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-07592

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 16 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what information was made available to it on 5 May 2000 regarding GM contaminated crops; what was the nature of that information; to whom and by whom it was passed, and what action was then taken prior to the communication being received from the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food on 15 May 2000.

An official from the Scottish Executive's GM Co-ordination Team attends fortnightly liaison meetings on biotechnology issues involving officials from the UK Government and the devolved administrations. After the formal meeting on 5 May, he participated in a conversation with officials from the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food and the Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions during which he learned of the possible problem.

He was informed that an unspecified amount of Advanta rapeseed had been imported from Canada containing traces of a GM contaminant that only had clearance to be grown for research purposes in this country. It was understood that some of the contaminated seed might have been planted and that Scotland could be affected.

This information was relayed to officials in the Food and Agriculture Group of my department who, during the course of the following week, pressed MAFF officials for further details. The full extent of the problem was only elicited on 15 May.

Question reference: S1W-07495

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4391 by Sarah Boyack on 29 February 2000, whether it will provide a timescale for the publication of each of the reports, consultations and studies listed.

Question reference: S1W-05368

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what funds it may make available for the electrification of the Scottish rail network.

Question reference: S1W-07060

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6539 by Sarah Boyack on 18 May 2000, what its precise involvement has been in the consideration of the case, in particular (a) whether the instructions to the legal agents came from the Executive or from a department of Her Majesty's Government and (b) what its role has been in terms of instructions and meetings with the relevant parties.

Question reference: S1W-03611

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 10 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 9 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a sustainable life campaign in Scotland similar to the "Are You Doing Your Bit?" campaign run by the Department of Environment, Transport and the Regions and, if there is to be such a campaign, what level of funding it will receive.

I have commissioned research into the types of campaigning that would most effectively influence people to act in an environmentally sustainable way. When this research is complete I will consider whether the Executive should run a campaign in Scotland similar to the "Are You Doing Your Bit?" campaign run by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, and what level of funding to devote to any such campaign.

Question reference: S1W-04881

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 8 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to assist or promote the use of motorbikes, scooters and other powered two wheelers.

The Scottish Executive recently issued guidance to local authorities to assist them in preparing their full Local Transport Strategies. This provides advice on the contribution powered two wheelers can make in delivering integrated transport policies.The Executive proposes to legislate in the forthcoming Integrated Transport Bill to give powers to local authorities to provide devices for the secure parking of powered two wheelers.Officials from the Executive meet regularly with motorcycle representative groups to discuss issues relating to powered two wheelers as a viable transport mode.

Question reference: S1W-03782

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 7 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether its proposals for trunk road management and maintenance comply with European procurement legislation.

Question reference: S1W-06793

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 7 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what regulation and requirements it proposes to ensure that consumers are told of the possibility of high lead content in their water supply, and what powers will be made available to require that action is taken to remedy the situation.

The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 1990 require random samples to be taken from household dietetic taps within each water supply zone. Where lead is detected in a tap sample, in breach of the current regulatory requirement, the householder is notified and advised of the measures that they can take to reduce the risk to their health from lead.

Despite the tighter lead standard in the new Drinking Water Directive, if non-compliance with the standard is due to domestic plumbing then a failure to meet the standard will not be considered to be a breach of the Directive. Consumers and property ownners must be alerted to the risk but it is not practical to require them to replace their lead plumbing. This is not the case with public buildings such as schools, hospitals and restaurants. Public buildings must fully comply with the Directive. Any failure to meet the lead standard in a public building as a result of lead plumbing will require the plumbing system to be replaced.

Question reference: S1W-06792

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 7 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that consumers receive adequate information regarding lead in their water supply.

The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations 1990 require water authorities to notify customers of lead failures associated with water samples taken from their premises and of the measures that could be taken to reduce the risk to health from lead.

The new Drinking Water Directive tightens the standard for lead and it also requires the water authorities to notify both property owners and consumers of any lead failures. The water authorities are about to undertake a lead sampling programme to identify any problem areas within their water supply zones. Property owners and consumers will be advised of any failures detected during the sampling programme.

Question reference: S1W-06791

Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 7 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the number of households whose internal plumbing is (a) of lead construction and (b) of a construction which uses leaded solder joints, and whether it intends to undertake work to establish how many households are affected by this problem.

Drinking Water Quality in Scotland 1994 reviewed the extent of lead pipes in domestic plumbing. The estimate then was that there were 589,000 properties in Scotland with lead plumbing. The results of a lead sampling programme about to be undertaken by the water authorities should provide a more up-to-date estimate of the number of households with lead plumbing.

It is not known how many properties have internal plumbing with lead soldered joints but such joints were the normal form of construction until lead solder was banned from water fittings in 1987. The Executive has asked the Scottish Centre for Infection and Environmental Health to carry out a survey of new houses to determine the extent to which lead soldered joints have been used in new homes.