- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 6 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has forwarded the findings of the recently published Fisheries Research Services reports, Industry/Science Partnership 2001-2002, Volume 1 Report of Scottish Trials Assessing the Selectivity of Trawls and Seines and Industry/Science Partnership 2001-2002, Volume 2 Report on Biological Information Gathered from Scottish Fishing Vessels to European Commission officials and, if so, when the reports were forwarded and for the attention of which officials within the commission.
Answer
Yes; at our request, the UK Permanent Representation to the EU (UKRep) presented a formal copy of the report to the Commission on 22 November 2002.In anticipation of that, and the relevance of the associated data, UKRep had previously written to the Commission about associated details on 2 August 2002. Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department officials followed this up in discussion with the Commission in advance of the EU/Norway consultations held on 20 to 22 November 2002.Some of the results were also discussed within the wider scientific community, particularly at the ICES Advisory Committee on Fishery Management on 9 to 17 October 2002, which the Commission attended as observers.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 6 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of EU waters the Scottish 'one represents.
Answer
There is no comprehensive definition of EU waters. The Scottish fishing zone is approximately 127,000 square nautical miles.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 6 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish any up-to-date research on the location of the food supply for cod species in Scottish waters.
Answer
No. There is a wide corpus of published research on this subject indicating that cod prey on a wide range of species and feed in all areas where the stock is distributed.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 6 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated by-catch of white fish has been by each of the industrial fisheries in Scottish waters or waters fished by Scottish vessels in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
ICES estimates of the by-catch of white fish (cod, haddock and whiting) in the combined Danish and Norwegian small-meshed (industrial fisheries) for sandeel and Norway pout in the North Sea as a whole are given in the following table.Estimated By-catch of Cod, Haddock and Whiting in the Danish and Norwegian Small-mesh Industrial Fisheries in the North Sea (Tonnes), 1992-2001
| Year | Cod | Haddock | Whiting |
| 1992 | 1,024 | 11,000 | 27,000 |
| 1993 | 1,052 | 11,000 | 20,000 |
| 1994 | 876 | 5,000 | 10,000 |
| 1995 | 955 | 8,000 | 27,000 |
| 1996 | 366 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| 1997 | 1,688 | 7,000 | 7,000 |
| 1998 | 1,281 | 5,000 | 3,000 |
| 1999 | 532 | 4,000 | 5,000 |
| 2000 | 383 | 8,000 | 8,000 |
| 2001 | 192 | 6,000 | 7,000 |
Source: ICES. 2002 Report of the Working Group on the Assessment of Demersal Stocks in the North Sea and Skagerrak.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on publishing information on which of its ministers and the number, grade and department of officials that attend European Union meetings.
Answer
The Executive publishes information about ministers' attendance at meetings of the Council of the European Union through post-Council reports submitted to the European Committee. These become part of the Committee papers, which are public documents and are available on the internet at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/official_report/cttee/europe.htm.I refer the member to the answers given to questions S1W-13370 on 5 December 2001 and S1W-31063 on 2 December 2002. 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.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28026 by Mr Jim Wallace on 4 November 2002, whether, in terms of sections 1.1(b) and (d) of the Scottish Ministerial Code, disclosure of information regarding attendance at EU meetings is not in the public interest and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Executive does provide information on attendance at EU meetings.I refer the member to the answers given to questions S1W-6228 on 9 May 2000, S1W-13367 on 29 March 2002, S1W-20175 on 5 December 2001, S1W-22493 on 25 February 2002 and S1W-31063 on 2 December 2002 regarding ministerial attendance; and to S1W-13370 on 2 May 2001 and S1W-31063 on 2 December 2002, regarding official attendance. 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.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28026 by Mr Jim Wallace on 4 November 2002, whether it keeps records of which of its ministers and officials have attended European Union meetings and what information it is able to provide on such attendance.
Answer
The Executive does keep records of attendance at EU meetings.I refer the member to the answers given to questions S1W-6228 on 9 May 2000, S1W-13367 on 29 March 2002, S1W-20175 on 5 December 2001, S1W-22493 on 25 February 2002 and S1W-31063 on 2 December 2002 regarding ministerial attendance; and to S1W-13370 on 2 May 2001 and S1W-31063 on 2 December 2002, regarding official attendance. 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.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on securing a future for fishing communities.
Answer
In order to secure a future for fishing communities, we need to safeguard the fish stocks on which they depend. The Scottish Executive takes very seriously the latest scientific advice that a substantial reduction in fish mortality is required if a collapse of key whitefish stocks is to be avoided. However, the Commission has accepted our argument that alternatives to closure must be sought. We shall continue to press hard for alternative measures that strike an appropriate balance between conservation of stocks and ensuring a sustainable fishing industry.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 5 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to send any representatives to the meeting of the EU Maritime Transport Council on 6 December 2002.
Answer
The Scottish Executive will not send a representative to the EU Transport Council meeting on 5 to 6 December 2002. Decisions on Scottish ministers' attendance at Council meetings are made on a case by case basis depending on the agenda of the Council meeting in question.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 November 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 December 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Scottish Environmental LINK's document Seas Fit for Scotland, launched on 6 November 2002, and whether there are any plans to take forward any of the document's proposals.
Answer
I will be replying to Scottish Environment LINK shortly. My letter will explain that the Executive is already committed, through the UK Marine Stewardship Report, to delivering a number of the initiatives identified by LINK. I will place a copy of my letter in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
