- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 26 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for sportscotland awards were received in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002, (d) 2003 and (e) 2004, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 26 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many sportscotland awards were made in (a) 2000, (b) 2001, (c) 2002, (c) 2003 and (d) 2004, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The nature of a number of programmes operated by
sportscotland means that it is not possible to identify which local authority area has benefited from a particular award. Those awards readily attributable to a particular local authority area are set out in the following table and cover the Sports Facilities programme, Awards for All, Major Events programme, TOP programme, School Sports Co-ordinator programme, social inclusion partnership programme and Talented Athlete programme although information on this programme is not included in year 2003-04 as Governing Bodies now submit group applications for athletes. Information is given by financial year.
| Local Authority | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 |
| No | Value | No | Value | No | Value | No | Value |
| Aberdeen City | 15 | 215,105 | 19 | 183,540 | 22 | 319,815 | 9 | 1,309,696 |
| Aberdeenshire | 27 | 250,961 | 33 | 415,409 | 28 | 384,257 | 18 | 241,827 |
| Angus | 16 | 423,474 | 12 | 58,075 | 15 | 94,324 | 7 | 156,456 |
| Argyll and Bute | 22 | 563,743 | 28 | 260,595 | 35 | 440,787 | 9 | 735,508 |
| City Of Edinburgh | 86 | 578,734 | 100 | 936,132 | 116 | 2,898,187 | 26 | 730,031 |
| Clackmannanshire | 5 | 510,695 | 7 | 52,131 | 4 | 44,501 | 5 | 105,053 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 20 | 745,283 | 36 | 521,379 | 33 | 670,856 | 16 | 608,902 |
| Dundee City | 21 | 122,525 | 24 | 110,009 | 22 | 475,286 | 6 | 92,855 |
| East Ayrshire | 22 | 151,919 | 30 | 1,313,128 | 19 | 484,178 | 8 | 106,600 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 17 | 608,919 | 16 | 71,345 | 18 | 394,191 | 6 | 187,428 |
| East Lothian | 16 | 79,740 | 21 | 388,333 | 18 | 100,992 | 11 | 83,992 |
| East Renfrewshire | 8 | 536,484 | 10 | 243,641 | 16 | 572,182 | 3 | 53,007 |
| Eilean Siar | 8 | 641,086 | 5 | 18,785 | 11 | 1,548,688 | 5 | 73,405 |
| Falkirk | 6 | 21,849 | 15 | 1,194,016 | 19 | 260,784 | 4 | 111,012 |
| Fife | 51 | 1,477,887 | 60 | 1,079,832 | 55 | 657,211 | 16 | 326,429 |
| Glasgow City | 50 | 536,374 | 62 | 7,011,050 | 60 | 979,220 | 43 | 1,866,534 |
| Highland | 40 | 2,003,645 | 50 | 2,103,542 | 41 | 1,198,393 | 23 | 751,463 |
| Inverclyde | 12 | 101,653 | 12 | 65,085 | 15 | 768,582 | 9 | 40,119 |
| Midlothian | 9 | 141,635 | 21 | 1,270,731 | 18 | 128,690 | 5 | 771,730 |
| Moray | 8 | 26,635 | 17 | 134,583 | 10 | 91,332 | 6 | 26,186 |
| North Ayrshire | 16 | 62,371 | 39 | 775,704 | 22 | 106,951 | 13 | 510,794 |
| North Lanarkshire | 57 | 198,437 | 49 | 688,244 | 46 | 667,542 | 33 | 1,765,149 |
| Orkney Isles | 7 | 157,166 | 11 | 171,545 | 6 | 23,840 | 4 | 15,204 |
| Perth & Kinross | 21 | 93,733 | 25 | 964,603 | 30 | 237, 744 | 7 | 96,629 |
| Renfrewshire | 22 | 265,248 | 23 | 1,156,665 | 25 | 278,510 | 13 | 133,432 |
| Scottish Borders | 20 | 273,032 | 30 | 225,665 | 21 | 507,287 | 25 | 289,391 |
| Shetland Isles | 3 | 279,680 | 3 | 11,662 | 1 | 28,603 | 8 | 506,046 |
| South Ayrshire | 17 | 67,053 | 22 | 907,536 | 21 | 193,426 | 6 | 400,615 |
| South Lanarkshire | 51 | 615,782 | 51 | 375,739 | 55 | 1,489,770 | 19 | 244,007 |
| Stirling | 25 | 217,159 | 17 | 324,920 | 19 | 90,698 | 4 | 20,617 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 18 | 338,295 | 7 | 23,839 | 14 | 265,113 | 7 | 353,257 |
| West Lothian | 23 | 1,185,102 | 32 | 674,083 | 27 | 317,154 | 5 | 112,547 |
| Totals | 739 | 13,491,403 | 887 | 23,731,543 | 862 | 16,719,091 | 379 | 12,825,921 |
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 26 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Deputy Minister for Education and Young People has met Aberdeen City Council to discuss its children's services budget and, if so, what the outcome was.
Answer
No. However, my colleague Tavish Scott, Deputy Minister for Finance, Public Service Reform and Parliamentary Business met with them on 1 October 2004. I have also had subsequent correspondence with them and suggested that they explore their concerns about the grant distribution formula with COSLA as any changes to that formula would impact on other authorities.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 24 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 26 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage tourists from Japan to visit Scotland.
Answer
VisitScotland works closely with VisitBritain to market Scotland as a visitor destination to the Japanese market, with Scotland a key element of the Britain brand. After London, Scotland is the most enquired-about destination within Britain among the many people who contact VisitBritain offices across the world.
However, VisitScotland also targets the Japanese market directly through trade and public relation activities. VisitScotland takes every opportunity to work closely with major travel trade operators in Japan in order to to encourage Japanese tourists to come to Scotland.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much domestic waste was collected in each local authority area in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002, (e) 2003 and (f) 2004.
Answer
Data available from the Accounts Commission are:
Total Number of Tonnes of Household Waste Collected
| Local Authority | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 |
| Aberdeen City | 124,094.9 | 102,117.1 | 93,312.0 | 106,201.3 |
| Aberdeenshire | 104,789.7 | 107,052.2 | 105,041.0 | 129,220.6 |
| Angus | 48,126.48 | 42,363.5 | 46,553.3 | 59,309.4 |
| Argyll and Bute | 50,331.84 | 44,249.0 | 48,907.3 | 55,473.1 |
| Clackmannanshire | 27,126.25 | 27,300.0 | 29,843.0 | 29,264.4 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 68,000.54 | 69,452.0 | *70,885.0 | 73,111.0 |
| Dundee City | 74,397.21 | 61,043.1 | 63,596.0 | 69,356.0 |
| East Ayrshire | 50,802.2 | 49,457.9 | 50,654.4 | 53,628.6 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 53,270.08 | 57,290.0 | 61,376.0 | 59,408.0 |
| East Lothian | 51,399.44 | 48,525.5 | 50,168.5 | 51,779.0 |
| East Renfrewshire | 49,133.06 | 46,524.0 | 51,599.8 | 53,714.2 |
| Edinburgh, City of | 221,750.8 | 200,484.0 | 200,973.0 | 208,986.2 |
| Eilean Siar | 14,866 | 14,796.7 | 13,565.2 | 14,661.3 |
| Falkirk | 76,371.05 | 73,261.0 | 74,365.0 | 70,233.0 |
| Fife | 167,624.3 | 168,029.3 | 199,247.3 | 210,768.0 |
| Glasgow City | 236,012 | 229,132.4 | 227,775.0 | 232,940.3 |
| Highland | 101,535.5 | 102,152.5 | 90,612.8 | 101,080.1 |
| Inverclyde | 30,394.68 | 28,643.9 | 30,090.0 | 31,002.6 |
| Midlothian | 45,052.86 | 44,888.1 | 49,728.8 | 49,358.3 |
| Moray | 51,963.6 | 48,610.9 | 43,651.8 | 42,663.0 |
| North Ayrshire | 53,729.76 | 66,717.0 | 73,827.4 | 71,485.8 |
| North Lanarkshire | 148,961.6 | 134,255.6 | 145,158.0 | 165,658.4 |
| Orkney Islands | 10,165.97 | 9,650.0 | 7,876.0 | 8,819.0 |
| Perth and Kinross | 57,641.98 | 77,196.0 | 79,739.6 | 80,579.9 |
| Renfrewshire | 87,123.6 | 83,211.5 | 85,362.0 | 94,041.6 |
| Scottish Borders | 41,515.5 | 39,495.2 | 40,372.0 | 41,812.5 |
| Shetland Islands | 12,243 | 9,613.0 | 10,388.0 | 12,066.0 |
| South Ayrshire | 58,681.7 | 53,198.0 | 56,493.0 | 51,933.0 |
| South Lanarkshire | 131,679.1 | 128,691.0 | 129,644.8 | 167,750.6 |
| Stirling | 44,565.44 | 44,357.3 | 42,582.0 | 40,602.9 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 34,144.11 | 30,347.0 | 34,819.4 | 32,569.2 |
| West Lothian | 73,780.8 | 73,988.0 | 80,269.0 | 91,157.5 |
| Scotland | 2,401,275 | 2,316,092.7 | 2,317,591.4 | 2,560,634.8 |
Data for 1999-2000 was not collected directly and has been calculated by multiplying the average amount of waste per household by the number of households in each authority. Consequently there may be inaccuracies in the 1999-2000 figures. The data supplied by Dumfries and Galloway for 2001-02 was unreliable. It has not been included in the all Scotland total for 2001-02.
Audit Scotland data for 2003-04 has not yet been published. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency figures detailing the amount of household waste collected by each local authority in 2003-04 are available at www.sepa.org.uk/nws/data/local.htm.
Figures for 2004-05 are not yet available.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out on pyrolysis or gasification as a means of disposing of domestic and commercial waste.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has not carried out research specifically on pyrolysis or gasification technologies. However, the National Waste Plan 2003 recognises the potential role these technologies could play in delivering diversion from landfill. Information on these technologies, including case studies, can be found at
www.environment-agency.gov.uk/wtd.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 25 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the findings of the latest British Medical Journal report on radon and, if so, what new measures it intends to implement to combat radon build-up in homes.
Answer
The Executive is aware of this important article which provides a combinedanalysis of the data from 13 case-control studies of residential radon and lungcancer in nine European countries. The results of this analysis confirmthat radon gas is an important public health hazard, the second most importantcause of lung cancer so far identified, after smoking and, in particular,estimates that radon in homes currently accounts for about 9% of deaths from lung cancer and hence 2% of all cancer deaths in Europe.
The National Radiological Protection Board will consider the implications of this study on current guidelines for radon preventative and remedial measures and give advice if necessary. A sub-group of the board’s independent advisory group on Ionising Radiation is currently conducting a review of the risks of radon exposure which will include this new study. The board will receive advice from this sub-group and will then consider, consult and issue advice on any changes that should be made to the UK scheme for controlling radon exposures.
In addition, the Executive has commissioned the board to complete its survey of radon, in housing across Scotland, at a cost of £303,000 and to update its advice on the radiological significance of levels of radon in Scotland accordingly. The survey findings will be available later in the year.
Both the existing UK housing stock and new homes are considered in measures to control the radon risk to the population in areas where radon concentrations are likely to be high. The Building Regulations require that in certain parts of the country anti-radon preventative measures must be incorporated into new houses as they are being built. Public and private initiatives have involved testing almost half a million homes in the UK with a recommendation that remedial measures areundertaken if radon levels are found to be above the action level of 200becquerels per cubic metre for radon in homes. Local authorities can assistwith grant, owners who cannot afford to meet the cost of remedial works.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of domestic waste was recycled in each local authority area in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002, (e) 2003 and (f) 2004.
Answer
Data on the percentage of household waste recycled by each local authority from 1999-2000 to 2001-02 are available on page 12 of the Audit Scotland report on Environmental Services available at:
www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/pi2002/documents/report/servicespdf/EnvSer.pdf.
Data on the percentage of household waste recycled by each authority in 2002-03 are available on page 11 of the Audit Scotland report on Environmental Services available at:
www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/pi2003/documents/2003Report/servicespdf/EnvSer.pdf.
Audit Scotland data for 2003-04 has not yet been published. The Scottish Environment Protection Agenct figures detailing the amount of household waste recycled by each local authority in 2003-04 are available in Part D of the individual Local Authority Summary Reports at:
www.sepa.org.uk/nws/data/local.htm.
Figures for 2004-05 are not yet available.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is on track to meet the 2013 target for the reduction of landfill.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is working with local authorities to put resources and measures in place to assist in meeting this target.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in consideration of changes to the calf registration scheme.
Answer
This is a complex issue with set European legislative deadlines for registering and tagging calves. My aim is to find a pragmatic approach which does not jeopardise approval of our Cattle Tracing System or the credibility of our beef industry particularly in relation to export. Discussions are on-going with key interests to agree a sensible outcome as quickly as possible.
