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: S2W-03639

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will be represented at the International Solid Waste Association Congress 2003 in Melbourne, Australia, from 9 to 14 November 2003.

Question reference: S2O-00749

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 13 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the implementation of the European Commission Waste Incineration Directive will have on the use of small waste oil burners.

The impact theWaste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003, which transposethe Waste Incineration Directive, will have on small waste oil burners (SWOBs) dependson individual circumstances. A SWOB will only be affected if it is deemed to bea technical unit for the purposes of the regulations. If an existing SWOB fallswithin the scope of the regulations, it will require to comply with the regulationsby 28 December 2005. If the SWOB is a new installation,it will have to comply before being put into operation. Operators of SWOBs thatfail to meet the requirements of the regulations will be unable to operate theseunits after 2005.

Question reference: S2W-03659

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 10 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how individuals and representative groups, including groups representing pensioners, will have an input into the independent review into local government finance.

Question reference: S2W-03658

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 10 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made by the independent review into local government finance.

Question reference: S2W-03660

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 27 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 10 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to allow local authorities to cap council tax rises for pensioners or introduce exemptions from council tax, similar to such proposals by Her Majesty's Government.

Question reference: S2O-00592

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 October 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met staff representatives from the Scottish Agricultural College's (SAC) Craibstone Campus and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S2O-00550

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 October 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether education will continue to be provided in the long term by the Scottish Agricultural College at the Craibstone complex in light of the strategic review announcement on Tuesday 16 September 2003.

The Scottish Agricultural College’s (SAC) proposals for the delivery of education were described in its NewsRelease dated 16 September. SAC said that it proposes to retain traditional HNC/HNDprovision on a regional basis in Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire, subject to market demand.Initially this will be by SAC’s own hand on existing sites, but moving to partnershipdelivery at alternative locations in Ayrshire, Aberdeenshire and other parts ofScotland as soon as possible.

Question reference: S2W-02175

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 29 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to Montrose Port Authority for the reconstruction of berth 16 on Montrose's south quay and whether it will meet representatives of the authority to discuss this matter.

The Executive policy on assistancefor ports is set out in Modern Ports: A UK Policy (Bib. number 9874),a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. Officials inthe Executive met representatives of Montrose Port Authority on 4 September anddiscussed a wide range of issues, including possible reconstruction of berth 16on Montrose’s South Quay. The port authority is examining possible options for re-instatingthe damaged quayside and related measures to restore berthing capacity.

Question reference: S2W-02407

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated production is per kilowatt of electricity of the installed capacity of devices designed to harness wind, wave, tidal and solar energy in a period of dead calm, at the moment when the tide turns, during the hours of darkness.

Renewable energy is dependenton the renewable resource, therefore, if there is no resource, no power will beoutput. However, since Scotland is noted as having the greatest wind and wave resourcein western Europe, it is highly probable that a calm period in one area of the countrywill be offset by wind/wave activity elsewhere. Tidal energy is a predictable resourceand although there would be a brief period of no power output when the tide turns,this could be offset by other devices at different locations. Solar power is designedand operated with the onset of darkness taken into consideration. Our renewablesstrategy calls for a mix of renewable technologies.

Question reference: S2W-02406

Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 September 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated minimum production is per kilowatt of electricity of the installed capacity of devices designed to harness (a) wind, (b) wave, (c) tidal and (d) solar energy.