- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 9 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the 30-day target for payment of invoices applies to (a) non-departmental public bodies, (b) agencies and (c) housing associations and whether the statistics published by the Executive in respect of the proportion of invoices paid within the 30-day period includes such bodies.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is committed to paying all valid invoices within 30 days of their dateof receipt. Non departmental public bodies, agencies and housing associationsdevelop and follow their own prompt payment policies.
The payment performancestatistics published in the Scottish Executive’s Core Accounts relate only toScottish Executive core departments. Other bodies are responsible forthe reporting of their own payment performance data through their own annual reports.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 9 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in exercising its powers to shoot deer under the Deer (Scotland) Act 1996, it has acted at all times in accordance with health and safety requirements, with particular regard to the possible presence of walkers in the area of the cull.
Answer
I am satisfied that the DeerCommission for Scotland (DCS), in exercising its powers under the Deer(Scotland) Act 1996, has at all times acted in accordance with best practice andhealth and safety requirements, in particular with regard to the possiblepresence of walkers in the area of the cull.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 9 March 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the delay in the announcement of the fallen stock scheme; why it will not introduce such a scheme in Scotland ahead of any scheme in England and Wales, and what the reasons are for not introducing a scheme for the collection and disposal of fallen stock before autumn 2004.
Answer
Further time is needed tofinalise arrangements for members’ subscriptions, obtain state aids clearanceand to put in place the practical arrangements with the collection and disposalindustry.
The difficulties of settingup a Scottish Scheme are the same as those for the UK scheme. Furthermorea Scottish scheme would be much more expensive for our producers as it couldnot benefit from the economies of scale which the UK Scheme should deliver.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 27 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, or plans to take, to improve the time within which housing associations pay their bills to suppliers; whether each such association publishes a record of the percentage of bills paid within 30 days and, if not, whether the Executive will require them to do so.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive, Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is asfollows:
Registered Social Landlords(RSLs) are regulated and inspected by Communities Scotland. Communities Scotlanddoes not, however, get involved in the different payment arrangements thatexist between individual RSLs and their suppliers.
RSLs are independentbusinesses and it is up to the RSL to agree the terms of any contract enteredinto with a supplier; payment terms will differ from supplier to supplier.
The Confederation of BritishIndustry Prompt Payers Code encourages payment within the suppliers terms andthe Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 encourages creditorsto pay within the terms of their contract and allows a right to claim interestfrom all businesses for late payment of bills.
As the regulator, we expectRSLs to pay contractors promptly, within the terms of the contract. During ourperiodic inspections, we will examine how well an RSL is performing in thisarea. If we find that an RSL is making late payments without due cause then wewould investigate this and expect the RSL to take corrective action.
There are no plans to requireRSLs to publish a record of how promptly they pay their suppliers.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 26 February 2004
To ask the Presiding Officer which west of Scotland companies the Presiding Officer was referring to in his speech to the Parliament on 5 April 2000 when he assured the Parliament that such companies were to “manufacture off site everything from the concrete MSP office modules to the specialist windows”; why this assurance was given to the Parliament; who advised the Presiding Officer that this was the case; where the information referred to was obtained; what contact has been made with the firms in question, and whether any apology is due to them and, if so, by whom.
Answer
In his evidence to theHolyrood Inquiry on 4 February, Sir David Steel gave a full explanation about thecomments he made on 5 April 2000 concerning “firms in the west of Scotland”. Atranscript of Sir David’s statement is available on the Holyrood Inquirywebsite.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 24 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received the study into autism involving Autism Unravelled, Action Against Autism, Food and Behaviour Research, Oxford and Stirling universities and the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has not received such a study into autism.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 23 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive at what point in the negotiations at the December EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council the UK delegation ceased to make the requirement that the 10% reduction in the west of Scotland nephrops quota, introduced at the December 2000 Council, be reinstated and why this was not pursued as a key requirement.
Answer
We believe that there is a crediblescientific argument for restoring the 10% cut in the West of Scotland nephrops totalallowable catch (TAC). However, our arguments were hampered because thescientific advice from the International Council for the Exploration of theSeas (ICES) does not currently support such an increase and associated catchstatistics suggest that the industry does not catch its existing quota in full.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 13 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Fire Service has purchased private cars from public funds for the use of senior management and, if so, (a) how many it has purchased, broken down by brigade area and (b) whether this expenditure is justified and what action it will take in respect of the matter.
Answer
This information is not heldcentrally. Detailed budgeting issues including vehicle and equipmentrequirements are matters for individual fire authorities to determine.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, in respect of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, whether all outstanding claims from farms and/or businesses have been settled and, if not, whether it will provide a breakdown of payments due by (a) it, (b) local authorities, (c) enterprise companies and (d) other public bodies.
Answer
The Executive has processedall claims in respect of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. Four claims are still outstanding pending the claimants’ responsesto offers made to them. Information on outstanding claims with localauthorities, enterprise companies and other public bodies is not heldcentrally.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 January 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 10 February 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the entitlement to the west of Scotland nephrops quota is held by non-active interests.
Answer
On 1 January 2004, five percentof the West of Scotland Nephrops quota was held on inactive vessel licences.
