- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 April 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 22 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects a veterinary manager to be recruited at the Thurso Disease Surveillance Centre.
Answer
The Thurso Disease Surveillance Centre is not a Scottish Government facility but is part of the Scottish Agricultural College''s (SAC) network of veterinary laboratories. SAC are a private company limited by guarantee and independent of government.
Due to the specialist nature of this post, in a remote part of Scotland, recruitment of a suitably trained and experienced veterinary surgeon is difficult. Recognising this challenge SAC moved rapidly to secure the services of two local veterinary practitioners who have been contracted to provide an uninterrupted service. An agreement has been reached with the local veterinary practice, DS McGregor and Partners, to ensure that appropriately trained vets will continue to provide a post mortem service from SAC''s existing Janetstown premises. Laboratory samples will also be sent to Thurso from other parts of Scotland to supplement this work.
Veterinary officials are satisfied that these arrangements will meet the requirements of the Scottish Government''s surveillance programme and they will continue to monitor the situation.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 21 April 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Housing Association Grant can be used to fund renewables when no other government funding is available.
Answer
Housing Association Grant can be used to fund renewables in registered social landlord (RSL) projects which meet our published grant benchmarks or other published value for money criteria such as the New Indicatives Cost System.
Otherwise we will expect RSLs to obtain additional funding contributions from partners, principally the Energy Saving Trust, who specialise in the energy efficiency sector and support innovative energy-saving approaches or technologies with grant schemes to complement investment in housing.
Guidance on the New Indicative Costs System and HAG Subsidy Target Benchmark can be accessed at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/investment/guidancenotes/nic.
http://www.scotland.gsi.gov.uk/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/investment/guidancenotes/hign0903.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 30 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what happens to any surplus in the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme budget at the end of a financial year after all outstanding claims have been processed.
Answer
LFASS expenditure in any one year is a function of fixed payments rates and levels of demand in a constant eligible area. The indicative LFASS budget is £61 million a year, and is part of the overall Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) budget. Any variance between LFASS spend and its indicative budget results in correspondingly more or less funds being available for the rest of the SRDP.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what power it has to remove fishing quotas from owners who do not sign up to the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system.
Answer
We are confident that our proposals are both legal and enforceable.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out an economic impact assessment on the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system.
Answer
Along with a standard regulatory impact assessment, a significant amount of additional economic research was carried out to help shape the quota and licensing proposals. This includes research on producer organisations, quota holding and inshore management.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what restrictions the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system will place on non-Scottish boats working out of and landing at Scottish ports.
Answer
No restrictions are proposed for non-Scottish boats currently working out of and landing at Scottish ports. Our proposals are designed to ensure no detriment arises to fishermen elsewhere in the UK.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 26 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out a risk assessment on the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system.
Answer
We have undertaken a regulatory impact assessment of our proposals to consider any impacts arising for businesses.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 24 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the legal advice it received when drawing up the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not discuss the nature of any legal advice received, nor indeed whether legal advice has been sought in relation to any matter.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can compel Scottish-based fishing quota owners to join the proposed quota management and licensing system.
Answer
The proposals are for a Scottish quota management and licensing system which will apply to Scottish vessels and quota holders as defined in the consultation document Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland - Interim outcome of consultation report.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 23 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can compel Scottish-based fishing boats to join the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system.
Answer
The proposals are for a Scottish quota management and licensing system which will apply to Scottish vessels and quota holders as defined in the consultation document Safeguarding Our Fishing Rights: The Future of Quota Management and Licensing in Scotland - Interim outcome of consultation report.
