- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has taken any action to encourage the transfer of Safeway’s contract for carriage of goods by rail to Somerfield PLC to ensure that there is less supermarket traffic on the roads in the north of Scotland.
Answer
We remain committed to encouraging the transfer of freight from road to rail and water. Our commitment to modal shift is demonstrated by the recently announced budget of £44 million for the three years from April 2005 to March 2008 for the Freight Facilities and Track Access Grant schemes.
We are in regular discussion with companies from across Scotland to promote the use of rail freight and we are aware of several companies including supermarket chains who are currently considering the use of rail as part of their distribution operations in the north of Scotland. These are, however, sensitive commercial matters and the final decision rests with individual companies.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Somerfield PLC is being actively encouraged to deliver supplies to its existing stores in Dingwall, Alness and Invergordon by rail as well as to its recently-acquired Safeway Compact stores in Wick and Thurso.
Answer
We remain committed to encouraging the transfer of freight from road to rail and water and are in regular discussion with companies from across Scotland to promote the use of rail freight. These are, however, sensitive commercial matters and the final decision rests with individual companies.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 6 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government regarding its proposed review of the Game Acts, as reported in The Times on 12 October 2004; whether such a review is planned for the Game (Scotland) Acts and, if so, how, and when, it intends to bring forward any proposed changes to these Acts.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the proposed review of the Game Acts, and is presently considering this issue.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 30 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive in which venues in France performances and exhibitions of Scottish art forms have taken place during the centenary year of the Entente Cordiale.
Answer
I refer the member to the question S2W-12122 answered on 30 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 30 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what Scottish art forms have been supported with funds earmarked for performances and exhibitions in France during the centenary year of the Entente Cordiale.
Answer
Information including art forms and venues in France, for all events organised as part of the Entente Cordiale centenary celebrations, can be found on the Scottish Executive’s website for the centenary programme:
www.ententecordialescotland.org.uk.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 30 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the funds made available to promote Scotland in France during the centenary year of the Entente Cordiale have been fully utilised.
Answer
Scottish ministers approved a budget of up to £500,000 to support the Scottish celebrations of the centenary of the Entente Cordiale, of which £337,889 has been spent so far in direct support of the Scottish Entente Cordiale programme.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it organised a launch event for a rural health faculty to take place at Heriot-Watt University in the summer of 2002 and, if so, whether such a launch was subsequently cancelled by the then Minister for Health and Community Care.
Answer
The Executive did not organise such an event, nor was any such event cancelled by the Minister for Health and Community Care. The concept of a network of health professionals was under discussion in 2001 and 2002 through the Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative (RARARI), which was funded by the Scottish Executive. Discussion of the concept included the possibility of developing a faculty of rural health. RARARI considered holding a conference to explore the possibility in more depth. In the event, RARARI did not pursue the idea of a conference pending further exploratory work. Ministers were not involved as the proposal was at an early, tentative stage.
Since then, the thinking of those concerned has moved on and the expectation is that the aims of the proposed network might be better achieved in other ways.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 16 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made provision for any expense likely to be incurred when communities seek to establish township boundaries ahead of launching bids for community land.
Answer
No such provision has been made.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 16 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to remove any loopholes in its legislation for community land purchases that could potentially prevent communities buying out the full value of estates’ assets due to landowners leasing key portions of estates to companies controlled on their behalf.
Answer
I refer the member to answer given to question S2W-10902 on 8 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Rob Gibson, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has written off the annual debt of the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Answer
Because the Scottish Ambulance Service has achieved its relevant financial targets in recent years there is no annual debt to write off. The internal arrangements that the ambulance service makes for funding different parts of its operations are matters for the chairman and the board, subject to the service continuing to meet its performance targets agreed with the Scottish Executive.
