- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 17 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to re-allocate the total expenditure on employing special advisers to fund an enhanced pay award in 2000-01 to the lowest paid in (a) the health service or (b) further education colleges.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 17 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that all small businesses within the tourism sector have full access to e-commerce and the OSSIAN Project and how it will achieve this.
Answer
All businesses who are members of an Area Tourist Board will have access to the Ossian system and will be encouraged to use the e-commerce facility available after June 2000.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 17 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure that the Scottish mountains are included within United Nations' promotion of 2002 as the year of the mountains, and whether it will convene a group or committee, to include all interested parties, to ensure that Scotland does not lose out on any benefits which this initiative may offer, especially for tourism.
Answer
Dealings with the United Nations remain a reserved matter for the UK Government. Niche markets such as walking and climbing which take advantage of Scotland's spectacular environment and particularly its mountains are a vital element of the country's tourism product. In line with A New Strategy for Scottish Tourism the Scottish Tourist Board will seek to promote these activities while emphasising the conservation of the environment on which they depend.The Scottish Executive has been pursuing for some time the sustainable development of mountain areas as encompassed in Chapter 21 of Agenda 21. Initiatives such as the formation of the Glenmore Working Group, the commitment to the Rothiemurchus Concordat, projects carried out by the members of the Cairngorm Partnership and our recent commitment to establishing national parks are contributing to fulfilling the UK Government's undertaking.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 17 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce an ombudsman for Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the local enterprise companies, local authorities and other bodies who provide local enterprise development services and, if so, whether it will include within the remit of any such ombudsman the power to investigate (a) allegations of unfair decisions; (b) delays in decisions, and (c) levels of bureaucracy including duplication, congestion and overlap.
Answer
There are no plans to introduce such an ombudsman.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate whether the due date for subscriptions and other payments to the area tourist boards by members can be altered in order to minimise any cash flow problems experienced because of the seasonal nature of the tourist trade.
Answer
The budgeting arrangements of Area Tourist Boards are a matter for the individual bodies themselves.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to cease the operation as independent companies limited by guarantee of local enterprise companies and instead that they should operate as part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise or Scottish Enterprise network and whether it can provide an estimate of the savings, if any, that this measure might bring.
Answer
The status of local enterprise companies is being considered as part of the review of the enterprise networks in Scotland which I announced recently. I encourage all those who wish to have an input to contribute to the debate.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will require the Scottish Tourist Board to make available to non-members of the area tourist boards membership of the OSSIAN project so that they are not excluded from any benefits of it.
Answer
No. The Scottish Tourist Board's policy ensures that all accommodation providers and visitor attraction operators whose details appear on the Scotland website offer a quality assured product.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will discuss with the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust their expertise in running three pilot accreditation courses and what lessons, if any, it could learn from the Trust in relation to accreditation for business advisers.
Answer
I have recently outlined several proposed improvements to the services provided by the Scottish Enterprise Network to assist business start-ups and small businesses, and we are discussing similar developments with Highlands and Islands Enterprise. These include the possible introduction of quality standards, covering both business organisations and advisers. As part of that work I have asked my officials to contact PSYBT to discuss their particular approach.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce a system to provide any necessary assistance to meet any costs of bed and breakfast businesses in hooking up to the Internet and project OSSIAN and any membership costs thereof.
Answer
All accommodation establishments who are members of Area Tourist Boards receive a free entry on the Internet via Ossian. General IT and Ossian specific training is provided through Local Enterprise Companies and Area Tourist Boards.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken or plans to take in relation to its policies following the "Business in the Chamber" event on 18 February 2000 and whether it will specify any new or supplementary polices in detail.
Answer
I will respond to the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee Inquiry on local economic development when the final report is published.
