- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive when applications made at the end of 2009 to the European Fisheries Fund, provisionally to be put to a project assessment committee (PAC) in March 2010, were put to a PAC and what the reason for the delay was.
Answer
Applications for the fourth round of awards under the European Fisheries Fund were considered by the project assessment committee on 10 September 2010. The fourth round was postponed from March 2010 to enable a full analysis of payments made in the 2009-10 financial year, and to clarify the remaining funding available under the programme.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 9 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive when the most recent meeting of a project assessment committee to consider applications to the European Fisheries Fund was; when it submitted its recommendations to ministers, and when applicants will be advised of the outcome.
Answer
The European Fisheries Fund Project Assessment Committee (PAC) last met on 10 September 2010. Initial advice on the PAC recommendations was put to ministers on 15 September 2010 and, following consideration of a number of issues, an announcement of successful awards was made on 24 October 2010.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 8 November 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review the impact on rural and remote GP practices of the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009.
Answer
The Scottish Government''s recent consultation
Review of the Control of Entry Arrangements considered a wide range of issues, including those related to dispensing GP practices. The Summary Report was published on 20 October 2010, and can be found on the Scottish Government''s website at
www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/10/20143448/0.
The Summary Report sets out our intentions to amend the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 in a number of areas, and will ensure, for instance, that dispensing GP practices are informed directly when applications are made to open a community pharmacy in the relevant neighbourhood. We intend to lay amendment Regulations before the Scottish Parliament for its consideration prior to the end of the year.
The Scottish Government is also in negotiations with the British Medical Association Scottish General Practitioners'' Committee (SGPC) with a view to establishing future funding arrangements for dispensing practices. The impact of dispensing income on practices in remote and rural areas is being considered as part of this.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-36525 by Alex Neil on 4 October 2010, whether it is considering measures to reduce the average time from referral to Stage Four of the installation of Energy Assistance Package measures in Shetland closer to the national average.
Answer
The Scottish Government is working with Scottish Gas, which has been appointed as the Stage Four Managing Agent under a new contract that sets demanding performance criteria that link payments to performance on a regional basis, including a target of 60 days from referral to completion. They are taking the following steps to improve their performance and reduce installation timescales:
· moving to a single survey, new software, and mobile devices which together will reduce referral to installation times by up to 25 days;
· continuing to negotiate with third party suppliers to reduce timescales for electrical load checks and supply upgrades.
Additionally, to improve their performance in Shetland, Scottish Gas:
· has been meeting all locally based, appropriately qualified, installers to secure locally based labour to deliver the installations; to date they have appointed three locally based contractors and are in negotiations with another one;
· is currently discussing with local installers to provide training to enhance their skills to allow them to deliver a wider range of measures; and
· has secured agreements with other contractors to undertake installations when installation requirements exceed the local capacity.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive when the European Fisheries Fund programme awards due to be announced in September 2010 are to be announced.
Answer
The European Fisheries Fund awards were announced on 24 October 2010.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the Scotland Rural Development Programme funding in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09, (c) 2009-10 and (d) to date in 2010-11 was or has been spent on administrative work by (i) the Scottish Government, (ii) Scottish Natural Heritage and (iii) other public bodies.
Answer
The Scotland Rural Development Programme budget is entirely spent on supporting rural development; therefore, none of the programme budget is spent on administration.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-36525 by Alex Neil on 4 October 2010, whether it has investigated the reason for the average time from referral to Stage Four of the installation of Energy Assistance Package measures in Shetland being 123% higher than the national average and 58% higher than the local authority with the next highest average.
Answer
Officials regularly monitor delivery times and discuss issues with the managing agent.
Reasons for the higher average delivery time in Shetland for the 10 installations to the end of August 2010, include electrical load checks or load upgrades by a third party supplier, which adds on average 38 days to every installation. Connections to the district heating system by a third party are similarly affected, adding on average 28 days.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 October 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 28 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what the Scotland Rural Development Programme budget is for 2010-11 and what sums have been (a) spent and (b) committed for projects in each Regional Proposal Assessment Committee region, broken down into the various delivery schemes used.
Answer
Scottish Government outturn for financial year 2010-11 will be published in the Consolidated Accounts during 2011, following the end of the current financial year.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 21 October 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the consultancy contract that it has awarded in order to provide advice or carry out research on lifeline ferry services since May 2007, broken down by the (a) name of the consultancy, (b) value of the contract, and (c) description of the contract specification, and, in the case of contracts that have been completed, whether the full final report has been published or otherwise made publicly available.
Answer
The following contracts have been awarded in respect of the Scottish Ferries review and Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) since May 2007 to carry out research or provide advice and similar services in relation to the provision of ferry services:
| Name of Company | Value of Contract | Description of Contract |
| Transport Research Institute (TRi) | £108,740 (reduced from original agreed cost of £140,390) | Ferries Review Work Package 1: · Methods of delivery, competition and procurement - report not published but subsequently released under Freedom of Information legislation. · TRi pantrak freight report “ report published as part of the ferries review |
| MVA | £254,154 | Ferries Review Work Package 2: Fares, funding, cost and affordability, integration, services and routes, and coordination of all work packages and drafting of ferries strategy. Published reports: - Cost and affordability report
- Fares report
- Funding report
· Routes services and integration report |
| MVA | £48,000 | Ferries Review Stated Preference Study - Report not published but used in preparation of other reports |
| Colin Buchanan and Partners | £50,623 | Ferries Review Data Collection - Report not published but used in preparation of other reports |
| Halcrow | Final cost to be determined. | Monitoring and analysis of RET pilot: ongoing work. Reports published so far: RET Phase 1 Reports: · Stage 1 · Stage 2 · Stage 3 · Stage 4 · RET 1st monitoring report “ Summary (July 2009) · RET 2nd monitoring report (February 2010) RET Interim Evaluation Report (April 2010) |
| MVA | £6,560 | Carrying out the initial stages of the routes and services methodology as part of the ferries review |
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 September 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 September 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the 36 completed applications to the Scotland Rural Development Programme Community Services and Facilities support programme that have been redirected to other funding sources.
Answer
On 3 August, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Environment Richard Lochhead announced changes to the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP). This included the transfer of Community Services and Facilities (CSF) projects from the Rural Priorities (RP) to the LEADER element of the SRDP.
There were 36 active CSF projects which were not able to progress under RP, but which can now be considered under LEADER. However, the details of these projects cannot be publically disclosed now, as they were submitted commercially in confidence. It is only when such applications have been approved for SRDP funding that it is reasonable and entirely legitimate that the public know how these funds are being distributed.
