotland as a place to do business in and with rests with ScottishDevelopment International (SDI). The craft industry is not currently an SDIpriority. We are happy to support priority companies but this may not translateinto directly supporting overseas buyers. SDI is not aware of any evidence of failurewithin the craft industry to attract buyers, though SDI would be happy to discusswith industry representatives how we can best support the craft industry in thefuture.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 May 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 4 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider supporting a trade delegation to Russia, with a specific focus on the oil industry.
Answer
The Scottish Executive, throughScottish Development International (SDI), the international arm of the ScottishGovernment’s economic development agency, provides support to individual companiesand organises trade delegations to oil and gas provincesthroughout the world, including Russia.
This gives companies new to themarket the opportunity to meet with contractors and operators in the oil and gassector and attend meetings and presentations on how to operate in an overseas market.Twelve Scottish companies participated in a trade delegation to Moscow in June2004.
SDI has an office in Moscow whichworks very closely with the UK Embassy and UK Trade and Investment on research,assistance and recruiting Scottish companies interested in the Russian market fortrade delegations and exhibitions.
In 2007, SDI has taken spaceat 8th International Conference and Exhibitionfor Oil and Gas Resources. Development of the Russian Arctic and CIS ContinentalShelf (RAO/CIS) Exhibition 11 to 13 September,and the Moscow International Oil and Gas Exhibition (MIOGE) in June.
