- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28026 by Mr Jim Wallace on 4 November 2002, why the answer did not state which of its ministers and how many of its officials attended the European Union working party on substantive criminal law in Brussels on 29 and 30 July 2002, the grade of these officials and their departments and whether it will now provide this information.
Answer
Ministers from member states do not, as a rule, attend European Union working groups, which are attended by officials from member states. UK officials represented the Executive at the Working Party on Substantive Criminal Law on 29 and 30 July 2002.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it would play in responding to any incident in Scottish waters similar to the sinking of the oil tanker Prestige off the Spanish coast and whether it will give details of procedures that are in place to deal with any such incident.
Answer
Action to prevent marine pollution remains a function of the UK Government. However, the role of the Scottish Executive, and a number of other statutory bodies, is set out in the National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations (NCP). The plan is tested annually and the most recent national oil spill exercise, which included participation by the Scottish Executive and a number of its agencies, was conducted in the Firth of Forth in October. A copy of the plan is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre, (Bib. number 17730). There is also an Operating Agreement between the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Scottish Executive on Marine Pollution Contingency Planning. In the event of an oil spill in waters adjacent to Scotland, the MCA would alert the Scottish Executive and its agencies. The Executive and its agencies would be involved in any Shoreline Response Centre and Environment Group set up under the terms of the NCP to deal with the incident. In addition, the Scottish Executive is responsible as licensing authority for approving the use of chemical dispersants in shallow coastal waters.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Scottish Environmental LINK's document Seas Fit for Scotland, launched on 6 November 2002, and whether there are any plans to take forward any of the document's proposals.
Answer
I will be replying to Scottish Environment LINK shortly. My letter will explain that the Executive is already committed, through the UK Marine Stewardship Report, to delivering a number of the initiatives identified by LINK. I will place a copy of my letter in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff provide support to Friends of Scotland initiative activities.
Answer
One Scottish Executive member of staff provides limited support to the Friends of Scotland initiative as a local liaison officer in the British Embassy in Washington DC.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with The Scotland Office regarding the provision of financial support for the Friends of Scotland initiative.
Answer
None.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it has spent to date on activities relating to the Friends of Scotland initiative.
Answer
None.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it has spent to date on promoting the Friends of Scotland initiative.
Answer
None.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it plans to make, either directly or through Her Majesty's Government, to the Danish Government regarding any benefits to white fish stocks in Scottish waters of decommissioning Danish industrial fisheries.
Answer
I will be holding confidential discussions on a range of pertinent issues with Commission, Presidency and other member states over the next few weeks including in the margins of the November Council.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of industrial fishing on white fish stocks in Scottish waters.
Answer
North Sea white fish stocks are stocks common to EU and Norwegian waters and assessments are carried out at North Sea level. The Scottish Executive has carried out no assessment of the impact of industrial fishing on North Sea white fish stocks.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 October 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 2 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive which meetings of the (a) European Council, (b) Council of the European Union, (c) Coreper and (d) EC committees and working groups and which informal meetings of the Council of the European Union held under the Danish Presidency it has attended to date; how many representatives attended each meeting, and which minister, or what grade of official from which department or agency, attended.
Answer
Scottish Executive ministers attended the following Council meetings held under the Danish Presidency between 1 July and 30 November:
| Date | Meeting | Minister |
| 23 - 24 September | Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Brussels) | Ross Finnie |
| 14 - 15 October | Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Luxembourg) | Ross Finnie |
| 17 October | Environment Council (Luxembourg) | Ross Finnie |
| 11 November | Education, Youth and Culture Council (Brussels) | Elaine Murray |
| 26 November | Competitiveness Council (Brussels) | Iain Gray |
| 27 - 28 November | Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Brussels) | Ross Finnie |
Officials have attended the following additional meetings held under the Danish Presidency between 1 July and 31 October, which is the period for which information is currently available:
| Date | Meeting | Department |
| 1 - 2 July | Working Group on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. | ERAD |
| 2 July | Working Group Danish Presidency programme of work in the energy field | FCSD |
| 3 July | International Environment Issues: Preparation for World Summit on Sustainable Development | FCSD |
| 9 - 10 July | Working Group on Fisheries Control | ERAD |
| 15 July | Working Group on Vocational Education and Training | FCSD |
| 16 July | Working Group on Market access to Ports Services Directive | FCSD |
| 22 - 23 July | Special Committee for Agriculture - Mid-term Review of the Common Agriculture Policy | FCSD |
| 24 July | Working Group on Cereals | ERAD |
| 25 July | Working Group on the reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. | ERAD |
| 27 July | Working Group on the impact of enlargement on fisheries | ERAD |
| 2 - 3 September | JHA Working Group | JD |
| 5 September | Working Group on Internal market - Science and Technology regional statistics | FCSD |
| 9 September | Working group on Youth | FCSD |
| 10 September | Working Group on Energy - biofuels and Intelligent Energy for Europe programme | FCSD |
| 12 September | Working Group on Common Fisheries Policy Review | ERAD |
| 16 September | Working Group on Mid-term review of the Common Agriculture Policy | FCSD |
| 17 September | Working Group on Vocational education and training | FCSD |
| 18 September | JHA Working Group | JD |
| 18 September | Working Group on field inspections under the 2000 and 2001 Arable Area Payment Scheme | ERAD |
| 19 - 20 September | Police Co-operation Working Group | JD |
| 19 - 24 September | Fisheries Research | ERAD |
| 19 September | Working Group on Common Fisheries Policy Review | ERAD |
| 24 - 26 September | JHA Working Group | JD |
| 25 - 26 September | Working Group on EU-Iceland fisheries negotiations | ERAD |
| 26 September | Working Group on Common Fisheries Policy Review | ERAD |
| 27 September | Working Group on Agricultural Structures & Rural Development | ERAD |
| 27 September | Working Group on Biotech Action Plan | FCSD |
| 2 - 5 October | Fisheries Research | ERAD |
| 2 October | Education Working Group | ED |
| 4 October | JHA Working Group | JD |
| 5 - 9 October | Conference on crime prevention | JD |
| 6 -10 October | Fisheries Research | ERAD |
| 7 October | Special Committee on Agriculture - discussion on mid-term review of CAP | FCSD |
| 7 October | Fisheries Research | ERAD |
| 7 - 8 October | Special Committee on Agriculture | ERAD |
| 8 - 9 October | JHA Working Group | JD |
| 8 October | JHA Working Group | JD |
| 9 October | Working Group on Biotech Action Plan | FCSD |
| 9 - 10 October | Fisheries Research | ERAD |
| 12 - 18 October | Fisheries - coastal states meeting on blue whiting | ERAD |
| 14 - 23 October | Fisheries Research | ERAD |
| 18- 23 October | Fisheries Research | ERAD |
| 21 October | Working Group meeting on e-Europe 2005 | FCSD |
| 21 - 23 October | Fisheries - EU project meeting (OMEGA) | ERAD |
| 21 October | JHA Working Group | JD |
| 22 - 23 October | Fisheries Research | ERAD |
| 28 - 30 October | Fisheries - coastal states meeting on mackerel | ERAD |
