- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 2 May 2000
To ask the Presiding Officer what the total cost is of the refurbishment of the fifth floor in the Parliament Headquarters Building and what the reasons are for it.
Answer
The fifth floor has not been refurbished. The existing space has been reconfigured to create a more functional working environment. This has been achieved by reducing the size of some of the cellular offices to create larger open plan offices.
In addition to the partition work necessary to achieve this revised layout, the opportunity was also taken to address some health and safety concerns that had arisen. This involved the installation of some additional storage units and the replacement of some older (and non-standard) desks and chairs that were used initially to furnish this area of the building.
The total cost of this project was £36,000.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the plans for the new round of European Structural Funds (2000-06) to be approved by the European Commission.
Answer
While I expect the plans for the Highlands and Islands Special Programme and for the Objective 3 Operational Programme to be approved in June, this is dependent upon the European Commission. The plans for the Objective 2 programmes will not be approved until later in the year.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 12 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much extra funding, earmarked for health and generated by the increase in tobacco duty announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's 2000-01 budget, it will receive and what percentage share of the amount available over the UK as a whole this figure represents.
Answer
An additional £2 billion, including extra resources resulting from the increase in tobacco duty, was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget. Scotland is to receive, in line with the Barnett formula, additional funding of £173 million in 2000-01, 8.64% of the UK total. £26 million of the additional funding is to be earmarked to support health improvements and public health initiatives.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was received from the Department for Education and Employment to act as public expenditure cover for Objective 3 in each year since 1990.
Answer
Following the transfer of responsibility for the Objective 3 programme in Scotland in 1995, the Department for Education and Employment (formerly the Department of Employment) transferred £21.55 million in financial year 1995-96, £25.15 million in 1996-97 and thereafter £28.1 million per annum on an ongoing basis to the Scottish Budget.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 6 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions since 1990 the ceiling on the Barnett Formula settlement reduced Treasury funding when taking European Structural Fund grants into account.
Answer
The only limits on the operation of the Barnett formula are the population percentage employed and the changes in comparable programmes for England and Wales.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 6 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it spent on external consultants in 1999.
Answer
Expenditure by the Scottish Executive, plus its executive agencies and associated departments, (these include Scottish Agricultural Science Agency, Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, Fisheries Research Services, Students Awards Agency for Scotland, Registers of Scotland, Historic Scotland, Scottish Prison Service, Scottish Courts, National Archives of Scotland, General Register Office for Scotland, Scottish Public Pensions Agency and the Crown Office) on external consultants from 1 July to 31 December 1999 is estimated as £1.4 million.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 5 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will receive any of the extra revenue generated by the increase in fuel duty announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his 2000-01 budget to spend directly on improving rural transport.
Answer
I would refer Mr Wallace to the Minister for Finance's Statement of 30 March.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive the extra monies allocated to the NHS in Scotland as a result of the increased tobacco duty announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's 2000-01 budget.
Answer
The extra monies allocated to the NHS in Scotland as a result of the increased tobacco duty will accrue to the Scottish Block at the earliest opportunity which will be the Summer Budget Amendment in June 2000.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the monies allocated to the NHS in Scotland as a result of the increased tobacco duty announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's 2000-01 budget will be in addition to funds allocated through the Barnett formula.
Answer
The monies allocated to the NHS in Scotland as a result of the increased tobacco duty announced in the Budget are included in Scotland's Barnett formula share of the additional £2 billion being made available to the NHS in the UK.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 15 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the current structure of the delivery of dental treatment.
Answer
The structure for delivering NHS dental services is developing continuously.
