To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-4833 by Richard Lochhead on 24 October 2007, what steps it has taken to secure EU state aid approval in order to exercise its discretion to make direct payments to farmers and crofters, or to fund government agencies, non-departmental public bodies or non-governmental organisations to enable them to make payments to farmers and crofters, for positive environmental management on their holdings; when the first approach to secure EU state aid approval was made, to whom it was made and what response was received. Scottishministers and officials...