- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 15 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many complaints have been made to the external adjudicators of (a) Scottish Enterprise and (b) Highlands and Islands Enterprise since the inception of each organisation and how many such complaints have been upheld.
Answer
The External Adjudicators for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise took up post on 1 April 1997. Prior to that date there were no external adjudication procedures in place. The number of complaints they have received each year since then is detailed in the tables.Scottish Enterprise
| | Complaints rec'd | Complaints upheld |
| 1997-98 | 12 | 0 |
| 1998-99 | 2 | 0 |
| 1999-2000 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000-01* | 3 | 1 |
Highlands and Islands Enterprise
| | Complaints rec'd | Complaints upheld |
| 1997-98 | 6 | 1 |
| 1998-99 | 4 | 0 |
| 1999-2000 | 2 | 0 |
| 2000-01* | 4 | 0 |
*Covers the period 01/04/2000 to 05/02/2001.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 14 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to make information available to disabled people about opportunities to participate in sport and whether there is any central bank of such information.
Answer
In the last two years, Scottish Disability Sport (SDS), in partnership with sportscotland, has developed a number of steps to make information on sport and recreation opportunities available to those wishing to participate in sport.These include the new SDS website, www.scottishdisabilitysport.com, which was officially launched during 2000; the SDS newsletter The Changing Times, which is published three times a year; SDS sport specific leaflets covering the sports of athletics, archery, boccia, cycling, swimming, table tennis, football and bowls; an A5 flyer promoting the work of SDS; a comprehensive resource pack, which acts as a one stop shop for disability sport issues, with funding through the Ready Willing and Able for Sport programme; SDS has an information stand and undertakes practical sessions as part of the annual Scottish Mobility Roadshow held at the SECC, Glasgow; and SDS is promoted at a local level throughout Scotland through its local branch structure.The SDS Marketing & Communications Convenor is a voluntary post within the governing body with the responsibility of co-ordinating the above initiatives in conjunction with the Chairman and the sportscotland Co-ordinator.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive who the members are of the Project Assessment Committee which will assess applications for assistance under the Agricultural Business Development Scheme; what particular qualifications each member holds which led to their selection, and whether any members are on the committee by virtue of their organisation being represented on it ex officio, naming each such organisation.
Answer
The current members of the Project Assessment Committee (PAC) are:
| Neil Black | Scottish Tourist Board |
| Ms Barbara Bremner | Scottish Natural Heritage |
| John Brown | Principal Agricultural Officer (Highland), Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department (SERAD) |
| Frank Gaskell | Highlands and Islands Enterprise |
| Ms Phyllis Harvey | Orkney Islands Council (representing the Islands' local authorities) |
| John Henderson | Assistant Chief Agricultural Officer, SERAD HQ and Chairman Panel 1 (agricultural applications) |
| Peter Johnstone | Principal Agricultural Officer (Grampian), SERAD |
| Iain Matheson | Principal Agricultural Officer (Northern & N Isles), SERAD |
| John Maxwell | Principal Agricultural Officer (Argyll & W Isles), SERAD |
| Roy McLachlan | Principal Agricultural Officer (Arran & Bute), SERAD |
| Ms Catriona Maclean | Highland Council (representing the Highlands' local authorities) |
| Henry Snedden | SERAD HQ policy branch and Chairman Panel 2 (non-agricultural applications) |
Observers:
| Rory Dutton | Scottish Crofters Union |
| Ms Beverley Wilson | National Farmers' Union of Scotland |
| (nominee awaited) | Scottish Landowners' Federation |
Nominations for PAC membership came from the joint public sector/industry team that designed the scheme. The SERAD members reflect the Executive's overall policy and financial responsibilities for the ABDS, and their knowledge of the agricultural sector in their respective areas. The non-departmental representatives bring expertise and experience on economic and social development, tourism and environmental priorities for the Highlands and Islands - relevant criteria in assessing grant applications. Some of the public organisations concerned may also part-fund some grants. The industry representatives have chosen to be observers rather than full members of the PAC.All members of the PAC are there in an ex-officio capacity.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 14 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Disability Access to Outdoor Recreation Group is accountable to sportscotland or any other Scottish public body; if so, who the members of the group are and whether the minutes of the group's meetings, in particular those of the meeting on 12 December 2000, will be made available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
The Mountain Recreation Group is a working group established by Scottish Disability Sport (SDS) and is accountable to SDS. Group meetings are chaired by the SDS Mountain Recreation Co-ordinator and attended by individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds with an interest in this area of work, including representatives from sportscotland. The dissemination of the group's minutes of meetings is a matter for SDS.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any alterations to its timetable for the proposed Land Reform Bill and whether it will set out its current timetable for the Bill from consultation to introduction through to Royal Assent.
Answer
As detailed in the latest Land Reform Action Plan Progress Report, issued on 7 December 2001 and copied to all MSPs and to the Parliament's Reference Centre (question S1W-11799 refers), the draft Land Reform Bill will issue for consultation later this month. Following the 12-week consultation period, the target date for introduction to Parliament is September 2001. Thereafter, the Bill's timetable will be a matter for the Parliament.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its proposed Freedom of Information Bill will allow public access to internal documents and discussions, including advice to Ministers; if so, whether any such papers in relation to the problems with this year's exam results will become publicly available if the Bill is passed, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's draft Freedom of Information Bill will in due course be published for consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny. In paragraph 4.17 of the Executive's consultation document, An Open Scotland, it was stated that "We consider it necessary that government should continue to have an appropriate degree of privacy to conduct its internal debates, to receive advice, to develop policy and to make decisions. Failure to provide adequate protection for these processes can undermine a government's ability to choose objectively between options and to maintain collective responsibility".
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is legally bound in any way by the provisions of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information and, if not, what the precise status and effect of the code is.
Answer
Paragraph 8 of Part 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information states that the "Code is non-statutory and cannot override provisions contained in statutory rights of access to information or records (nor can it override statutory prohibitions on disclosure)."
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, before it approves an increase in the levies payable by farmers to the Meat and Livestock Commission, whether it will obtain from Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) full details of (a) its first year's accounts, or draft accounts if the certified accounts are not yet available, (b) the amount spent on the promotion of Scottish meat, (c) how that promotional money has been spent, (d) what consultation QMS has had with the industry and (e) what future consultation QMS plans to have with the industry
Answer
Quality Meat Scotland is not accountable to the Scottish Executive for its total expenditure although any expenditure arising from statutory levies is accounted for in the Meat and Livestock Commission Accounts which are published annually. MLC consultations on possible increases to beef and sheep levies are still not complete.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 5 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make any announcements during the parliamentary recess; if so, when any such announcements will be made and why they will be made during recess.
Answer
Yes. Government continues even when Parliament is in recess. Members continue to ask questions at these times. As Mr Ewing will know he has asked around 150 questions during recesses.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 1 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Sheep and Goats Identification (Scotland) Regulations 2000 (SSI 2000/418) are more detailed and more strict than the counterpart regulations imposed in England and Wales and, if so, whether it will give details as to why this is and, in particular, why the Scottish Regulations contain provisions regarding the powers of inspectors (paragraph 180) which are not in the Regulations for England and Wales.
Answer
The Scottish Regulations implement European Council Directive 92/102/EEC and this is reflected in corresponding legislation in the rest of GB. While there are some minor differences, the Scottish SI is no stricter in its application than the counterpart legislation in the rest of GB. The differences are mainly in drafting including: the implementation date; record keeping for subsidy purposes; movement of sheep off holding to a tattooist, and powers of inspectors and penalties.Specifically on record keeping, the veterinary legislation requires records to be kept for six years whereas the premium legislation stipulates a minimum of four years. Since the same flock data is used for both purposes, the Scottish SI specifies six years - to avoid the need to keep separate records.The powers for inspectors and penalties in England are given in detail under the Animal Health Act 1981 and therefore not contained in the English SI. Since the Scottish SI is made under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972, the powers for inspectors and penalties require to be included in the Scottish SI. There are similar powers and penalties under the Animal Health Act 1981.
