Chamber and committees

No funding, including regional development grants, has been given to either BAE Systems, or its predecessor British Aerospace, to attract them to establish a plant at Bishopton. In 1989, however, British Aerospace was offered £2.8 million of Regional Selective Assistance for a project to manufacture ammunition at Bishopton. This was paid in full and the project completed in 1992.

Information on the financial support paid to students aged under 18 in higher education is not held centrally. The main support for living costs is by way of a student loan. The Student Loans Company Limited pay loans and do not currently hold information in the form requested. In addition, institutions administer payments of Hardship Funds and Hardship Loans. Information on the age categories of those students in receipt of the Hardship Loans and Funds is not held centrally.

Age specific information on financial support paid to students aged under 18 in further education courses is only available for the years 1998-99 and 1999-2000. Details of the Education Maintenance Allowance Pilot scheme funded by the Scottish Executive are also shown.

Bursary payments made by FE colleges to students under 18 on further education courses

	1998-99 (£ million)	1999-2000 (£ million)
Bursary payments made by FE colleges to students under 18	9.2	10.2

Notes:

Bursary expenditure is shown by financial year and includes exam fees, maintenance allowance, travel expenses, study expenses, books and equipment, residency costs and other unspecified support.

The latest information available in respect of students on further education courses is for the academic year 1999-2000. Information for academic year 2000-01 will not be available until next spring.

Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA)

The Scottish Executive has been funding an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) Pilot scheme in East Ayrshire since 1999. The money is paid to East Ayrshire Council who administers the EMA pilot in schools and colleges for 16 to 19-year-olds. The money that has been allocated to the two further education colleges in this pilot, Kilmarnock College and Ayr College is as follows:

	1999	2000
Kilmarnock College	£121,706.25	£172,129.36
Ayr College	£115,043.49	£95,964.54

Notes:

From this year on, EMAs will be available to under 18's attending colleges in Glasgow, Dundee and West Dunbartonshire.

The total EMA budget for 2001-02 is £10.2 million. However, this covers all schools and colleges in the pilot areas and includes for 16 to 19-year-olds.

No such assessment has been undertaken by the Scottish Executive or any of its agencies or non-departmental public bodies. No plans exist to carry out such an assessment.

A formal recognition process is employed to identify those activities with which the Sports Councils wish to be associated and which, particularly given the finite resources available, the councils think should be developed by them. It does not determine an activity as a sport.

The initial assessment of any application for recognition by the Sports Council should be the responsibility of the home country Sports Council in which the application originated. If the home country Sports Council concerned, following the initial assessment, considers it appropriate, a case is then presented by that council for further consideration by the five Sports Councils in the United Kingdom.

In their assessment, the home country Sports Councils employ a range of criteria. These include physical skills; physical effort; accessibility; rules and organisation; strategy and tactics; essential purpose; physical challenge; risk; uniqueness of the activity; level of participation; and other considerations such as political, moral and ethical issues.

There is no process involved in designating an activity as a recreation. By its definition, recreation encompasses a limitless range of activities.

The Scottish Executive and the UK Government have delegated the responsibility of deciding what is a sport to their respective sports councils. By its definition, recreation is an activity that promotes the refreshment of health or spirits by relaxation and enjoyment. What constitutes recreation therefore is down to the individual concerned.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18092.

For the purposes of recognition as a sport, the UK Sports Councils define sport as an activity which requires physical skills, physical effort and physical challenge.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

The available information is given in table 4 of Prisons Statistics Scotland, 1997; 1998 and 1999 published by the Scottish Executive. Copies of these documents are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. numbers 11178, 11179, 11180).

£15,708 per annum (currently under review).

In line with relevant guidance issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA), all applicants for public appointments are required to declare any interests and to complete a question on their political activity. Neither activity nor affiliation is a criterion for nor a bar to appointment. In line with OCPA guidance, and to ensure openness in the appointments process, details of a successful candidate's political activity and affiliation are given at the time an appointment is announced.

A number of applicants for this post declared political activity, and affiliation and membership of political parties. The successful candidate's political affiliation was included in the announcement of her appointment and her application confirmed that she had no other relevant interests to declare.