- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 8 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms are used to communicate with residents in areas where the mass disposal of pre-emptively culled stock by burning or burial is planned.
Answer
The measures taken to communicate promptly with residents in the vicinity of disposal sites include a leaflet drop before any site becomes operational and where necessary more detailed information to those nearest the site. Discussions are held with local councillors, community councils and residents, as appropriate. Finally information is available through the FMD helpline operated by Dumfries and Galloway Council.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 8 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering any proposals relating to the preservation of pedigree and hefted sheep in areas affected by foot-and-mouth disease and whether it has had any discussions with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on this issue.
Answer
I refer to the Ministerial Statement I gave to Parliament on 26 April 2001 where policy on the position of rare breeds of sheep and hefted sheep was clarified.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 8 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place between the State Veterinary Service and seconded vets regarding the implementation in Scotland of the pre-emptive slaughter policy to control foot-and-mouth disease.
Answer
This and other aspects of the strategy for controlling and eradicating the disease, has been discussed with veterinary surgeons who have been helping the State Veterinary Service.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 8 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will establish any additional mass burning sites for carcasses of pre-emptively culled livestock in Dumfries and Galloway.
Answer
In the current disease situation, there are no plans to operate mass burning sites. As a contingency against a significant change in the disease situation, we have identified possible locations for burning sites both in the east and west of the region, but we have not developed them.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 8 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the maximum period of time is which can elapse between a case of foot-and-mouth disease being confirmed and the information regarding the premises involved being made public.
Answer
Once a farm has been confirmed as having foot-and-mouth disease, details of the infected premises is included in the Scottish Executive Daily Press Release which is issued at 7pm.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 8 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) sheep, (b) beef cattle, (c) dairy cattle, (d) pigs, (e) deer, (f) goats and (g) other species have been pre-emptively culled in Dumfries and Galloway as of 24 April 2001 as part of the eradication of foot-and-mouth disease.
Answer
As at 30 April 2001, the following number of animals have been culled: sheep -382,333; cattle - 21,776; pigs - 57; goats - 276; other - 1.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take action to ensure that further discussion takes place between the management of the Scottish Prison Service and the Scottish Prison Officers Association to attempt to resolve the current dispute over conditions of service and absence management.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Discussions between the Scottish Prison Service and the Prison Officers Association seeking a national framework for resolving issues about staff attendance patterns, are continuing. Both parties aim to complete these talks by an early date. SPS has an agreed policy for managing absence which has been in operation since last year and does not, therefore, feature in these discussions.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 4 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how the term "boundary" is defined when determining whether a farm is contiguous to one where an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has been identified and whether intervening water, woods or wasteland are disregarded.
Answer
The first step is to consult detailed local maps which set out individual farm boundaries and identify those farms which are next to infected premises. All the local factors, including separation distances due to intervening water, woods and wasteland are then considered before a decision is taken on whether or not animals on contiguous premises need to be culled.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 26 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of businesses in Dumfries and Galloway have a rateable value below #12,000 and whether all such businesses will qualify for 95% reduction of rates under the rates relief package announced on 28 March 2001.
Answer
As at 1 April 2000 around 86% of businesses in Dumfries and Galloway had a rateable value of £12,000 or less. All businesses are eligible to apply for rates relief of up 100% if they can demonstrate that they are suffering hardship as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak. The Scottish Executive contribution to the cost of such relief will be 95% for businesses with a rateable value of £12,000 or less, and 75% for other businesses, the council making up the remainder of the cost.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 26 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether businesses in Dumfries and Galloway with a rateable value greater than #12,000 are entitled to any form of rates reduction if they have been adversely affected by the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease and, if so, what criteria are used to determine whether the outbreak has been responsible for a decline in business.
Answer
All businesses in Scotland are eligible to apply to their local authorities for rates relief if they suffer hardship as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak. Authorities are expected to fund 25% of the cost of the relief, as usual, for businesses with a rateable value of over £12,000.Authorities are also able to offer support to affected businesses in a range of other ways, for example by deferring payments or granting relief for property that is not in use as a result of the outbreak.
