- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, if Inverness, Nairn, Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey are excluded from the assisted area status map, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and local enterprise companies will have sufficient resources to achieve the targets set by it and to create new employment opportunities taking into account impending redundancies in the local oil fabrication sector.
Answer
Highlands and Islands Enterprise is funded to implement all aspects of its agreed strategy and to deal with economic pressures that may arise from time to time within its area.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to The Scotland Office that the consultation period permitted for submissions to be made to them on the assisted area status map should be extended to allow all interested parties a further and full opportunity to make their case.
Answer
Extensive representations have already been received from a range of interested parties.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the impact on the economy of the Highlands and Islands, and in particular the likelihood of attracting future inward investment and promoting indigenous existing businesses within the area, of the exclusion of Inverness, Nairn, Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey from the assisted areas status map.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not make economic or employment forecasts for local areas in relation to the Assisted Areas map.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration was given to the consequences for the economy of Inverness in the decision not to include most of that area in the assisted area status map, bearing in mind the current state of the local oil fabrication sector, and whether it will make specific representations to The Scotland Office to ensure that these factors are given full consideration.
Answer
The Assisted Area map is a reserved matter.
I will refer, in answering this question, to the fact that it has also been raised in relation to the areas of Moray (S1W-6465), Nairn (S1W-6466) and Badenoch and Strathspey (S1W-6467).
The Scottish Executive is in discussion with the Scotland Office about these and other aspects of the review of the Assisted Areas map.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration was given to the consequences for the economy of Moray in the decision not to include the area in the assisted area status map, bearing in mind the current state of the local oil fabrication sector, and whether it will make specific representations to The Scotland Office to ensure that these factors are given full consideration.
Answer
I refer to the answer I gave in reply to question S1W-6464.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration was given to the consequences for the economy of Nairn in the decision not to include the area in the assisted area status map, bearing in mind the current state of the local oil fabrication sector, and whether it will make specific representations to The Scotland Office to ensure that these factors are given full consideration.
Answer
I refer to the answer I gave in reply to question S1W-6464.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration was given to the consequences for the economy of Badenoch and Strathspey in the decision not to include the area in the assisted area status map, bearing in mind the current state of the local oil fabrication sector, and whether it will make specific representations to The Scotland Office to ensure that these factors are given full consideration.
Answer
I refer to the answer I gave in reply to question S1W-6464.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 16 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Minister for Transport and the Environment's letter to me dated 13 April 2000, on what research or other evidence the statement that "the quarrying industry is imposing costs on the rest of society, that are not presently reflected in the price of its product" is based and what opportunities the industry has been given to address these costs.
Answer
Research carried out by London Economics on The Environmental Costs and Benefits of the Supply of Aggregates - Phase 2, was published in July 1999. This confirmed that there are significant environmental costs associated with quarrying which are not covered by existing regulation. The industry was given numerous opportunities to develop proposals of its own which would address these costs as well as, or better than, a tax. A package of proposed voluntary measures, which was to be applied throughout the UK, was submitted by the Quarry Products Association, the industry's main representative body.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it will be making to The Scotland Office on the proposed assisted area status map and whether it will place a copy, and any response, in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
The Scottish Executive maintains regular contact with The Scotland Office on a range of matters affecting the development of the Scottish economy, including the proposals for a new Assisted Areas map. A number of representations were made to The Scotland Office during the consultation period following the 10 April announcement of revised map proposals. Copies of such representations are available on a public file held by The Scotland Office. The Secretary of State will place a copy of the public file in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre for members' convenience. I shall in addition place there, a copy of another public file, including copies of representations received during this period by the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive on what grounds most of Inverness is being excluded from the assisted area status map and what specific representations it will be making to The Scotland Office on this matter.
Answer
I will refer, in answering this question, to the fact that it has also been raised in relation to the areas of Nairn (S1W-6456), Moray (S1W-6457) and Badenoch and Strathspey (S1W-6458) which, along with Inverness, are contained within the Inverness NUTS 3 area.
The Assisted Area map is a reserved matter.
The July 1999 Assisted Areas map proposals put forward the Highlands and Islands NUTS 2 area as a whole, for inclusion on the basis of its population sparsity. However, I understand that the European Commission would not accept this, on the basis the Inverness NUTS 3 area does not on its own meet the sparsity criterion.
