- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken, and will take, to encourage the Scottish diaspora in Australia to invest in the Scottish economy.
Answer
The Scottish Executive intendsto engage with and mobilise the Scottish diaspora to further Scotland’s interestsfor the long-term benefit of our economy and society. We aim to encourage the diaspora’sactive participation and engagement in promoting Scotland as a great country tovisit, live, learn, work, do business and in which to invest.
Scottish Development International(SDI) has established a permanent office in Australia to extend and developour business base and support our trade and inward investment efforts. The Executivewill work closely with SDI, where appropriate, to further Scottish interests inAustralia.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote employment opportunities and the Fresh Talent initiative at careers events at higher education institutions in Australia.
Answer
The Executive’s current activitiesto promote Fresh Talent overseas do not include attendance at any careers eventsin Australia.
However, we are working closelywith partners, such as the FCO, the British Council and Scottish Development International(SDI), to look for opportunities to promote Fresh Talent overseas. For example,the opening of an SDI office in Australia could result in new opportunities for the Executive towork closely with SDI to promote Fresh Talent in Australia.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will encourage the Scottish diaspora in Australia back to Scotland to live in order to help reverse the population decline.
Answer
The Scottish Executive intendsto engage with and mobilise the diaspora to further Scotland’s interestsfor the long-term benefit of our economy and society. We aim to encourage the diaspora’sactive participation and engagement in promoting Scotland as a great country tovisit, live, learn, work, do business and invest.
During the First Minister’s recentvisit to Melbourne, Australia he hosted one diaspora event and launched a quarterlydiaspora E magazine, Scotland-Now whichgenerated more than one thousand registrations within the first month. It is hopedthat these contacts will lead to people deciding to return to Scotland.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff employed by VisitScotland are involved in marketing Scotland in Australia; where such staff are located, and whether any premises are utilised or occupied in Australia for this purpose.
Answer
The marketing of Scotland in Australia ismanaged by five members of the VisitScotland North America, Asia, andPacific team, who are based in VisitScotland’s Headquarters in Edinburgh.The VisitScotland staff work in partnership with VisitBritain staff based in Sydney tomarket Scotland as a great place for Australians to visit.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many visitors to Scotland arrived in (a) a Scottish airport and (b) elsewhere in the United Kingdom on a flight from Australia in each year since 1997.
Answer
There are currently nodirect flights from Australia to Scotland, although there are a number of indirect flights to Scotland connectingwithin the UK and elsewhere. The number of visitors to Scotlandfrom Australia who travelled by air to the United Kingdomsince 1997 is shown in the following table:
| Year | Visitors (‘000) |
| 1997 | 124 |
| 1998 | 82 |
| 1999 | 86 |
| 2000 | 76 |
| 2001 | 67 |
| 2002 | 77 |
| 2003 | 77 |
| 2004 | 93 |
Source: InternationalPassenger Survey.
The estimated number ofvisitors for 2005 is not available yet.
A number of visitors to Scotlandfrom Australia also enter the UK by sea or tunnel.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will encourage the Scottish diaspora in Australia to contribute to reducing the skills shortage in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Executive intendsto engage with and mobilise the diaspora to further Scotland’s interestsfor the long-term benefit of our economy and society. We aim to encourage the diaspora’sactive participation and engagement in promoting Scotland as a great country tovisit, live, learn, work, do business and invest.
During the First Minister’s recentvisit to Melbourne, Australia he hosted one diaspora event and launched a quarterlydiaspora E magazine, Scotland-Now which generated more than 1,000 registrationswithin the first month.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what boundaries are implied by the use of the word Scotland in section 29(2)(a) of the Scotland Act 1998.
Answer
The boundaries of Scotland arewell recognised. They are not therefore set out in the Scotland Act 1998although section 126 of the Act makes clear that “Scotland”includes so much of the internal waters and territorial sea of the United Kingdomas are adjacent to Scotland.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people visited Scotland from Australia in each year since 1999.
Answer
The number of people whovisited Scotland from Australia in each year since 1999 is shown in the followingtable:
| Year | Visitors (000) |
| 1999 | 112 |
| 2000 | 98 |
| 2001 | 86 |
| 2002 | 100 |
| 2003 | 107 |
| 2004 | 119 |
Source: InternationalPassenger Survey.
The estimated number ofvisitors for 2005 is not available yet.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to the International Olympic Committee seeking the establishment of a Scottish Olympic committee and a Scottish Olympic team, in light of the performance of the Scottish team at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and the call by the Danish Minister for Culture for Denmark’s devolved territories to have their own Olympic teams.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the maximum possible number of Scottish athletes have the chance to participate in the Olympic Games.
Answer
We are currently consideringwhat further investment is needed to support our talented and emerging athletesto fulfil their potential and be part of future GB Olympic and Paralympic teams.We also welcome the Chancellor’s announcement in the recent Budget of additionalfunding for UK Sport’s World Class Performance Programme which will benefit thoseScottish athletes selected for GB/UK squads in the relevant sports.
