- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 09 August 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 6 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any further plans to increase the availability of NHS dentistry services in the Highlands and, if so, what these plans are, whether they involve enhancing existing measures and what new measures it will take in this regard.
Answer
Responsibility for the overall provision of NHS dental services in Highland rests with NHS Highland. It is, however, recognised that there are increasing problems with access to NHS dental services in Highland. For this reason Highland is one of the designated areas of Scotland which will benefit from changes to the existing recruitment and retention initiatives and the introduction of a number of new measures aimed at improving access, which came into effect on 1 April this year. In addition, NHS Highland was successful in a bid for funding under the Primary and Community Care Modernising Programme to develop a new five surgery dental facilities in Wick. We will also continue to approve salaried dentist posts where there is a gap in provision.
We also intend to announce the Executive response to the consultation Modernising NHS Dental Services in Scotland in the autumn.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to assist prawn fishermen and whether the Minister for Environment and Rural Development will meet a deputation of representatives of fishermen to hear the arguments they have made in relation to the west of Scotland nephrops quota so that an application can be made for an increase in that quota.
Answer
I discussed West Coast Nephrops (prawns) in detail at my meeting with leaders of Scottish Fishermen’s Federation on 21 July, and also with local representatives on my visit to Western Isles on 16 August. I do not believe that there would be any additional value in further discussions at this time.
The Scottish Executive continues to press the case for an increase in the total allowable catch (TAC) and the UK has written accordingly to the European Commission, requesting a review of current TAC arrangements, and to the International Council for Exploration of the Sea’s, requesting a review of the most recent scientific advice. The requests have been underpinned by increased scientific effort and detailed submissions demonstrating a greater abundance of Nephrops on the West Coast than had been previously assessed.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive who has supported its proposals on a national beef envelope; whether some individuals or bodies who may have expressed broad support in principle for a scheme have not supported the actual scheme as far as its detail has been announced and, in particular, if retail interests have supported the scheme as announced, whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre copies of any letters or other indications of support from these interests and which supermarkets have supported its proposals.
Answer
Copies of responses to the main CAP Reform consultation, which included a question on use of the national envelope provisions, are available from the Scottish Executive library. A summary of these is also on the Scottish Executive website at
www.scotland.gov.uk. It is not the Executive’s practice to publish letters received from bodies and individuals.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the national beef envelope scheme will increase or decrease the amount of regulation and red tape for farmers.
Answer
Introduction of the Single Farm Payment (SFP) will greatly reduce the bureaucracy currently undertaken by farmers. The intention is to minimise the impact of the beef national envelope by linking paperwork with the SFP, linking controls with the passport system and integrating inspections.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 1 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in relation to its proposals for a beef national envelope, the information currently contained on cattle passports is insufficient to determine whether the 75% rule for calves has, or has not, been met.
Answer
The target population is progeny from suckler cows crossed with pure bred beef bulls. Most suckler producers will therefore know whether their calves qualify. The movement card from the passport, which will accompany the claim, gives the ear-tag number of the calf which will allow the department to check the cattle tracing system maintained by BCMS to confirm the breed of the cow.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 1 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the concerns ascribed in the Press and Journal of 31 July 2004 to Mr Brian Pack, that qualifying calves must be at least 75% beef genetic, are correct in relation to the condition of the beef envelope scheme announced by the Minister for Environment and Rural Development on 29 July 2004; in particular, by what means producers would be able to prove that the animals met this criterion, who would carry out the checking of such claims, whether this would be done by an existing body or a new one and, if it is proposed that the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) carry out this checking or otherwise be involved in the administration of this new rule, whether the Executive considers that the BCMS has the resources to do so, and whether the Executive consulted the BCMS on this or any other role that the BCMS is to play in the national beef envelope regime and, if so, on what date the BCMS was first consulted about the Executive's proposals and whether it will publish any correspondence of any kind between it and BCMS on this matter.
Answer
The requirement is that qualifying calves must be at least 75% beef bred. The target population is progeny from suckler cows crossed with pure bred beef bulls, which is the backbone of Scottish beef production. Most suckler producers will therefore know whether their calves qualify. The department will check information linked to the calf’s ear-tag, including its breed and its mother’s breed using information held on the cattle tracing system which is maintained by BCMS.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 1 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take steps to ensure that work is allocated more quickly to improve the water and sewerage infrastructure; whether it is satisfied that its efforts to achieve this end have been satisfactory and, if so, whether it considers that the efforts of Scottish Water in this regard have also been adequate; whether it will take any further steps to improve the infrastructure and, if so, what steps; whether it is concerned that, if there are more delays, this will lead to the possibility of higher costs for the work through pressure on capacity if a number of contracts are rolled out at the same time rather than spread over the lifetime of the agreed Scottish Solutions schedule of work, and whether it will make a statement about the position, given the concerns raised and expressed in Scotland on Sunday on 1 August 2004.
Answer
It is my understanding that, after initial delays, Scottish Water and its joint venture company, Scottish Water Solutions Ltd, are making satisfactory progress in the delivery of the capital programme. The details of allocations for work are, in the first instance an operational matter for Scottish Water and Scottish Water Solutions Ltd. I would not interfere in operational matters of this nature. I would, however, point out that delays in commissioning work of this nature can be caused by a number of factors beyond the control of Scottish Water. These factors were also discussed at my recent meeting with the Civil EngineeringContractors Association (Scotland) (CECA).
I welcome the excellent working relationships between Scottish Water and CECA and I believe that such close cooperation is the best way to ensure the current investment programme will be delivered to time and budget.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 1 September 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the article in Scotland on Sunday on 1 August 2004 by Murdo Macleod in which a Scottish Water spokeswoman said that, in order to ensure that Scottish Water delivered the Scottish Executive's requirements, Scottish Water had deliberately delayed the start of some of its projects to allow Scottish Water Solutions to take over the projects and to undertake a review, which specific projects were delayed and, in each case, what the intended and the delayed start date was, and whether it approved these delays.
Answer
The capital procurement practices of Scottish Water’s predecessor companies had been the subject of some criticism by the Water Industry Commissioner because they offered poor value for money. It is my understanding that the new board of Scottish Water withheld its approval for certain capital projects until it was satisfied that these criticisms could be properly addressed. While disappointed at any delays, I nevertheless regarded this as prudent action by the new board. The details of the projects involved are an operational matter for Scottish Water. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to you about this matter.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 30 August 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received representations from the West of Scotland Fish Producers Organisation dated 28 July 2004; if so, whether it will respond to those representations; whether it will seek a 20% increase in the west of Scotland nephrops quota, and what its position is on the figures for cod stocks produced by the “cod association” and the reasons for the reduction in the total cod catch given by the Fish Producers Organisation as detailed in its representations of 28 July.
Answer
Representations have been received by the Scottish Executive from West of Scotland Fish Producers Organisation. A full reply will be sent separately, in accordance with the normal arrangements for official replies to correspondence.
New scientific information has been presented to the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) concerning the abundance of west coast nephrops stocks. On the basis of single stock analysis, the new information suggests that a quota increase of 15% is warranted. However the current advice from ICES is presented in the context of mixed fisheries, not single stocks, and it explicitly states that managers should take the by-catch of cod into account when managing west of Scotland Nephrops fisheries.
The Scottish Executive is committed to securing an increase in the west of Scotland Nephrops TAC, but will formulate a firm position, in consultation with stakeholders, on the appropriate level of any increase and any necessary measures for reducing the perceived cod associations, only after a response to the UK’s special request for additional advice from ICES on the West of Scotland Nephrops stocks has been received.
On the basis of scientific advice, the reduction in cod stocks in the west of Scotland is not due solely to the warming of seas around our coasts nor is there firm evidence that the cod stocks will not recover. Advice received from ICES is that fishing effort on west of Scotland cod stocks has exceeded safe levels in every year since 1976.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 2004
-
Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 30 August 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of its agreement to pay Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) staff #10,000 for relocating to the new SNH headquarters in Inverness and a further #10,000 for remaining in Inverness for two years, any such payment was made to Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) staff when the agency was relocated from Edinburgh to Galashiels and approximately 30 members of staff chose to, and have relocated from, Edinburgh to the Galashiels area, and, if not, whether there is any concern that payments may now be claimed by SPPA employees or by any of the 145 employees who chose not to move but may have opted to do so had such “signing on” and “staying on” fees been on offer.
Answer
Scottish Public Pensions Agency staff who transferred from Edinburgh to Galashiels received the standard relocation package available to Scottish Executive main staff involved in bulk transfer moves. This does not include a relocation grant or retention grant. There are no plans to review the package currently available. Scottish Executive main staff working in business areas of the Executive due to relocate will be offered similar terms to those made available to SPPA staff when the agency moved in 2002.
Organisations outwith Scottish Executive main staff included in Scottish Ministers relocation programme are aware that it is for each employer to decide individually what all needs to be included in a relocation package to encourage staff to move ensuring business continuity is maintained during the transition period.
