- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 29 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many workers from EU accession states have been working in Scotland in each month since May 2004.
Answer
This data is not collected bythe Scottish Executive as immigration is a reserved issue.
The information is availablein the Accession Monitoring Report May 2004 – March 2006, an online reportavailable from the Home Office’s Immigration and Nationality Directorate.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 27 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on advertising and editorial coverage in the broadcast and print media in each month from May 1999 to May 2006, broken down by broadcast media outlet and print media title.
Answer
The information requested isnot held centrally by The Scottish Executive, however, our current media buyer,Mediacom, has provided the information from 31 August 2004 to present, at nocost to the Executive. The information requested on spend for the period 1 January 2003 to 31 July 2004 couldonly be obtained at disproportionate cost. The figures prior to 1 January 2003 arenot available.
The information requested isgiven in table title Press and Editorial Coverage. A copy of which is availablein the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39761).
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 27 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23314 by Nicol Stephen on 23 May 2006, what the actual outcomes were in respect of (a) projects completed, (b) jobs created and (c) money invested in each year from 1995-96 to 2004-05.
Answer
Because of the complexnature of projects and the potential burden to business from collecting thisinformation, fully comparable data on the outcomes of all the planned projectslisted in answer to question S2W-23314 are not available.
Every project receiving regionalselective assistance (RSA) or other public sector grants is scrutinised toensure that the agreed grant conditions are achieved. Typically these conditionsinvolve meeting job number and capital investment targets. We retain the rightto claw back grant if the conditions are not met.
Directly monitoring all inwardinvestments would be highly complex and burdensome to businesses. For exampledifficulties arise in attributing job creation to a particular project whencompanies undertake additional investments as part of their normal businesscycle. In addition, the time taken for individual projects to achieve announcedjob numbers means that jobs created each calendar year will result from investmentsover a number of years.
We are working to improvethe statistics available on the contribution of overseas-owned companies to Scotland’s economy. In 2005 the Executive published data for2002, 2003 and 2004 showing overall employment levels and turnover in companieswith overseas ownership.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 27 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23314 by Nicol Stephen on 23 May 2006, what the actual outcomes were in respect of (a) projects completed, (b) jobs created and (c) money invested in each year from 1995-96 to 2004-05, net of the impact of inward investors closing their operations in Scotland in each of those years.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-26235 on 27 June 2006. Allanswers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average reduction in price is for tickets booked under the Aid of Social Character scheme by residents of the Highlands and Islands on each of the eligible routes.
Answer
A 40% reduction on core air faresfor residents eligible under the Air Discount Scheme is available on scheduled airservices between the eligible areas (Orkney, Shetland, Western Isles, Islay andJura, Caithness and north west Sutherland) and to and from Inverness, Aberdeen,Glasgow International and Edinburgh Airports.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25979 by Tavish Scott on 6 June 2006, whether residents of eligible areas of the Highlands and Islands are able to claim a discount under the Aid of Social Character scheme on a flight from an eligible area of the Highlands and Islands to one of the four main Scottish airports if they are flying there for the purposes of connecting to a flight to a further destination.
Answer
The Air Discount Scheme may beused by eligible residents on flights between the eligible areas and to and fromInverness, Aberdeen, Glasgow International and Edinburgh Airports, irrespectiveof the ultimate planned destination.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25977 by Tavish Scott on 6 June 2006, whether it is considering increasing the discount on air fares available to Highlands and Islands' residents from 40% and whether it expects to increase the discount between now and the end of the current scheme in 2008.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has nocurrent plans to increase the discount. The take-up of the Air Discount Scheme will,however, be monitored closely.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-25980 by Tavish Scott on 6 June 2006, what measurements it will use to assess the effectiveness of the Aid of Social Character scheme to determine whether it will be extended beyond 2008 and whether the assessment will also include an assessment of the benefits that would have accrued through the use of public service obligations on the same routes over the same period.
Answer
The Air Discount Scheme willbe assessed on the basis of its effectiveness in delivering the benefits of lowerair fares to residents of the eligible areas in the Highlands andIslands. The primary objective of the scheme is to facilitate greater social inclusionin the most peripheral areas of the Highlands and Islands through affordable accessto air services to the main economic and administrative centres of Scotland.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 09 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive why residents of the Highlands and Islands are not able to use online booking systems to book flights under the Aid of Social Character scheme and whether it is aware that offline booking fees are incurred by those who wish to use the scheme.
Answer
Online booking is possible forall eligible residents through
www.ba.com/adsand
www.flybmi.com/airdiscountschemewhich facilitate flights with British Airways/Loganair and bmi respectively.
Eastern Airways is expected soonto be in a position to offer online access to flights under the Air Discount Scheme.Highland Airways does not offer an online booking facility.
It is a prerequisite of the AirDiscount Scheme that related businesses are not disadvantaged. Any affiliated travelagent providing a booking facility may, therefore, choose to make a charge for thisservice in accordance with its standard business practice.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 16 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses which are eligible to claim small business rates relief do not pay business rates because their premises are empty.
Answer
The information requested isnot held centrally.
