- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 13 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the light of its policy on freedom of information, it intends to make representations to Her Majesty's Government to publish all of those Cabinet papers which, under the 30 year rule, have not yet been published and which relate to matters which would now be devolved under the Scotland Act 1998.
Answer
UK Cabinet papers, whether on devolved matters or not, are the property of Her Majesty's Government and their release as public records is a matter for Her Majesty's Government.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 13 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to provide an assessment of the impact on employment in Scotland of the ending of duty free sales within the European Union and whether it intends to seek details of any financial assistance being provided to French companies affected by the abolition of such duty free sales by the French government.
Answer
My Department will monitor this matter closely. I am not aware that any financial assistance has been offered to companies by the French government, for the reason suggested, but if Fergus Ewing has any relevant information I would be glad to consider it.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 12 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to seek evidence from other countries as to the effect which bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship have on tobacco consumption.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has carefully considered the evidence which exists from other countries on the effect of bans on tobacco advertising and sponsorship on tobacco consumption. Such evidence was assessed in the 1992 Department of Health (Economic and Operational Research Division) publication 'Effect of Tobacco Advertising on Tobacco Evidence:A Discussion Document Reviewing The Evidence'. The evidence from countries which had introduced bans indicated a significant effect. In each case, the banning of advertising was followed by a fall in smoking on a scale which could not reasonably be attributed to other anti-smoking measures in operation in these countries such as increased health education and tighter restrictions on sales of tobacco to young people.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 12 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce a ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship.
Answer
The Scottish Executive will lay regulations before the Scottish Parliament introducing a ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship. The terms of the draft regulations are currently subject to UK-wide consultations. Under these proposals, the ban on tobacco advertising would come into force on 10 December this year and tobacco sponsorship in line with EU deadlines outlined in the EU Directive 98/43/EC dated 6 July 1998 The consultation period comes to an end on 13 August and Scottish regulations will be tabled shortly thereafter. A parallel set of regulations covering the rest of the UK will be laid at Westminster on a similar timescale.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by John Home Robertson on 12 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to publish the distribution list used to circulate Scottish Office News Release 0553/99.
Answer
Scottish Office News Release 0553/99 was issued to main media outlets, and also the relevant specialist trade press list on March 8, 1999. As with all news releases, it is available on the Scottish Office website and was available on the Bulletin Board for a week after the date of issue.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce road tolls for the Fort William to Mallaig road, and if so, at what point or points would the toll booth or booths be placed.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer I gave to question (S1W-00218).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to place a toll booth on any single track road, and if it does, whether it will be able to ensure that this will not breach health and safety standards or road traffic regulations.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer I gave to question (S1W-00218).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to provide a list of the members of the Scottish Valuation and Rating Council, and whether it intends to appoint a representative from the Federation of Small Businesses, the Forum of Private Business, and the Chambers of Commerce to the Committee.
Answer
Appointments to the Scottish Valuation and Rating Council are
made on a personal, not a representative basis. The current members are :-
Professor Gordon S Milne, Chairman
Bill Anderson
Michael Barclay
Duncan Chisholm
Ian Coull
John Devine
Christopher Haddow QC
Geoffrey Johnston
Professor Douglas Mair
Bill Neish
Peter Paisley
Thomas Scholes Albert Tait
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 9 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends in future to publish the rate of return received by private sector investors in respect of each contract for a private finance initiative project on which public money is spent.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no plans to publish this information. The rate of return achieved by the private sector will depend on how successful they are in managing risk during the life of a contract. The operators' accounts will be publicly available.I announced on 24 June that the Scottish Executive will make available the annual expenditure commitments associated with Government public-private partnerships, sector by sector. In addition, for future projects Full Business Cases will be published, which will show whether projects represent value for money.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 June 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 9 July 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will accept the recommendation of Chantrey Vellacott DFK that the rate of return should be published in all PFI contracts.
Answer
No. I refer Mr Ewing to my reply given to his question (S1W-00261) on 9 July 1999.
