- Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 13 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to assist and develop local museums.
Answer
We have honoured our commitment in the National Cultural Strategy to provide resources of £250,000 for a national audit of all museum collections, buildings and services to establish their relative importance, the first of its kind in Europe. The final results of the audit are due in April 2002. However, an interim report was published on 25 October and included detailed findings relating to industrial museums and Glasgow City museums.In the first instance, the results of the audit will inform the distribution of our new Restructuring Fund of £3 million over three years, which is aimed at helping to put the local museum sector on a sounder financial footing.We are also progressively increasing our annual grant-in-aid to the Scottish Museums Council, the channel for the Executive's support to the non-national museum sector, from £940,000 in 2000-01 to £1,440,000 in 2003-04. The increase of £850,000 over three years (£100,000/£250,000/£500,000) is intended specifically for the development of Information and Communications Technology and education programmes in the non-national sector.
- Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 13 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16773 by Rhona Brankin on 31 July 2001, whether it has made any further progress in promoting social inclusion in rural areas.
Answer
The Executive remains committed to promoting social inclusion across Scotland, including in our rural areas. Our understanding of rural social exclusion is being improved as a result of the Rural Poverty and Inclusion Working Group's report, Poverty and Social Exclusion in Rural Scotland, which was presented to ministers on 30 October. The report makes a number of practical recommendations for measuring the impact of, and tackling, poverty and social exclusion in rural areas. The Executive is already acting on the group's recommendations by taking forward work to improve data availability and to disaggregate existing data on a rural/urban basis. As far as is currently possible, we will provide an urban/rural breakdown of data in the second Social Justice Annual Report, which will be published shortly.
- Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 13 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are being taken by it, local authorities and the enterprise agencies to support and advise small businesses, such as village shops and post offices.
Answer
The provision of advice and support for small, medium and large businesses in Scotland is a matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The Scottish Executive continues to work closely with both these organisations to ensure easy access by new and existing small businesses, in all sectors, to the advice and support they need to develop and grow. Small businesses should contact the Small Business Gateway, in the Scottish Enterprise area or the Local Enterprise Company in the Highlands and Islands area, where business advisers can advise on all relevant sources of advice and support available, including from local authorities and the Executive.
- Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 13 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13128 by Jackie Baillie on 12 March 2001, how many households in the private rented sector applied for Warm Deal grants in the 12 months to 30 June 2001, how many such grants were awarded and what percentage of Warm Deal grants awarded during this period this represented.
Answer
Eaga manage the Warm Deal for the private sector. They do not record applications by sector. They record the number of grants awarded. From 1 July 2000 to 30 June 2001 Eaga received 27,823 Warm Deal grant claims. 941 of these were for tenants in the private rented sector. This represents 3.4% of all grants awarded in that period.
- Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 13 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how is it promoting the Powershift programme in rural areas.
Answer
The Energy Saving Trust is responsible for publicising the Powershift programme throughout the UK, and does so in a number of ways. We have recently asked the trust to undertake increased promotion of the Powershift programme across Scotland, including in rural areas.
- Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 13 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the percentage of Scotland's power that can be generated from renewable resources.
Answer
Earlier this year, we commissioned an update of an earlier assessment of Scotland's potential renewable energy resource, which was published in 1993. This work has nearly been completed by the consultants, and I will be announcing its publication shortly, along with a linked report on the Scottish electricity network.
- Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in improving safety on the A84 and A85 trunk roads.
Answer
The following progress has been made in improving safety on the A84 and A85 trunk roads:BEAR Scotland Ltd have proposals for improving the A84/A85 junction at Lochearnhead. The construction work is programmed for completion this financial year. The designs for village gateways for Lochearnhead have been completed and the signs should be erected by the end of December 2001.A contract for improving and upgrading the verge safety fences at various locations on the A84 and A85 has been awarded. These works will start in mid December and be complete by the end of the financial year.Minor alterations will be made to road signs and markings at Glen Ogle. The signs should be in place by the end of the year.Three improvement schemes at Glenogle are being designed for implementation in the future, subject to competing priorities and available funding.White lining and road marking treatments are currently being carried out on these routes.
- Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 13 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that young people living in rural areas have access to affordable public transport.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's Rural Public Passenger Transport grant provides support for scheduled services, many of which extend access to affordable public transport including to young people.In addition, the Rural Community Transport Initiative provides support for local community transport projects across rural Scotland. A number of Community Transport Projects are aimed at meeting the specific needs of young people.The Scottish Executive has also recently commissioned a research project titled Young People and Transport that will look at how we can best meet the specific public transport needs of young people in the future.
- Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14686 by Nicol Stephen on 4 May 2001, what progress has been made in the discussions about how the e-Learning Foundation's initiative on the provision of computer equipment for young people might apply in Scotland.
Answer
The Executive remains very interested in models of private sector involvement to improve investment in and provision of e-learning. We are continuing to explore with the foundation how an extension of its activities into Scotland might bring about a step-change in access to e-learning.
- Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 2 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14686 by Nicol Stephen on 4 May 2001, what progress is being made on how the e-Learning Foundation initiative on the provision of computer equipment for young people might apply in Scotland.
Answer
The Executive remains very interested in models of private sector involvement to improve investment in and provision of e-learning. We are continuing to explore with the foundation how an extension of its activities into Scotland might bring about a step-change in access to e-learning.