- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many sheep it estimates were culled as a result of actions arising from the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak before the Sheep Welfare Scheme came into operation.
Answer
This information isnot recorded. The Sheep Welfare Scheme was introduced to prevent light lambs fromsuffering and dying on the hills as a consequence of measures taken to reduce therisk of spreading foot-and-mouth disease.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects to be copied any future drafts of statements or other documents by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) following the Executive’s release of the recent DEFRA draft statement for the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Answer
The Scottish Governmentfully expects to continue having a positive working relationship with the Departmentfor Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when farmers can expect to receive financial assistance from the Scottish Government’s economic compensation scheme.
Answer
We expect paymentsunder the Scottish Ewe Scheme to be made to around 11,600 eligible producers bymid November.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Foot and Mouth Disease Contingency Plan has been reviewed to address the bluetongue outbreak in England.
Answer
Bluetongue andfoot-and-mouth disease are two separate exotic notifiable diseases requiring separatedisease control responses. The UK Bluetongue Control Strategy is being revised asa result of a new Commission Regulation on bluetongue.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in respect of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in August 2007, any communication accompanying the draft statement provided to the Executive by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs that indicated what the Secretary of State for Rural Affairs and the Environment might say to the UK Parliament indicated that it had been approved by the Secretary of State as the final statement, or was qualified in any way as being a draft yet to be approved by the Secretary of State.
Answer
The draft speech receivedby Scottish Government officials on the morning of the 8 October 2007 announcement was a late draft. Defra officials had notedthat it may be subject to revision.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 8 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a written, formal and costed application was made to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs or HM Treasury for a compensation scheme for farmers following the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in August 2007 and prior to 25 October 2007; for what types of support and sectors any such application was made; what costs were attached to each element, and on what date any such application was made.
Answer
I wrote to the Secretaryof State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 27 September 2007 explainingthe urgent need for a sheep welfare scheme and reiterating our view that it shouldbe funded by the UK Government. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and SustainableGrowth wrote to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 24 October 2007 with detailsof the full £25 million package that I announced in Parliament that day. The letterstated that financial support from the UK Government would be appropriate to addressthe specific issues which emerged from the Pirbright outbreak of foot and mouthdisease. Once the UK Government has accepted in principle that it has responsibilityfor this funding, we can discuss the details.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 7 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the second supplementary to question S3F-125 by Alex Salmond on 6 September 2007 (Official Report, c. 1501), whether the phrase “so-called hit list” refers to the programme of school closures contained in Children & Families Estates Review: Rationalisation and Development Programme, approved by the City of Edinburgh Council Executive on 23 August 2007.
Answer
The First Ministerwas reflecting on a general understanding that the possibility of school closures had been underconsideration for some time by the City of Edinburgh Council’s previous administration.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 7 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4248 by Fiona Hyslop on 25 September 2007, whether it will give examples of the reports referred to.
Answer
There were such reportsin the Edinburgh Evening News on 14 August 2006, and 31 January, 9 February and 7 March 2007.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 6 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4248 by Fiona Hyslop on 25 September 2007, whether any of these reports referred to the existence of a “so-called hit list” of school closures approved by the City of Edinburgh Council Executive prior to May 2007 and, if so, which reports these were and when they were published.
Answer
Press reports, althoughnot using the precise term “so-called hit list”, suggested that the possibilityof school closures was under consideration by the then City of Edinburgh Council administration and mentioned certain specificschools.
- Asked by: Sarah Boyack, MSP for Edinburgh Central, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 2 November 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the decision to abolish the Cabinet Committee on Sustainable Scotland, what formal internal mechanisms exist to ensure that decisions meet the Executive’s five priorities and contribute to the target to cut greenhouse gas emissions by over 3% a year.
Answer
It isthe responsibility of Cabinet, assisted by the Strategic Board, to achieve the overallpurpose and the five strategic objectives set by the Scottish Government. The GreenerScotland strategic objective is supported by a Programme Board, chaired by the DirectorGeneral Environment and reporting directly to the Strategic Board and Cabinet. Thisboard will take responsibility for oversight of the programmes to deliver reductionsin greenhouse gas emissions and other targets of the government.
Our Scottish ClimateChange Bill will set out our proposed targets on emissions, including our headlineaim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by the year 2050,and mandatory annual reporting to provide strong accountability. We aim to launchthe public consultation on proposals for the bill around the turn of the year.
