Questions and answers

Question reference: S1W-02517

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 November 1999
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 26 November 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what contact it has had with the French Government over the current ban on beef exports to France.

Question reference: S1W-02268

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 October 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 22 November 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive which projects have been aided under the Trunk Road Cycling Initiatives in the last five years, and how much was spent on each project.

Those projects which have been aided by the Trunk Road Cycling Initiative in the last five years and the estimated amount spent or committed to each project to date are set out in the two tables below. Table 1 (total £3.4 million) represents the outlay on trunk road interface sections and crossings for the National Cycle Network and on other trunk road cycling facilities. Table 2 (total £2.4 million) represents the estimated expenditure on cycling facilities within the new M74 corridor.TABLE 1: NATIONAL CYCLE NETWORK AND GENERAL FACILITIES

Route	Project / Location	Estimated Cost
A1	Spott Road - Oswald Dean	N/A
A1	Lemington - Howburn	N/A
A6091	Cycleway	N/A
A7	Boleside	N/A
A7	Galashiels - Hawick Cycleway	N/A
A701	Locharbriggs	£35K
A701	Tinwald Downs Roundabout	£50K
A701	Priory Roundabout	N/A
A737	Highfield	£30K
A75	A712 - U286 Creetown	£40K
A75	Twynholm	N/A
A75	The Glen	£30K
A76	Bowhouse Roundabout	N/A
A76	Lochhill	£143K
A76	Bargower	£88K
A76	North of Bowhouse	£99K
Route	Project / Location	Estimated Cost
A76	Lowes	£15K
A77	Maybole	N/A
A77	Dutchhouse - Spitallhill	£100K
A77	Whitletts Roundabout, Ayr	£32K
A77	Holmston - Whitletts	£13K
A77	Maybole - Girvan Cycle Route	£3K
A77	Maybole	£3K
A8	Greenock	N/A
A8/M8	Bargeddie	N/A
A82	Longman Road	£2k
A82	Kilbowie Road Clydebank	N/A
A82/A9	Longman - Kessock Bridge	£17K
A828	Creagan Bridge	£30K
A85	Glenoglehead	£50K
A85	Leiters - Kingshouse	N/A
A86	Kingussie - Newtonmore	£186K
A86	Rubha na Magach - Aberarder	£60K
A876	Kincardine Bridge	£2K
A889	North of Dalwhinnie	N/A
A9	Inverness - Beechwood/Inches	£15K
A9	Dalmagarry - Invereen	£77K
A9	Slochd	£115K
A9	Ralia - Etteridge	£19K
A9	Drumochter (County Boundary - Dalwhinnie)	£529K
A9	Drumochter (County Boundary - Dalnacardoch)	£726K
A9	Tay Bridge	£80K
A9	Birnam Station Link	N/A
A9	Birnam Junction	£18K
A9	Slochd Phase 1	£18K
A9	Kessock - Tore	N/A
A9	Logie Easter	N/A
A9	North Kessock	N/A
A9/A96	Inverness - Raigmore Interchange	N/A
A90	Longforgan	N/A
A90	Anderson Drive Aberdeen	N/A
Route	Project / Location	Estimated Cost
A90	Peterhead	N/A
A95	Kinveachy	£73K
A96	Raigmore - Seafield	N/A
A96	Blackburn - Kintore	N/A
A96	Trades Park Nairn	N/A
A96	Fochabers	N/A
A96	Forres - Kinloss	N/A
A96	Seafield - Raigmore	N/A
A96	Forres - Tarras	N/A
A96	Auchmill Rd Aberdeen	N/A
M74	Uddingston	£3K
M74	Spindlehowe Underpass	£30K
M77	Nithsdale Road	£10K
M77	Ayr Road Route	£450K
M8	Kinning Park	N/A
M8	Easter Inch	N/A
M8/M9	Newbridge	£150K
M90	Halbeath - Crossgates Roundabout	£30K
	Total NCN & General Projects	£3371K

Note: N/A means that information is not or not yet available due to (a) the ongoing nature of project development works or (b) sums for cycling facilities having been included within a lump sum total for the whole project. Consequently no amounts for these facilities are included in the above total.

TABLE 2: M74 CORRIDOR CYCLEWAY

Section	Location/Description	Estimated Cost
Millbank J12 to Parkhead	B7078	£33.65K
Parkhead to J13 Abington	A74 northbound (conversion of former northbound as B7078)	£138.48K
J13 Abington	A702	£3.27K
South of Abington to Stoneyburn	A702	£125.82K

Section	Location	Estimated Cost
Stoneyburn to J14 Elvanfoot	A702	£23.5K
J14 Elvanfoot to Paddy's Rickle Bridge	B7076 All Purpose Route (APR)	£59.7K
Paddy's Rickle Bridge to South of Hells Cauldron Waterfall	A74 southbound (conversion of former southbound carriageway)	£49.75K
South of Hells Cauldron Waterfall to Harthope Viaduct	A74 (conversion of former southbound carriageway as APR)	£39.29K
Harthope Viaduct to Coatsgate	new build APR	£1057.5K
Coatsgate to U360 Loch House	A74 northboundcarriageway as APR	£27.5K
U360 Loch House - Skellywell Mill Road into Beattock	U360 Loch House - Skellywell Mill Road	£58.75K
Beattock to Marchhouse	A74 northbound (conversion of former northbound carriageway)	£38.81K
Beattock South	new build APR	£25.33K
Marchhouse to Lockerbie	A74 (conversion of former southboundCarriageway as APR)	£281.87K
Lockerbie to Langhill	B723 Lockerbie South	£38.12K
Blackford to Langbank		£47.85K
Langhill to Ecclefechan	B7076	£91.76K
Ecclefechan to Kirkpatrick Fleming	B7076	£106.31K

Section	Location	Estimated Cost
Kirkpatrick Fleming to Springfield (Gretna)	Contribution towards adaption of minor side roads.	£150K
M74 Total		£2397K

Question reference: S1W-02270

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 October 1999
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 12 November 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive how many student grant applications to the Student Awards Agency for Scotland in 1998 were turned down because of late submission which would have otherwise been valid.

Question reference: S1W-02208

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 October 1999
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 10 November 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give an assurance that any reduction in funding to the Scottish Prison Service will not result in the closure of Penninghame open prison.

Question reference: S1W-01109

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 November 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring will be undertaken into the possible ecological effects from genetically modified organism cross-pollination outwith the trial sites during the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials in Scotland.

No Scottish sites have yet been identified for the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials.All crops in the farm-scale evaluations are being grown in accordance with the SCIMAC (Supply Chain Initiative on Modified Agricultural Crops) Code of Practice and Guidelines. The guidelines set out proposed separation distances between GM and non-GM crops and are based on internationally recognised criteria for ensuring high purity in seed production. The recommended separation distances in respect of oilseed rape and forage maize are as follows:

Crop	Certified seed crops(Same species)	Registered organic crops(Same species)	Non-GM crops(Same species)
Oilseed Rape	200m	200m	50m
Forage Maize	200m	200m	200m Sweetcorn50m forage maize

Question reference: S1W-01737

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by Andrew Hardie on 14 October 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive to specify, for each sheriff court in each of the last five years, the number of cases dealt with by (a) summary procedure and (b) on indictment; and, for each district court in each of the last five years, the total number of cases dealt with, under summary procedure.

I attach tables showing, for each Sheriff Court in each of the last five years, the number of cases reported to the Procurator Fiscal in which proceedings were raised on indictment and by means of summary complaint respectively. Statistics showing the number of cases dealt with in each District Court in each of the last five years are not available. The attached tables include the nearest available statistics, namely those showing, in each of the last five years, the number of cases reported to each Procurator Fiscal in which proceedings in the District Court were raised. Some Procurator Fiscal's offices are served by more than one District Court.

In the case of Glasgow, the statistics for cases proceeding in the District Court are exclusive of those cases which proceed in the Stipendiary Magistrates Court. Cases which proceed in the Stipendiary Magistrates Court in Glasgow are combined with the cases which proceed by means of summary complaint in the Sheriff Court and are shown in the "Total Sheriff/Stip" column. Glasgow District Court is the only court in Scotland which has Stipendiary Magistrates.

	FY 1994/95			FY 1995/96			FY 1996/97			FY 1997/98			FY 1998/99
	Total Sh/Jury	Total Sheriff/Stip	Total District	Total Sh/Jury	Total Sheriff/Stip	Total District	Total Sh/Jury	Total Sheriff/Stip	Total District	Total Sh/Jury	Total Sheriff/Stip	Total District	Total Sh/Jury	Total Sheriff/Stip	Total District
Aberdeen	108	5,171	4,372	127	3,490	3,609	141	4,591	4,472	121	3,911	4,155	142	5,204	4,239
Airdrie	109	1,717	1,703	88	1,912	1,613	82	1,860	1,635	110	2,007	1,581	113	2,135	1,558
Alloa	11	786	831	6	675	548	9	608	481	9	582	497	18	536	362
Arbroath	16	709	600	19	826	720	32	793	773	30	915	579	31	1,146	852
Ayr	102	2,867	1,828	78	3,097	2,125	75	3,101	2,123	72	2,885	2,082	86	3,000	1,660
Banff	5	397	234	8	396	237	7	453	230	5	337	247	6	393	279
Campbeltown	8	172	229	2	217	256	2	323	155	4	240	150	3	288	93
Cupar	16	747	368	16	671	402	17	712	230	18	669	425	21	538	299
Dingwall	7	454	339	6	396	206	4	593	264	7	440	261	5	443	272
Dornoch	0	215	86	2	271	85	2	209	59	1	133	78	3	151	49
Dumbarton	82	2,171	1,038	56	1,995	999	61	2,053	1,145	75	2,191	1,595	95	1,715	1,131
Dumfries	37	2,497	1,650	44	2,378	1,583	51	1,998	1,715	40	1,596	1,330	45	2,078	945
Dundee	82	3,353	2,684	113	3,511	2,472	133	3,115	2,399	147	2,436	2,230	91	2,640	1,679
Dunfermline	38	2,722	1,662	31	2,389	1,148	47	2,132	1,058	51	1,780	1,054	48	1,696	936
Dunoon	11	423	205	9	422	208	12	452	197	8	455	174	9	354	158
Duns	7	279	1,131	7	306	721	10	219	356	6	215	406	2	151	384
Edinburgh	282	9,117	5,136	261	8,010	5,242	298	7,772	5,111	308	8,829	5,302	314	7,820	4,229
Elgin	6	964	1,266	17	1,036	1,088	10	1,068	901	26	1,076	736	18	1,273	698
Falkirk	29	2,372	1,486	54	2,589	1,390	65	2,345	1,578	77	2,084	1,614	85	1,884	1,449
Forfar	21	646	757	9	592	541	12	466	397	9	514	553	4	476	581
Fort William	3	604	394	1	641	507	6	571	449	9	423	355	5	287	260
Glasgow	773	17,012	13,479	688	15,933	12,803	695	19,098	10,168	778	18,148	9,238	656	17,684	8,352
Greenock	63	1,623	1,274	64	1,718	1,266	60	1,667	1,360	58	1,221	981	64	1,093	1,052
Haddington	21	1,194	1,444	16	995	1,350	7	1,025	913	11	865	927	17	818	702
Hamilton	208	4,112	4,745	204	4,805	4,533	170	4,325	4,774	190	3,873	5,128	154	4,177	4,205
Inverness	23	1,666	1,692	9	1,489	1,307	8	1,557	1,059	28	1,686	1,032	34	1,482	1,171
Jedburgh	14	362	422	23	835	481	25	536	395	22	366	416	32	363	393
Kilmarnock	122	3,736	1,978	101	3,521	1,924	122	3,734	2,351	112	3,381	2,641	94	3,407	2,455
Kirkcaldy	55	2,859	1,745	46	2,636	1,701	75	3,020	1,586	81	2,568	1,337	90	2,525	1,599
Kirkcudbright	9	437	323	8	438	289	16	491	419	7	410	368	8	329	189
Kirkwall	2	267	0	4	293	0	2	302	0	4	276	0	4	270	0
Lanark	15	804	976	15	928	1,265	17	1,157	1,271	15	1,299	1,146	13	1,114	1,245
Lerwick	2	302	0	2	277	0	0	307	0	2	272	0	3	303	0
Linlithgow	61	2,298	2,366	53	1,904	1,423	48	2,307	1,463	51	1,949	1,445	60	1,900	1,436
Lochmaddy	0	163	0	1	172	0	0	101	0	0	108	0	1	87	0
Oban	13	312	177	15	289	141	13	307	199	18	378	260	10	398	239
Paisley	141	3,773	2,373	118	2,945	2,375	122	2,771	1,548	87	3,036	1,555	119	2,149	1,517
Peebles	3	195	312	4	182	147	2	102	226	1	166	144	2	142	107
Perth	39	1,932	2,097	38	2,169	2,092	44	1,816	1,813	37	1,942	2,269	43	1,877	2,484
Peterhead	15	950	688	6	923	816	16	984	568	35	1,084	612	14	934	572
Portree	2	144	98	0	152	97	2	141	128	1	102	111	2	72	74
Rothesay	2	252	95	3	172	81	6	105	31	3	83	16	3	78	19
Selkirk	11	447	767	13	414	815	10	250	551	6	336	581	9	409	508
Stirling	44	1,549	775	29	1,621	839	35	1,501	914	39	1,022	894	48	1,043	677
Stonehaven	6	832	549	8	856	537	0	995	715	5	972	921	6	760	843
Stornoway	7	354	162	1	345	134	2	338	219	2	399	361	1	290	197
Stranraer	34	801	461	33	869	468	28	924	503	38	876	387	11	878	291
Tain	9	330	369	8	362	312	3	380	293	7	372	335	11	454	208
Wick	6	355	199	7	349	179	3	457	228	6	318	166	6	291	207

Question reference: S1W-01738

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by Andrew Hardie on 13 October 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive to specify, for each Procurator Fiscal office, in each of the last five years, the number of cases (a) marked no proceedings (b) dealt with by fiscal warnings, and (c) the total number of cases dealt with.

The information requested is as follows:

	FY 1994-95			FY 1995-96			FY 1996-97			FY 1997-98			FY 1998-99
	No Proceed-ings	Warning	Total Reports Received	No Proceed-ings	Warning	Total Reports Received	No Proceed-ings	Warning	Total Reports Received	No Proceed-ings	Warning	Total Reports Received	No Proceed-ings	Warning	Total Reports Received
Aberdeen	1,477	468	13,698	1,240	526	13,452	958	309	13,291	1,406	446	15,093	1,727	427	14,517
Airdrie	946	228	6,555	996	312	6,930	857	313	7,572	1,157	370	8,270	1,396	533	9,534
Alloa	373	46	2,645	366	32	2,368	471	58	2,202	435	37	2,267	400	123	2,243
Arbroath	310	227	3,133	338	200	2,809	249	164	2,751	234	330	3,094	433	284	3,254
Ayr	837	160	7,441	1,048	230	8,271	1,064	387	8,446	841	1,187	8,781	1,025	741	8,619
Banff	108	46	920	127	42	978	164	45	1,150	162	64	1,082	305	212	1,782
Campbeltown	33	65	690	33	60	729	73	81	681	55	64	676	59	67	623
Cupar	268	211	2,169	297	185	2,107	299	168	1,914	451	163	2,215	450	122	2,101
Dingwall	133	4	1,291	114	4	1,860	201	57	1,782	263	13	1,379	227	10	1,344
Dornoch	56	13	507	68	21	585	68	26	437	55	25	396	44	13	349
Dumbarton	1,261	726	7,054	1,264	687	7,295	1,324	1,166	8,022	1,239	1,133	8,205	1,528	933	8,436
Dumfries	450	276	6,414	567	412	6,283	815	323	6,347	1,118	289	6,829	1,299	304	7,678
Dundee	912	336	11,053	1,538	375	10,338	1,044	180	10,111	1,100	326	9,704	1,221	372	9,180
Dunfermline	764	373	7,077	996	320	6,285	732	336	5,794	885	290	5,687	956	442	5,724
Dunoon	106	50	1,151	107	57	1,179	145	60	1,170	250	105	1,355	150	96	1,187
Duns	89	58	1,678	68	48	1,198	56	17	823	64	24	803	61	29	882
Edinburgh	4,098	1,225	29,466	3,963	1,205	28,183	3,596	984	27,176	2,681	1,017	26,462	2,810	1,354	24,682
Elgin	357	321	3,667	334	177	3,446	480	156	3,446	504	217	3,702	456	266	3,511
Falkirk	988	422	7,355	1,184	411	7,249	1,096	366	7,106	1,126	430	7,001	1,062	373	6,982
Forfar	177	68	2,287	252	157	2,007	176	64	1,807	190	135	2,007	231	111	2,011
Fort William	95	129	1,526	101	192	1,883	100	143	1,608	95	152	1,309	131	94	1,143
Glasgow	14,068	5,339	67,615	10,463	5,100	63,738	9,343	7,387	64,364	8,601	8,656	69,117	10,562	8,748	74,469
Greenock	425	405	5,064	369	361	5,117	758	754	6,135	865	719	6,160	842	660	7,333
Haddington	550	146	4,116	593	98	3,637	420	109	2,789	285	117	3,039	442	142	2,685
Hamilton	2,181	878	17,069	2,248	945	17,326	2,288	895	17,828	2,662	1,083	19,531	2,533	1,215	17,951
Inverness	636	289	6,294	906	1,079	6,491	1,206	1,119	6,872	986	713	6,805	927	303	5,973
Jedburgh	164	106	1,510	150	27	1,455	99	41	1,748	161	50	1,624	154	66	1,453
Kilmarnock	1,158	504	9,504	1,174	482	9,296	1,380	597	10,339	1,033	599	10,545	1,085	531	11,295
Kirkcaldy	1,213	630	7,901	990	682	7,438	866	544	6,495	1,005	383	6,640	1,232	429	7,351
Kirkcudbright	61	53	1,076	67	56	1,158	126	69	1,651	226	89	1,527	214	67	1,346
Kirkwall	94	53	715	38	41	704	46	43	786	67	36	598	93	18	636
Lanark	455	214	3,731	300	153	3,605	343	293	3,977	372	318	3,988	340	234	3,215
Lerwick	167	36	823	60	43	768	80	2	854	116	24	737	118	13	713
Linlithgow	656	278	7,104	1,211	523	6,730	922	397	6,442	775	379	6,464	832	346	6,878
Lochmaddy	22	7	253	37	30	296	30	18	212	37	12	234	25	13	210
Oban	117	18	1,111	138	35	1,022	138	48	1,092	129	47	1,083	218	41	1,174
Paisley	1,729	592	10,768	1,152	557	9,997	1,389	598	10,026	1,659	550	11,319	1,410	749	11,349
Peebles	38	23	715	59	24	507	40	13	256	7	2	48	52	11	186
Perth	1,325	1,063	7,887	876	643	7,116	995	530	7,345	909	493	6,905	1,134	413	7,274
Peterhead	414	128	2,447	277	217	2,582	293	80	2,758	411	112	3,114	240	117	2,714
Portree	59	21	469	33	34	504	66	47	510	62	29	456	46	38	370
Rothesay	38	25	375	27	21	272	19	28	277	39	45	252	40	37	236
Selkirk	121	110	1,813	142	125	1,996	245	176	1,963	285	173	2,173	403	101	2,000
Stirling	475	422	5,008	634	424	4,694	680	388	4,574	767	544	4,475	777	469	4,423
Stonehaven	89	117	1,950	76	112	1,937	104	110	2,499	112	179	2,507	104	120	2,155
Stornoway	89	15	955	63	5	961	136	31	1,192	52	13	908	50	25	831
Stranraer	166	110	2,305	219	103	2,256	274	69	2,315	391	97	2,513	450	105	2,715
Tain	116	46	1,167	139	80	1,167	232	61	1,283	209	80	1,242	129	81	1,397
Wick	150	55	1,063	111	41	942	145	48	1,221	167	62	1,062	169	49	1,005

The number of cases marked no proceedings, and the total number of cases dealt with both include reports in connection with deaths and miscellaneous reports together with reports of alleged criminal conduct.

Question reference: S1W-01107

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish scientific, environmental and consumer health groups, were involved in the consultation period prior to the announcement of the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials.

Question reference: S1W-01108

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures have been undertaken to ensure that the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant crop trials in Scotland does not contravene EU Directive 96/220/EEC.

Question reference: S1W-01124

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can withdraw from or implement a moratorium on Scottish participation in the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials and, if so, whether it will do so.

The consent to proceed with the trials in the UK has already been issued under the stringent procedures required by European law. Hence the consent holders can proceed to plant, having first given warning of and publicised the locations of the sites. None have so far been notified in Scotland.The Scottish Executive could withdraw funding from the programme but this would breach the agreement of the other funding partners. Even then, this would not necessarily result in the consent holders deciding not to proceed in Scotland.

Chamber and committees