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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-21853

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20732 by Allan Wilson on 20 December 2001, whether it will give details of the visit made by officials to the company applying for a licence to kill or remove eider ducks and whether an official from Scottish Natural Heritage was involved in the visit.

Question reference: S1W-21882

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its officials are responsible for ports policy and what its current policy is with respect to both trust and non-trust ports.

Scottish ministers are responsible for devolved ports policy in Scotland. Policy advice is provided mainly by the Scottish Executive Development Department (SEDD) Ports and Harbours Branch. This falls largely to three staff in that branch amongst their other duties. The development of policy requires close liaison within SEDD Transport Group on related issues, including grant assistance to piers and harbours serving lifeline ferry routes in the Highlands and Islands, and with the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department interest in fishery harbours.Ports policy is set out in Modern Ports: A UK Policy (November 2000, Parliament's Reference Centre Bib. number 9874). The paper sets out the broad policy aims on both devolved and reserved matters for UK ports. In addition, trust ports are implementing the guidance set out in Modernising Trust Ports: A Guide to Good Governance (January 2000, Parliament's Reference Centre Bib. number 18579). This provides a benchmark for best practice in the management, accountability and operation of trust ports, including the appointment of board members.

Question reference: S1W-21862

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what economic assessment has been made, or is being made, of the effect on shore-based businesses in coastal communities of the reduction in catching capacity caused by the 2001 fishing vessel decommissioning scheme.

Decommissioning will not of course reduce the level of fishing opportunities available and, indeed, should help contribute to healthier stocks and a more viable, sustainable industry for the future. We recognise, however, that fleet size reductions may have some impact on supporting industries. The effect on individual communities and businesses will depend on the circumstances involved and, indeed, decisions by individual vessel owners on whether to proceed with decommissioning following a decommissioning grant offer. In the event that there are impacts arising from fleet restructuring, bodies such as the enterprise networks are in place to assist, including in relation to any employment consequences or, for example, measures to reduce dependency on fishing.More generally, work is under way - including through the Scottish Fish Industry Project led by Scottish Enterprise, the Processors Action Working Group and the Fisheries Departments and SeaFish - on economic issues related to the fishing industry. The aim of this work is to improve understanding of the economics of the industry and how to ensure its longer term sustainability.

Question reference: S1W-21884

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on Environmentally Sensitive Area schemes in each of the past six years for which figures are available; how many producers were eligible to participate in each scheme, and how many did so, broken down by area.

The information is as follows:

	Expenditure
ESA Scheme	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01
Breadalbane (Original)	£42,733	£5,858	-	-	-	-
Breadalbane (Revised)	£354,064	£551,798	£607,426	£546,495	£656,148	£581,891
Loch Lomond (Original)	£5,449	£3,230	£2,310	£1,500	-	-
Loch Lomond (Revised)	£120,388	£168,076	£159,650	£140,715	£153,535	£192,265
Stewartry (Original)	£111,353	£45,940	£25,801	£7,936	-	-
Stewartry (Revised)	£370,937	£567,132	£899,810	£1,262,815	£815,139	£1,077,016
Whitlaw/Eildon	£19,548	£2,514	£2,430	£1,125	-	-
Central Borders¹	£113,587	£238,645	£446,446	£508,661	£601,775	£974,440
Machair of the Uists etc (Original)	£75,348	£49,247	£21,417	£517	-	-
Machair of the Uists etc (Revised)	£26,633	£133,775	£305,091	£374,448	£400,261	£628,153
Central Southern Uplands	£541,437	£641,007	£1,131,845	£1,306,420	£1,045,108	£1,804,029
Western Southern Uplands	£262,627	£376,433	£588,951	£657,340	£692,083	£940,870
Cairngorms Straths	£141,443	£260,987	£612,384	£808,543	£786,429	£977,403
Argyll Islands	£261,562	£487,927	£995,371	£1,096,973	£1,292,682	£1,225,348
Shetland Islands	£77,535	£234,573	£508,011	£781,552	£1,108,010	£2,041,886
Totals	£2,524,644	£3,767,142	£6,306,943	£7,495,040	£7,551,170	£10,443,301

Note:1 Formerly Whitlaw/Eildon.

	ESA Scheme agreements in force at 31 March of each year.
ESA Scheme	Estimated No of Eligible Participants	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Breadalbane (Original)	-	8	1	-	-	-	-
Breadalbane (Revised)	194	91	112	122	137	166	166
Loch Lomond (Original)	-	16	4	-	-	-	-
Loch Lomond (Revised)	72	31	38	39	44	51	51
Stewartry (Original)	-	34	17	2	-	-	-
Stewartry (Revised)	380	115	140	179	186	203	202
Whitlaw/Eildon	-	4	2	2	-	-	-
Central Borders¹	170	41	62	82	112	143	143
Machair of the Uists etc (Original)	-	143	105	57	-	-	-
Machair of the Uists etc (Revised)	480	103	186	224	306	407	407
Central Southern Uplands	385	157	177	206	239	297	295
Western Southern Uplands	400	80	90	126	140	183	183
Cairngorms Straths	188	54	71	104	122	158	158
Argyll Islands	450	134	169	266	331	367	367
Shetland Islands	1,350	83	154	283	437	728	724
Totals	4,069	1,094	1,328	1,692	2,054	2,703	2,696

Note:1. Formerly Whitlaw/Eildon.

Question reference: S1W-21885

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive when a decision is expected on the application by Shetland Islands Council to operate Sumburgh Airport.

Question reference: S1W-21851

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill will ensure that those who seek to exercise a right of access do so at their own risk.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21848, which explained that we see no need to amend the Occupier's Liability (Scotland) Act 1960, given the terms of section 5(2) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill. Section 2(3) of the 1960 Act also provides that nothing in that act imposes on occupiers any obligations to persons entering their land in respect of risks which such persons have willingly accepted, as determined by reference to the same principles as in other cases in which one person owes to another a duty of care. This ensures the application of the relevant common law rules concerning assumption of risk. However, since the issue of assumption of risk is so tied up with the question of the extent of the occupier's duty of care and since section 5(2) makes it clear that nothing in Part 1 of the bill will affect that duty, we do not consider that any further provision is necessary concerning this issue in the bill.

Question reference: S1W-21888

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the Crown Estate to discuss (a) fish farming research and (b) sub-seabed cable links to the Scottish islands.

The Executive has two places on the management committee which considers proposals for funding from the Crown Estate's aquaculture research and development budget. This committee last met on 28 January. Research and development was also discussed at a meeting with the Crown Estate on 23 January about the development of a strategic framework for aquaculture. No meetings have been held on the second matter.

Question reference: S1W-21854

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 29 January 2002

The following table lists information on gross expenditure for general dental services by health board area for 1999-2000 and 2000-01. In addition, it lists the general dental services indicative allocation figures for 2001-02 and 2002-03 for each health board area since gross expenditure figures for 2001-02 are not yet available.General Dental Services (£ million):

Health Board	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03
Argyll & Clyde	14.205	14.088	15.835	16.704
Ayrshire & Arran	11.955	12.352	13.736	14.489
Borders	3.394	3.408	3.691	3.893
Dumfries & Galloway	3.903	3.653	4.253	4.486
Fife	10.368	10.860	11.637	12.275
Forth Valley	8.819	9.475	9.932	10.477
Grampian	15.402	16.801	17.840	18.819
Greater Glasgow	35.737	34.721	38.098	40.188
Highland	5.759	6.174	6.408	6.759
Lanarkshire	17.909	18.462	18.833	19.866
Lothian	26.607	27.803	29.740	31.372
Orkney	0.457	0.497	0.562	0.596
Shetland	0.555	0.536	0.468	0.497
Tayside	13.667	14.283	15.572	16.426
Western Isles	0.821	0.872	0.786	0.829
Scotland	169.558	173.985	187.391	197.676

Question reference: S1W-21886

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will set out its current policy on the aviation sector and what plans it has to support improvements to the aviation industry and increase the provision of flights to and from all parts of Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-21893

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 January 2002
Current Status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 29 January 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what specific measures it is discussing with the dental profession to improve the recruitment and retention of dental practitioners in rural, remote and island areas and when it expects to implement any such measures.

We are discussing with the dental profession, increased continuing professional development allowances and a remote allowance for dentists in such areas. We are also at present considering other measures to improve recruitment and retention of dental practitioners. The first priority will be to retain dental practitioners in Scotland and especially to attract practitioners to practices outwith the central belt. More specific measures are being considered for remote areas.