- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 6 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the intended implementation date is for the Renewables Obligation (Scotland).
Answer
The statutory consultation, which closed recently, raised a number of detailed and complex technical issues which need to be addressed. Consequently, we now intend to introduce the Renewables Obligation (Scotland) on 1 April 2002.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 16 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on when the Seeds (National List of Varieties) Regulations 2001 will be made.
Answer
These UK regulations were laid before both Houses of the UK Parliament on 31 October 2001. I have made arrangements for a copy of the instrument to be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 17014).
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 November 2001
To ask the First Minister what progress is being made in restoring animal exports to Europe.
Answer
Thanks to strenuous efforts by Ross Finnie, I am delighted he was able to announce on Tuesday that lamb and venison exports from most of Scotland can recommence soon. Agreement to resume pigmeat and beef exports was secured last month.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much and what percentage of the money allocated under the Rural Stewardship Scheme in the current and next financial years will be given to farms with land areas of (a) less than 50 hectares, (b) between 50 and 100 hectares, (c) between 100 and 200 hectares, (d) between 200 and 400 hectares and (e) greater than 400 hectares.
Answer
It is not possible to say how much, and what percentage of the money allocated under the Rural Stewardship Scheme, will be given to farms with land areas of (a) less than 50 hectares, (b) between 50 and 100 hectares, (c) between 100 and 200 hectares, (d) between 200 and 400 hectares and (e) greater than 400 hectares, in the current and future financial years, until the Rural Stewardship Scheme applications for each relevant year have been approved.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 1 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making towards meeting its targets on moving freight from road to rail.
Answer
We continue to be fully committed to encouraging the transfer of freight from road to rail and waterborne modes of transport. We have already made awards of Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) that will remove over 13.4 million lorry miles from Scotland's roads each year including 11.5 million for rail projects. I expect to make further awards of FFG in the coming months that will achieve our target of making awards of FFG, by March 2002, that will remove 18 million lorry miles from Scotland's roads each year.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 24 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list, for each shellfish algal Toxin Monitoring Box subjected to a Food and Environment Act 1985 closure or to a shucking restriction during the first nine months of 2001, the sampling dates and results for all tests from that box after the restriction was applied.
Answer
The information requested is lengthy and I have asked the Food Standards Agency to send a copy of the information required directly to the member. A copy of this information will also be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 16796).
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the sample collection and laboratory testing capacity of the Food Standards Agency Scotland has restricted the lifting of any Food and Environment Act 1985 closure or shucking restriction imposed during 2001.
Answer
The Food Standards Agency has advised me that the lifting of Food and Environment Protection Act Orders, and shucking restrictions placed for the harvesting of scallops, can be restricted in relation to sample collection through the need to await relevant reductions in algal toxin levels and due to poor weather conditions. There is a limit to laboratory testing capacity and this is taken into account when assessing priority for both lifting restrictions and the continued monitoring of open boxes.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the Food Standards Agency Scotland's algal Toxin Monitoring Box testing capacity is for (a) king scallops, (b) queen scallops and (c) mussels.
Answer
The Food Standards Agency has advised me that current testing capacity for the Fisheries Research Services Marine Laboratory (FRS MLA) in Aberdeen, for offshore boxes, is 10 boxes per week (20 samples of king or queen scallops). This capacity is based on FRS MLA completing algal toxin analysis and reporting results to Food Standards Agency Scotland, within a guaranteed seven day turn-around. Mussels are harvested and analysed from mainly inshore sites and are not included in the offshore testing programme.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17710 by Sarah Boyack on 24 September 2001, what mechanisms are in place to allow MSPs to scrutinise the financial details of the Skye Bridge contract in order to protect the interests of their constituents.
Answer
Scottish ministers are bound by the duty of confidentiality set out in the Concession Agreement with Skye Bridge Limited and cannot release details of the contract to members.
- Asked by: John Farquhar Munro, MSP for Ross, Skye and Inverness West, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 27 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take in the light of the report by the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission on GM crop trials.
Answer
The Scottish Executive welcomes the commission's report and, in particular, its cautious support for completion of the current farm scale evaluation programme. However, the detailed recommendations of the commission are currently being considered and a full response will be prepared and published later in the year.
