- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 12 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any meetings with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Aberdeenshire Council following the recent flooding in Aberdeenshire and, if so, what the outcome was of such meetings.
Answer
There have not been any requests from either the Scottish Environment Protection Agency or Aberdeenshire Council to discuss flooding matters since the recent flooding in Aberdeenshire and no such meetings have taken place.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to increase the number of stops made by ScotRail services on the east coast mainline.
Answer
Proposals to run new services, including ScotRail services on the East Coast Main Line, are matters for the local transport authority or transport partnership to take forward. The Scottish Executive's powers to issue directions and guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority are set out in section 208 of the Transport Act 2000.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 28 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to abolish council tenants' right to buy their properties.
Answer
We have no plans to abolish the right to buy.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for ending the over 30-month rule on the slaughter of cattle.
Answer
The Food Standards Agency is currently undertaking a review of the over 30-month rule, under which the sale for human consumption of meat from cattle aged over 30 months at slaughter is prohibited. The review is expected to be completed in May 2003. The future of the Over Thirty Month Scheme will be examined in the light of advice from the agency on conclusion of their review.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 November 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has reviewed the timescale for reviewing local authority boundaries in the light of the current review of parliamentary boundaries.
Answer
No. As stated in the Executive's consultation paper on Renewing Local Democracy: The Next Steps published earlier this year, there are no plans to review local authority boundaries in the foreseeable future.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 17 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, under paragraph 11 of Circular 12/1996 Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 Planning Agreements, no developer can be required to fund the total cost of transport infrastructure improvements which may be needed in a particular area identified for development.
Answer
Circular 12/1996 is the Executive's guidance on the role of and the appropriate use of planning agreements, and should be considered in the particular circumstances of individual cases. The negotiation of a planning agreement is a matter, in the first instance, for the planning authority and the parties with an interest in the land. If, through such a negotiation, a developer agrees to fund the total cost of transport infrastructure improvements that is up to him or her. Interpretation of the legal and policy framework is ultimately a matter for the courts.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 17 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what commitment it has made to funding upgrading work required on the A90 at the Myrekirk Road and Swallow Hotel roundabouts in Dundee.
Answer
The Executive's programme of works for 2002-03 includes a scheme to reconstruct the A90 carriageway between the two roundabouts at Myrekirk Road and the Swallow Hotel. This work is due to start in November and will cost over £400,000. The current programme does not include plans to upgrade the roundabouts themselves.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 14 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will produce national guidelines on rural school closures following the consideration of this matter by the Education, Culture and Sport Committee and COSLA.
Answer
The Executive will take forward with COSLA discussion of the Convention's unsuccessful attempt to produce a Code of Practice on rural school closures, following a recommendation to that effect made to COSLA by the Education, Culture and Sport Committee. The purpose of such discussion will be to consider the original objectives, progress made and whether, and if so how, this matter should be pursued.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 10 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27301 by Mike Watson on 30 July 2002, what progress has been made in researching the product and service expectations of actual and prospective genealogy tourists.
Answer
On 18 September, Dr Richard Simpson, Deputy Minister for Justice, launched a new website www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk. This has been developed by the General Register Office for Scotland, and will compliment VisitScotland's existing site, which links genealogy with a motivation to travel. In addition, VisitScotland will shortly be launching www.ancestralscotland.com in both Auckland and Sydney, and will be working in partnership with the British Tourist Association on their upcoming Destination Britain campaign in Australia and New Zealand.VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are also working together to develop Scottish genealogy tourism. A current research project will focus on the development of networks and commercial opportunities within this niche sector. This will include the identification and evaluation of the needs and expectations of actual and prospective genealogy tourists and it will report in mid-2003.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 September 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 9 October 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS staff are obliged to seek permission from the executor of an individual that dies in hospital without any next of kin before a post mortem or organ removal is carried out.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-29936 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa
