- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 16 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive which statutory body or bodies had a legal duty or responsibility prior to 17 April 2000 to ensure the seed purity of imported supplies in Scotland.
Answer
Both before and after 17 April 2000, the legal duty and responsibility to ensure the seed purity of imported supplies lies with the seeds authorities in the producer country and with the seed merchant marketing the seed in this country.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 16 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any information from parties other than Advanta UK on the contamination of conventional Advanta rapeseed with genetically modifed rapeseed and, if so, when each such party first made such information available.
Answer
Since 15 May, in addition to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, I have received information from the Food Standards Agency, the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, the Advisory Committee on Animal Feedingstuffs, the National Farmers Union of Scotland, the Scottish Crop Research Institute and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 16 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, prior to being made aware of the contamination of conventional Advanta rapeseed with genetically modified seed, it had been aware of similar incidents involving crop seeds imported into other European Union member states and, if so, when it became aware of each such incident.
Answer
One of my officials attended a meeting of the EU Seed Certification Agencies in Italy on 4 May, when he heard that Greece had a problem with GM contaminated cotton seed imported from the USA.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 16 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether current legislation on liability is sufficient in cases where (a) conventional crop seed is contaminated with GM crop seed; (b) conventional crops are cross-pollinated by GM crops and (c) conventional crops are contaminated with genetic material from GM crops as a result of other forms of gene flow.
Answer
The question of liability is a matter of civil law and will depend on the specific circumstances in individual cases.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 15 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all the task forces, working groups, review groups, action groups and similar committees established by the Minister for Rural Affairs and his deputy Minister since 6 May 1999 and when each group is expected to publish its report.
Answer
The information requested is as follows;
GROUP | REPORT TIMETABLE |
Review of Pelagic Management (Review Group) | published in December 1999. |
Controls on Pelagic Landings (Working Group) | due in summer 2000. |
Scottish Fishing Vessel Safety Scheme (Working Group) | due in summer 2000. |
Quota Management Working Group | due in summer 2000. |
Tripartite Working Group - on problems affecting both farmed and wild salmon. | due in summer 2000. |
Aquaculture Health Group | periodic reports - first in spring 2001. |
Red Tape Review: - Review of Regulatory Burdens: IACS and Inspections in Scotland | reported January 2000. |
External Communications Panel | standing panel (no fixed dates for reporting). |
A Scottish Sheep Study - by Andrew Dewar-Durie CBE | due in August 2000. |
Crofters Commission Policy and Financial Management Review | report published January 2000. |
The Highlands and Islands Rural Development Plan Team | no reports planned. |
The Lowland Scotland Rural Development Regulation Plan Team | no reports planned. |
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 15 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what its view is on the proposed closure of St. Vigeans Primary School, Arbroath, by Angus Council.
Answer
At this stage, this possible closure is a matter for Angus Council and it would not be right for Ministers to express a view on a school closure proposal on which an authority is consulting.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 14 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the contribution from public funds has been in the last three years towards (a) the acquisition of and (b) the management of land acquired by and for the benefit of the community groups.
Answer
In the last three years The Scottish Office and the Scottish Executive have provided resources to Highlands & Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise to enable them to assist projects which involve the acquisition and management of land by communities. The value of the support provided to communities by the enterprise agencies in the years 1997-98 to 1999-2000 for that purpose amounts to £2,087,100.
Details of any corresponding local authority support are not held centrally but may be obtained from the relevant councils.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 7 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6426 by Peter Peacock on 10 May 2000, when the roll of St Vigeons Primary School will be assessed against the 80% requirement and whether any current actions by Angus Education Authority to discourage parents from sending their children to the school would be taken into account in any such assessment.
Answer
Legislation does not specify a date at which the school roll should be assessed. Authorities generally use the roll returned in annual school census preceding a closure proposal.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 7 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to safeguard and secure local jobs and business interests that have previously received European funding after the withdrawal of Assisted Area Status from Arbroath.
Answer
The Assisted Areas map is a reserved matter. I understand that agreement has not yet been reached between the UK Government and the European Commission on a revised Assisted Areas map.
However, Scottish Enterprise and the relevant local enterprise company, Scottish Enterprise Tayside, are funded to implement all aspects of their agreed strategy and to deal with economic pressures that may arise from time to time.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 27 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 19 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether in the future it will be under any legal obligation to allow the full commercial release of genetically modified food or crops.
Answer
No GM crops or food will be grown or marketed commercially in Scotland until they have passed one of the most rigorous regulatory systems in the world. The Scottish Executive have powers to prohibit release or marketing of the GM crop or food where there is supporting scientific evidence of harm to public health or the environment. European legislation provides that important safeguard.Refusal to grant consent for the commercial release or marketing of genetically modified crops or food would be illegal under governing European and domestic law unless such refusal was, as stated above, based on sound scientific evidence. However, under the terms of an agreement reached with the biotechnology industry, no commercial growing of GM crops will take place until the programme of farm scale evaluations is completed and fully assessed. The earliest that could happen is 2003.
