- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 7 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18780 by Nicol Stephen on 27 September 2005, which of the 23 integrated guidelines for growth and jobs, produced by the European Commission, it has discussed with the UK Government and what policy and budgetary actions it will take in respect of those guidelines focused on areas of responsibility devolved to Scotland to ensure that Scotland complies with the Lisbon agenda for growth and jobs, broken down by guideline.
Answer
As noted in my answer of 27 September 2005(S2W-18780), the European Commission’s Integrated Guidelines for Growth andJobs (2005-2008) set out a broad package of policy measures for member states.From which, Member States including the UK, have now compiled three-year national reformprogrammes (NRPs). The UK NRP was published on 13 October 2005 and isavailable at the following weblink
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/093/DD/lisbon_jobs131005.pdf.The 23 integrated guidelinesfor growth and jobs relate to guidanceon macroeconomic, microeconomic and employment issues. Many of the EUintegrated guidelines had already been implemented in the UK and Scotland.The UK Government invited consultation on all areas of the NRP. As the UK positionon economic reform is consistent with that of the Executive our input was basedlargely around the Executive’s Economic Development Strategy The Frameworkfor Economic Development Scotland (FEDS) and the Executive’s EnterpriseStrategy A Smart Successful Scotland (SSS), which cover most of theintegrated guidelines.
Full details of thecomposition of planned public expenditure in Scotland for the years2005-06 to 2007-08 are contained in the 2004 Spending Review publication Buildinga Better Scotland: Spending Proposals 2005-2008: Enterprise, Opportunity,Fairness. This is available at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/enterprise/babs.pdf.Within this publicationthere is also a specific section outlining how Executive expenditure contributesspecifically to growing the economy in Scotland.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 7 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-18774 and S2W-18775 by Nicol Stephen on 27 September 2005, whether, in answering the questions in this manner, the Executive has determined that there is no benefit to Scotland from engagement with the Lisbon agenda for growth and jobs; if so, on what indicators it based that decision, and, if not, what benefits it has determined are available to Scotland under the agenda for growth and jobs.
Answer
The Lisbonagenda for growth and jobs is very important for Scotland. My replies toS2W-18774 and S2W-18775 of 27 September 2005 set out the clear overlap betweenthe Lisbon agenda for growth and jobs and the Executive’s economic priorities,as set out in our long-term economic strategy
The Framework for EconomicDevelopment in Scotland and the Executive’s Enterprise strategy
A Smart,Successful Scotland (SSS).
The Executive welcomes there-alignment of the Lisbon agenda towards growth and jobs and the clear overlapwith existing Executive policies and targets. With regard to engagement of Lisbon, Scotlandbenefits through participation, by the Executive offices in Brussels, inthe various regional networks relating to Lisbon which set out to foster shared learning anddisseminate best practise in terms of delivering and meeting the Lisbonobjectives. Finally, the Executive is committed to delivering jobs and growthfor Scotland and in doing so creating a more dynamic, innovativeand knowledge based economy.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 7 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive which stakeholders in Scotland it has consulted regarding its submission to the UK Government's consultation on a national reform programme for growth and jobs.
Answer
The UKgovernment, in preparation of its national reform programme (NRP), held an openstakeholder dialogue from 8 July to the 12 August 2005,inviting comments and input from all stakeholders across the United Kingdomon the proposals for structural economic reform. Responses were received fromthe private, public and voluntary sectors.
The Executive’s input to theUK NRP consultation was based around our long-termeconomic strategy The Framework for Economic Development in Scotland andthe Executive’s Enterprise strategy A Smart, Successful Scotland (SSS).We did not consult further on these documents as both had been informedpreviously through discussion with stakeholders and through regularconsultation with the Scottish Parliament and Parliamentary committees.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 7 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to join the Lisbon Regions network and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.
Answer
The Lisbon Regions Networkis a consortium of regional offices in Brussels who come together periodically to provide workshopsrelating to Lisbon. The structure of this particular Lisbon network,which we are not formally part of, means that we can participate and benefitfully from these workshops without the requirement to become a formal member.
Forexample, the network came together recently for the Committee of the RegionsOpen days in Brussels from 10 to 13 October 2005. This was the third year thatthe Committee of the Regions has run Open Days and part of the conditions ofparticipation are that regions form partnerships to present seminars onregional policy topics. The Scottish Executive lead a group of regions who havetheir offices on Rond Point Schuman in Brussels namely Tuscany, Lazio, Umbria, Marche and Malopolska. Our own contribution at thisparticular meeting was a seminar on benchmarking the ten new member states andwith Malapolska we provided a Scottish-Polish breakfast for Open Daysparticipants.
The Executive, through ouroffices in Brussels, is connected to the various European regionalnetworks that exist.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 7 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the response it submitted to the UK Government's consultation in respect of a national reform programme for growth and jobs has been approved by the Parliament, in light of the EU Presidency conclusions of March 2005 which committed EU member states to draw up national reform programmes geared to meeting the objectives of the Lisbon Strategy following consultation "with all stakeholders at regional and national level, including parliamentary bodies in accordance with each Member State's specific procedures".
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W 18777 on 27 September 2005. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.As noted in that answer,national reform programmes were produced at member state level. As part of thisprocess the UK Government consultedwidely with stakeholders in developing proposals for structural economicreform. This included an open stakeholder dialogue from 8 July to the 12 August 2005,inviting comments and input from all stakeholders across the United Kingdomon the proposals for structural economic reform.
The Executive’s input to theUK NRP consultation was based around our long-termeconomic strategy The Framework for Economic Development in Scotland andthe Executive’s Enterprise strategy A Smart, Successful Scotland (SSS). Wedid not consult further on these documents as both had been informed previouslythrough discussion with stakeholders and through regular consultation with the Scottish Parliament and parliamentary committees.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 7 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to develop the setting of its own targets for meeting each of the revised Lisbon agenda indicators.
Answer
The refocused LisbonStrategy contains only two EU level targets; national expenditure on researchand development (R&D) and the national employment rate (both for 2008 and2010). The Commission recommends R&D investment should be at least 3% ofGDP and that member states should have an employment rate target of 70%. They also recommend a secondary female employmentrate target of 60%.Withregard to these targets, the Executive publishes annually a statistical reportdetailing total public and private sector expenditure on research anddevelopment in Scotland, which includes comparisonsrelative to gross domestic product (GDP), as well as, internationalcomparisons. This is available at the following weblink
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/09/2991205/12064.TheExecutive also has an existing target, as part of the Partnership Agreement andSpending Review 2004, to increase business investment in research anddevelopment in Scotland relative to our OECDcompetitors. This target is also monitored as part of the measurement ofprogress toward Smart Successful Scotland (SSS), which is available at thefollowing weblink:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/enterprise/MP%20Report%202004.pdf.Withregard to the employment rate target Scotland currently exceeds the Lisbon 2010 target and has anemployment rate which is among the highest in the European Union. Scotland is also significantly above the EU female employment ratetarget. The Executive does not have a formal employment rate target but has arange of policies in this area with regard to increasing employability.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 4 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure an increase in the supply of socially rented housing in remote and rural areas.
Answer
The Executive recognises thevital part affordable housing has to play in ensuring the sustainability of communitiesin remote and rural areas. That is why we have made a significant increase in thelevel of investment in rural housing and are developing innovative ways to increaseprovision in rural areas.
In 2005-06 nearly £97 millionof investment will be allocated to rural areas, almost 30% of the capital programmefor housing investment. This is targeted at pressured areas facing severe shortagesand also at maintaining viable communities in more remote areas. Funding by the Executive through Communities Scotlandhas risen by 44% in the Highlands and Islands area from £37.7 million in 2004-05 to £54.4 million in2005-06. Within Highlands and Islands, funding for social rented accommodation accounts for70% of the budget.
The Executive has negotiatedan agreement with Forestry Commission Scotland to enable the preferential releaseof surplus forestry land to Registered Social Landlords for affordable housing.There are currently 20 sites in Scotland involved in the scheme. In February this year, the Executiveapproved over £3 million for an innovative pilot land banking fund for the Highlands to secureland for affordable housing. We have also recently announced a willingness to releaseland for affordable housing from Scottish Ministers’ Estates, 99% of which is croftingland. The full extent of our policies to release land for affordable housing isset out in the Executive’s housing policy statement Homes for Scotland’s People published in March thisyear. A copy is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib.number 35778).
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 4 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has conducted, or will conduct, into the likely impact on the availability of affordable housing in remote and rural areas of new tax rules which allow property to be placed in pension funds, in light of the research published by Communities Scotland, The impact of second and holiday homes on rural communities in Scotland.
Answer
The new pension rules being introducedfrom April 2006 are reserved to the UK Government. Its Regulatory Impact Assessmentconcluded that it was unlikely that there will be a significant inflow of pensioncapital to the residential property market when the changes to pension rules areintroduced in 2006.
The Executive has no plans toconduct any specific studies into the likely impact of the new rules on the availabilityof affordable housing in remote and rural areas. The implementation and outcomeof the new tax rules will, however, be monitored. Should there be evidence of thesechanges having a negative impact on the Scottish housing market, in the Highlands andIslands or elsewhere, the Executive has undertaken to raise any concerns with theUK Government.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 4 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the research published by Communities Scotland, The impact of second and holiday homes on rural communities in Scotland, it will urge HM Treasury to reconsider the implementation of new tax rules on 1 April 2006 which would allow second homes to be placed in pension funds.
Answer
One of the conclusions of therecent research was that specific policiesto control second homes would not address the broader housing pressures on ruralcommunities.
The new pension rules being introducedfrom April 2006 are reserved to the UK Government. Should there be any evidence of the new arrangements havinga negative impact on the Scottish housing market, in the Highlands and Islands oranywhere else, the Executive will raise any concerns with the UK Government.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 4 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has carried out of the demand for housing in remote and rural areas and the different types of demand, for example for second homes, key workers, socially rented accommodation and family accommodation.
Answer
The Scottish Executive’s comprehensivereview of affordable housing in 2003-04 provided a clear picture of housing supplyand need across Scotland in both urban and rural areas. The review directly informedthe wide range of actions we are now taking on a broad front to improve housingsupply and affordability in the market and to increase provision of affordable housing.
At the local level, the LocalHousing Strategies prepared by local authorities identify local levels of need foraffordable rented accommodation and low cost home ownership options, both of whichcan help to address the needs of local people and families.
In relation to second homes,Communities Scotland has carried out research into the impact of second and holidayhomes across Scotland, to determine whether such activity is pricing localresidents out of the housing market in remote and rural areas. This will be publishedshortly and a copy will be available in the Scottish Parliament InformationCentre. Additionally, Communities Scotland is currently conducting research thatis examining the relationship between affordable housing supply and the labour market.This work should pick up whether there are any particular issues facing key workersin rural areas. Communities Scotland is looking to publish this research early nextyear.
