- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult the Local Government Committee prior to making any ministerial statement on a small business rates relief scheme and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Local Government Committee invited Ministers to report back on the Executive's thinking on the issue of small business rates relief. This will be done before any rate relief scheme is established.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether rateable values in Scotland and in England and Wales are now harmonised and, if not, which hereditaments do not have harmonised rateable values.
Answer
A harmonised approach to determining rateable values has been adopted between Scotland, England and Wales. Assessors have confirmed that there are no specific classes of property where harmonisation is considered to be an issue.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date it first considered any relationship between a small business rates relief scheme and the transitional rates relief scheme.
Answer
The current transitional relief scheme provides relief to all qualifying businesses, including small businesses.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has informed non-domestic ratepayers or businesses, in information leaflets or by any other method, of the variation in the rate poundage between Scotland and England and between Scotland and Wales.
Answer
The Executive published a paper on 17 January explaining the calculations underlying the Scottish non-domestic rate poundage for 2000-01. This included an explanation of the reasons for the differences in rate poundage north and south of the Border.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether implementing a small business rates relief scheme would give rise to additional costs for local authorities and what the nature and level of any such additional costs would be.
Answer
The costs of administering any small business rates relief scheme will be taken into account in considering how best to proceed. We are considering the position on rate relief for small businesses and will announce before Christmas what conclusions have been drawn and how we intend to proceed.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the possible introduction of a tiered system of scallop testing would require a new enforcement regime and, if so, (a) whether such a regime would be more stringent in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK, (b) what measures such a regime might include, (c) whether it would be necessary to introduce such a regime via a Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) and (d) whether it will bring forward as soon as possible any such draft SSIs or guidelines for consideration in order to have any new regime in place for the opening of the 2001 scallop season.
Answer
The Food Standards Agency has advised me that the possible introduction of a tiered system of scallop testing and processing is likely to require a very robust enforcement regime in order to continue to ensure public safety. Enforcement controls, whilst being flexible enough to take account of local circumstances, will continue to be comparable across the UK. Advice is being taken on the suitability of existing statutory provisions for any tiered system. Should a new Scottish Statutory Instrument be necessary, the Food Standards Agency will ensure that there will be full and timely consultation.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will submit a full report to Her Majesty's Government on how another year's cessation of fishing for scallops would impact on the fishing communities and whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government to raise at the next Council of Ministers the importance of establishing a tiered system of testing scallops.
Answer
I announced to the Rural Affairs Committee on 31 October that I would commission a full economic analysis of the nature and location of the impact of the closures. I said that this work would also focus on maximising the industry's potential and its scope to adjust to new circumstances including possible changes to the testing regime.
The issue of establishing a tiered system for testing scallops is a public health matter and not appropriate business for the Fisheries Council.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding how the army might complement the contingency plans of the police relating to any future protests on the impact of fuel taxation and whether such plans will be made public.
Answer
The Executive, through its membership of the Ministerial Fuel Task Force and the Civil Contingencies Committee, has been involved in discussions about how the military might assist the response to any future protests. While there are no plans for the army to support the police, there are contingency plans in place for the military to assist oil companies with the delivery of fuel should this be required and this has been widely reported in the press.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the proposed costs to develop the Ossian project will be spent on consultancy fees, including those for lawyers, financial advisers, accountants, computer consultants and any other professional services.
Answer
In the current financial year, consultancy fees will amount to 9% of the planned cost of developing the project, including spend on securing the PPP.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-9737 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 28 September 2000, on what specific date it first received any report from any school or college of any difficulties in the collection of internal assessment data.
Answer
I am not aware of any report of problems collecting internal assessment data prior to the meeting on 16 March to which Sam Galbraith referred in reply to question S1W-9737.
