- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 26 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been representations from community councils in Ardnamurchan and Morvern regarding any potential danger posed by tankers using the Sound of Mull; what information it has on the potential danger of cargo coming ashore on the Sound and its impact on industry and wildlife; whether it plans to introduce restrictions on traffic presently using the Sound of Mull and, if so, whether it will instigate a process of consultation with all relevant parties and community councils.
Answer
The representations receivedfrom Morvern Community Council relate to reserved matters and were referred tothe Department for Transport for reply. Maritime safety matters are reserved.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 20 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in attempting to persuade UEFA to choose Scotland as the host of the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Championships, what the costs and benefits of hosting the competition would be, and what expenditure it has incurred in promoting Scotland's campaign to host the championship.
Answer
It is for the ScottishFootball Association to make any bid to UEFA to host the 2004 European Under-21Championships. That can only be done if and when Scotland qualify for thefinals.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 20 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when the best practice guidance for local authorities on how to tackle the problems associated with seagulls in urban areas will be finalised; whether such guidance will be published; whether the guidance will be issued in sufficient time to enable local authorities to implement it prior to the next nesting season, and whether the guidance will include a recommendation that licences be sought and obtained by local authorities well in advance of the nesting season to allow them to take specific action to cull seagulls where there are reports that such seagulls are attacking humans or property and what the reasons are for its position on this matter, particularly with regard to the benefits resulting from the guidance.
Answer
Officials have already metwith a number of directors of environmental health from local authorities, todiscuss their current methods and best practices on dealing with this issue. Inaddition we are exploring potential research opportunities to assist indeveloping a range of solutions. The research will be completed in 2004 and islikely to lead to guidance from the Executive to local authorities on bestpractice. I expect this guidance note to be a public document.
Local authorities alreadyhave the powers, expertise and knowledge within their environmental healthresponsibilities to deal with the nuisance caused by seagulls and many havealready developed best practice guidance, which is freely available, to deal withtheir particular gull issues.
In relation to licensing,the research work into best practice will consider current licensingprovisions. All local authorities are annually already sent copies of Scottish Executive general licences which enable them to currently take action against GreatBlack-backed gulls, Lesser Black-backed gulls and Herring gulls under specifiedcircumstances. For all other gull species, individual licences can be soughtfrom the Scottish Executive and should be applied for before the start of thebreeding season.
This work is consistent withthe assurances given by me to the Parliament in the debate on seagull nuisanceheld on the 7 November 2002.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether patients in Inverness will be consulted regarding the introduction of NHS 24.
Answer
Meetings were held inadvance of launching the service with NHS Highland, Highland Health Council, andthe Local Healthcare Co-operative which covers Inverness. Information materialswere also distributed to every GP surgery in the area. These materials includedposters and leaflets with credit card-sized removable inserts.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 19 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made, or will make, any assessment of financial impacts on transport of the implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in particular any consequences the act may have in relation to providing access to buses for wheelchair users.
Answer
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) is a reserved issue. The Scottish Executive has not made any assessment of the financial impacts on transport of the (DDA).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the original estimated cost of the new IT programmes for the Scottish Courts Service proposed by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service; whether the service will secure best value in the use of funds for the IT programmes; when the new programmes will be introduced, and whether they will be run, initially, in conjunction with any other systems.
Answer
The Crown Office andProcurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is introducing new IT programmes as part ofits modernisation of casework processing systems: the “Future Office System”(FOS). The COPFS will shortly commence the roll-out of the first phase of FOS,which will enhance current casework processing systems and deal with summarybusiness. The new system will run alongside the existing casework processingsystems in use throughout the department and, in time, will be fully integratedwith them, resulting in a full electronic casework processing system for allcriminal cases.
At September 2002 the costof the development of the computer software for solemn work was estimated at £1million. This figure has been adjusted in light of changes to overallrequirements within COPFS and to meet the system changes arising from Lord Bonomy’srecommendations.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service keeps, and will continue to keep, manual records of those cases where the 110-day rule, and any replacement of that rule, applies.
Answer
The Crown Office andProcurator Fiscal Service holds all case information in a national casetracking database, which is the principal data record for all cases. Inaddition, selected manual records of solemn custody cases are kept, to assistin the management of those cases.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to reduce the expenditure of any non-departmental public body and, if so, which expenditure it plans to reduce.
Answer
The Scottish Executive’s spending plans for 2003-06 were set out in the Draft Budget 2004-05which was published on 11 September 2003.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 17 November 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer what powers are held by Lord Fraser in relation to the Holyrood inquiry and whether the inquiry has any power to compel the attendance of witnesses or require the production of documents and tapes.
Answer
It was made clear when theInquiry was announced that it is a non statutory Inquiry and , as such, has nostatutory power to compel the attendance of witnesses nor the production ofevidence. In his opening statement to the inquiry, Mr John Campbell, QC, Counselto the Inquiry, emphasised the co-operation received with the production ofmaterial, both by civil servants and by the private sector. Mr. Campbellfurther commented “Thus far, as I have said already, and in this short time sofar taken up, the level of co-operation has been impressively high”.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 17 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government on the social inclusion implications for those in Scotland who do not receive a good analogue signal and who have recently had ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 free-to-view services withdrawn from their digital service; whether it has made representations to BBC Scotland about this issue, and whether it will take any steps to protect the interests of those viewers, mostly in remote rural locations, who do not have access to an analogue signal, rely for television viewing on a digital signal and who have been disadvantaged following the withdrawal by the BBC from them of these free-to-view services.
Answer
The First Ministerraised these issues at a meeting with Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State forCulture, Media and Sport, in September. Although details are not yet finalised,a scheme is planned which will allow those customers who currently have asatellite viewing card and who wish to continue to receive the commerciallyfunded public service channels without paying a subscription to Sky or anotherpay TV broadcaster, to get a new card. Customers will be offered theopportunity to purchase the card at a cost of £23.50.
