Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-00319

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 14 July 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide the most recent estimate of the capital cost for upgrading the A77 between Fenwick and Malletsheugh to motorway standard.

Question reference: S1W-00308

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 14 July 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address the unemployment situation in Ayrshire.

The Scottish Executive is committed to promoting environmentally and socially sustainable economic development, through working in partnership with local agencies. We are very conscious of the particular problems of areas such as Ayrshire and we shall seek to ensure through investing in jobs and skills, fostering enterprise and encouraging the growth of new businesses that we create sustainable economic growth and employment opportunities for all members of the community. The Scottish Executive will also take this approach to tackle the challenges facing Lanarkshire and Falkirk about which Mr Neil asked in questions S1W-309 and S1W-311 respectively, also answered today.

Question reference: S1W-00318

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 14 July 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of all grants, loans and contracts awarded by Scottish National Heritage to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds for each of the last three years.

The information requested is given in the table.

Year	Grants £	Loans £	Contracts £
1998/99	220,212	0	144,916
1997/98	190,462	0	48,696
1996/97	174,501	0	79.074

Full details of individual grants are listed each year in SNH's published Annual Report, a copy of which is laid before Parliament. Contracts, which are in the main for research commissioned by SNH, are subject to normal protocol concerning commercially sensitive information.In addition to the payments listed in the table, the RSPB also received the sums of £61,340, £69,204 and £41,731 over the years 1996/97 to 1998/99 respectively in respect of management agreements. These management agreements, details of which are also published in SNH's Annual Report, cover payments made to the RSPB for the management of designated sites such as SSSIs on its land in order to safeguard the natural heritage importance of the site.

Question reference: S1W-00309

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 14 July 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to adress the unemployment situation in Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S1W-00297

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 14 July 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will state how many accidents involving serious injury or fatalities have occurred between Fenwick and Malletsheugh on the A77 for each of the last three years.

Question reference: S1W-00324

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 14 July 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive which European Union Council (Committee) meetings it will be attending in the next three months and those which it will not together with the reasons for not doing so.

Question reference: S1W-00298

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 14 July 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been consulted by Her Majesty's Government regarding the possible abolition of Housing Benefit and, if so, what representations it has made on the matter.

A number of options are being considered by the UK Government for improvements to the way in which Housing Benefit is provided. We will continue to liaise closely with the relevant Whitehall departments to ensure that Scottish interests are taken into account as policy in this area is developed. We also expect Housing Benefit issues to be included in a Green Paper to be published by the UK Government later in the year, which will provide a further opportunity for all interested parties, including the Scottish Parliament and Executive, to express their views.

Question reference: S1W-00305

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 14 July 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take immediate steps to ensure that the additional funding needed for the Methadone Prescription Programme, as agreed in principle by Ayrshire and Arran Health Board, will be made available this year.

Question reference: S1W-00313

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 14 July 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of the number of companies in Scotland which have taken on young people in Scotland for each of the past two years under the Skillseekers programme; and what percentage of trading businesses in Scotland this figure represents.

Question reference: S1W-00321

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 14 July 1999

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of the expenditure on and number of people covered by all post 16 education and training programmes in Scotland funded by Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Scottish Higher and Further Education Funding Councils and the European Social Fund for the last financial year.

For the financial year 1998/99, financial allocations to the following bodies for post 16 education and training, and the number of places covered, were as follows:

£m Numbers

Further Education Institutions 288 ¹ 411,408 ²

Scottish Higher Education Funding Council 431 ¹ 118,700 ³

Scottish Enterprise 136 ⁴ 45,534 ⁵

Highlands and Islands Enterprise 11 ⁴ 3,320 ⁵

Notes:

1 Figures exclude tuition fee income.

2 The latest figure is for 1997/98 and covers all FE student enrolments. A student enrolled on more than one FE course is counted for each course. 84% of FEI enrolments are part time. FE enrolments include a number of students aged 16.

^{3 The SHEFC figure covers the main teaching grant allocated to Institutions, but not research and relates to full time equivalent places funded. 47% of HEI enrolments are part time.}^{4 Figures exclude ESF funds.⁵ Average numbers in training at end year.}

	1996	1997	1998
Fatal	5	0	2
Serious	6	5	9