- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 16 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive why it has chosen Scottish Natural Heritage to provide input and advice as to the boundaries of any proposed National Park area instead of the local residents and Community Councils.
Answer
We have not asked Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to advise instead of local residents and communities on the boundaries of National Parks. We have asked them to consult with these groups and others on identifying and discussing the options for the detailed arrangements for each proposed National Park. This will help to pave the way for the formal consultation in due course after Royal Assent has been achieved.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 16 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will include in its draft National Parks (Scotland) Bill a definition of the aims of the national park proposal to include the individual residents and the communities within the area of a Park and, if not, why not; and why in the draft Bill, the term "area" does not include any specific explicit reference to the individual residents or communities within either sections 1(3) or 30.
Answer
All the comments made on the draft National Parks (Scotland) Bill are currently being considered.We recognise the importance of communities and local residents in the running of the National Parks they live in. The draft Bill sets out the aims of National Parks at section 1(3) and the conditions for a National Park proposal at section 1(2). These encompass the interests of residents and communities, as well as many other interests, without specifying them all by name. Section 30 is for definition of terms and is not the appropriate place for setting out community involvement.
- 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 course or courses in song writing within the tertiary education system and, if so, with whom it will consult regarding establishment and delivery; whether, as part of any such course or courses, advice would be issued to ensure control over all intellectual property rights on songs, and what plans it has to promote song writing and to give prominence to young song writers from Scotland throughout the world.
Answer
There are no plans to do so.
- 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.
- 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: Friday, 25 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 15 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a map of Scotland showing the areas which are subject to some form of nature conservation designation and whether it will state for each local authority area the percentage of the land which is subject to such designation.
Answer
The information you request can be found in Facts and Figures, the companion publication to Scottish Natural Heritage's Annual Report. A copy of the latest version, Facts and Figures 1998/99, is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3711 by Ross Finnie on 27 January 2000, whether it will detail for each of the years mentioned the sums actually taken up from those sums referred to as "offers of financial assistance" and why this information was not provided in response to the original question which asked for it.
Answer
The following table shows the actual take-up of known financial assistance made to the pig industry in Scotland out of the provision made for it during the period 1995-1999. As the table demonstrates there can be a lag between provision and uptake.Financial Assistance paid to the pig industry 1995-99 (£000s)
1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
282 | 61 | 403 | 248 | 428 |
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will estimate the number of farmers and crofters who it anticipates will be sequestrated in each of the next five years and the associated cost to public funds and whether it considers that additional support provided now to farmers and crofters would cost less to public funds in the long term.
Answer
It would be inappropriate for the Scottish Executive to seek to forecast decisions taken by thousands of businessmen and women. These decisions are based on a multitude of factors, most of which are outwith the control of the Executive. The aim of the Executive is to work with the farming industry to help it create a more viable and sustainable future.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 13 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3614 by Ross Finnie on 24 January 2000, whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government and to the National Heritage Memorial Fund that the new opportunities funding available for community land purchase should be extended to allow inclusion of applications by retiring crofters and farmers.
Answer
The Scottish Land Fund which is an initiative established within the Lottery funding channelled through the New Opportunities Fund, and unrelated to the National Heritage Memorial Fund, will complement new land reform legislation by contributing to funding for land purchase by rural communities, in addition to providing funding for feasibility studies and for community land management and development projects and community-based business and management training and support. It is, therefore, not a suitable vehicle for funding retiral schemes. Accordingly I will not be making any proposals for such modifications to the directions to the New Opportunities Fund in respect of the Scottish Land Fund. Directions in respect of initiatives which apply only in Scotland would be a matter for the Scottish Executive, subject to the agreement of Her Majesty's Government.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 13 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3713 by Henry McLeish on 27 January 2000, whether it (a) will publish details of the precise way in which it calculates the number of new businesses created, (b) will explain this process to the Parliament, (c) agrees that the methodology for the calculation should be transparent and clearly understandable, (d) will consult, or has consulted, business representative bodies as to how they calculate the number of new businesses created and (e) will consider how the performance of the Scottish Executive in achieving the targets it has set itself can be assessed, in the event that its methodology is not recognised and acknowledged by business representative groups and the Parliament as valid.
Answer
The recently published Scottish Economic Report, which was laid before the Scottish Parliament in January, provides details of the methods used to calculate new business starts and the business stock. I would be happy to discuss these data with business representative groups.
