- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 30 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the current division of responsibilities between Railtrack, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and local authorities for the maintenance and upgrade of lands surrounding railway bridges, including underpasses.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no plans to review the responsibilities for the maintenance and upgrade of lands surrounding railway bridges.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 30 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial and non-financial input it has had to the operation and policy framework for the National AIDS Helpline.
Answer
The Executive contributed £170,000 in 1999-2000 towards the costs of both the National AIDS and Drugs Helplines.
The Scottish Office was involved with the Department of Health in England in the process of re-tendering the contract for the Helpline, in 1998. Since then, the Executive has received regular activity reports from the current contractor, Healthwise, and will be involved in the evaluation of the service provided.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 30 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what financial and non-financial input it has had to the operation and policy framework for the National Drugs Helpline.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has contributed £170,000 this year towards the costs of both National Drugs Helpline and the National AIDS Helpline.
Reports consisting of information, data, and profiles relating to phone calls received on drug misuse are provided to the Scottish Executive by the Drugs Helpline service provider Healthwise, on a regular basis.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 27 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review variations in prices of drugs for animals available in Scotland compared to other countries in the European Union and whether it will publish details of any measures it intends to take to improve the competitive position of the farming industry.
Answer
The authorisation and marketing of veterinary medicines is a matter reserved to the Westminster Parliament. Obviously it is in the Scottish farmers' interest that these should be as competitively priced as possible.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 26 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive to provide a breakdown of the revenue support grant provided to North Lanarkshire Council, South Lanarkshire Council and East Ayrshire Council in each of the past three years, including the current financial year; what grant will be provided for 2000-01; what annual percentage change in real terms these figures represent over the four year period and what percentage of grant aided expenditure for each council for each year these grant figures represent.
Answer
The total government grant, known as Aggregate External Finance (AEF), given to councils for the four years 1997-98 to 2000-01, expressed in real terms using the September 1999 Retail Price Index, is shown in the following table:
| Aggregate External Finance (AEF)1 |
| 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 | 2000-01 |
| North Lanarkshire | | | | |
| AEF at 1999 prices | 338.292 | 332.046 | 336.005 | 345.867 |
| % increase on previous year | .. | -1.8 | 1.2 | 2.9 |
| AEF as a percentage of | | | | |
| Grant Aided Expenditure (%) | 97.2 | 94.7 | 93.6 | 94.1 |
|
| South Lanarkshire | | | | |
| AEF at 1999 prices | 308.348 | 297.987 | 305.589 | 313.719 |
| % increase on previous year | .. | -3.4 | 2.6 | 2.7 |
| AEF as a percentage of | | | | |
| Grant Aided Expenditure (%) | 96.3 | 92.9 | 92.6 | 92.3 |
|
| East Ayrshire | | | | |
| AEF at 1999 prices | 127.707 | 127.672 | 127.020 | 130.850 |
| % increase on previous year | .. | 0.0 | -0.5 | 3.0 |
| AEF as a percentage of | | | | |
| Grant Aided Expenditure (%) | 95.8 | 95.1 | 92.5 | 93.7 |
Source: prices based on RPI as at September 1999.1. AEF figures adjusted to exclude Urban Program adjustment for years 1997-98 to 1999-2000.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 26 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the work it and its agencies are doing to promote and develop the (i) opto-electronics industry, (ii) textile industry, (iii) dairy industry and (iv) food industry, and what was the relevant spend on each industry in each of the last three years and the current year.
Answer
These and other sectors are supported through a range of schemes and initiatives promoted by the Scottish Executive and its agencies, in particular the Enterprise Network. Scottish Enterprise has identified the opto-electronics and food and drink sectors (including the dairy industry) as priorities for cluster development and further details are available from the Scottish Enterprise website. I announced plans for developing public support for the textile industry on 12 June. Comprehensive information on the spend from public sources on these sectors is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the current spend estimates for New Housing Partnerships contained in table 2.5 of the Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive, 2000.
Answer
The present profile of the current spend estimates for New Housing Partnerships for 2000-01 and 2001-02 is set out below.
| | 2000-01 | 2001-02 |
| | £m | £m |
Annual Expenditure Report | 36.5 | 73.5 |
| Feasibility and other work relating to possible stock transfer | 15.5 | 7.9 |
| Assistance with residual debt | 21.0 | 65.6 |
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the current spend estimates on Partnerships contained in table 2.7 of the Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive, 2000.
Answer
A breakdown of the current spend estimates on Partnerships for 2000-01 and 2001-02 is set out below:
| | 2000-01 | 2001-02 |
| | £ million | £ million |
Annual Expenditure Report | 3.100 | 3.100 |
| Support cost payments to Social Inclusion Partnerships, regeneration partnerships and the Glasgow Alliance | 1.883 | 1.883 |
| Sponsorship of the Scottish Urban Regeneration Forum | 0.006 | 0.006 |
| Sponsorship of the British Urban Regeneration Association | 0.002 | 0.002 |
| Social Inclusion Partnership networking | 0.070 | 0.075 |
| Funding for SIP drug misuse initiatives | 1.000 | 1.000 |
| Unallocated | 0.139 | 0.134 |
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the current spend estimates on Publicity and Policy contained in table 2.9 of the Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive, 2000.
Answer
A breakdown of the current spend estimates on Publicity and Policy for 2000-01 and 2001-02 is set out below:
| | 2000-01 | 2001-02 |
| | £ million | £ million |
Annual Expenditure Report | 1.6 | 1.6 |
Departmental Research | 1.2 | 1.2 |
| Miscellaneous Departmental Committees and Information | 0.4 | 0.4 |
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the current spend estimates on the Social Inclusion Partnership Fund contained in table 2.7 of the Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive, 2000.
Answer
A breakdown of the current spend estimates on the Social Inclusion Partnership (SIP) Fund for 2000-01 and 2001-02 is set out below. All figures are based on estimated SIP expenditure not actual SIP expenditure with grant paid at 75% of expenditure for 1999-2000 and 100% of expenditure thereafter.
| | 2000-01 | 2001-02 |
| | £ million | £ million |
Annual Expenditure Report | 67.6 | 67.6 |
| Grant payments in respect of SIP current expenditure in 1999-002 | 25.8 | - |
| Grant payments in respect of SIP current expenditure in 2000-01 | 19.5 | 29.3 |
| Grant payments in respect of SIP current expenditure in 2001-02 | - | 18.5 |
| Grant payments in respect of current expenditure on traditional Urban Programme projects | 4.5 | 0.8 |
| Loan charges | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| Remaining Expenditure | 14.5 | 15.7 |
Notes:
The remaining expenditure from the SIP Fund reflects capital grant payments to SIPs, administrative costs claimed by grant recipients for the Urban Programme, and payments against projects where funding has been temporarily restricted.
2. Estimated levels of grants in respect of SIP expenditure in 1999-2000 are calculated on the basis of firm funding allocations for 1999-2000, minus an in-year payment of grant made in 1999-2000 to Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow City Councils.
