Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-08564

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 19 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of any research or outcome of any investigations which it holds regarding the views and preferences of tourists from the Netherlands who are visiting Scotland.

Research suggests that the Dutch come because of their interest in castles, monuments, galleries and the quiet unspoilt nature of the countryside. There is an increasing interest in coming to Scotland for short breaks outwith the main holiday season. Outdoor enthusiasts consider Scotland as an excellent destination for outdoor activities, in particular for walking and cycling holidays, which are growing in popularity. However, research also suggests that some Dutch people visiting Scotland see it as an expensive destination with unreliable weather.

Question reference: S1W-08560

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 19 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) best and (b) worst estimate is of the lifespan of the Kingston Bridge following the recent structural repairs and what assumptions were made to arrive at each of these estimates.

Question reference: S1W-07664

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 18 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what fuel costs have been incurred by the Scottish Executive and The Scottish Office annually since 1997 broken down by department.

The fuel costs incurred by the Scottish Office from 1 April 1997 to 1 July 1999 and for the Scottish Executive from 1 July to 31 March 2000 are as follows:

Year	Electricity	Gas	Liquid Fuel	Total all Fuel
1997-98	£597,933.39	£235,989.82	£48,944.32	£882,867.53
1998-99	£581,153.40	£167,968.55	£62,561.66	£811,683.61
1999-2000	£552,961.47	£159,460.27	£65,239.86	£777,661.60

It is not possible to break these costs down by department as some of the buildings are shared and departmental areas are not separately metered.

The reductions have been achieved through securing best value for money and a range of energy efficiency measures. The Executive has carried out energy audits and has introduced staff awareness events, energy management programmes and planned maintenance projects to produce improved energy efficiency across the estate.

Question reference: S1W-08104

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 17 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the division of responsibility is between it and the relevant UK Government department in respect of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 and the Packaging (Essential Requirement) Regulations 1998.

The Scottish Executive is responsible for implementing the recycling and recovery targets in Directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste in Scotland. These are enforced in Scotland by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency under The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997.

The Directive also contains requirements on the design, manufacturing and composition of packaging and packaging products. These were transposed into UK law by The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 1998, made by the UK Minister for Competition and Consumer Affairs. These matters are reserved as they relate to product standards.

Question reference: S1W-08362

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 13 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what response it will give to the comments of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Defence, Dr Lewis Moonie on 27 June 2000, that there had been negligence on the part of the pilots leading to the crash of the RAF Chinook Helicopter on the Mull of Kintyre in 1994; whether it will review its own previous declared position that the findings of the fatal accident inquiry should stand, and whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government on this issue.

I would refer to the answer given in S1W-8286.

My responsibilities in relation to this tragedy were to ask Crown Counsel to consider the other information published since the Fatal Accident Inquiry in 1996. Crown Counsel concluded that there was no basis for seeking to re-open the Fatal Accident Inquiry, even if such a step were legally competent.

I have no other responsibility in relation to the tragedy, other than under the Fatal Accidents and Sudden Deaths Inquiry (Scotland) Act 1976. The Ministry of Defence are aware of my decision in this matter.

Question reference: S1W-06797

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 13 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support the introduction of bio-diesel.

Question reference: S1W-07585

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has in respect of the use of red diesel for agricultural vehicles and what its involvement is in the operation of the scheme of exemption from duty.

Question reference: S1W-08301

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 11 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the EC Directive regarding tendering of Caledonian MacBrayne services will also apply to Highlands and Islands Airports Limited services.

Question reference: S1W-08286

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 11 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Lord Advocate will take any action in the light of the article in the Scotland on Sunday on 18 June 2000 on the Chinook helicopter crash or whether he will make representations to the Ministry of Defence to take action in the light of the content of the article.

I asked Crown Counsel earlier this year to review the Fatal Accident Inquiry papers into this tragedy and other information published since the FAI, principally concerning the full automatic digital electronic control system (FADEC) fitted to the helicopter.

Crown Counsel concluded that even if the new information could be substantiated in an Inquiry process, it was highly unlikely that the findings of the Sheriff at the Fatal Accident Inquiry would have been different. There was therefore no basis to seek to re-open the FAI, even if such a step is legally competent.

The newspaper article referred to discusses whether the pilots were negligent. The purpose of a Fatal Accident Inquiry is not to attach blame but to ascertain the facts of death.

Accordingly, I have indicated that I am not to take any further action in the matter. The Ministry of Defence are aware of my views.

Question reference: S1W-07684

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 5 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it sought derogation from European Commission directives regarding state aid to Caledonian MacBrayne's operation of ferry services and, if it did not, why it did not seek a delay such as that granted to the Greek Government for services to their island communities.