- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 26 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the water supply at Bracara does not pose any health risk to consumers.
Answer
I am satisfied that the water supply at Bracara does not pose any health risk to consumers. The treatment necessary to protect public health has however resulted in some taste problems. The long-term solution to this is investment to improve the treatment works, in line with our programme for Government commitment.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 24 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider introducing for those debtors whose total unsecured debts do not exceed a specified and relatively small limit, an alternative to sequestration such as the administration order which is available in England, or a procedure which provides a respite within which to determine whether a sequestration decree is necessary.
Answer
he Scottish Executive has no immediate plans to introduce such changes to the law, but will keep the matter under consideration.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 24 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received the annual report of the Accountant of Bankruptcy for 1998-99 and whether it is considering reform of the law of sequestration in relation to protected trust deeds.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has received the annual report of the Accountant in Bankruptcy for 1998-99 and is considering reform of the law of sequestration in relation to protected trust deeds.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 24 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive how many protected trust deeds were registered in the financial years 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99.
Answer
The number of Protected Trust Deeds registered in each of the years is:
1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 |
525 | 532 | 890 | 1,574 |
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 23 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Highlands and Islands Convention will have an opportunity to consider the Highlands and Islands Special Programme 2001-06 and, in particular, whether it will have an opportunity to consider the priorities for action and the project selection criteria listed in the consultative draft plan before they are finalised.
Answer
The Highlands and Islands Special Programme has now been submitted to the European Commission and will be finalised in negotiation with the Commission over the next few months. The plan has already been the subject of widespread consultation throughout the Highlands and Islands.We are currently considering the future of the Convention. An announcement will be made in the near future.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 23 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date the Highlands and Islands Convention will next meet and whether all MSPs representing the Highlands and Islands (including both constituency and regional list members) will be members of the Convention.
Answer
We are currently considering the future of the Convention of the Highlands and Islands. An announcement will be made in the near future.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for funding under the Agricultural Business Improvement Scheme are currently pending, what the total amount of funding sought by these applications is and what action it is taking to determine the outcome of these applications.
Answer
There have been 3,955 grant applications made under the Agricultural Business Improvement Scheme (ABIS) since 1 August and up to the statutory closing date of 31 October 1999. All are currently being processed. The total grant value of these applications is estimated at £22.8 million.As announced on 16 November, an extra £1 million is being made available for ABIS, thus raising the total amount still to be allocated by 31 December 1999 to £2.2 million. I announced on 16 November that, in the light of consultations, the money will be used to fund resource audits, information technology, alternative agricultural production, mobile sheep fanks and dippers, residential letting and self-standing systems for the storage and disposal of farm waste.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 22 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the recommendation of Highlands and Islands Enterprise that a strategic transport authority for the Highlands and Islands, with a wide range of powers to plan, franchise and regulate transport in the area, be created.
Answer
The Scottish Office consultation on Regional Transport Partnerships elicited a variety of views on the need for a strategic transport authority for the Highlands and Islands. I am currently considering the responses on this and related issues and will make a statement later this year.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 22 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the suggestion made by Highlands and Islands Enterprise that the value of the element of Air Passenger Duty collected from internal Scottish island air services be returned to the Scottish islands who received those services to be spent on support of those air services.
Answer
Passengers on internal Scottish island air services are not subject to air passenger duty.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 18 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money is currently being spent in Scotland on research into prostate cancer.
Answer
The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) of the Scottish Executive is not currently funding any research projects specifically on prostate cancer. However, in 1998-99, 20 cancer-related research projects with a total value of nearly £2.2M were being funded by CSO. Many of the findings of these projects will have a relevance to prostate cancer.
CSO also funds research indirectly which may have a relevance to prostate cancer. It is estimated that £4.7M of the general funding allocated to the NHS in Scotland for research was used in support of cancer studies.The main agency through which the UK Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC) which is estimated to spend some £15m per year directly on research into cancer.
