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-05622

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 10 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has, further to the answer to question S1W-2234 by Susan Deacon on 19 January 2000, to educate people who smoke to look out for possible symptoms of lung cancer and seek medical help.

Information and advice on the effects of smoking, symptoms of lung cancer and where to seek medical help is readily available from a variety of sources including, for example, well women and well men clinics, Healthy Living Centres, GPs surgeries and hospitals.

The message being conveyed to people who smoke stresses the importance of stopping smoking, eating healthily and attending for screening when invited. If and when any symptoms of lung cancer develop they should not ignore the symptoms and should seek early medical advice.

Question reference: S1W-05093

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 14 April 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to reduce red tape and regulatory costs which operators of smaller abattoirs need to comply with, and whether any evidence exists to indicate that such red tape and regulation can result in (a) longer journey times for animals going to slaughter and (b) detrimental economic implications for the operators.

A review of red tape in the meat industry was carried out last autumn. The Group reported on 13 December and the Scottish Executive accepted most of its recommendations. While there was no discussion in the report of journey times to slaughter, there was consideration of the economic implications for small abattoirs. Action to implement the report recommendations is being pursued urgently.

Copies of the report and of the Executive response have been placed in SPICe.

Question reference: S1W-05620

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Frank McAveety on 10 April 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities will be exempted from the terms of the Competition Act 1998.

Question reference: S1W-05095

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 4 April 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list, by local authority area, how many applications were accepted into the Countryside Premium Scheme and how many were rejected in the last year.

The information requested is set out in the table below:

Local Authority	Applications Accepted	Applications Rejected
Aberdeen City Council	1	0
Aberdeenshire Council	28	93
Angus Council	7	12
Argyll and Bute Council	28	44
Clackmannanshire Council	0	2
Dumfries and Galloway	10	42
Dundee City	0	0
East Ayrshire	5	6
East Dunbartonshire	0	2
East Lothian Council	4	5
East Renfrewshire	2	1
City of Edinburgh Council	0	0
Falkirk Council	0	0
Fife Council	10	29
City of Glasgow	0	0
Highland Council	43	79
Inverclyde	3	0
Midlothian	4	6
Moray Council	3	41
North Ayrshire Council	4	6
North Lanarkshire	0	3
Perth and Kinross	7	30
Renfrewshire Council	5	2
Scottish Borders Council	17	43
South Ayrshire Council	0	8
South Lanarkshire Council	21	13
Stirling	9	13
West Dunbartonshire Council	0	1
West Lothian Council	0	0
Orkney Islands Council	11	13
Shetland Islands Council	0	0
Western Isles Council	2	6

In addition, five applications were withdrawn.

Question reference: S1O-01480

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 30 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is committed to maintaining the existing bio-diversity within Scotland's countryside.

Yes. The is responsible for the implementation in Scotland of the UK obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity. There are 275 Species Action Plans and 32 Habitat Action Plans in place which are relevant to Scotland. All Scottish local authorities have also been encouraged to develop Local Biodiversity Action Plans, which aim to deliver conservation of both nationally and locally important biodiversity.

Question reference: S1W-05094

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that bodies in receipt of public funding pay all invoices on time.

All public bodies are subject to the provisions of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. For an initial period, the Act provides that small firms have a statutory right to claim interest in respect of the late payment of invoices from large businesses and the public sector. From 1 November 2002, all businesses will be able to claim interest in respect of debts incurred under contracts agreed after that date. The Act provides a powerful incentive, to both the public and private sectors, to improve standards of payment performance.

In respect of the Scottish Executive, in 1998-99 98% of all valid invoices were paid on time. Equivalent figures for the current financial year are not yet available, but are expected to be at around the same level. In November 1999 I launched the Government Procurement Card for the Scottish Executive. Suppliers paid using the card will normally receive payment within four days, compared to 30 days under traditional invoicing arrangements. As use of the card becomes more widespread I expect it will help us improve our performance still further.

Payment arrangements between non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), health bodies and local authorities are a matter between them and their individual suppliers. However, for NDPBs and health bodies it is a requirement of their financial procedures that invoices are paid promptly. In respect of local authorities, at my request, CoSLA wrote to all local authorities on 1 October 1999 reminding them of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and of the importance of paying invoices promptly.

Question reference: S1W-05185

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 23 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that household gas consumers are made aware of the importance of using contractors who are "CORGI" registered when carrying out works related to gas installations.

Gas safety is a reserved matter. I understand that HSE, which has responsibility for these matters, undertakes a seasonal gas safety advertising campaign each year. This campaign emphasises the need for regular maintenance and servicing of appliances by CORGI registered installers. As part of this campaign HSE runs a freephone Gas Safety Advice Line, based in Glasgow and publicised on winter gas bills issued by gas suppliers.

Question reference: S1W-05096

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 22 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure an equitable geographic distribution of agri-environmental funding under the Countryside Premium Scheme in future years and why no applications from Dumfries and Galloway were accepted in the last year.

Question reference: S1W-05087

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 21 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how valuable it considers the role of Gingerbread Scotland to be in relation to lone parents and what plans it has to ensure its survival by grant assistance or other funding.

Question reference: S1W-05089

Asked by: Alex Fergusson, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that the redistribution of resources under its modulation proposals will be ring-fenced in order to ensure that monies raised in any one region will be reinvested within that region.