Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-32845

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how the £0.928 million outturn efficiency for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in 2008-09 was achieved, as reported in the Efficiency Outturn Report for 2008-09.

The £0.928 million outturn efficiency for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in 2008-09 was achieved by the following:-

1 - Absorption of New Duty Work by Current staff

Total Savings Achieved: £709,000

By implementing more efficient working practices and re-engineering service delivery SEPA has been able to maintain its FTE staff and service quality rather than increase. This, along with maintained service provision, delivers efficiency savings from the non filling of vacant posts.

2 - Property: Establishment of Training Suite at SEPA offices, Perth

Total Savings Achieved: £18,000

The construction of a training suite at SEPA, Whitefriars, Perth saved £18,000 per year compared to the costs of external venue hire. These costs are net of any additional costs at Perth in providing in house training and development sessions.

3 - Recruitment Costs

Total Savings Achieved: £20,000

Management of recruitment through reduced advertising costs. This was achieved by designing fewer, smaller recruitment advertisements within newspaper adverts, increasing the use of SEPA''s website and renegotiating placement fees with recruitment agencies

4 - Procurement Savings

Total Savings Achieved: £100,000

SEPA migrated its Wide Area Network onto the Police national Network Contract 3 generating efficiencies of £100,000 in SEPA.

5 - Shared Services

Total Savings Achieved: £81,000

SEPA entered shared office accommodation with The Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park in Balloch, saving £81,000 pa when compared to leasing commercial accommodation.

Question reference: S3W-32840

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how the £0.045 million outturn efficiency for the Deer Commission for Scotland in 2008-09 was achieved, as reported in the Efficiency Outturn Report for 2008-09.

Question reference: S3W-32841

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how the £8.46 million outturn cash-releasing efficiency for Scottish Natural Heritage in 2008-09 was achieved, as reported in the Efficiency Outturn Report for 2008-09.

Scottish Natural Heritage''s (SNH) cash-releasing efficiency of £8.46 million in 2008‘09, which includes both recurring and non-recurring savings, was delivered through the following categories:

Shared Services (£0.1 million) “ arising from the co-location of the regional offices of SNH, Forest Enterprise, Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate and Highlands and Islands Enterprise Caithness and Sutherland in one new office in Golspie;

Asset Management (£6.5 million) “ arising from the disposal of surplus freehold and leasehold property in Edinburgh and Golspie, the disposal of vehicles, energy efficiency improvements, and more efficient utilisation of staff;

Procurement (£0.05 million) “ arising from a change to SNH''s pension provision contract and review of mobile telephone usage.

Other initiatives (£1.8 million) “ chiefly a notional cash efficiencies arising from the absorption of additional work, principally relating to the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP), within SNH''s existing resources. Other savings arose from vacancy management and an increase in electronic publishing on SNH''s website.

Question reference: S3W-32836

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how the £0.04 million outturn efficiency for the Crofters Commission in 2008-09 was achieved, as reported in the Efficiency Outturn Report for 2008-09.

Question reference: S3W-32838

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 26 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 23 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how the £0.133 million outturn efficiency for the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority in 2008-09 was achieved, as reported in the Efficiency Outturn Report for 2008-09.

Question reference: S3W-32664

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 22 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what was (a) discussed and (b) decided at the UK Aquaculture Forum held in Edinburgh on 10 February 2010.

The UK Aquaculture Forum discussed various issues relating to the industry, and how best to share research, development projects and regulatory approaches identified and adopted in each of the UK countries. Specific topics included A Fresh Start: The Renewed Strategic Framework for Scottish Aquaculture; the Northern Irish Aquaculture Initiative; a report on the working of relevant European institutions, and the aspirations of the salmon, trout and shellfish sectors.

The group concluded that the forum provided a platform to discuss and where possible agree a common UK approach to responding to the EU decision-making process. Industry representatives welcomed the initiative. It was agreed that the group would meet twice a year, with the next in October 2010.

Question reference: S3W-32595

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 21 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the recommendation of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in its Consultation on Proposals for a new Border Rivers Order for the River Esk that, when enforcing legislation in the River Esk area, the Environment Agency should be able to bring a case to court in either the Scottish or English judicial system irrespective of where the offence is committed.

The purpose of this byelaw is to enable enforcement officers to deal with any offences committed in-river, without having to prove on which side of the medium filum of the river the offence was committed. The medium filum in places forms the legal border between Scotland and England. It is not a fixed point because the mid-point of the channel moves owing to the passage of water causing changes to the river bank.

Question reference: S3W-32919

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it played a role in the freeze on teacher and health service pensions and, if so, what.

Question reference: S3W-32594

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the recommendation of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in its Consultation on Proposals for a new Border Rivers Order for the River Esk that the Environment Agency should not be obliged to consult on emergency byelaws affecting the River Esk.

Question reference: S3W-32667

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 16 April 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on control and treatment of fish diseases since its memorandum of understanding with Norway on co-operation and best practice in aquaculture was signed on 17 August 2009.

Since August 2009, we have set up the Healthier Fish and Shellfish working group as one of the outcomes of the renewed Strategic Framework for Scottish Aquaculture. This group is chaired by Professor Randolph Richards CBE, Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling University and is building on existing good practice in the field of fish health and biosecurity.

In addition, we controlled the Infectious Salmon Anaemia (ISA) outbreak in South West Shetland which occurred in various sites in the area from December 2008 to May 2009. The Scottish Government''s compartmentalisation of the industry into hydrographically discrete management areas appears to have been effective in limiting the disease outbreak to one area.

The Norwegian Government sent a representative to speak at an Aquaculture Science and Research event held by the Scottish Government in Glasgow last year, and regular discussions have taken place between officials in both countries. The Memorandum of Understanding Committee will meet in Edinburgh later this year.