- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 11 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will allow the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's regional laboratories to undertake any contract analysis.
Answer
Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is permitted to accept contract analysis work, provided it does not detract from the exercise of SEPA's statutory functions or ability to meet corporate objectives.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 December 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a detailed breakdown by agricultural sector and land category of the payments to farmers and crofters in 2001 under the less favoured area scheme.
Answer
The Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) is not sector specific. It involves, in the main, area payments to different land categories within the less favoured area in Scotland. Details of the distribution of payments by land category under LFASS 2001 are set out in the table.
Land Category | LFASS 2001 |
£ million | % |
Moorland | 17.99 | 29.7 |
Northern Upland/Moorland | 3.66 | 6.0 |
Northern Upland | 7.86 | 13.0 |
Southern Upland /Moorland | 7.02 | 11.6 |
Southern Upland | 23.60 | 38.9 |
Others 1 | 0.47 | 0.8 |
Scotland | 60.6 | 100.0 |
Although there are only three land classes, some farm businesses encompass a mix of land classes, hence Northern Upland/Moorland and Southern Upland/Moorland appear in the table above. Values for Southern Upland/Northern Upland and Southern Upland/Northern Upland/Moorland farms are not shown separately because of the small number of farms in these mixed land class categories.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to assist sheep producers in the crofting counties to develop production procedures that enable them to operate in all areas of sheep production.
Answer
The Scottish Executive provides underpinning support to all parts of the Scottish sheep industry via various methods, including direct payments to producers, and by funding initiatives relating to improving sheep health and genetics, animal traceability and marketing. Some specific measures such as the Ram Purchase Scheme, Highlands and Islands Sheep Strategy, and Highlands and Islands Veterinary Services Scheme are aimed specially at communities in the Highlands and Islands. It is, however, for individual producers to seek advice from relevant advisory organisations in order to develop production procedures which suit their own individual farming circumstances.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 December 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 20 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications to join the Rural Stewardship Scheme this year will be approved.
Answer
I am pleased to announce today that I am able to approve the management actions and associated capital works proposed in 380 applications. This represents 80% of the 476 applications submitted and involves a financial commitment by the Executive of £18 million. No funding is being provided for stand-alone capital items or for hedgerow management.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 13 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to alter the workload of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's chemistry laboratory in Dingwall.
Answer
This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The Executive does not decide the distribution of work amongst SEPA's laboratories.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 13 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to alter the status of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's chemistry laboratory in Dingwall.
Answer
This is an operational matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The Scottish Executive is not responsible for determining the status of SEPA's laboratories.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 November 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 13 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to maintain the regional structure of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Answer
This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). SEPA abolished its Regional Management Structure on 1 April 2001, but intends to retain all of its 22 local offices. The three regional boards, established under statute, remain in being.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Friday, 02 November 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 11 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many digital hearing aids have been distributed by Highland Health Board in each of the past three years.
Answer
The following numbers of digital hearing aids were drawn off the central Scottish Healthcare Supplies contract by NHS Trusts in the Highland NHS Board area since the contract started in June 1999.June 1999 to December 1999 - NilJanuary 2000 to December 2000 - 15January 2001 to September 2001 - 32
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to implement funding for a national top-up to existing budgets of agri-environmental schemes under Article 51 of the rural development regulation EC 1257/1999.
Answer
We already pay a higher rate for certain stock removal than is supported by EC co-financing and fund that through a "national top-up".
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has under the rural development regulation EC 1257/1999 to top-up agri-environmental schemes funds and whether it can do so without securing European match funding to cover the additional funding.
Answer
Funding for agri-environment schemes is set out in the Rural Development Plan for Scotland which was approved by the EC in December 2000. Any additional funding for measures within the plan, whether state-aided or co-financed, would require the approval of the EC. Article 47(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1257/1999 which stipulates that the Community contribution to co-financed elements of agri-environment schemes shall be 75% in areas covered by Objective 1 and 50% elsewhere.
