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-21886

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set out its current policy on the aviation sector and what plans it has to support improvements to the aviation industry and increase the provision of flights to and from all parts of Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-21885

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision is expected on the application by Shetland Islands Council to operate Sumburgh Airport.

Question reference: S1W-21884

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on Environmentally Sensitive Area schemes in each of the past six years for which figures are available; how many producers were eligible to participate in each scheme, and how many did so, broken down by area.

The information is as follows:

	Expenditure
ESA Scheme	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01
Breadalbane (Original)	£42,733	£5,858	-	-	-	-
Breadalbane (Revised)	£354,064	£551,798	£607,426	£546,495	£656,148	£581,891
Loch Lomond (Original)	£5,449	£3,230	£2,310	£1,500	-	-
Loch Lomond (Revised)	£120,388	£168,076	£159,650	£140,715	£153,535	£192,265
Stewartry (Original)	£111,353	£45,940	£25,801	£7,936	-	-
Stewartry (Revised)	£370,937	£567,132	£899,810	£1,262,815	£815,139	£1,077,016
Whitlaw/Eildon	£19,548	£2,514	£2,430	£1,125	-	-
Central Borders¹	£113,587	£238,645	£446,446	£508,661	£601,775	£974,440
Machair of the Uists etc (Original)	£75,348	£49,247	£21,417	£517	-	-
Machair of the Uists etc (Revised)	£26,633	£133,775	£305,091	£374,448	£400,261	£628,153
Central Southern Uplands	£541,437	£641,007	£1,131,845	£1,306,420	£1,045,108	£1,804,029
Western Southern Uplands	£262,627	£376,433	£588,951	£657,340	£692,083	£940,870
Cairngorms Straths	£141,443	£260,987	£612,384	£808,543	£786,429	£977,403
Argyll Islands	£261,562	£487,927	£995,371	£1,096,973	£1,292,682	£1,225,348
Shetland Islands	£77,535	£234,573	£508,011	£781,552	£1,108,010	£2,041,886
Totals	£2,524,644	£3,767,142	£6,306,943	£7,495,040	£7,551,170	£10,443,301

Note:

1 Formerly Whitlaw/Eildon.

	ESA Scheme agreements in force at 31 March of each year.
ESA Scheme	Estimated No of Eligible Participants	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Breadalbane (Original)	-	8	1	-	-	-	-
Breadalbane (Revised)	194	91	112	122	137	166	166
Loch Lomond (Original)	-	16	4	-	-	-	-
Loch Lomond (Revised)	72	31	38	39	44	51	51
Stewartry (Original)	-	34	17	2	-	-	-
Stewartry (Revised)	380	115	140	179	186	203	202
Whitlaw/Eildon	-	4	2	2	-	-	-
Central Borders¹	170	41	62	82	112	143	143
Machair of the Uists etc (Original)	-	143	105	57	-	-	-
Machair of the Uists etc (Revised)	480	103	186	224	306	407	407
Central Southern Uplands	385	157	177	206	239	297	295
Western Southern Uplands	400	80	90	126	140	183	183
Cairngorms Straths	188	54	71	104	122	158	158
Argyll Islands	450	134	169	266	331	367	367
Shetland Islands	1,350	83	154	283	437	728	724
Totals	4,069	1,094	1,328	1,692	2,054	2,703	2,696

Note:

1. Formerly Whitlaw/Eildon.

Question reference: S1W-21883

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made, or plans to make, to Her Majesty's Government or the Office of Fair Trading regarding the supply of prescription-only veterinary medicines, given the Competition Commission's current investigation into the issue.

Question reference: S1W-21882

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its officials are responsible for ports policy and what its current policy is with respect to both trust and non-trust ports.

Scottish ministers are responsible for devolved ports policy in Scotland. Policy advice is provided mainly by the Scottish Executive Development Department (SEDD) Ports and Harbours Branch. This falls largely to three staff in that branch amongst their other duties. The development of policy requires close liaison within SEDD Transport Group on related issues, including grant assistance to piers and harbours serving lifeline ferry routes in the Highlands and Islands, and with the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department interest in fishery harbours.Ports policy is set out in Modern Ports: A UK Policy (November 2000, Parliament's Reference Centre Bib. number 9874). The paper sets out the broad policy aims on both devolved and reserved matters for UK ports. In addition, trust ports are implementing the guidance set out in Modernising Trust Ports: A Guide to Good Governance (January 2000, Parliament's Reference Centre Bib. number 18579). This provides a benchmark for best practice in the management, accountability and operation of trust ports, including the appointment of board members.

Question reference: S1W-21866

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the EU/Norway blue whiting negotiations; what measures are currently in place for the period until an agreement is reached, and when the representative parties will next meet.

Negotiations on the management of the blue whiting stock involve the European Community, Norway, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland and Russia. The most recent meeting was held last month immediately prior to the December Fisheries Council. Discussions failed to resolve the level of the Total Allowable Catch to be fished in 2002, or the allocation of the stock between Coastal States. Frans Fischler, the European Commissioner with responsibility for fisheries, intends to meet from Coastal States in February to press for a multilateral agreement to regulate the stock.In the absence of an international consensus, the European Council of Ministers agreed to reduce quotas in European waters by 280,000 tonnes in line with scientific advice. Blue whiting transfers to Norway were also reduced substantially and were discontinued with the Faroe Islands. These arrangements will be reviewed in the light of any future international management agreement.

Question reference: S1W-21865

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the scientific research on which the 25% cut in monkfish quotas for both the North Sea and the west coast was based, as agreed at the EU Fisheries Council meeting in December 2001, when the research was carried out and by whom.

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which provides the scientific basis underpinning the setting of Total Allowable Catches, published the findings of the most recent international assessment of monkfish stocks in October 2001. The ICES advice, noting the parlous state of monkfish stocks and that the present fishery is not sustainable, advocated a 50% cut in catches for 2002. The UK successfully argued that cuts should be introduced more gradually to take account of the impact on fishing communities and provide fishermen with some time to adapt their fishing patterns. At the Fisheries Council last month, the council agreed to a smaller cut of 25% for 2002.

Question reference: S1W-21864

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions are taking place with the European Commission regarding the introduction of a days at sea scheme targeted at whitefish species and, in particular, cod.

Question reference: S1W-21863

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact on inshore, single seine net fishing vessels resulting from the introduction of nets with 120mm mesh.

The Scottish Executive has funded research looking at the impact of various mesh sizes on the catch of a single seine net fishing vessel. The work was conducted by the North Atlantic Fisheries College in Shetland as part of the £1 million science/industry partnership that the Scottish Executive announced in March 2001. The trial looked at catches from a variety of mesh types, including 120mm cod ends.

Question reference: S1W-21862

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what economic assessment has been made, or is being made, of the effect on shore-based businesses in coastal communities of the reduction in catching capacity caused by the 2001 fishing vessel decommissioning scheme.

Decommissioning will not of course reduce the level of fishing opportunities available and, indeed, should help contribute to healthier stocks and a more viable, sustainable industry for the future. We recognise, however, that fleet size reductions may have some impact on supporting industries. The effect on individual communities and businesses will depend on the circumstances involved and, indeed, decisions by individual vessel owners on whether to proceed with decommissioning following a decommissioning grant offer. In the event that there are impacts arising from fleet restructuring, bodies such as the enterprise networks are in place to assist, including in relation to any employment consequences or, for example, measures to reduce dependency on fishing.More generally, work is under way - including through the Scottish Fish Industry Project led by Scottish Enterprise, the Processors Action Working Group and the Fisheries Departments and SeaFish - on economic issues related to the fishing industry. The aim of this work is to improve understanding of the economics of the industry and how to ensure its longer term sustainability.