- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 29 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports proposals by Scottish Natural Heritage to continue culling hedgehogs in the Western Isles.
Answer
There is a continuingneed to protect the threatened wading bird populations on the Uists. The Scottish Executive is of the view that SNH’s proposalsrepresent the most effective.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 22 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the granting of planning permission for wind farms is dependent on the provision of access to the transmission network.
Answer
No. Agreement to connect tothe transmission network is a matter for operators and the owners of the grid.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 22 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities can refuse planning permission for wind farms on the basis that the developer does not have access to the transmission network.
Answer
Irefer the member to the answer given to question S2W-5130 on 22 January 2004 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 20 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what research there is that proves any beneficial effects of parenting orders.
Answer
Evaluation commissioned by theYouth Justice Board for England and Wales,
Positive Parenting: The National Evaluation of the Youth Justice Board’s Parenting Programme, found that parenting ordershad had a positive impact on parents and recorded improvements in variousdimensions of parenting. The full evaluation report, which was published inSeptember 2002, can be accessed at
http://www.youth-justice-board.gov.uk/Publications/Downloads/PositiveParenting.pdf.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 20 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive which existing power stations will still be operational in (a) 2010, (b) 2015 and (c) 2020.
Answer
Operational decisions inrespect of existing power stations are a matter for the private owners of thoseassets in conjunction with the appropriate licensing authorities.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4159 by Lewis Macdonald on 5 December 2003, how much additional capacity of wind-generated electricity can be transmitted using the existing national grid structure in Scotland.
Answer
A Renewable Energy NetworkStudy, Impact of Renewable Generation on the Electrical TransmissionNetwork in Scotland, published in 2001 found that 650 MegaWatts of newinstalled renewables capacity could be connected to the grid without the needfor additional reinforcement or extension to the Scottish network. Copies of the study findings are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre(Bib. number 20013).
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 14 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to its news release SEc356/2003 on 8 December 2003 and its financial inclusion strategy, what level of interest is considered to be “extortionate” in relation to the Department of Trade and Industry scheme to crack down on money lenders and what level is considered to be acceptable for the purpose of loans.
Answer
The pilot project which isstarting in Glasgow in April will be aimed at tackling illegal,unlicensed money lenders whose rates are likely to be "extortionate” and accompanied withthreats of violence and intimidation. In this respect no loans made byunlicensed loan sharks can be considered acceptable. In cases uncovered by investigationsduring this pilot, recourse will be by way of criminal proceedings rather thanextortionate credit provisions.
In respect of legal lending,there is no single interest rate level that can be considered acceptable orunacceptable in all circumstances. The Consumer Credit Act 1974 does notspecify an acceptable rate of interest. It is for the courts to decide whetheran interest rate is extortionate having had regard to all of the relevantcircumstances of the particular case.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 5 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how the proposed 60% non-renewable energy will be produced beyond 2020.
Answer
The overall pattern ofenergy production beyond 2020 will depend on a number of factors, includingvariations in fuel prices, technological advances, increased energy efficiency,and the investment decisions by electricity generators active in the market.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 18 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive why 54,704 of the 68,380 cases referred to the Children's Hearing system from 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 were withdrawn, as referred to in The Annual Report of the Scottish Committee of the Council on Tribunals.
Answer
The 54,704 cases to whichthe member refers were not actually withdrawn. In these cases the children’sreporter decided that compulsory measures were not needed either becausevoluntary measures were in place or the child was on supervision, or the childwas referred on to the local authority or for voluntary measures, or there wasinsufficient evidence to proceed.
Of the 68,380 casesspecifically:
Children’s Reportersreferred 13,676 (20%) to a Children’s Hearing;
9,573 (14%) were alreadyreceiving suitable care on supervision;
7,522 (11%) were referred onto the local authority or police;
32,822 (48%) were caseswhere measures had been put in place voluntarily, and
4,787 (7%) had insufficientevidence to proceed.
- Asked by: Mary Scanlon, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce legislation to ensure that the crime of male rape is covered by Scots law.
Answer
The conductwhich can be described as “male rape” is already a crime in Scots law. Cases are regularly brought beforethe courts and are charged as indecent assault and sodomy, such chargesemphasising the non-consensual nature of the offence. As with the crime ofcommon law rape of a woman, a case heard in the High Court with a male victimcan attract a term of life imprisonment.
