Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-13727

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 7 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an updated estimate of the total number of salmon which were lost from sea cages in the storms of 11 and 12 January 2005 and what proportion of this total was found dead in the cages.

Question reference: S2W-13844

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 7 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what specific assistance it will provide for first-time buyers in rural Scotland and whether, in particular, it will provide assistance with (a) fixed or reduced price new properties and (b) shared equity schemes.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

The goal of the Scottish Executive’s housing investment programme is to provide new and improved housing in disadvantaged communities, to replace or improve poor quality housing and to help people on low incomes rent social housing or buy a fixed or reduced price home in rural or urban areas where demand exceeds supply or where market prices are beyond the reach of their incomes.

Ministers have announced that the housing investment programme will aim to provide 5,000 low cost home ownership homes in the period 2005-06 to 2007-08. Aligned to this, Communities Scotland is developing a new shared equity grant for introduction this year, targeted mainly at first time buyers. We expect this new grant to be delivering as much as 1,000 new homes per annum by 2007-08. This will be available in rural and urban areas.

In the period 1999-2000 to 2003-04, the Scottish Executive helped fund 5,671 low cost home ownership homes targeted at those on lower than average incomes such as first time buyers, of which 1,252 were in rural areas.

Question reference: S2W-13265

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 4 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the legal advice it received in relation to whether EU law or rules require the tendering of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services proposed by Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services: Service Specification - A Consultation Paper and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

The Executive does not normally disclose legal advice which it receives.

In any event, I raised the issue of the requirement to tender with the European Transport Commissioner, M. Barrot, when I met him in Brussels on 9 December. Following that meeting I wrote to M. Barrot asking whether there was any way, within the terms of European law, to allow the Clyde and Hebrides services to continue to be delivered on a subsidised basis without the need to tender. The Executive is still in discussion with the Commission on the issue.

Question reference: S2W-13262

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 3 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place a copy of the contract documents in respect of the Skye Bridge contract in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Copies of the contract documents have been made available today in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. The documents lodged are as follows:

The Invergarry - Kyle of Lochalsh Trunk Road (A87) Extension (Skye Bridge Crossing) Toll Order 199- Assignation Statement (Bib. number 35164)

Concession Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Skye Bridge Tolls Limited (Bib. number 35162)

Minute of Variation of Concession Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Skye Bridge Limited (Bib. number 35165)

Second Minute of Variation of Concession Agreement between the Scottish Ministers and Skye Bridge Limited (Bib. number 35166)

VAT Compensation Agreement between the Scottish Ministers and Skye Bridge Limited (Bib. number 35163).

Question reference: S2W-13359

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will now publish the estimated total cost of the relocation of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to Inverness and, if not, when it expects to be in a position to publish these costs.

Question reference: S2W-13360

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive when relocation of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) was originally due to have been fully implemented and when it now expects full implementation to take place.

Question reference: S2W-12079

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 31 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the First Minister’s official spokeswoman on 20 October 2004, what reservations the First Minister has in respect of measures in the UK Gambling Bill that relate to devolved matters; what its position is in respect of whether powers to determine whether casinos should open in places outwith the current permitted areas should be devolved and, if so, how such powers should be exercised and by whom; what its position is in respect of the implications for devolved matters of any introduction of slot machines offering prizes of up to £2.5 million, and what powers it has to prevent their introduction.

Scottish ministers are content that the UK Gambling Bill will provide them with a wider range of controls under the new system than at present.

The bill provides for three types of casinos – small, large and regional. The UK Government has now announced that, initially, the number of new casinos will be limited to eight of each type throughout Great Britain. However, the decision on the location of any new casinos in Scotland will only be taken in consultation with Scottish ministers and this will be reflected on the face of the bill.

All new casinos will need to be licensed by a new regulatory body, the Gambling Commission, who will be responsible for regulating gambling and for operating and personal licences. Social responsibility will be an explicit condition of an operating licence, with breaches triggering penalties or even loss of licence.

The bill also provides local authority Licensing Boards with power to decide whether to license any category of casino in their areas.

Casinos will be allowed to install more gaming machines than at present, but their numbers will be capped. Only regional casinos will be allowed to install slot machines offering the potential to win unlimited prizes. This is reserved.

Question reference: S2W-12850

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2004
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 28 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement regarding the Skye Bridge tolls and, if so, when; whether it will provide the Parliament with a detailed explanation for any such statement, in particular including the calculation of any payment to be made to buy out the owners of the PFI in respect of the Skye Bridge; whether any such statement will be made (a) before or (b) during the Christmas recess, and, if such a statement is made in the Parliament, whether it envisages that there will be an opportunity for members to question the ministers for transport and finance and public services.

The tolling regime on the Skye Bridge was ended on 21 December 2004. The Parliament was informed in response to question S2W-12790 also on that day, which was before the Christmas recess. The final payment to Skye Bridge Ltd (SBL) is expected to be around £27 million, and will be known when the audited accounts of SBL to 31 December 2004 are prepared. We anticipate that this will be in February, after which we will publish the termination agreement between the Executive and Skye Bridge Ltd.

Question reference: S2W-13269

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 28 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what costs will be incurred as a result of any failure to tender the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services; how any such costs are calculated, and what information it has on any costs being incurred by other EU member states in respect of lifeline ferry services in areas where opportunities for competition between ferry operators is limited or non-existent.

If the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services were not tendered and the European Court of Justice were subsequently to find that such an action was in breach of EU rules the consequences could be severe. In particular, following on from sucha ruling, the Commission could order the immediate cessation of subsidy to Caledonian MacBrayne and that the Executive recover from Caledonian MacBrayne all subsidy that had been declared to be illegal state aid.

I understand that all member states with lifeline ferry services have either tendered them, are in the process of doing so or are in discussion with the Commission about how to bring those services into line with EU rules.

In relation to Public Service Obligations the Commission investigated, in 1998, aid given to the Spanish state owned ferry company Trasmediterranea (Trasmed). When the Commission began the investigation it required the Spanish authorities to suspend payment of state aid to Trasmed until the Commission’s examination of the case had been concluded. The case took three years to complete at which time the Commission found that the tender process had been flawed and breached the non-discrimination principle. Following the investigation, Spain was obliged by the Commission to terminate the existing contract with Trasmed, to suspend any payment of aid and to comply with the Cabotage Regulation in respectof any successor contract. The Commission also required that any subsequent contract enter into force “only after adequate time and publicity have been given to allow all Community shipping companies a fair opportunity to prepare their bids”.

Question reference: S2W-13395

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 27 January 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the number of journeys made by passengers on (a) trains and (b) buses in each year since 1999.