- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Scottish Executive News Release SE0926/2000, when the additional #20 million for Less Favoured Areas in 2001 was first announced, and on how many occasions this funding was referred to in press releases between this date and 30 March 2000.
Answer
30 March 2000 was the first date on which the additional £20 million for farming in Scotland's Less-Favoured Areas was announced.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Scottish Executive News Release SE0926/2000, when the #1 million per year for a Marketing Development Scheme was first announced, and on how many occasions this funding was referred to in press releases between this date and 30 March 2000.
Answer
The Marketing Development Scheme was launched in June 1994 with a budget of less than £0.5 million. The funding details contained in the news release were those for 2000-01. This was the first time this funding had been made public.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Scottish Executive News Release SE0926/2000, when the #2 million funding for measures to assist with marketing, business support and other costs faced by Scottish farm businesses was first announced, and on how many occasions this funding was referred to in press releases between this date and 30 March 2000.
Answer
The £2 million was first announced on 30 March 2000.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Scottish Executive News Release SE0926/2000, when the additional #12 million in the form of agri-monetary compensation to dairy, beef and sheep farmers was first announced, and on how many occasions this funding was referred to in press releases between this date and 30 March 2000.
Answer
30 March 2000 was the first date on which additional agri-monetary compensation to Scottish dairy, beef and sheep farmers worth £12 million was announced.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to Scottish Executive News Release SE0926/2000, when the #100 million annual funding for a range of activities designed to help the restructuring of areas dependent on farming was first announced, and on how many occasions this funding was referred to in press releases between this date and 30 March 2000.
Answer
The reference to projected annual spend on rural development measures was included in the section of Scottish Executive News Release SE0926/2000 which described activities in Scotland which parallel the Action Plan for Farming, or which are already underway.
This figure has not been announced by way of a formal News Release, although it has featured occasionally in speeches which have been quoted in the media.
- 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 10 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is under any legal obligation to licence (a) field trials and (b) farm scale trials of genetically modified crops.
Answer
My response to question S1W-5609 set out the obligations, placed on the Scottish Executive by governing European and domestic law, to licence trials of genetically modified crops.
- 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 10 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to make public, and place copies in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, the results of the tests, conducted both in the laboratory and on controlled sites, on the crops to be used in the farm scale trials in Aberdeenshire.
Answer
The independent scientific assessment of the genetically modified oil seed rape crop to be used in the Aberdeenshire farm scale evaluation is on the public register held by the Joint Regulatory Authority and has also been placed on the Scottish Executive's GM website.
This can be accessed via www.scotland.gov.uk/gm.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 31 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what alternatives to the complete removal of ring-fenced quota areas were considered during the current consultation exercise on amendments to the Dairy Produce Quota Regulations 1997 (1997 No.733).
Answer
Consideration was given to removing the prohibition on leasing milk quota whilst still maintaining the ring-fence for permanent quota transfers. This would have allowed milk producers on Shetland to lease out quota on a year-by-year basis to the mainland. It was decided not to pursue this option as quota, and milk production, would still have been able to leave the Islands and the milk producers would have been denied the opportunity to sell their quota and then use the cash realised to assist in business restructuring.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by John Home Robertson on 30 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures have been considered in order to alleviate any problems of dairy farmers on Islay following the closure of the island's creamery.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is very disappointed that the directors of the creamery found it necessary to appoint a Receiver. We have met with local farmers and consultation is now underway to remove Islay from the milk quota ring fence which will allow the island dairy farmers to lease out or transfer their quota on the mainland quota market. We recognise the serious implications of this situation for the economy of the island, and we are keeping in close touch with developments.
- Asked by: Alex Johnstone, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive in what way its land reform proposals will lead to the creation of new crofts and new crofting lands.
Answer
The proposals for creating new crofts and new crofting lands are explained in page 13 of the Land Reform Policy Group Recommendations For Action published in January 1999. The Partnership for Government indicated the intention of the Executive to legislate on the recommendations of the Land Reform Policy Group.
