- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the growth in investment has been in each year since 1999, expressed as a percentage.
Answer
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produce figures on Gross Fixed Capital Formation as part of their Regional Accounts. The latest available figures for Scotland relate to 2000 and are available at the following website
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=7359. However, ONS are currently reviewing their methodology, and expect to publish new and revised figures for Gross Fixed Capital Formation in December 2005.
Gross Fixed Capital Formation can be described mainly as the acquisition, less disposals of new or existing fixed assets.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the growth rate for the economy has been in each year since 1999.
Answer
The following table details the annual growth rates of Scotland’s Gross Value Added (also referred to as Gross Domestic Product at basic prices) between 1999 and 2004. Scottish Gross Value added is calculated in constant prices thereby removing the effect of inflation.
Table 1: Scottish constant price Gross Value Added: annual growth rates, 1999-2004
| Year | Growth Rate |
| 1999 | 2.0% |
| 2000 | 2.1% |
| 2001 | 1.9% |
| 2002 | 1.1% |
| 2003 | 1.9% |
| 2004 | 1.9% |
Source: Scottish Executive: Quarterly GDP index.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the productivity levels have been in each year since 1999.
Answer
Whole economy productivity is measured by calculating the output generated per worker in the economy. The following table reports Scotland's Productivity performance indexed to 1999, which is derived from data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Productivity Series.
| | Scotland |
| 1999 | 100.0 |
| 2000 | 102.6 |
| 2001 | 101.0 |
| 2002 | 102.4 |
| 2003 | 104.6 |
Source: ONS Productivity Series 1st Quarter 2005 http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/prod0705.pdf.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 September 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 21 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what concessionary fares are available for air travel to the Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland and other Scottish islands from the mainland by residents of these islands and which groups of people are eligible for such concessions.
Answer
There are no concessionary air travel fares available to residents of Scottish Islands between the islands and the mainland under the current local authority concessionary schemes.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 15 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific alternative models to the tender of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services it discussed with the European Commissioner for Transport on 18 July 2005.
Answer
Discussions between member states and the Commission are private and inform internal discussion and advice. Such communications are not normally made public and are exempt from disclosure under section 32(1)(a)(ii) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
The Scottish Executive considered a number of proposals for alternatives to tendering, some of which were put forward by other parties. These alternatives are set out in the document Clyde And Hebrides Lifeline Ferry Services - Scottish Executive’s Consideration Of The Requirement To Tender which was published on 12 September 2005.
As stated in Parliament these have all been discussed with the European Commission.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 15 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the establishment of an independent task force to examine the future of Clyde and Hebrides ferry services and, if so, what decision was reached.
Answer
The Executive’s consideration of the requirement to tender the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services is set out in the document
Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services:
Scottish Executive’s Consideration of the Requirement to Tender which was published on 12 September 2005. This issue was debated in the Scottish Parliament on 14 September 2005.
The Executive is clear that the best way to protect the vital lifeline Clyde and Hebrides ferry services in line with Scottish ministers policy objectives and to meet the requirements of EU rules is to tender a Public Service Contract for the network of services currently operated by CalMac. The Executive does not consider it appropriate to establish a task force to review that decision.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it now accepts, in light of the European Commission's Decision of 15 July 2005 on the application of Article 86(2) of the EC Treaty on State aid in the form of public service compensation granted to "undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest", that a case could be made that the European Court of Justice Altmark ruling applies to areas covered by the maritime cabotage regulations.
Answer
I refer the member to the question S2W-18551 answered on 8 September 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, 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: Thursday, 18 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned an independent legal opinion on the potential impact of the European Commission's Decision of 15 July 2005 on the application of Article 86(2) of the EC Treaty on State aid in the form of public service compensation granted to "undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest" on the need to tender Clyde and Hebrides ferry services and, if not, what plans it has to commission an independent legal opinion.
Answer
The Executive has not commissioned independent legal advice on the effect of the European Commission’s Decision on Services of General Economic Interest in relation to the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services and has no plans to do so.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what communication it has had with the European Commission regarding the application of Article 86(2) of the EC Treaty on State aid in the form of public service compensation prior to the publication of the Commission's Decision of 15 July 2005, and whether any such communication referred to (a) the European Court of Justice ruling on Altmark, (b) Caledonian MacBrayne or (c) Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.
Answer
The European Commission first consulted member states in 2002 on proposals for the “Decision on the application of Article 86(2) of the Treaty on State aid in the form of public sector compensation granted to certain undertakings entrusted with the operation of services of general economic interest”. The Executive contributed to the UK position at that time and continued to do so as the proposals were developed and finalised.
Communications between member states and the Commission are private and inform internal discussion and advice. Such communications are not normally made public and are exempt from disclosure under section 32(1)(a)(ii) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 September 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any complaints made to the European Commission by companies outside the United Kingdom or other European member states regarding the provision of ferry services in the Clyde and Hebrides areas and, if so, when the Executive was informed of these complaints.
Answer
The Scottish Executive understands that complaints have been made to the European Commission but has not been informed of the content of those complaints or of the identify or nationality of the complainants.
