-  Asked by:     Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Friday, 21 July 2000
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Sarah Boyack on 10 August 2000
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7442 by Sarah Boyack on 18 July 2000, whether it will give this information for each year since the current water authorities were set up.
                                
Answer
                                    The information on water authority chairs' salary packages is given in the following tables:
West of Scotland Water Authority  | 
Chair  | Year  | Salary  | Taxable benefit  | Pension  | Total  | 
John Jameson  | 1996-97  | £41,000  |   | £7,000  | £48,000*  | 
1997-98  | £41,000  | £1,000  | £7,000  | £49,000*  | 
1998-99(until 8/7/98)   | £8,000  |   |   | £8,000  | 
John Goodwin (Acting Chair)  | 1998-99 (9/7-1/12/99)  | £14,000  |   |   | £14,000  | 
Alan Alexander  | 1998-99 (from 1/1/99)  | £6,000  |   |   | £6,000  | 
1999-2000  | £25,000  |   | £4,000  | £29,000  | 
East of Scotland Water Authority  | 
Chair  | Year  | Salary  | Taxable benefit  | Pension  | Total  | 
Ian Preston  | 1996-97  | £24,720  |   |   | £24,720  | 
1997-98  | £25,276  |   |   | £25,276  | 
Robert Cairns  | 1998-99  | £26,035  |   |   | £26,035  | 
1999-2000  | £27,025  |   | £3,573  | £30,598  | 
North of Scotland Water Authority  | 
Chair  | Year  | Salary  | Taxable benefit  | Pension  | Total  | 
John Robertson  | 1996-97  | £41,000  | £2,000  | £6,000  | £49,000*  | 
1997-98  | £42,000  | £3,000  | £7,000  | £52,000*  | 
Colin Rennie  | 1998-99  | £26,000  | £7,000  | £3,000  | £36,000  | 
1999-2000  | £27,000  | £8,000  | £3,000  | £38,000  | 
*for 1996-97 and 1997-98 the NoSWA and WoSWA chairmen's salaries relate to two and a half days per week and ESWA's to one and a half days per week. Since April 1998 all three relate to one and a half days per week.
 
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Thursday, 13 July 2000
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   John Home Robertson on 9 August 2000
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Executive to whom riparian owners are legally required to notify details of annual catches of wild fish such as salmon and whether there are any plans to place a legal obligation on riparian owners to pass such information directly to fishery boards.
                                
Answer
                                    Owners of salmon fishing rights are required to make returns to the department under the terms of S15 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Protection) (Scotland) Act 1951. There are no current plans to alter these arrangements.
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2000
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   John Home Robertson on 9 August 2000
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Executive how many payments at what value have been made to salmon farmers as part of the #9 million funding package announced in September 1999.
                                
Answer
                                    Formal approval of the funding package was not issued by the European Commission until 30 May 2000. Since then three applications have been approved by Highlands and Islands Enterprise worth £1 million.
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 July 2000
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Sarah Boyack on 9 August 2000
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Executive which Ministers have had meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss the impact of fuel prices in Scotland, when any such meetings took place and what response was received.
                                
Answer
                                    Scottish Ministers are in regular contact with UK Ministers on a range of issues, including fuel prices.
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 July 2000
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Jim Wallace on 9 August 2000
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings have been requested with it by members of the UK Parliament who are not members of the Scottish Parliament and how many of these meetings have taken place.
                                
Answer
                                    The information requested is not held centrally.
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Ross Finnie on 7 August 2000
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of its Rural Affairs Department's budget, expressed in percentage and monetary terms, had no linkage to European funding in each of the last five financial years, the current year and projected for next year and what percentage this was and is of the overall spending block.
                                
Answer
                                    The table below shows the relevant values and percentages.
£ million  | 
1995-96 Out-turn  | 1996-97 Out-turn  | 1997-98 Out-turn  | 1998-99 Out-turn  | 1999-2000 Estimated Out-turn  | 2000-01  Plan  | 2001-02 Plan  | 
113 (22%)  | 120 (20%)  | 117 (23%)  | 109 (19%)  | 112 (21%)  | 114 (21%)  | 116 (20%)  | 
Rural Affairs portfolio spending, excluding the environment, was not, pre-devolution, part of the Scottish Block but was negotiated as part of an overall UK Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (AFF) programme. For the years 2000-01 and 2001-02, the sums above constitute 0.68% and 0.65% respectively of the Total Budget.
 
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2000
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Jim Wallace on 7 August 2000
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of time taken by police to acquire warrants is and how this compares with the average for each of the last three years.
                                
Answer
                                    The information requested is not held centrally. It is for individual forces to ensure that all types of warrant are obtained and executed quickly and accurately.
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
 
                                        - 
                                            Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2000
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Jim Wallace on 7 August 2000
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Executive how many accused people appearing in courts in the North East of Scotland were granted bail in each of the last three years and how many of those accused appeared on charges relating to (a) house-breaking, (b) assault and robbery and (c) drug-related offences.
                                
Answer
                                    The available information is given in the table.
Number of bail orders involving selected offences,
North East Scotland 1, 2, 1997-99
SEJD crime category  | 1997  | 1998  | 1999  | 
Housebreaking  | 245  | 285  | 158  | 
Robbery  | 36  | 67  | 38  | 
Drug offences  | 488  | 609  | 395  | 
Notes:
1. Aberdeen, Banff, Elgin, Peterhead and Stonehaven Sheriff Courts; Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray District Courts.
2. If a bail order relates to more than one type of offence, then it is counted once for each type of offence.
 
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Thursday, 20 July 2000
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   Jim Wallace on 7 August 2000
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to the police in the light of the European Convention on Human Rights.
                                
Answer
                                    The Scottish Executive issued guidance to all public authorities, including police authorities, on the Convention Rights entitled A New Era of Rights and Responsibilities: Core Guidance for Public Authorities. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland has also produced specific guidance on the practical implications of the Human Rights legislation for police forces. The guidance will be augmented by a Scottish Police College seminar on the Human Rights Act which will supplement the awareness training already provided at force level.
                         
                        
                            
                                
                                
                                        -  Asked by:     Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
 
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                                            Date lodged: Thursday, 13 July 2000
                                        
 
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                                        Current Status:
                                            Answered by   John Home Robertson on 3 August 2000
                                    
 
                                
                            
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to increase the number of salmon fisheries boards.
                                
Answer
                                    The District Salmon Fishery Board Order 1999, which came into force on 3 May 1999, amended Schedule 2 of the Salmon Act 1986 governing the composition of District Salmon Fishery Boards. The aim of the 1999 Order was to give boards greater flexibility in determining optimum size and structure. Three Designation Orders (Lochaber, Conon and North and West) have since been made and a fourth application (Western Isles) is currently under consideration.