- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the concessionary travel scheme for pensioners and disabled island residents to include air travel as well as travel by Caledonian Macbrayne ferries, in light of the proposed introduction of aid of a social character to assist with the cost of flights to the islands.
Answer
The Scotland-wide free bus schemewill fully deliver the Partnership Agreement commitment on national concessionarytravel for older and disabled people. There are no current plans to extend the schemeto other forms of public transport. The aid of a social character scheme, whichI announced on 13 February 2006 and which offers eligible residents reductions on internalair fares within Scotland, applies only to air travel.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 15 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates have been made of the potential impact on the local economy of the highlands and islands if public service obligations incorporating reduced fares were introduced on flights to the highlands and islands from Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness
Answer
A study carried out on behalfof HITRANS by the transport consultants Steer Davies Gleave in June 2004 estimatedthat the Net Present Value (NPV) over a 30-year period of the economic benefitsof a blanket imposition of Public Service Obligations (PSOs) across air routes inthe Highlands and Islands, together with HITRANS’ suggested enhancement for theair services, was £400 million (1998 prices).
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 14 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of its block grant under each previous settlement was received as a consequence of EU funding allocations to HM Treasury, broken down by settlement.
Answer
HM Treasury does not receive EU funding allocations. EU funding is received by UK Departments to fund European Structural Funds as well as a number of other EU programmes. The level of EU funding to European Structural Funds programmes allocable to the UK is agreed with other member states. The amount of EU funds received by UK Departments to fund European Structural Funds programmes reduces the UK rebate on a “pound for pound” basis. Scotland’s allocation in each Spending Review is determined in line with the process set out in the relevant Statement of Funding Policy.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 14 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the advice the UK National Statistician and Registrar General has been followed since he wrote on 29 September 2004 to the Chief Statistician in relation to the National Statistics status of Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland (GERS) stating that the Executive "will of course want to ensure that the limitations of the data and the assumptions are made available to inform users, and that guidance is provided about what GERS should and should not be used for.".
Answer
The Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative has been both successful and popular to the point where demand was so high that the Executive provided additional funding to its existing budget last year. However, in order for the scheme to continue to be successful and effectively focused, it needs to evolve. That is why we have had the independent review conducted. We are currently considering the results of the review and an announcement will be made shortly.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 13 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions it has not referred to the UK National Statistician and Registrar Generals caveats contained in his letter of 29 September 2004 to the Chief Statistician when discussing, debating or writing about Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland.
Answer
The GovernmentExpenditure and Revenue in Scotland publication discusses in detail possiblecaveats to the analysis. When discussing, debating or writing about GovernmentExpenditure and Revenue in Scotland these caveats are mentioned whenappropriate.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 13 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what its understanding is in respect of what Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland data “should and should not be used for”, as referred to by the UK National Statistician and Registrar General in his letter of 29 September 2004 to the Chief Statistician.
Answer
Government Expenditureand Revenue in Scotland provides estimates of public sector flows ofexpenditure and revenue for Scotland on the basis of the national accounting standardsused by the UK. It aims to enhance public understanding of fiscalissues in Scotland.
The figures are estimatesthat are based on data from various sources and on a number of reasonedassumptions. As always with statistical products, users must accept thatassumptions, data and results are subject to variation and figures may berevised as methodology and data sources develop.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 13 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent the advice the UK National Statistician and Registrar General has been followed since he wrote on 29 September 2004 to the Chief Statistician in relation to the National Statistics status of Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland (GERS) stating that the Executive “will of course want to ensure that the limitations of the data and the assumptions are made available to inform users, and that guidance is provided about what GERS should and should not be used for”
Answer
The
GovernmentExpenditure and Revenue in Scotland publication includes detailedinformation on the limitations of the data, the assumptions for the estimates,and its proper uses. The publication can be accessed using the following link:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/12/12113803/38034.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 13 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that the caveats referred to by the UK National Statistician and Registrar General in his letter of 29 September 2004 to the Chief Statistician will be communicated to users of Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland data.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-23226 on 13 March 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can befound 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: Wednesday, 15 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 13 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that users of Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland (GERS) data pass on in turn the caveats referred to by the UK National Statistician and Registrar General in respect of the “limitations of the data and the assumptions” and guidance about “what GERS should and should not be used for”
Answer
The GovernmentExpenditure and Revenue in Scotland publication sets out information onmethodologies, data sources, assumptions and limitations of the analysis andthus provides users with the necessary information on the caveats andappropriate uses. In doing so, it ensures that the principles laid down in theNational Statistics Code of Practice and Protocols are satisfied.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 13 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional financial support is made available to the Highland Council as a result of the number of rural primary schools for which it is responsible.
Answer
Highland Council receivesadditional support of £4.755 million in 2005-06 as a result of a redistributionof the Primary School Teaching Staff Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) allocationwhich is based on the 18% of Highland pupils who are educated in small schoolsi.e. where the pupil roll is 70 or less. In 2006‑07 and 2007-08, thisredistribution reallocates £5.442 million and £5.555 million respectively,based on a percentage of 17.2%. Any current or future changes to thispercentage will not now be made until the next Spending Review, currentlyscheduled for 2007.
TheseGAE allocations are neither budgets nor spending targets. They are a componentof the more complex local government funding formula which is used to calculatea single revenue grant figure for each council. It is then a matter for eachindividual council to decide how best to deploy these resources based on localneeds and priorities.
In addition, the Executive’sGaelic Specific Grant and an element of the National Priorities Action Fundrelating to the Executive’s commitment to having 53,000 additional teachers by2007 may have some bearing on financial support of rural schools.