- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 29 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 12 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were employed in the construction industry in each of the last four years and how many people it estimates will be employed in each of the four years following the introduction of the Aggregates Tax in 2002.
Answer
The Labour Force Survey, run by the Office of National Statistics, shows that the number of people employed in the construction industry in Scotland (including employees, self-employed, and government trainees), is approximately 180,000. Forecasts compiled by independent sources estimate that construction employment in Scotland could grow by up to 10% over the next few years.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 26 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget of Scottish Natural Heritage was in each year since 1997 and how much was spent on (a) the environment and (b) internal organisational functions.
Answer
The table shows the budget and a breakdown of expenditure for Scottish Natural Heritage since 1997-98.
| | 1997-98 £ million | 1998-99 £ million | 1999-2000 £ million | 2000-01 £ million |
Running Costs | 17.0 | 16.9 | 17.7 | 18.5 |
Capital Costs | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 2.1 |
Programme Costs | 18.7 | 18.9 | 19.9 | 20.8 |
Total Budget | 37.0 | 37.2 | 39.2 | 41.4 |
Running costs include all salary, superannuation and associated expenditure on buildings, travel, energy etc. A large proportion of the salary costs relate to people working directly for the benefit of the natural heritage.Capital costs include the purchase or improvement of assets, many of which directly support activities benefiting the natural heritage.Programme costs is direct expenditure enhancing and conserving the natural heritage via grants, site safeguard agreements and research contracts etc.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any published evidence that wild fowl are at particular risk from lead poisoning and, if so, whether it will place a copy of such evidence in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
The poisoning of wildfowl from lead deposited through shooting is widely accepted as a serious problem. The Scottish Executive was consulted in July of this year on the possible restriction on the use of lead shot and the responses are being analysed.A number of reports have been published giving international summaries of the problem. The answer to question S1W-3574 gave a comprehensive list of relevant reports but copies of all these documents are not held centrally by the Executive. A further key report, titled Lead Poisoning in Waterbirds. International Update Report 2000 was published this year by Wetlands International. A copy has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 17127).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 8 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will instruct the North of Scotland Water Authority (NOSWA) to make available immediately to residents in Dalfaber, Aviemore, details of the flood risk assessment which it commissioned from Earthtec on the risk of flooding of the proposed sewerage treatment plant in Dalfaber and the assessment of the alternative full site at Cambusmore and why NOSWA did not disclose these details to residents once they had received them.
Answer
I understand that NOSWA received the final report on 4 October, analysed its content, and passed it to the member on 29 October, and to local community representatives.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 8 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reconsider its decision not to appoint a minister at cabinet level whose sole portfolio is tourism.
Answer
I have Cabinet level responsibility for tourism and both Alasdair Morrison and I are working extremely hard with VisitScotland to support the industry at this difficult time.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 6 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its announcement on 22 August 2001 of #12 million of funding for schools under the Grants for Improvements in School Education (Scotland) Regulations 1998, (a) what actual amount of funding was received by each school, (b) whether the school roll was the sole basis of distribution of the funds and (c) what the si'e was of each school's roll for the purpose of the distribution.
Answer
The announcement on 22 August was about the School Buildings Improvement Fund, which provides for capital grants to education authorities under the Grants for School Improvements (Scotland) Regulations 1997 for expenditure on school buildings. These resources are being distributed to authorities on the basis of the education element of the formula, which is at present used for the allocation of capital consents on non-housing programmes under section 94 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. Full details of the grant arrangements are set out in Scottish Executive Education Department Circular 6/2001, copies of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre. The following table shows the distribution of the grant for financial year 2001-02.School Buildings Improvement Fund
| Authorities | £000 |
| Aberdeen City | 372 |
| Aberdeenshire | 528 |
| Angus | 276 |
| Argyll & Bute | 260 |
| Clackmannanshire | 114 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 337 |
| Dundee City | 321 |
| East Ayrshire | 296 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 305 |
| East Lothian | 210 |
| East Renfrewshire | 239 |
| Edinburgh, City of | 784 |
| Eilean Siar | 106 |
| Falkirk | 321 |
| Fife | 827 |
| Glasgow City | 1,251 |
| Highland | 541 |
| Inverclyde | 225 |
| Midlothian | 214 |
| Moray | 206 |
| North Ayrshire | 333 |
| North Lanarkshire | 870 |
| Orkney Islands | 78 |
| Perth & Kinross | 298 |
| Renfrewshire | 414 |
| Scottish Borders | 255 |
| Shetland Islands | 86 |
| South Ayrshire | 276 |
| South Lanarkshire | 795 |
| Stirling | 213 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 247 |
| West Lothian | 402 |
| Scotland Total | 12,000 |
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 6 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive who the members are of the review group that has been set up to consider the operation and possible reform of the commitment payments scheme instituted by the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body.
Answer
No review group has been set up to look specifically at this area. The review of the commitment payment scheme in Scotland is being taken forward as part of the UK negotiations on the consultants' contract currently underway between the UK Health Departments and the British Medical Association (BMA). The Scottish Executive Health Department is fully involved in the UK negotiations.In order to ensure that any changes to the scheme are appropriate to Scottish needs, a Scottish consultation document Rewarding Commitment and Excellence in the NHS (Scotland) was published in April this year by the Scottish Executive Health Department. Responses were received from a range of sources, including NHS Trusts, Royal Colleges/Universities, the BMA, health boards and patients' representatives, and these are currently being considered by the department.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 2 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage the Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers to support the Thumbprint Signature Scheme.
Answer
This a matter for the banking sector to consider, in relation to the range of new technologies available and fraud prevention procedures currently in use or being developed.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 2 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has received concerning the Thumbprint Signature Scheme, which is being used in Inverness to combat credit card fraud; whether it will endorse the use of the scheme and the associated Thumbs Up campaign, and whether it will encourage all towns and cities to participate in the scheme.
Answer
Whilst the Executive welcomes such a crime prevention initiative, the scheme relies upon the voluntary co-operation of the public and the support of the retail sector. We will be interested to see any evaluation of the effectiveness of the scheme.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 30 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the relocation of the Scottish Arts Council to Inverness would assist any bid by the City of Inverness to become the European City of Culture.
Answer
The most appropriate location for the Scottish Arts Council will be considered during the council's forthcoming quinquennial review and will be based on a range of criteria that will include the needs of the arts sector across all parts of Scotland.
