- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 24 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many charges of causing death by dangerous driving under section 1 of the Road Traffic Act 1991 have (a) been recorded by the police and (b) proceeded to court and how many of the cases that proceeded to court have been proven, showing, in respect of the sentence passed, the number of (i) disposals for a custodial sentence and (ii) other disposals in each year since 1999.
Answer
The available information is given in the following table. The statistics on crimes recorded by the police and on court proceedings are not directly comparable as a person may be proceeded against for more than one crime, and a crime may be recorded in one year and proceedings taken in a subsequent year. Charges recorded by the police may also be altered as a result of the judicial process. Causing Death by Dangerous Driving: Crimes Recorded by the Police and Persons Proceeded Against, 1999-2001
| | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 |
| Crimes Recorded by the Police | 34 | 35 | 32 |
| Persons Proceeded Against in Court1 |
| Total | 26 | 14 | 21 |
| Charge Proved by Sentence Type |
| Total | 22 | 11 | 20 |
| Custody | 11 | 5 | 12 |
| Other | 11 | 6 | 8 |
Note:1. Where the crime was the main crime.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what account it has taken of any representations received from the National Farmers Union Scotland on the impact of any revised proposals drafted by the EU Commission for the protection of animals during transport.
Answer
The Executive is still awaiting the Commission's proposed amendments to EC Directive 91/625 on the welfare of animals during transport. The proposals are unlikely to be published until some time in May and the National Farmers Union of Scotland will be consulted then.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 21 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that the private developer that installed traffic lights on the A96 trunk road at Bath Terrace, Nairn, fulfils the undertaking given in the letter of 20 May 2002 from the Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning to David Stewart MP to contact my constituents Roddy and Janice McLeod.
Answer
Scottish Executive officials have arranged for a director of the private development company to meet with Mr and Mrs McLeod on 13 March 2003. A representative of BEAR Scotland Ltd will also attend the meeting.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it will provide to the fish processing sector.
Answer
The Scottish Executive will fund 95% of the cost of hardship relief awarded by local authorities for those fish processors with a rateable value not exceeding £50,000, affected by the reductions in whitefish catches. The enhanced contribution will be available from 1 April 2003 for a six-month period. Local authorities can still grant hardship relief to applicants who fall outwith this criteria under the normal terms where the Scottish Executive funds 75% of the cost.Nearly £30 million has been made available over the seven years of the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance programme to assist processors in Scotland. Aid under this programme will continue to be available.The Executive is also considering proposals for an extension to the Fish Processors Action Plan.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 20 March 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether there has been any change to the latest estimate of #324 million of the cost of the Holyrood project; if so, what the estimate is now; whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) will inform the public of any change to the costs in the period between 31 March and 1 May 2003; whether project management on a monthly basis reviews and reports costs as suggested in recommendation 27(g) of the report by the Auditor General The New Scottish Parliament building: An examination of the management of the Holyrood project of September 2000, and, if so, when the next reports are due to be made between now and 1 May 2003 and whether their main findings in relation to costs will be made public.
Answer
There has been no change to the estimate of cost as last reported to the Finance Committee. Costs are kept under constant review by the Cost Consultant and by Project Management and reports are made on a fortnightly basis to the Holyrood Progress Group (HPG). In addition, reports are made to the SPCB on a monthly basis and to the Finance Committee quarterly. The next report is due to be made to the HPG on 26 March and to the SPCB during April. There is at present no reason for these reports to be made public, in line with practice to date.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 18 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been, or will be, made available to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in Scotland for the maintenance of a database of wildlife crime; whether the information held on such a database will be verified and, if so, by whom; whether such a database would contravene the human rights of an individual, and whether the information will not be used in the compilation of reports to the procurator fiscal.
Answer
In the financial years, 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) received a grant of £20,000 per year from the Scottish Executive. This was a contribution given towards the continuing costs of species protection measures under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is a matter for the RSPB how these funds were allocated within these areas. This funding ended in March 2002 and it is not anticipated that further funding will be made available to the RSPB from the Scottish Executive for species protection measures.Processing by the RSPB of personal data relating to individuals is subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. Any query on this issue is a matter for the Office of the Information Commissioner, the body responsible for enforcing the law in this area.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any measures have been introduced in order to avoid displacement of fishing effort from the white fish sector to nephrops fisheries; if so, what measures have been introduced; if not what the reasons are for this position and what measures will be introduced, and when it first received representations on this matter.
Answer
In the short-term, it is our intention to target forthcoming transitional support of up to £10 million through a variety of selection criteria and conditions of award. One such condition will require white fish vessels restricted to 15 days per month (or the equivalent) to tie up rather than pursue additional fishing opportunities (for example on nephrops). In the long term, we plan to consult on other options such as restrictive licences.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 17 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the effects of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease will be with regard to job and economic losses in (a) the Scottish Borders, (b) Dumfries and Galloway and (c) Scotland over the next five years.
Answer
This information is not yet available. The Economic Impact Assessment Group has commissioned external consultants to provide an assessment of the outbreak and that work is in its final stages.In addition to a Scotland total, the assessment will quantify the economic impact of the outbreak on sectors and regions of Scotland. In line with the definitions used during the outbreak, Scotland will be divided geographically into three categories: South of Scotland, central belt and north of the central belt. As such, separate information on Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders will not be available.Estimates of long-term impacts will be included.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 12 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre a copy of the Sea Fish Industry Authority preliminary study carried out by Dr M.A. James, Dr B.R. Howell and Professor J.A. Young of Fisheries Resources Management Ltd; whether the authority has made the employees at the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit aware of the full text of the report and, if not, whether it will make representations to the authority to do so in view of the possible redundancies at the unit.
Answer
No. The report on the study commissioned by the Sea Fish Industry Authority is commercial-in-confidence. The publication or otherwise is very much a matter for the authority.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 03 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 11 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to prevent the closure of the Ardtoe Marine Farming Unit by the Sea Fish Industry Authority.
Answer
Highlands and Islands Enterprise stand ready to support prospective operators in accordance with their established remit and have been proactive in recent weeks in terms of attempting to broker a deal.
