- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 5 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will, as a matter of urgency, consult with all the partnership bodies involved in the Puma Edinburgh Marathon 1999 in order to seek to reverse the decision taken to cancel this year's race.
Answer
No. This is a matter for the organisers and sponsors concerned.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 5 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has submitted or intends to submit a response to the consultation document issued by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFFGEM) on future electricity wholesale trading arrangements in Scotland and whether any such response indicated or will indicate support or opposition to the OFFGEM proposals, including the implications for Scotland of the proposals that (a) supply and generation be separated from distribution and transmission, (b) there should be created a single system operation for Scotland, (c) there should be cuts in price for transporting electricity, (d) there should be wider access to the interconductor between Scotland and England and (e) there should be cuts in the regulated Scottish price for wholesale electricity.
Answer
Although electricity regulation is a reserved matter, the Executive has always kept in close touch with electricity suppliers in Scotland and with the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) as the structure of the energy market responds to changes in the business and regulatory environment.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 5 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to abolish the office of the Water Industry Commissioner and instead reform the Scottish Water and Sewerage Customers Council as a consumer watchdog.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 5 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from business organisations to reassess the calculation of the non-domestic rate poundage for 2000-01 and to ensure the continuation of the uniform business rate throughout the United Kingdom; whether it will give details of such representations; whether any organisations support abandoning the uniform business rate and, if so, to provide details; whether Scotland will have a 10.1% higher non-domestic rate poundage level than in England in 2000-01, and whether it has any plans to reassess this level.
Answer
I received representations from and/or held meetings on the forthcoming revaluation of non-domestic rates, including the issue of the rate poundage, with the Forum of Private Business, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Scottish Council Development and Industry, CBI Scotland, the Scottish Tourism Forum, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Valuation and Rating Council, the Chemical Industries Association, Scottish Financial Enterprise and the Scottish Retail Consortium.
I confirmed the Uniform Scottish Rate Poundage for 2000-01 on 1 March at 45.8p. The poundage in England is to be 41.6p. I explained the effect of this in my previous answer of 28 January (S1W-3768, Written Answers Report Vol 4, No 5). There are no plans to reassess the figure.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 5 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many public meetings the Water Industry Commissioner has held since his appointment and how many he intends to hold.
Answer
The Commissioner has held one public meeting, plus a number of meetings with a range of customer organisations, since his appointment on 1 November.
Once the three Water Industry Consultative Committees are appointed, the Commissioner will hold at least four public meetings with each committee each year. He is also establishing customer panels to provide him with regular input from all groups of customers.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 3 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the commitment given by the Minister for Finance on 9 February 2000 (col. 853), it will reconsider the criteria governing selection of those who are eligible to apply to be members of the water industry consultative committee.
Answer
The Executive is committed to broadening the range of people to be considered for public appointments made by Ministers.Appointments to the Water Industry Consultative Committees are made by the Water Industry Commissioner, rather than by Ministers. The Commissioner makes appointments in light of Guidance issued to him by Ministers. Among other things, the Guidance requires him to take account of the principles governing public appointments laid down by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. It also places some restrictions on the Committees' membership to make it clear that the Committees are independent of the Scottish Executive and the water authorities in advising the Commissioner on the interests of customers. The Executive believes that these restrictions are important in safeguarding the interests of customers.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 3 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the its approval of the increase in salary for the Chief Executive of North of Scotland Water Authority to circa #120,000 and 10% bonus and, if not, why not.
Answer
The exact remuneration packages for the Chief Executives will be a matter for negotiation between the Board of each authority and the successful candidates. The final packages agreed will be subject to Ministerial approval; I have indicated to the authorities what may be considered as an upper limit for their negotiations.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 3 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3734 by Henry McLeish on 27 January 2000, what its estimate is of the number of new businesses created as a result of the measures outlined, for the year from 1 July 1999.
Answer
Published figures from Scottish Enterprise/Committee of Scottish Clearing Banks indicate that during the three month period July-September 1999, a total of 4,412 new businesses were created throughout Scotland. The measures referred to in my earlier answer related to improving public sector support to small business generally. No record is kept of their impact on the creation of new businesses.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 3 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Improving Regulation in Scotland Unit will conduct an audit of each sector of industry as to existing regulations and issue proposals for simplifying, reducing or removing such regulations and, if not, why not.
Answer
A series of seminars is being arranged to enable businesses to present their concerns about the burden of regulation. In the light of feedback from these seminars and issues raised directly with the IRIS unit, the Scottish Executive will consider what further action is appropriate including whether existing legislation and regulations need to be reviewed to create a more positive attitude to risk-taking and entrepreneurship.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 3 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3497 by Mr Jack McConnell on 25 January 2000, whether it will describe, elucidate and specify any instances where Ministerial access has been, or may in future be, granted to papers dated before 1 July 1999, particularly in relation to the Agricultural Business Improvement Schemes, both original and revised, and, if not, why not.
Answer
My answer of 25 January to S1W-3497 outlined the position, and I can, therefore, confirm that pre-1 July 1999 papers relating to the Agricultural Business Improvement Schemes are treated no differently from other pre-1 July papers.
