- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the decision taken by it on the request of Scottish National Heritage (SNH) that the mobility clause within the contracts of some SNH staff will not be implemented, this decision will be replicated for any other relocations of public sector departments or functions where staff of such departments or functions have a mobility clause requiring them to transfer anywhere within Scotland.
Answer
As I explained in myresponse to question S2W-5568, the way in which relocations are handled willvary. Decisions that suit the circumstance of SNH may not be appropriate in thecase of other organisations included in Scottish Ministers’ relocation reviewprogramme. Much depends on the circumstances of each organisation relocatingand the contractual terms of its employees.
All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can 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: Friday, 27 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 10 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will rule out any ban on the use of lead shot that applied to particular species, in particular those not currently protected by law.
Answer
As outlined in the Scottishconsultation paper, Restriction on Use of Lead Shot in Scotland of July2001 the Scottish Executive aims to ban the use of leadshot over wetland areasand intends to introduce legislation on this issue in 2004. It is not expectedthat the legislation will specify any particular species.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 10 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in relation to any legislative measure that would seek to ban the use of lead in shot, it will, together with appropriate representative bodies such as the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, undertake a scientific study into any effect of ingested lead by using nets to catch birds from a variety of sites, both inland and coastal, and taking blood samples from them before releasing them back into the wild.
Answer
No.
Long-term research into thetoxic effects of lead has established that it is a poison that can affect thedevelopment, reproduction and survival of a wide range of species, includinghumans. I see no benefit from undertaking further research along the linesproposed.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 10 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether sportscotland has advanced funding to the Highland Football Academy; what the reasons are for sportscotland's position on this matter, and what steps it will now take to ensure that the Highland Football Academy can continue.
Answer
Sportscotland has made payments to the Highland FootballAcademy Trust in line with the terms and conditions of the Lottery award andaward of Reduction in Pool Betting Duty monies. Sportscotland is not ina position to advance payments on behalf of the Scottish Football Partnershipwhich is a separate, legally constituted company. It is for the partnersinvolved in the Highland Football Academy to ensure the viability of the project.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 10 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will intervene to ensure that the Highland Football Academy receives the funding committed by sportscotland.
Answer
No intervention is required.Funding awarded by sportscotland is being paid out under the terms andconditions of the award.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 10 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether (a) it, (b) the office of the Presiding Officer, (c) the Chief Executive of the Parliament or (d) the Holyrood Project Group has been advised that the practical completion of the Holyrood project is not likely to be by the intended date of July 2004 and, if so, from whom such advice has been received and whether it will be made public.
Answer
The Scottish ParliamentaryCorporate Body , the Presiding Officer, the Chief Executive and the HolyroodProgress Group, rely on advice from the Construction Manager about the achievabilityof the programme for building completion. The convener of the HolyroodProgress Group has informed me the latest advice from Bovis is that the Julytarget date is achievable. That advice was made public in Parliamentary News Release010/2004 on Tuesday 24 February about the last report to the Finance Committee.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 10 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether the terms of clause 1.5.4 of the contract between it and EMBT/RMJM, that makes provision for the cost of travel to and from the United Kingdom and Barcelona, have been implemented and not departed from or breached.
Answer
The convener of the HolyroodProgress Group has confirmed that at no time have we paid EMBT/RMJM for thecost of travel between offices, whether in the UK or Barcelona.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 9 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the 30-day target for payment of invoices applies to (a) non-departmental public bodies, (b) agencies and (c) housing associations and whether the statistics published by the Executive in respect of the proportion of invoices paid within the 30-day period includes such bodies.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is committed to paying all valid invoices within 30 days of their dateof receipt. Non departmental public bodies, agencies and housing associationsdevelop and follow their own prompt payment policies.
The payment performancestatistics published in the Scottish Executive’s Core Accounts relate only toScottish Executive core departments. Other bodies are responsible forthe reporting of their own payment performance data through their own annual reports.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 9 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in exercising its powers to shoot deer under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996, it has acted at all times in accordance with health and safety requirements, with particular regard to the possible presence of walkers in the area of the cull.
Answer
I am satisfied that the DeerCommission for Scotland (DCS), in exercising its powers under the Deer(Scotland) Act 1996, has at all times acted in accordance with best practice andhealth and safety requirements, in particular with regard to the possiblepresence of walkers in the area of the cull.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 9 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the delay in the announcement of the fallen stock scheme; why it will not introduce such a scheme in Scotland ahead of any scheme in England and Wales, and what the reasons are for not introducing a scheme for the collection and disposal of fallen stock before autumn 2004.
Answer
Further time is needed tofinalise arrangements for members’ subscriptions, obtain state aids clearanceand to put in place the practical arrangements with the collection and disposalindustry.
The difficulties of settingup a Scottish Scheme are the same as those for the UK scheme. Furthermorea Scottish scheme would be much more expensive for our producers as it couldnot benefit from the economies of scale which the UK Scheme should deliver.
