Questions and answers

Question reference: S2W-16557

Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 26 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking in support of migrant workers working in Scotland on contracts of less than one year being able to open accounts with Scottish banks.

The Scottish Executive is aware that a small number of migrant workers have experienced difficulty when trying to open a bank account in Scotland due to a lack of identification. The issue was discussed with industry organisations at a meeting of the Small Business Consultative Group. Executive officials then met with the Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers (CSCB) to discuss the issue who advised that in the first instance the individuals affected should contact the complaints department of the bank concerned. If necessary, the CSCB has offered to facilitate discussion of any on-going difficulties.

Question reference: S2W-16431

Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 26 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the (a) UK Government and (b) European Commission regarding the use of state aid for shipbuilding in (a) Scotland and (b) other European countries and what the outcome was of such discussions.

Scottish Executive ministers and officials are in regular contact with UK counterparts on matters affecting shipbuilding, including state aid. Scottish ministers maintain an on-going dialogue with the relevant UK Ministers to discuss all issues affecting the shipbuilding industry. Officials represent and promote Scottish interests on the DTI UK Shipbuilding Forum and its sub-groups. In these meetings, and through the on-going regular interfaces, the question of State aids to shipbuilders is addressed both EU wide and domestically, the latter within the context of the MOD Defence Industrial Strategy and the existing state aid frameworks. Scottish ministers do have regular meetings with their counterparts in the European Commission to discuss a range of issues including state aids.

As such discussions are general, and on-going, it is not possible to list the outcomes.

Question reference: S2W-16451

Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 26 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-16268 by Mr Tom McCabe on 11 May 2005, what the specific date is on which the Fresh Talent Working in Scotland Scheme will be launched and, if it is not aware of the specific date, when it expects to be and why this information was not provided in the answer to question S2W-16268.

Question reference: S2W-16422

Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how much state aid has been made available to Ferguson's Shipbuilders Ltd in each year since 1999, showing what the aid was for in each case.

Since 1999 Ferguson shipbuilders has been in receipt of a total of £4,338,508 assistance from the Shipbuilding Intervention Fund administered by the DTI. HM Customs and Excise also provided assistance at 2% of contract value under the shipbuilder’s relief fund during this period. A further £92,946.80 direct grant state aid came from Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire and Inverclyde council, plus the company benefited from national training programmes support for initiatives started prior to 1999. Other than the Shipbuilding Intervention Fund and Shipbuilders Relief Assistance, all of this aid has been in support of training delivery including manual skills, safety, quality and change management programmes. Support has been as follows:

Shipbuilding Intervention Fund

1999 - £1,597,802

2000 - £1,274,304

2001 - £1,266,790

2002 - £132,922

2003 - £66,690

SE Renfrewshire:

1999 - £8,000

2000 - NIL

2001 - £23,095

2002 - £5,580

2003 - £34,373.7

2004 - £7,000

2005 - £3,648.1

Inverclyde council:

2000 - £3,250

2001 - £3,000

2003 - £5,000 (not yet drawn)

A total £147,316 has been also been provided through assistance to training providers for four-year national training programmes with start dates from 1996 to 2000. The benefits from these programmes have been seen by Ferguson beyond 1999. Information on annual support supplied to national training programmes is not held centrally by Scottish Enterprise - although some programmes are currently still in progress. It is therefore not possible to provide an annual breakdown of this total of £147,316.

Question reference: S2W-16428

Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all successful applications for, or notifications of, European Commission state aid showing the amount of aid received and the reason for the application or notification in each case, in each year since 1999.

Since 1999, the following Scottish state aid notifications have been approved by the European Commission. The Commission does not provide the funding. Its role is to ensure that state aid awarded by member states complies with EU state aid rules. We do not maintain central records of expenditure under each approved notification.

Approved Scottish State Aid Notifications Since 1999

Notification Ref:	Title	Reason
N507/1999	Angus Fisheries Aid Programme	To provide financial help for small scale projects in support of the fishing sector (approved to run until the end of 1999).
N179/2000	Aid for salmon farms affected by the ISA disease	To assist ISA-affected salmon farming businesses to return to the trading position they held prior to the outbreak of the disease.
N480/2000	Motorola	Investment aid for the construction of a new plant.
N490/2000	The Fisheries and Aquaculture Structures (Grants) (Scotland) Regulations 2001	To provide the requisite member state contributions to trigger grant awards/payments under the EU’s Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance programmes in Scotland over the period 2000-08.
N 576/2000	Rural Development Plan (Scotland)	Voluntary schemes Environmentally Sensitive Areas, Countryside Premium Scheme and Rural Stewardship Scheme to conserve and enhance the natural beauty of the countryside, to protect the nature conservation interest and to protect any historic or archaeological features.
N385/2001	R&D scheme for SMEs	To stimulate and support applied research and development by SMEs.
N490/2001	The Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2001	To approve the terms, including the level of payments to successful applicants, under SEERAD’s decommissioning scheme 2001.
N 497/2001	Grants for Owner Occupation	To provide more affordable owner occupation housing in Scotland.
N 527/2001	HIE scheme for Initial Investment and Job Creation	To provide support for productive investment and for job creation linked to investment.
N680/2001	Property Support Scheme	To support the development of premises and buildings for commercial purposes by the private sector.
N213/2002	Project Atlas; Broadband infrastructure scheme for business parks	To provide broadband infrastructure on business parks.
N650/2002	Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise Research & Development Scheme	Assist enterprises to research and develop new innovative products, processes or services with commercial potential; Stimulate innovation and encourage best practice; foster the creation and development of new high-tech start-ups; strengthen the scientific and technological bases of industry; encourage co-operation between enterprises and the research base and help to effect wealth creation from the science base.
N 800/2002	Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) Grants Scheme	Enabling farmers in Scotland to comply with restrictions on the spreading of livestock manures on land within the NVZ: investments in new or improved farm waste storage and handling facilities for livestock waste and silage effluent
NN 37/2003 (ex N 704/2000)	Processing and Marketing Scheme	Assisting in the processing and marketing of quality agricultural products in Scotland: investments, incentives to improve the quality of agricultural products, “start-up” help for producer groups, and technical support.
NN 36/2003 (ex N 292/2001)	Farm Business Development Scheme	Diversification of farm incomes by creating new enterprises or improving existing diversified activities for farmers: investments (in agriculture or out agriculture); technical support.
N 70/2003	Meat Industry Development Scheme	Assisting in the development of the red meat sector in Scotland: technical support, improving the genetic quality of livestock, investments in agricultural holdings, investments for processing and marketing of quality red meat and red meat products, encouraging the production and marketing of quality products, introduction of quality assurance and other quality control systems, producer groups and encouraging young farmers.
N127/2003	The Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2003	To approve the terms, including the level of payments to successful applicants, under SEERAD’s decommissioning scheme 2003.
N155/2003	The Sea Fishing (Transitional Support) (Scotland) (No.2) Scheme	To provide short-term support to help fishermen deal with the reductions in fish catching opportunities consequent to the interim cod recovery measures and to manage the process of catching sector restructuring and rationalisation.
N 230/2003	Meat Quality Advertising Scheme	Advertising the advantages of eating quality red meat and red meat products which comply with quality specifications.
N 231/2003	Generic Meat Advertising Scheme	Generic advertising of red meat products.

N244/2003	Credit union provision of and access to basic financial services	To provide access to financial services via credit unions for individuals who are without basic products and services.
N 363/2003	Farm Business Advice and Skills Service	To encourage business-oriented thinking among farmers and crofters faced with fundamental changes in their market place and industry, and to encourage them to take strategic decisions about the future development of their businesses, leading to financially and environmentally sustainable businesses.
N307/2004	Broadband for Scotland: remote and rural areas	To assist the provision of broadband services to businesses and citizens in remote and rural Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-16430

Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how much European Commission state aid was received and distributed in Scotland in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-16421

Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any applications or notifications have been made to the European Commission regarding the granting of state aid in Scotland under the Framework on State Aid to Shipbuilding (2003/C 317/06) and, if so, what these applications or notifications were for, which Scottish shipyards have received state aid under the framework and how much state aid has been provided to Scottish shipyards under the framework since 2003.

Question reference: S2W-16429

Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all unsuccessful applications for, or notifications of, European Commission state aid showing the amount of aid received and the reason for the application or notification in each case, in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-16349

Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 19 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive which countries are considered to be likely to provide the most applicants to the Fresh Talent initiative and which countries it is targeting in relation to the initiative.

The Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme will allow non European economic area students graduating from a Scottish university or college with a HND, degree, Masters or PhD to stay on and work for up to two years without requiring a work permit. While we are not able to predict the number of applicants under the scheme we are aware that in 2003-04 Scotland received over 28,000 international students from over 200 countries.

Question reference: S2W-16315

Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 May 2005
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will appoint a national Lisbon co-ordinator under the revised Lisbon strategy in line with European Commission guidance and, if so, when it will do so and who the co-ordinator will be.

In line with European Commission guidelines any national co-ordinator will be appointed at Member State level, which is a matter for the UK Government. Scotland will not formally appoint a national Lisbon co-ordinator.

We shall shortly consider ministerial responsibility for monitoring any reforms and progress in Scotland. Any implementation will be Executive-wide under policy frameworks outlined in the Framework for Economic Development in Scotland and A Smart Successful Scotland.

Chamber and committees