- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 30 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial assistance it makes available to help companies set up renewable energy schemes.
Answer
In February I announced to Parliament that I was consulting on a Renewables (Scotland) Obligation to increase by a further 5% the already considerable use of renewable energy in Scotland. This obligation, which would be placed on all electricity suppliers in Scotland, would be designed to stimulate further development of renewable energy in Scotland, but would not include direct financial assistance for developers of renewable energy projects.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive who sits on the committee which determined the level of grant-aided expenditure allocated to each fire brigade; which authority each member represents, and how members were chosen.
Answer
Local Government Finance distribution issues are reviewed by the joint Scottish Executive/CoSLA Distribution Committee. The committee reports to the Working Party on Local Government Finance on which all councils are represented. A list of local government members of the Working Party and its constituent committees is available in SPICe. Membership of the committees is reviewed regularly by CoSLA.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 23 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any support is available to enable firms who trade overseas to promote the teaching of foreign languages within their organisation.
Answer
The network of 13 Export Partnerships across Scotland provides co-ordinated support to companies to help increase their competitiveness in international markets. Companies also benefit from the National Languages for Export Campaign, run by British Trade International, which helps UK companies to develop appropriate language competencies to succeed in non-English speaking markets. In addition the launch of the Scottish University for Industry in the autumn will provide easier access to learning for individuals and employers.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 16 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list those local authorities which no longer award discretionary bursaries to (a) school students and (b) students of music, dance and drama.
Answer
I am afraid that the requested information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 9 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the system of financial assistance to Scottish domiciled students who have gained scholarships under the Dance and Drama Award Scheme, given that some local authorities have ceased to award discretionary bursary payments.
Answer
It is for local authorities in Scotland to decide whether to award discretionary bursary payments to students. We have no plans at present to change this system.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 1 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make changes to the present funding mechanisms of Scottish universities and research institutes in order to encourage participation in research which can be commercialised and patented.
Answer
The Executive has already taken steps to encourage commercialisation activity in higher education institutions, notably through the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council's (SHEFC) Professionalisation of Commercialisation Initiative, the Proof of Concept Fund introduced by Scottish Enterprise, and the Executive's participation as a founding member of the recently announced Technology Ventures Scotland Initiative. In addition SHEFC is conducting a thorough review of its research funding arrangements.
The Executive is also reviewing the commercialisation of the strategic research conducted at the Research Institutes it supports.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 1 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will encourage mentoring in the commercialisation of scientific invention.
Answer
The Executive has already taken steps to encourage mentoring in the context of commercialisation activity, notably through the SHEFC Professionalisation of Commercialisation Initiative. This new fund provides £2 million per annum to improve the infrastructure for, and the management of, the process of commercialising research.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 1 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to allocate any additional funding to encourage community participation in leisure and recreation and, if so, whether funding will be for capital or revenue purposes.
Answer
The Scottish Executive recognises the importance of community participation in sports and leisure in building strong communities. Many of the programmes already being delivered by sportscotland are designed to increase participation levels in sport among all sectors of society. We also now have a network of 47 Social Inclusion Partnerships in place across Scotland, supported by funding of £137 million over three years, many of which are supporting initiatives to encourage participation in sport and leisure.Widening access has also been an objective of the cultural institutions for some time and access and social justice were identified by Rhona Brankin in her announcement of 7 February as among the key areas on which further consultation is to be undertaken in the preparation of the national cultural strategy.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 1 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether water authorities currently have a duty to supply drinking water which is palatable as opposed to "fit for human consumption" and, if not, whether it has any plans to introduce such a duty.
Answer
The water authorities have a duty to supply drinking water that complies with The Water Supply (Water Quality) (Scotland) Regulations. The water quality regulations prescribe standards for wholesome water supplies that include maximum levels for taste and odour. The Executive has no plans to change the existing duty placed on water authorities.
- Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 29 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether children whose parents wish to request deferred entry to primary and therefore to pre-school education retain their full entitlement to funding of their pre-school place.
Answer
Under the current grant system, a child who defers entry into pre-school education remains entitled to a funded place in the standard pre-school year. Provision of additional pre-school education thereafter is at the local authority's discretion. A child who defers entry to school having already taken their full entitlement of up to five terms of pre-school education is not entitled to any further, free, pre-school provision. Authorities may at their discretion offer such children additional provision, which may be either free or charged.
