- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether school children have visited water treatment or sewage works in Scotland in the last five years and, if so, what safety and protective precautions were taken, and should by law have been taken, during such visits.
Answer
Each year the water authorities undertake a whole series of open days and organised visits involving schools and various other organisations. These are carried out under the strictest safety conditions. All water authorities operate in compliance with the general duty of care to non-employees under section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
Arrangements are in place to ensure that, prior to any visit, facilities are checked for hazardous material and other potential dangers. In addition protective clothing is provided when necessary. Additionally the water authorities ensure that school visits in particular are well supervised.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 18 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets have been set for the implementation of Agenda 21 strategies by local authorities and how the progress of such strategies is being monitored.
Answer
In June 1997, at the UN General Assembly in New York, the Prime Minister challenged every local authority to have a Local Agenda 21 strategy by the end of the year 2000. LA 21 was established at the Rio Summit in 1992 as a programme for local authorities. Setting LA21 targets therefore is a matter for each council.Scottish councils are making a strong effort to meet the Prime Minister's challenge. A survey by CoSLA in February 2000 showed that 26 councils intend to adopt a strategy by December, and two have already so done. The others are at varying stages of development. Monitoring is carried out by CoSLA and the Scottish Executive provides £60,000 per year to fund a LA21 adviser at CoSLA.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-4078 and S1W-4735 by Susan Deacon on 18 February 2000 and 10 March 2000 respectively, whether it has now received the Coronary Heart Disease Task Force's risk-benefit analysis on the placement of defibrillators in public buildings and whether it intends to request monitoring information on the results of the location of 400 defibrillators in such buildings in England and Wales, as recently announced by the Department of Health.
Answer
The Coronary Heart Disease Task Force has produced a draft report on the placement of defibrillators in public buildings, and is now in the process of discussing the draft with bodies with an interest in the subject.
The task force will be particularly interested in information on the results of the programme of defibrillator installation in England, and has asked to be supplied with details.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how widely it consulted before bringing forward its proposals on land reform.
Answer
The land reform policy development process has been highly consultative, and our proposals have benefited as a result.The Partnership Government embraced recommendations by the Land Reform Policy Group. These were informed by very extensive consultation. The Executive's Land Reform White Paper of last July was distributed widely: 14,800 copies were issued, including copies to those who had commented previously; and 13 local seminars were held. Meetings with relevant representative bodies and individuals have also helped to inform our proposals. In early summer we plan to consult on our draft Land Reform Bill.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4070 by Ross Finnie on 14 February 2000, when it intends to publish the findings of the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute's extended study on hunting and the rural economy.
Answer
The MLURI Report will be published as soon as practicable after it is received.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 26 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the witness schemes originally piloted in Ayr, Kirkcaldy and Hamilton Sheriff Courts to Sheriff Courts in the Scottish Borders.
Answer
I was pleased to announce in December 1999 an additional £2 million to extend the witness service to Sheriff Courts across Scotland, including the Scottish Borders, over the next three years.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 20 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to publish its Consultation Paper on Judicial Appointments.
Answer
I am publishing the Consultation Paper
Judicial Appointments: an Inclusive Approach today. This fulfils the commitment given in the
Partnership Agreement and confirmed in
A Programme for Government which we published last September.
We have invited responses by 31 July 2000 and I hope that the Consultation Paper will generate a wide and constructive debate.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to the European Commission regarding the inclusion of Scottish projects on Trans-European (TEN) maps and what the outcome was of any such representations.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is contributing to the current Commission review of Trans-European Networks through the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions, which leads for the UK on the review. The review is ongoing and is unlikely to conclude before the autumn of this year.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what advice and/or extra resources it will provide to local authorities if materials for engineering purposes or engineering works at landfill sites are deemed to be waste, and hence subject to landfill tax, by Her Majesty's Customs and Excise.
Answer
The rules for application of the tax are set out in reserved legislation and guidance is issued by HM Customs and Excise. There has been no change with respect to the classification of materials used for site engineering purposes.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 6 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of the recent increase in water charges, it will renegotiate the five year phasing in of the removal of reliefs for village and community halls agreed with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations last summer.
Answer
Village and community halls are not among the premises whose relief from water and sewerage charges is being withdrawn over the period 2000-01 to 2004-05. Accordingly, they were not covered by last year's agreement with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations.
