- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 19 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive why "Local authority debt interest" in Table 7. Other expenditure categories, 1998-99 of Government Expenditure and Revenue Report 1998-99 is 30.7% of the equivalent figure for the UK and whether it will provide a detailed breakdown of this expenditure.
Answer
The UK Local Authority Debt interest figure is provided by Treasury. The Scottish value is sourced from Scottish Executive estimates of external interest payments by Scottish local authorities, based on information from the annual survey of local authority borrowing by the Institute for Public Finance. These figures exclude borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board. The rounded values for 1998-99 are: UK £0.4 billion, and Scotland £0.1 billion. The unrounded figures give a Scottish share of UK local authority debt interest of 30.7%.The mix of external debt interest varies from year to year. The Scottish Executive estimates that in 1998-99 some 27% of local authorities' external interest payments were on short-term debt, 5% on long-term variable rate borrowing and 68% on long-term fixed rate borrowing.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 15 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what statistics are available on personal savings in Scotland and for which years.
Answer
There are a number of sources of statistics on personal savings. Amongst these, are the DSS' Family Resources Survey (FRS), the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) and the Inland Revenue's Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI). FRS data are available from 1994-95 to 1999-2000; SHS data are available from 1999 to 2000, and SPI data are available from 1994-95 to 1998-99.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 15 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list for each year since 1945 for which figures are available (a) the percentage real annual growth in the Scottish Gross Domestic Product, (b) the actual monetary Gross Domestic Product in market prices and at factor cost, including an explanation of what these measures are and the reasons for any differences between the two, and (c) the equivalent figures for the UK continental shelf region.
Answer
Table 1 gives the annual constant price percentage growth in Scottish GDP (output measure) for each year since 1964, the earliest year for which information is available. Consistent information for the Continental Shelf over the same period is not available.
Table 1: Constant price percentage change in Scottish GDP (output measure) 1964-2000Year | Percentage change | Year | Percentage change |
1964 | 7.6% | 1983 | 1.4% |
1965 | 3.4% | 1984 | 3.8% |
1966 | 1.8% | 1985 | 2.8% |
1967 | 1.4% | 1986 | 0.4% |
1968 | 4.2% | 1987 | 2.0% |
1969 | 3.8% | 1988 | 4.0% |
1970 | 1.8% | 1989 | 2.7% |
1971 | 1.1% | 1990 | 2.2% |
1972 | 3.6% | 1991 | 0.1% |
1973 | 7.1% | 1992 | 1.4% |
1974 | 0.0% | 1993 | 2.5% |
1975 | -1.5% | 1994 | 1.8% |
1976 | 1.8% | 1995 | 3.5% |
1977 | 1.7% | 1996 | 2.6% |
1978 | 2.4% | 1997 | 2.6% |
1979 | 1.0% | 1998 | 1.7% |
1980 | -1.9% | 1999 | 2.5% |
1981 | -1.4% | 2000 | 1.5% |
1982 | 1.5% | | |
Source: Scottish Executive.The income-based measure of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at factor cost is defined as the sum of compensation of employees and gross operating surplus. GDP at market prices is defined as GDP at factor cost plus taxes less subsidies on production plus taxes less subsidies on products.A monetary estimate of Scottish GDP is only available at basic prices. Income-based GDP at basic prices is defined as GDP at factor cost plus taxes less subsidies on production. This information along with information on the Extra Region, which includes the Continental Shelf is available from the Office of National Statistics (
www.ons.gov.uk) as part of the annual Regional Accounts.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 14 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what meetings it plans to have with the Irish Government and what issues will be discussed.
Answer
Scottish Ministers enjoy regular contact with counterparts in the Irish Government, on a range of issues. The First Minister and other Scottish Ministers will meet the Taoiseach on 20 June, when he visits Scotland as the guest of the First Minister and the Secretary of State for Scotland, and will discuss a range of issues of common interest.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 13 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the components are of the "Reconciliation" item in Table 8. Other expenditure categories, 1998-99 of Government Expenditure and Revenue Report 1998-99 and whether it will give detailed comparison of expenditure on this item for those years for which figures are available.
Answer
An explanation of the estimated reconciliation item for Scotland is set out in
Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland, 1998/99 (second paragraph, page 28).More detail on the estimated reconciliation figure for Scotland is at Table 1. The table also includes the relevant UK values, provided by Treasury, from which the Scottish value is derived.
Table 1 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 |
| (£ million) |
UK Reconciliation (A) | 397 | 324 | 509 | -31 | -872 |
Of which due to timing differences in UK Local Authority expenditure data (B) | - | -7 | - | -159 | -346 |
UK Residual (C) | 397 | 331 | 509 | 128 | -526 |
Scotland share of UK reconciliation (D) | 40 | 33 | 51 | 0.1 | 70 |
Of which: | | | | | |
due to timing differences in Scottish Local Authority expenditure data (E) | - | - | - | -13 | 123 |
Scotland share of UK residual1 (F) | 40 | 33 | 51 | 13 | - 52 |
Source: HM Treasury (A,B,C,E), Scottish Executive estimates (D,F).Notes: 1. Allocated on basis of Scotland's share of UK identifiable and non-identifiable expenditure; figures may not add up due to rounding.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 13 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the estimated Scottish share of UK income tax revenues in 1997-98 and 1998-99 according to government expenditure and revenue analysis reports and explain any variations in this share between the two years.
Answer
Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland, 1998-99 contains in section 7 a detailed description of both Scotland's share of UK income tax revenues and the comparison of 1997-98 and 1998-99 figures.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 13 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive why the "Other items" category in Table 7. Other expenditure categories, 1998-99 of Government Expenditure and Revenue Report 1998-99 is 15.8% of the equivalent figure for the UK and whether it will provide a breakdown of each component of this category and the expenditure thereon.
Answer
The "Other Items" line in Table 7 of
Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland is a subset of "Other Expenditure". "Other Expenditure" captures items included in National Accounts measures of expenditure which are not included as part of conventional expenditure on services by the public sector. The National Accounts adjustment figures are based on
Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, 2000-2001, adjusted by the Treasury to accord with UK Total Managed Expenditure. The Scottish values under this header are Scottish Executive estimates, based on the UK values.
Table 1 sets out expenditure on the categories that make up "Other items" in Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland, 1998-99. It shows expenditure for both Scotland and England, and Scotland's share of the UK expenditure.
Table 1: Other items, 1998-99 |
| Scotland (£ billion) | UK (£ billion) | Scotland/UK |
Net public service pensions | 0.6 | 4.7 | 12.0% |
Non-trading capital consumption | 1.2 | 7.0 | 16.9% |
VAT refunds | 0.4 | 5.3 | 8.3% |
EU contributions | -0.5 | -6.0 | 8.3% |
Income tax credits | 0.2 | 2.0 | 7.9% |
Financial transactions | 0.1 | -0.4 | -12.5% |
Other accounting adjustments | -0.1 | -1.2 | 8.3% |
Total | 1.8 | 11.5 | 15.8% |
Sources: HM Treasury, Scottish Executive.Note: figures may not add up due to rounding."Other Items" is estimated to sum to £1.8 billion for Scotland in 1998-99. The relevant value for the UK is £11.5 billion, with Scotland's share of the UK total therefore 15.8%.
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 12 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the planned and actual expenditure on water services was in each year since 1990, in both cash and real terms.
Answer
No information is held centrally on what expenditure had been planned and incurred on water services by regional councils.Since 1 April 1996, the three water authorities have been responsible for the delivery of water services.Planned expenditure for each of the years since 1 April 1996 has been:
| 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 |
| £ million |
| Opex | Capex | Opex | Capex | Opex | Capex | Opex | Capex | Opex | Capex |
WoSWA | 196.2 | 112.5 | 189.7 | 128.1 | 204.1 | 142.7 | 227.2 | 165.6 | 255.1 | 187.4 |
ESWA | 134.2 | 67.7 | 143.1 | 84.9 | 159 | 131.7 | 165.4 | 156.6 | 178.8 | 145 |
NoSWA | 98 | 60 | 98.1 | 68 | 113.2 | 68 | 124.7 | 81 | 157.9 | 128 |
Outturn expenditure for each of the years since 1 April 1996 has been:
| 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 |
| £ million |
| Opex | Capex | Opex | Capex | Opex | Capex | Opex | Capex |
WoSWA | 180.6 | 104.8 | 194.5 | 129.3 | 210.2 | 163.3 | 229.5 | 170.0 |
ESWA | 136.9 | 72.9 | 147.1 | 72.1 | 154.4 | 108.8 | 163.2 | 147.5 |
NoSWA | 99.7 | 62 | 100.9 | 66 | 108.1 | 78 | 119.8 | 86 |
Actual expenditure for 2000-01 is currently being audited. Accounts for each of the water authorities are expected to be laid before Parliament in the summer.Further information on the expenditure is set out in each of the water authorities' published accounts. Copies of their accounts as laid before the Scottish Parliament, and pre-devolution, the Westminster Parliament, back to 1996-97 are held in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Bib. numbers are as follows:Water Authorities' published accounts | Scottish Parliament Information Centre - Bib. numbers |
NoSWA | ESWA | WoSWA |
1996-97 | 97515 | 12833 | 12836 |
1997-98 | 12832 | 12834 | 12837 |
1998-99 | 4005 | 12835 | 4004 |
1999-2000 | 8790 | 7898 | 7925 |
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 30 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses were in operation in Scotland in the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by si'e and sector, and what each of these figures represents as a percentage of the equivalent UK figures.
Answer
The following table shows the number of businesses in Scotland in November 1999, broken down by employee sizeband and sector. The enterprises are allocated to the sizebands on the basis of their total number of employees in the whole of the UK.
Industry | Total | 1+ employee | 0-49 employee | 50-249 employee | 250+ employee |
Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 25,915 | 9,305 | 25,865 | 30 | 15 |
Mining & quarrying, electricity, gas & water supply | 1,800 | 400 | 1,670 | 60 | 70 |
Manufacturing | 18,400 | 8,575 | 17,025 | 840 | 535 |
Construction | 43,125 | 9,355 | 42,805 | 190 | 135 |
Wholesale, retail and repairs | 46,695 | 23,730 | 45,550 | 640 | 505 |
Hotels and restaurants | 23,555 | 11,425 | 23,280 | 195 | 80 |
Transport, storage and communication | 20,070 | 3,810 | 19,715 | 200 | 155 |
Financial intermediation | 5,015 | 1,430 | 4,775 | 80 | 160 |
Real estate, renting and business activities | 52,290 | 22,040 | 51,395 | 555 | 340 |
Education | 7,660 | 1,035 | 7,510 | 95 | 55 |
Health and social work | 19,760 | 4,800 | 19,450 | 245 | 65 |
Other community, social and personal services | 34,185 | 10,670 | 33,995 | 140 | 55 |
Total | 299,200 | 106,570 | 293,765 | 3,265 | 2,170 |
Source: Scottish Executive, ONS (IDBR).Note: Totals may not equal the sum of the constituent parts due to rounding.The following table shows the figures as a percentage of the equivalent UK figures. The percentages are quite high, particularly for the 250+ employee sizeband, due to the proportion of large businesses which operate throughout the UK.Industry | Total | 1+ employee | 0-49 employee | 50-249 employee | 250+ employee |
Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 14% | 14% | 14% | 21% | 80% |
Mining & quarrying, electricity, gas & water supply | 43% | 20% | 42% | 43% | 65% |
Manufacturing | 6% | 6% | 5% | 10% | 21% |
Construction | 6% | 7% | 6% | 15% | 47% |
Wholesale, retail and repairs | 9% | 8% | 9% | 15% | 52% |
Hotels and restaurants | 15% | 11% | 15% | 14% | 29% |
Transport, storage and communication | 9% | 7% | 9% | 17% | 38% |
Financial intermediation | 8% | 6% | 8% | 13% | 47% |
Real estate, renting and business activities | 7% | 6% | 6% | 15% | 36% |
Education | 7% | 10% | 7% | 26% | 85% |
Health and social work | 10% | 9% | 10% | 13% | 11% |
Other community, social and personal services | 9% | 11% | 9% | 14% | 24% |
Total | 8% | 8% | 8% | 14% | 32% |
Source: ONS (IDBR).
- Asked by: Andrew Wilson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 30 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current economic value is of the LINK enterprise budget programme; how many jobs have been created as a result of the programme since it started, and how many and what percentage of Scottish businesses are currently involved in the programme.
Answer
LINK is the UK Government's principal mechanism for supporting pre-competitive collaborative research between industry and the science base. Seven Government Departments, including the Scottish Executive, and five Research Councils provide up to 50% of the total eligible costs of a LINK project, with the balance provided by the industrial partners. The Government's spend on LINK projects in 1999-2000 was £38 million, which was more than matched by industry. Over the period 1988-2000 some 146 projects have involved Scottish universities, some 10% of the total number of projects. Comprehensive information on company involvement on a territorial basis is not available. Of the industrial partners able to be so recognised, some 8% are identified as based in Scotland. Given its remit, LINK has no direct employment focus and no measure is made of jobs created under this initiative.