Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15623 by Richard Lochhead on 8 September 2008, why Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) payments for 2008 will not be paid in 2008 and when LFASS payments for 2009 will be made.

Richard Lochhead: Payments under the 2008 Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS) are scheduled to commence issuing in January 2009. They will follow the issue of payments under the 2008 Single Farm Payment Scheme (SFPS), which are on schedule to commence on 1 December 2008. This is the first permitted date under EU legislation. Both schemes are subject to rigorous EU-prescribed eligibility checks. Principal amongst them, and by far the most complex, is the check involving the use of individual fields. Checks are required to ensure that the land is not claimed twice by a single applicant under the same scheme, or under two or more schemes where that is incompatible with the scheme rules, or by more than one applicant. These checks are carried out on some 464,000 fields held on the field register. They are made just before the payment calculation process, and can only be performed when all the scheme data is captured on the system.

Before any LFASS payment can be made, there is an EU requirement that all field inspections must have been completed. There is no corresponding requirement for the SFPS. LFASS inspections are on track to be completed by 31 December 2008.

It is estimated that the 2008 SFPS will be worth around £460 million, with over £200 million going to the Less Favoured Area (LFA). Of that, around £72 million will be paid to farmers and crofters in the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) area alone. The HIE area covers much of the most fragile parts of the LFA. This compares with an LFASS budget of £61 million, around £24 million of which is destined for the HIE area.

Priority is thus given to the early issue of the SFPS payments, as this will provide a faster and greater benefit both to farmers and crofters in the LFA and to the wider Industry. LFASS payments will issue as soon as possible thereafter.

Under the current timetable, the 2009 LFASS payments are scheduled to issue from January 2010. However, my officials will continue to explore whether those payments can be brought forward without putting the SFPS payments at risk.

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what obligations the owners of land designated as set-aside have to maintain that land.

Richard Lochhead: Farmers/crofters only have to set land aside if they have Single Farm Payment Scheme (SFPS) set-aside entitlements and they wish to receive payment on them. To receive full payment on their set-aside entitlements they must set aside one hectare of eligible land for each set-aside entitlement they hold. Set-aside land is any agricultural area of the holding taken up by arable land, except areas which on 15 May 2003 were under permanent crops, forests, or used for non-agricultural activities or under permanent pasture.

But, due to the low levels of stocks of cereals both at community and world level, the subsequent high prices during 2007, and concern over maintaining the level of future stocks of cereals, the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council approved a derogation proposed by the European Commission to reduce set-aside to zero for autumn 2007 and spring 2008 sowings. As a result, farmers/crofters with SFPS set-aside entitlements were not required to take land out of production in order to receive payment under the scheme in 2008. They could, however, still set land aside on a voluntary basis.

Farmers/crofters who set land aside on a voluntary basis in 2008 had to manage the land in line with the set-aside management rules. These rules prohibit agricultural production and place restrictions on the management of the green cover during the set-aside period 15 January to 31 August 2008. Full details of the set-aside rules are available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/10/20108/45382.

Animal Welfare

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has published, or intends to publish, the responses to its consultation on the use of electric shock collars.

Richard Lochhead: The responses to the Scottish Government consultation on "The Use, Sale, Distribution and Possession of Electronic Training Aids" have, where the respondents have agreed to their responses being made public, been placed in the Scottish Government library. A summary of these responses will be published on the Scottish Government website as soon as it is prepared.

Birds

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how long the Mull sea eagle scheme will run and whether there are plans to extend the lifetime of the scheme by making it a priority within new Scotland Rural Development Programme agri-environment schemes for crofters and farmers.

Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether an equivalent to the Mull sea eagle scheme will be rolled out across other areas of Scotland.

Michael Russell: Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has operated management schemes for Mull, Skye and Lochaber, in connection with the sea eagle re-introduction programme. The Skye and Lochaber scheme continues until 2011. I am aware of the concerns expressed by some farmers and crofters about losses of stock due to sea eagle predation and have asked SNH to provide me with advice on the matter. I will write to the member as soon as an assessment of that advice has been completed and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 46677).

Child Poverty

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many indicators explicitly referring to tackling child poverty are included in single outcome agreements, broken down by local authority.

Stewart Maxwell: The Single Outcome Agreements (SOA) reflect the priorities and agreed outcomes for each council and include relevant supporting indicators and targets. Copies of all 32 SOAs which were agreed with local authorities on 30 June can be obtained via the Improvement Service website by following the link below:

http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,43/task,cat_view/gid,561/.

Children with Disabilities

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many families of disabled children have benefited from the £34 million in consequentials arising from the UK Government allocating £340 million to such families.

Adam Ingram: Consequentials due to Scotland as a result of HM Treasury’s announcement of £340 million to support families with disabled children were included within the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 Settlement and were not hypothecated. The allocation of appropriate levels of support for disabled children, young people and their families is a matter for local authorities.

Communities

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can confirm that the Race Equality Integration and Community Support Fund preceded the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme was established and which group was the first beneficiary of funding.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive where on the Scottish Government website members of the public can find information about the Race, Religion and Refuge Integration Grant Scheme.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive where the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme is advertised to the public and at what cost.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for applying to the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme, with particular regard to mandatory requirements and exclusions.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations were allocated funding from the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme and how much was awarded in each case.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget was for the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme for 2007-08 and what the budget will be in each remaining year of the stream.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the differences are between the Race Equality Integration and Community Support Fund, the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Funding Stream and the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme.

Stewart Maxwell: The stream of funding which Audit Scotland referred to as the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Grant Scheme, exists to respond to new and emerging issues which arise in communities around race, religion and refugee integration. It aims to support developmental work across the sector and to enable key national bodies to assist in progressing the race, faith and refugee agendas. The funding from this stream is also used to support one off events which promote government objectives in these areas.

This funding stream has existed alongside and complemented the specific funds - the Scottish Refugee Integration Fund over 2003-08, the Race Equality Integration and Community Support Fund over 2006-08 and the Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Funding Stream in 2008-11. In the 2007-08 financial year 53 different organisations received a total of £3.4 million from this funding stream.

All applications for funding received by the Scottish Government are scrutinised and considered for their match with government priorities and assessed for their value for money.

Crofting

David Stewart (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Rural Direct service, run by the Crofters Commission and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, has been a success and whether it intends to continue to fund this service for the duration of the Scotland Rural Development Programme.

Michael Russell: For 2008-09, the Scottish Government has awarded £100,000 to the Crofters Commission (CC) and £195,000 to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) to provide the Rural Direct service. The service was launched on 9 June 2008 and a review of its contribution and impact will take place in early spring 2009.

Rural Direct progress is monitored by way of a service level agreement. SCVO and CC meet regularly with officials to provide an update on progress. Early indications from both partners are that the service has already received a high level of interest.

Future arrangements will be dependent both on the proposed review and, in the Highlands and Islands, on discussions with Highlands and Islands Enterprise regarding its assumption from the Crofters Commission of responsibility for the development of crofting communities.

Economy

Christopher Harvie (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of disruption to growth and investment from economic upheaval and scarcity of resources, whether it has plans to consider scenario-modelling strategies to envisage possible future developments and to audit the social, economic and environmental consequences of these.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government uses a range of tools and methodologies across policy areas such as climate change to consider possible future developments and their consequences.

Ferry Services

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd can lease vessels to meet its obligations and, if so, what EU rules it is subject to in so doing.

Stewart Stevenson: Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) can lease vessels to meet its obligations. In leasing vessels CMAL is subject to the EU rules set out in the answer to question S3W-16547 on 6 October 2008. 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/wa.search.

First Minister

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the First Minister had discussions with (a) HBOS and (b) Lloyds TSB about their future prior to the announcement of the proposed merger.

John Swinney: The First Minister had a range of contacts with HBOS and Lloyds TSB before the announcement of the proposed merger, of which there was no prior knowledge in the Scottish Government. As media reports emerged, the First Minister spoke officially to representatives of both banks as follows:

Wed 17 September – 15:00 – Call with Sir Victor Blank (Lloyds TSB)

Wed 17 September – 16:30 – Call with Shane O’Riordain (HBOS)

Wed 17 September – 23:45 – Call with Shane O’Riordain (HBOS)

Thu 18 September – 11:40 - Call with Sir Victor Blank (Lloyds TSB)

Thu 18 September – 14:00 - Call with Andy Hornby (HBOS)

Fri 19 September – 16:15 - Call with Archie Kane (Lloyds TSB)

Fri 19 September – 17:00 - Call with Eric Daniels (Lloyds TSB)

Fri 19 September – 17:30 - Call with Ewan Brown (Lloyds TSB)

Tue 23 September – 13:30 – Meeting with Archie Kane (Lloyds TSB).

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive on which occasions prior to the announcement of the HBOS/Lloyds TSB merger the First Minister called for a ban on short selling or stricter control on hedge funds and other speculation.

John Swinney: The First Minister urged the Prime Minister to take action on the matter in a telephone conversation at 7.00 on Thursday 18 September 2008. He also called for action in the Parliament at 12.00, during First Minister’s Questions. A ban on short selling was announced by the Financial Services Authority at 21.00.

Gaelic

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to promote the Gaelic language.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to promote the Gaelic language since the coming into force of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005.

Linda Fabiani: The Scottish Government is committed to creating a secure future for Gaelic in Scotland and aims to enhance the status of Gaelic, promote the learning of Gaelic and encourage the increased use of Gaelic in Scotland. In order to achieve this, the Scottish Government, has identified significant additional funding and is promoting Gaelic in education, in the arts, in broadcasting, in heritage and in public life.

In particular the Scottish Government has provided additional funding to authorities to assist with the costs of providing Gaelic education in their areas; the government has provided additional support to MG ALBA to deliver the new Gaelic digital service; the government has provided additional support to Bòrd na Gàidhlig for the implementation of the National Plan, and the government has provided additional support for Scotland’s only all-Gaelic college, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig.

The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 took effect on 13 February 2006 and established Bòrd na Gàidhlig with a clear role in promoting the increased use of Gaelic. Bòrd na Gàidhlig has published the National Plan for Gaelic and Guidance on the Development of Gaelic Language Plans. The National Plan provides the strategic framework for delivering Scottish Ministers’ priorities for Gaelic. Bòrd na Gàidhlig also has the power to issue notices to public authorities in Scotland requiring them to develop Gaelic language plans. The Bòrd has made progress with issuing notices, approving public authority Gaelic language plans and implementing the priorities in the National Plan for Gaelic. To date three local authorities have had their Gaelic language plans approved by the Bòrd: Highland Council (May 2008); Argyll and Bute (June 2008), and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (July 2008).

Housing

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the projected cost of a home report was when the proposal was consulted on.

Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government does not prescribe a cost for the home report. In 2003, the Housing Improvement Task Force estimated the cost of a Single Survey at around £440 for an average Scottish house. The Regulatory Impact Assessment, published in December 2007, allowed for price inflation and employed a 20% confidence interval to reflect varying market conditions on the cost estimate, giving a cost range of £360 to £520 for a Single Survey for an average house, excluding the costs of the Energy Report (An EU requirement from 4/1/09) and VAT.

Hugh Henry (Paisley South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive for how long a home report will remain valid.

Stewart Maxwell: There is no prescribed validity period of home reports in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 and related regulations, which reflects current practice for surveys and valuations. The validity period for a home report will be an issue for the market to determine, according to the circumstances of each case.

However, the legislation prescribes that home report documents must be no more than 12 weeks old at the point of marketing.

Licensing

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek to ensure that online vendors of alcohol are able to comply with any legislation it brings forward to restrict the sale of alcohol to young people.

Kenny MacAskill: The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 already makes provision in this area and restricts the sale of alcohol to children and young persons. Online vendors must comply with the act and operate in accordance with any conditions of their premises licence. Furthermore, section 108 of the act makes it an offence to deliver alcohol to a child or young person. This means that, for example, alcohol ordered on the internet could not be left at a delivery address if only persons under 18 were present. These provisions would need to be updated if the purchase age was changed.

Local Government Finance

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, given the financial situation of Aberdeen City Council, whether it believes that efficiency savings of 2% are achievable.

John Swinney: Due to problems that have built up over a long period of time, the council faces a number of challenges. Delivering services efficiently will be a key part in helping to meet those challenges. Efficiency savings release money which can be used for the benefit of local residents. Far from making it difficult for local authorities, efficiency is a means to their delivering greater service from the resources available.

NHS Hospitals

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16453 by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 September 2008, when detailed discussions between the relevant NHS boards and their PFI providers regarding the costs of removing car park charges from those three car parks provided through PFI contracts will be completed.

Nicola Sturgeon: No end date has been set by which detailed discussions between NHS boards and their PFI providers are to be concluded. However, NHS boards have been asked to report by 30 November on the progress made on their discussions. Once I have considered these reports I will consider what further action to take.

Nuclear Power

Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has records of how many shortcomings in safeguards there have been at Hunterston nuclear power station in order to ensure proper civil contingency plans are in place.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government does not hold any such information. Nuclear safety is a reserved matter for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) who regulate safety at civil nuclear installations. Safety at specific sites such as Hunterston are a matter for the site operator and HSE. There are local liaison committees, on which the Scottish Government is represented at official level, who are involved, with HSE, in off site contingency planning.

Nuclear Waste

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it received about the 100 nuclear safety lapses at Faslane and Coulport since June 2006, given that one such incident was categorised as having a "high potential for actual radioactive release to the environment".

Kenny MacAskill: This is a reserved issue and a matter for the Ministry of Defence. There are no routine arrangements in place to notify the Scottish Government of minor on-site incidents at naval sites. The Scottish Government is opposed to the use or holding of nuclear weapons on Scottish soil, and has established a Working Group tasked with reviewing the adequacy of the current licensing and regulatory framework that exists in relation to HM Naval Base Clyde and its impact on environmental, planning and transport issues.

Prescription Charges

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what income was received from prescription charges in 2007-08, broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison: The income received from prescription charges in 2007-08, broken down by NHS board, is set out in the following table:

Notes:

1. Excludes charges to English stoma providers

2. The NHS Scotland total may not equal the sum of the NHS boards total due to rounding.

Rail Network

Aileen Campbell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to redevelopment of the rail network in South Lanarkshire, including branch lines to Symington and Coalburn, and integration with any proposed high-speed rail link from London.

Stewart Stevenson: A study carried out in 2005 considered the feasibility of introducing a local passenger service from Symington, Beattock and Abington on to the West Coast Main Line. The study using the Strategic Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) process found no business case to support it.

Ministers expect to make a statement in November on the Strategic Transport Projects Review, which will set out the future priorities for investment in our strategic transport network.

Roads

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional investment is planned for the A82.

Stewart Stevenson: Preliminary work is progressing in taking forward improvement schemes from the A82 Route Action Plan to improve safety and speed up journey times.

Future investment in Scotland’s nationally strategic transport network is being considered as part of Transport Scotland’s Strategic Transport Projects Review, which will lead to a transport programme targeted at facilitating better movement of people and goods across Scotland to increase wealth and enable more people to share fairly in that wealth.

Rural Development

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for economic development in Hawick.

John Swinney: We place great importance on supporting and increasing economic development opportunities throughout Scotland, including Hawick and the Borders. The prime source of investment for supporting and increasing that development, alongside the private sector, will come from the local authority and Scottish Enterprise.

The Government Economic Strategy sets out how we will focus on creating a more successful country through increasing sustainable economic growth. The Strategy sets out an approach to growth which is cohesive across Scotland’s regions.

Scottish Government Finance

Michael McMahon (Hamilton North and Bellshill) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is in respect of allocation to directorates of additional resources arising from Barnett consequentials.

John Swinney: Any additional resources arising in this way accrue to the Scottish Block as a whole and do not fall to the Scottish portfolio equivalent of wherever the money is going in England. These additional resources become part of the total funding available to us to meet the commitments and priorities set out in our spending plans.

Scottish Government Transport

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the journeys taken by official car by each eligible civil servant since May 2007.

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the cost of the use of official cars by civil servants was in (a) 2007-08 and (b) each of the preceding three years.

John Swinney: The officials entitled to use the Government Car Service (GCS) are the Permanent Secretary, the Scottish Government’s six Directors-General and HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary (HMCIC). Their journeys were as follows:

Permanent Secretary: