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: S1W-01075

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1W-164 by Ross Finnie on 23 June 1999, how many times the Ministerial Committee on Rural Development has met to date; how often its meetings are held; what subjects have been discussed, and what action has resulted from the meetings of the Committee.

The Ministerial Committee on Rural Development held its first meeting on 1 September, when it had an initial discussion about how it would take forward its work and the priorities which it would set. The Committee agreed to meet again in early October, when it will finalise its priorities and work plan for the months ahead. Thereafter, it is anticipated that meetings will be held on a regular basis.

Question reference: S1W-01077

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the amount and market value of Intervention Board beef held in Scotland on the first day of each calendar month since March 1996.

Since intervention purchasing recommenced in March 1996 intervention beef has been held, in up to 7 cold stores, located in Scotland. The quantities held in store on the first day of each month and their average book value as declared to the European Commission, since then up to 1 August 1999 are given below. In addition there was a small quantity of around 150 tonnes pre 1996 stock of intervention beef held in Scotland. This was incinerated at the European Commission's instruction.

Month and Year	Total Tonnage (boneless beef)	Value in £
1 March 1996	0
1 April 1996	0
1 May 1996	0
1 June 1996	152	115,312
1 July 1996	263	237,210
1 August 1996	833	765,744
1 September 1996	1,221	1,162,722
1 October 1996	1,614	1,628,574
1 November 1996	2,224	1,748,131
1 December 1996	2,498	2,155,874
1 January 1997	2,728	2,330,012
1 February 1997	2,921	2,621,480
1 March 1997	3,401	3,177,690
1 April 1997	3,994	3,829,567
1 May 1997	4,773	4,445,859
1 June 1997	6,183	5,927,457
1 July 1997	7,200	7,081,992
1 August 1997	7,528	7,420,425
1 September 1997	7,479	7,461,125
1 October 1997	7,460	7,436,203
1 November 1997	7,460	4,394,686
1 December 1997	7,460	4,444,593
1 January 1998	7,460	4,444,146
1 February 1998	7,131	4,353,048
1 March 1998	6,825	4,251,497
1 April 1998	6,463	4,077,701
1 May 1998	6,538	4,099,914
1 June 1998	6,285	3,966,086
1 July 1998	6,201	3,910,537
1 August 1998	5,921	3,733,960
1 September 1998	4,931	3,109,637
1 October 1998	5,737	3,617,924
1 November 1998	5,621	2,792,400
1 December 1998	5,592	2,783,362
1 January 1999	5,516	2,748,678
1 February 1999	5,435	2,730,001
1 March 1999	5,396	2,710,303
1 April 1999	4,955	2,488,797
1 May 1999	4,604	2,312,497
1 June 1999	4,521	2,270,808
1 July 1999	3,946	1,981,997
1 August 1999	3,526	1,771,039

Question reference: S1W-01076

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1W-136 by Ross Finnie on 17 June 1999, what consultation has taken place with regard to a replacement for Rural Forum.

Question reference: S1W-01074

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines are in place to ensure that there is no cross-pollination between fields involved in the programme of managed development of herbicide tolerant genetically modified crop trials and fields growing non genetically modified commercial crops.

Question reference: S1O-00205

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 3 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to be able to make an announcement with regard to lifting the beef-on-the-bone ban.

Question reference: S1W-01339

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 August 1999
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 2 September 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to be able to make an announcement with regard to lifting the beef-on-the-bone ban.

Question reference: S1W-00715

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 July 1999
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 17 August 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to request the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland to conduct a separate review from that of the Chief Medical Officer for the UK of the Beef-on-the-bone ban and, if not, whether it will explain the reason for this.

e Scottish Executive will be guided by advice from the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland when reaching a view on the Beef Bones Regulations. But there is free movement of live cattle and meat within the UK. In addition the main market for our high quality cattle and beef is in England. When considering the Beef Bones Regulations it would therefore not be sensible to ignore the position in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Question reference: S1W-00465

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 July 1999
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 August 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in relation to the labelling of meat products, it will take steps to ensure that the phrase "Produced in Scotland" means born and raised in Scotland.

Meat products are defined in EC law and the labelling requirements are largely harmonised at EC level. These requirements are implemented in Scotland by the Food Labelling Regulations 1996. They require that the particulars of country of origin or provenance be provided on a label if failure to give such particulars might mislead the purchaser to a material degree as to the true origin or provenance of the food. Meat products can contain a variety of ingredients, many of which will not derive from Scotland (for example herbs and spices). It is not therefore appropriate to label meat products in the way suggested.

Question reference: S1W-00462

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 July 1999
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 August 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that imported pork, bacon and ham supplied to its own and local authority catering services complies to the same standards as that to which pig producers in Scotland are obliged to comply with.

Neither the Treaty of Rome nor the rules of the World Trade Organisation allow Scotland to ban the import of meat products that have not been produced to the same husbandry standards as required here.

However, a new EC Directive, agreed in June 1998 and which must be implemented by the end of this year, will encourage a more level playingfield by requiring minimum standards on welfare, inspection, feeding etc for all farmed animals.That same Directive also recognises the importance of widening consensus on animals welfare, requiring the European Commission to produce a report comparing EU welfare conditions with those of third country suppliers.

Question reference: S1W-00501

Asked by: Alasdair Morgan, MSP for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 09 July 1999
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 August 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive to specify the amount of public money in each of the past ten financial years which has been paid to Rural Forum Scotland.

The table provides details of the available information on payments made by The Scottish Office to Rural Forum since 1992-93. In some cases Rural Forum will have sub-contracted work to other organisations. Further information about other public sector support to Rural Forum may be obtained from Companies House, Edinburgh.

Financial Year	Core Funding (£)	Projects (£)
1992-93	14,000
1993-94	13,000
1994-95	16,000	30,000
1995-96	16,000	30,000
1996-97	16,000	30,000
		67,500
		17,500
1997-98	16,000	25,000
		65,000
		20,000
		5,350
		9,000
		4,000
		13,734
1998-99	12,000	20,000
		63,000
		20,000
		22,899
		16,215
		11,000
		19,200
		61,111
		26,905
1999-2000	18,750	5,000
		22,450
		2,169