- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 12 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in respect of its initial response to the Finance Committee's 2nd Report 2004 (Session 2) Report on Scottish Water (SP Paper 125), the current Water Industry Commissioner will be replaced when his current contract expires; on what date the contract expires, and whether there will be an open competition for any new commissioner.
Answer
The Executive’s intention isthat the post holder of the Office of Water Industry Commissioner will assume theresponsibility of chief executive upon the establishment of the new commission.The appointment of the chief executive and the commissioners of the new Water IndustryCommission will take place entirely within the Public Appointment Framework as laiddown by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
The terms of the Water IndustryCommissioner’s appointment are contained within the Scottish public bodies directoryon the Scottish Executive website.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 12 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any form of legal action has been taken, or threatened, by the Water Industry Commissioner against Scottish Water and, if so, what any such legal action or threat of legal action was.
Answer
The powers of the Water IndustryCommissioner are set out in the Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002. The use of suchpowers is an operational matter for the Commissioner.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 12 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what sum (a) has been spent on legal expenses and (b) is due in respect of legal expenses as yet uninvoiced by the Water Industry Commissioner and whether any of that sum has been in relation to employment tribunal cases raised against the commissioner.
Answer
The Water Industry Commissioneris entitled to seek such legal advice as he feels necessary in the discharge ofhis functions, including issues relating to the employment of his staff. His officeinformed me that it incurred total legal costs of £52,948 during the financial period2003-04, covering all aspects of its work.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-1972 by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 September 2003, whether it has received the findings of "The Temple Review" led by Professor Sir John Temple and, if so, on what date they were received; what the implications of these findings will be for the review of the provision of acute medical services in the west highlands, presently under consideration by NHS Highland and NHS Argyll and Clyde, and when MSPs and the public will be given access to the findings of the review and what the reasons are for its position on the publication of the findings.
Answer
A preliminary report on the findingsand recommendations within the “Temple Review” was submitted by Professor Sir John Temple on 17 December 2003.
The formal report will be publishedshortly. The Scottish Executive will also be issuing a separate report, which willprovide its response to the recommendations. When published, the report will bein the public domain.
The report should inform anychanges in the delivery of services across NHSScotland. The primary responsibilityfor service reform and redesign rests with individual NHS boards.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the advice received by the First Minister in respect of whether he would give oral evidence to the Holyrood Inquiry will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
It was a matter forthe inquiry to decide whether to ask the First Minister to supplement his writtenevidence by attending the inquiry in person. As was made clear in their statementof 25 March 2004, they decided not to do so on grounds thatall the relevant issues they wished to ask the First Minister about had been answeredin his letter to the Inquiry of 23 March. A copy of that letter has already beenpublished on the Holyrood Inquiry website, as has the inquiry’s response.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what requests it has received from NHS Highland, or its predecessor body, with regard to the review the board is currently conducting with NHS Argyll and Clyde into the provision of health services in the west Highlands; in particular, whether it has received any request for advice, information or policy direction in respect of (a) training consultants, (b) the application of clinical standards, (c) the working time directive and its application, (d) importing elective surgery from outwith the NHS Highland area and (e) rural general specialism, and whether the Executive will provide any advice or assistance to the boards in respect of these matters.
Answer
There have been no specific,formal requests from NHS Highland for advice or direction on health services inthe West Highlands. The Executive’s policies are clearly set out in the WhitePapers Our National Health (December 2000) and Partnership for Care(February 2003), as well as in Health Department Letters. There are frequentopportunities for NHS board members and executive staff to discuss policyissues, including those listed in the question, with ministers and officials inthe Executive.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7089 by Ms Patricia Ferguson on 1 April 2004, whether copies of all documents referred to have been provided to the Holyrood Inquiry and what the reasons are for this information not being placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-7428 on 4 May 2004, which I believe also provides an appropriateresponse to this question. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for whichcan be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will urge Caledonian MacBrayne to enter into discussions with Highland Council to consider the introduction of an additional service on Friday afternoon and Monday morning for those children resident in the small isles who attend Mallaig High School.
Answer
This matter was raised in responseto our consultation exercise on the draft Invitation to Tender for the Clyde and Hebrides ferryservices. We received a good response to the consultation and we are currently finalisingthe service specification, reflecting points made through consultation. I will announcemy conclusions in due course.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Forestry Commission or Forestry Enterprise use electric fencing in order to control deer and, if so, why such fencing is used; whether this type of fencing can be used by private landowners; what information it has received in respect of the use of this type of fencing; whether the Deer Commission for Scotland have received such information; what commission internal documents there are relating to the matter, and whether any such reports will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
Forest Enterprise, Scotland currentlyhas 13.5 kilometres of electric fencing along boundaries in three locations, Mull, Glen Prosen and Rannoch. In twoareas Mull and Glen Prosen they are regardedas temporary measures to be used until agreement is reached on the erection of conventionalfencing along mutual boundaries. In Rannoch the electric fence is being used tostrengthen an existing conventional fence to protect woodland from red deer incursion during periods of heavysnowfall.
Electricfencing is used on private estates. However, there is no Scottish Forestry GrantScheme support for the erection of this type of fence.
The ForestryCommission produced a Research Information Note (Number 206) in 1992 on the useof electric fences following two year trials in Argyll and the North of England.The project identified that electric fencing is not such an effective barrier tored and roe deer as conventional line and wire mesh fencing. Roe deer in particularare very resistant to electric current. There have been a number of more recentreports that have reached similar conclusions.
The DeerCommission Scotland (DCS) is aware of this information and is currently workingwith Forestry Commission Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish ExecutiveEnvironment and Rural Affairs Department to produce a joint policy statement ondeer fencing. Once published, this will be made available in Parliament’s ReferenceCentre. What internal documents DCS have is a matter for the Commission and thisinformation is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what reports or advice the First Minister has received from the current Chief Executive of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and Head of Legal and Parliamentary Services regarding the Holyrood project.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-7428 on 4 May 2004, which I believe also provides an appropriate responseto this question. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament'swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
