- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 17 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what sums have been invested in tackling drug abuse within the Highlands and Islands in each year since 1999; what plans it has to provide enhanced facilities for this purpose; what new facilities will be created for this purpose, and where any such facilities will be located.
Answer
Details of drug specific funding at a local level is not held centrally. However, some of the information requested is available in the Corporate Action Plans of Highland Drug and Alcohol Action Team; Orkney Drug, Alcohol and Smoking Action Team; Shetland Drug Action Team; the Western Isles Drug, Alcohol and Smoking Action Team; Moray Drug and Alcohol Action Team; Argyll and Clyde Alcohol and Drug Action Team, and Greater Glasgow Drug Action Team which can all be found on the national website at
http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/.Funding for drug-specific treatment services allocated to the Highland Drug and Alcohol Action Team area for the years 1998-99 to 2003-04 is as follows.Treatment
| NHS Board | 1998-99(£000) | 1999-2000(£000) | 2000-01(£000) | 2001-02(£000) | 2002-03(£000) | 2003-04(£000) |
| Highland | 86 | 137 | 181 | 300 | 414 | 414 |
The bulk of the funding for drugs education and for rehabilitation is made available through GAE settlement. However, additional funding for drugs specific education and rehabilitation was allocated as follows for the period 2001-02 to 2003-04.Drugs Education in Schools
| Council Area | 2001-02(£) |
| Highland | 36,712 |
Rehabilitation
| Council Area | 2001-02(£000) | 2002-03(£000) | 2003-04(£000) |
| Highland | 277 | 277 | 277 |
In addition, the following funding was allocated for drug-related work with young people and families for the years 2001-02 to 2003-04.Changing Children's Services Fund
| Council Area | 2001-02 to 2003-04(£000) |
| Highland | 692 |
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 17 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what volume of freight traffic travels between the mainland and the northern isles annually.
Answer
Information in the form requested is not held centrally. However, a limited picture for seaborne freight can be obtained from various tables in Scottish Transport Statistics 2002, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Centre (Bib. number 23316). Statistics are not available in the precise form requested but the available information is shown in tables 10.3-10.6, 10.12 and 10.14. This information cannot readily be summarised given the different coverage of each of the tables.Information on air freight is given in the Annual Reports and Accounts for Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd, copies of which are also available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 22922, for the 2001-02 Annual Report).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 17 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether ferries used by NorthLink Orkney and Shetland Ferries Ltd comply with all applicable safety regulations and, in particular, whether seating, televisions and gaming machines are securely fixed to prevent the risk of serious injury.
Answer
The ferries used by NorthLink Orkney and Shetland Ferries Ltd comply with all applicable safety regulations. Television and gaming machines are securely fixed. Most seating, such as reclining chairs, is securely fixed. Chairs at dining tables are loose when in use but are designed to be fixed to the tables when not in use. I understand that NorthLink is now arranging for these chairs to be fixed to the deck.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce legislation to implement the recommendations of the Scottish Law Commission report 187 by extending to siblings the title to sue for non-patrimonial loss under the Damages (Scotland) Act 1976.
Answer
The Executive is examining the content of the Scottish Law Commission report 187 and considering what the next step should be in the light of the commission's recommendations. The proposal to extend the title to sue for non-patrimonial loss under the Damages (Scotland) Act 1976 to siblings and others with close ties to the deceased is likely to form part of a wider consultation on damages that is planned for 2003.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 17 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to Her Majesty's Government about any transfer of power to the Parliament with regard to the Crown Estates Commission and what the reason is for its position on the matter.
Answer
No such representations have been made.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many tied houses or other dwellings it owns, or otherwise provides, for the occupation of persons employed by (a) it and (b) other public sector bodies.
Answer
The Scottish Executive currently provides nine residential properties for occupation by its employees. In addition, the Scottish Executive owns several estates which are leased to Scottish Agricultural and Biological Research Institutes, the Scottish Agricultural College and the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh. Within these estates there are 51 residential properties of which 44 are currently occupied by employees of these institutions.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 16 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in view of the new arrangements to be made for the payment of benefits and allowances due to come into effect next year, whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty's Government with regard to the impact on local economies of people continuing to be able to use their local post office for the payment of benefits and allowances and, in particular, on equal treatment of banks and post offices in this respect.
Answer
The Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues and it takes a wide range of factors into account in formulating its social and economic policies. Whilst Royal Mail Group, post offices and postal services are a reserved matter, I understand that all the major banks have signed contracts with Post Office Ltd to make their own basic bank accounts accessible at post offices and that the Post Office is also in discussion with the banks about wider access to their other bank accounts.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 13 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will arrange for representatives of bodies representing the fishing industry to be seconded to it for the purpose of maximising its effectiveness in the impending EU negotiations.
Answer
No. Member states cannot bring representatives of their industry to a Council as part of the official delegation. I will continue to consult closely with the industry in the run-up to the Council.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 13 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what expenditure has been incurred by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) since 1997 in connection with the protection of (a) predator species, including pine martins, sparrow hawks, merlins and eagles, and (b) smaller prey species such as waders, winchats, wheaters, woodpeckers and finches; whether SNH distinguishes between different species perceived to be under threat, and whether some threatened species are considered by SNH to be more worthy of support than others.
Answer
This is a matter for Scottish Natural Heritage. The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 12 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvement schemes will begin on the A9 between Perth and Inverness from now to 2010; whether each such scheme is projected or confirmed, and what the planned or estimated start date of each scheme is.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32095 today. 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/search_wa.
