- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 27 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to lay before the Parliament the revised Small Claims (Scotland) Amendment Order 2000 and the revised Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1971 (Private Jurisdiction and Summary Cause) Order 2000 and what its timetable is for these Orders from laying to implementation.
Answer
The Orders will be re-laid when a number of concerns which prompted their withdrawal are addressed. These concerns include the provision of an amended Table of Fees for solicitors in summary cause procedure and new summary cause rules. These are not matters for Ministers. The Orders will provide for their coming into force some 3 months after the date laid.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 24 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider adding an annual uplift for inflation to the proposed ceiling of #1,500 for small claims and #5,000 for summary causes.
Answer
I intend to ask officials to undertake a consultation exercise every three to five years to establish the extent to which it is necessary to increase these limits. I would bring forward orders seeking to increase these limits beyond that required to reflect inflation if it were demonstrated that this would improve the administration of justice in civil courts in Scotland.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by John Home Robertson on 23 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will invite the Forestry Commission to enter into sales or leases to community woodland trusts and other community bodies of small woodlands peripheral to its main holdings.
Answer
The subject of this question relates to matters undertaken by Forest Enterprise. I have asked its Chief Executive, Dr Bob McIntosh, to arrange for a reply to be given.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 16 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a Route Action Plan for the A68.
Answer
Once the Route Action Plan has been finalised it will be published. The plan depends upon the construction and evaluation of a trial length of road improvement designed to give positive and unambiguous overtaking opportunities. The trial is being prepared to allow construction to start this Autumn, subject to the availability of funds.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 16 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency plans to designate the catchment areas of the rivers Eden and Eye in the Scottish Borders as nitrate vulnerable 'ones and, if so, what assistance or compensation is available for farmers to adapt their working practices to comply with such a designation.
Answer
I announced last November that we are considering evidence from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency indicating elevated levels of nitrate in several water courses including the Eye Water and Eden Water in the Scottish Borders. Assessment of that evidence is not yet complete. Any proposals for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZs) will be the subject of public consultation. It is premature to provide details of any package of measures that might be available to assist farmers. However, the Scottish Executive provides funding through grant-in-aid to the Scottish Agricultural College for the production of some farm nutrient budget plans with the aim of promoting more efficient use of nitrate and reduction of leaching.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive why its response to The Road Ahead consultation paper of April 1999 was published on the afternoon of 24 December 1999.
Answer
I reached my decision on future arrangements on 23 December and arranged for that to be published as soon as possible thereafter.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many supervised attendance orders for fine defaulters have been imposed in the current and last four financial years, expressed in total and as a proportion of all fine defaulters.
Answer
The available information is given in the table. Supervised attendance order schemes were not available to all sheriff and district courts until 26th October 1998.
Supervised attendance orders imposed on fine defaulters
| Financial year | Sheriff court fines | District court fines |
Persons made subject to SAOs | Persons made subject to SAOs |
Number | Percentage1 | Number | Percentage1 |
| 1995-96 | 590 | 2.0 | N/A | N/A |
| 1996-97 | 970 | 3.4 | N/A | N/A |
| 1997-98 | 1,366 | 5.0 | 8762 | 3.13 |
| 1998-99 | 2,271 | 8.6 | 9514 | 2.54 |
| 1999-20005 | 1,224 | 6.6 | N/a | N/a |
Notes:
1. As a percentage of outstanding fine accounts in default to the extent of a Fines Enquiry Court citation being issued.
2. Excludes Aberdeen, Angus, East Renfrewshire, Glasgow, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.
3. Excludes Aberdeen, Angus, Argyll & Bute, East Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.
4. Excludes Glasgow and Stirling.5. Cases dealt with up to and including 9 December 1999.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made regarding the completion of the feasibility study into the reopening of the Waverley Line in the Scottish Borders.
Answer
Significant progress has been made on the study. A draft final report has been submitted to the original timescale. This has been commented on by a number of key stakeholders, including the rail industry and those local authorities and enterprise companies along the course of the line. The consultants have been instructed to take full account of these comments in a revised final report that will be completed early in the New Year.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 19 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive to list the local authorities in Scotland that charge music tuition fees in their schools.
Answer
Information on which local authorities charge for instrumental tuition, as part of the provision for social, cultural and recreative activities, is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Euan Robson, MSP for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 11 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to amend the Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act (1971) to ensure that in establishing and maintaining such Courts, due regard is paid to "the desirability, the expense and inconvenience occasioned to those directly involved" as is required of local authorities in connection with District Courts in the Local Government (Scotland) Act (1994).
Answer
I have no plans to propose amendment of the legislation. Any proposals to change the current arrangements for the provision of Sheriff Courts would require to be approved by the Parliament. Before bringing the appropriate Order before the Parliament, Ministers would carefully consider the full implications for Court users and communities of any proposed change in arrangements.
