- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 24 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many discharge consents the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued for treated sewage effluent into Loch Ness in each year since 1999 and what the reasons were in each case where a discharge consent was relaxed.
Answer
This is a matter for the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency. The information requested is not heldcentrally.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 11 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether pensioners residing in England are entitled to free bus travel in Scotland.
Answer
Article 3 of the National BusTravel Concession Scheme for Older and Disabled Persons (Eligible Persons and EligibleServices) (Scotland) Order 2006 requires that a person who is aged 60 yearsor over or who is disabled must be resident in Scotland to qualify for the newnational free bus travel scheme.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 11 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether pensioners residing in Scotland are entitled to free bus travel in England.
Answer
The new national free bus schemeallows a person resident in Scotland who is aged 60 years or over or who is disabled to travelon most services which operate wholly within Scotland. An eligible person canalso travel on certain services to or from Northern England, which are set out inArticle 2 of the National Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Older and Disabled Persons(Eligible Persons and Eligible Services) (Scotland) Order 2006.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what stage the ministerial consideration of the application to buy the Orbost Estate has reached and when it anticipates that a decision will be announced.
Answer
There has been no applicationto Scottish ministers by any community body wishing to register an interest in purchasingthe Orbost Estate under the provisions of Part 2 of the
Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.
The Orbost Estate is owned byHighlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) who have indicated that they are willing tosell the property to the local community, if they wish to buy it, without recourseto the Land Reform legislation. However, the terms of the sale proposed by HIE requireministerial agreement. I expect to discuss this with HIE shortly.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 30 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether apprentices funded by Highlands and Islands Enterprise are paid less than if they were funded by Scottish Enterprise and, if so, why.
Answer
All modern apprentices are employedand therefore their wages are a matter between them and their employers. We do nothold this information and it is likely to vary from employer to employer. Althoughcontribution rates for modern apprenticeship frameworks vary between Scottish Enterpriseand Highlands and Islands Enterprise, this has no direct bearing onthe amount employers pay apprentices as this funding goes towards offsetting thetraining costs.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what locations were considered as alternatives for the Kyleakin TETRA mast to the site above Old Kyle Farm Road and why they were rejected.
Answer
The Kyleakin TETRAtransmitter on the site above Old Kyle Farm Road provides NorthernConstabulary with police radio communications in the area. The issues aroundthe selection of a site to provide the contractual level of coverage for the policein Kyleakin is a matter for the service provider O2 Airwave.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all the locations where TETRA O2 Airwave transmitters will be switched on in 2006.
Answer
The Scottish Executive doesnot hold lists of TETRA radio sites.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Northern Constabulary Chief Constable’s statement that the force would need 287 TETRA sites to deliver Airwave, why only 150 have been installed.
Answer
The number of sites requiredis a matter for the service provider, O2 Airwave.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers are the reasons for reported adverse health symptoms within communities in proximity to TETRA masts and whether there are plans to investigate such reported symptoms.
Answer
A publication byHealth Protection Scotland (HPS) on
Dealing With Assertions of Risk or Effects From Environmental Exposures sets out a structured approach todealing with assertions of health effects associated with environmentalexposures.
There is no evidencecurrently to suggest that health symptoms within any communities in Scotland arelikely to be associated directly with their proximity to TETRA masts. The needfor local investigation in accordance with the aforementioned HPS Guidance is amatter for consideration by the local NHS board.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any reports of ill-health among those who live in proximity to TETRA O2 Airwave transmitters and, if so, what discussions it had with NHS Highland prior to the transmitter being installed near the village primary school in Kyleakin.
Answer
A review of scientific evidence on “Possible Health Effects fromTerrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA)” in 2001 bythe UK Advisory Group on Non-ionisingRadiation (AGNIR) concluded that “Although areas of uncertainty remain aboutthe biological effects of low-level RF radiation in general, includingmodulated signals, current evidence suggests that it is unlikely that thespecial features of the signals from TETRA mobile terminals and repeaters posea hazard to health
.”
In keeping with therecommendations of the AGNIR report, the Home Office is pursuing these “areasof uncertainty” in a comprehensive programme of research work. In considerationof the results available to date, the Home Office has conclude that “TETRA health and safety issues have beensubject to careful investigation by independent experts. Their advice is thatit is unlikely that TETRA technology presents a risk to health.”
We are not aware ofany reports of ill health and have not had discussions with NHS Highland.
