- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 30 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any discussions which have taken place with Her Majesty's Treasury in connection with the reduction of the fuel duty escalator, and its social and economic impact in Scotland.
Answer
It is not in Scotland's interest for me to turn my private contacts with UK Government colleagues into public diplomacy by "sound bite". I can, however, assure Parliament that we have been second to none in standing up for Scotland's interests.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 29 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review ports and rail freight facilities grants in Scotland; whether it will extend freight facilities grants to shipping, and how those plans would interact with an east coast ferry port for Scotland.
Answer
The rail Freight Facilities Grant scheme is executively devolved to Scottish Ministers. At present, there are no plans to review the scheme, for which £6.1 million per annum has been allocated for the next three years.The U.K. Government intends to consult later this year on its intention to extend Freight Facilities Grant to coastal and short sea shipping movements. The Scottish Executive will be fully involved in this consultation. I would expect any extended scheme to apply to all British ports.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it proposes to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce strategic environmental assessment for government programmes, as outlined in the Partnership for Scotland document, and if so, whether these proposals will include measures to ensure that the Parliament will be able to monitor the outcomes.
Answer
I refer Mr MacAskill to the reply I provided to Question S1W-825.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific proposals it has to implement the initiative to introduce strategic environmental assessment for government programmes, as outlined in the Partnership for Scotland document.
Answer
We will announce our plans for implementing strategic environmental assessment in government programmes in due course. We expect that they will be linked to our commitment to the integration of sustainable development into all policies and have regard to the draft Directive on Strategic Environmental Assessment in preparation by the European Union.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to change the current accommodation arrangements for immigration and asylum detainees within the Scottish prison service, and what representations it has made, or intends to make, to Her Majesty's Government regarding the detention of such detainees.
Answer
The Scottish Prison Service holds those persons detained in Scotland under Immigration Legislation as a service on behalf of the Home Office. At any one time only a very small number are detained in Scotland. The majority are held at HM Remand Institution Longriggend in a dedicated unit although there are a small number held in other Scottish Prisons on occasion, notably Edinburgh and Aberdeen. There are no plans to change these arrangements beyond the fact that the future of HM Remand Institutions Longriggend is currently under review.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is considering in order to protect land against environmental damage caused by spreading organic waste.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is currently assessing the responses to a recent public consultation exercise based on the recommendations of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's Strategic Review of Organic Waste Spread on Land. We hope to announce our conclusions from this consultation and proposals on the way forward later this year.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering any measures to restrict the types of organic waste currently spread on land.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-1395.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering any measures to prohibit (a) injecting organic waste into land with field drains; (b) spreading organic waste outwith daylight hours, and (c) spreading organic waste on national heritage sites.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-1395.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 17 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether similar funding to that made available to First Group Plc for the implementation of the "Overground" network in Glasgow on an annual or start-up basis has been offered to other bus operators, and if so, to provide details of these offers.
Answer
No funds have been provided by the Scottish Executive to bus operators. However, a number of local authorities were awarded additional capital allocations from the first round of the Public Transport Fund towards the cost of developing bus priority measures.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 17 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it provided to First Group PLC for the implementation of their "Overground" network in Glasgow in respect of both start-up funding and annual contributions for the next 5 financial years.
Answer
No funds were provided from the Scottish Executive to First Group plc. However, Glasgow City Council and West Dunbartonshire Council were awarded additional capital allocations from the first round of the Public Transport Fund totalling £6.05 million over the 3 financial years from 1999-2000 towards the cost of development of the Faifley to Bailleston bus corridor.
