- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 11 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote and support guided busways.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has awarded £6.093 million from the Public Transport Fund to City of Edinburgh Council's West of Edinburgh Busways project. This project includes two sections of guided busway.The promotion of guided busways schemes is a matter for individual transport authorities and the Scottish Executive will consider any such proposals alongside other potential public transport improvements.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 10 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that businesses in Edinburgh do not experience recruitment difficulties due to high housing costs.
Answer
We are not aware of any evidence to suggest that higher than average housing costs are causing significant recruitment difficulties for businesses in Edinburgh. Living costs are only one factor which can cause recruitment difficulties. Skills shortages can also have a significant impact.Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian works in partnership with the business community to support the continued supply of skilled labour to meet company growth plans. This ranges from programmes of graduate recruitment and retention, to harnessing the potential of people currently outwith the labour market. Linking these people to known areas of demand from the private sector is a core task of programmes such as New Deal and Skillseekers.Communities Scotland offer a range of low cost home ownership schemes which provides affordable opportunities in owner occupation to meet local needs. In addition to this the City of Edinburgh Council have adopted an Affordable Housing Policy which proposes that a proportion of new homes within major development sites will be affordable.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 10 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty's Government to seek an allocation for spending on transport initiatives in Scotland from the sale of registration plates and numbers and, if so, whether any allocations have been made and for what amounts.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 10 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children left school in the City of Edinburgh area with literacy or numeracy problems in each year since 1997.
Answer
There is no standard definition of "literacy and numeracy problems". Information on those leaving publicly funded schools in the City of Edinburgh who had not attained Standard Grade Mathematics and Standard Grade English in academic sessions 1997-98 and 1998-99 is set out in the following table. Data relating to 1999-2000 and 2000-01 are not yet available.
Year | Total number of leavers | Percentage not attaining Standard Grade Mathematics | Percentage not attaining Standard Grade English |
1997-98 | 3,388 | 10% | 10% |
1998-99 | 3,408 | 11% | 10% |
Note: These figures do not include pupils who left school with only GCSE and/or A level qualifications, as attainment data from these examinations are not held by the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 10 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it and VisitScotland have given to the effect on tourism and the economy of the level of landing charges on air links to and from Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with VisitScotland about a wide range of matters including the effect of air transport on tourism and the economy.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 10 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children left school in the City of Edinburgh area with no qualifications in each year since 1997.
Answer
The information requested is set out in the following table.
| | Leavers from Publicly Funded Schools | Leavers from Independent Schools | All School Leavers |
1997-98 | 132 | 12 | 144 |
1998-99 | 151 | 19 | 170 |
It should be noted that included within these figures are any pupils who leave school with only GCSE and/or A level qualifications. Statistics on the attainment in these examinations is not held by the Scottish Executive. Data relating to 1999-2000 are not yet available.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 10 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made, or plans to make, to the British Airports Authority and Scottish Airports Ltd regarding the economic impact of the level of landing charges at Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow Airports.
Answer
The Scottish Executive and its agencies, Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland, are in regular contact with Scottish Airports Ltd about a wide range of matters on the importance of transport for economic development.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 9 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government regarding a proposal by Consignia to end second post deliveries.
Answer
Consignia and postal services are reserved matters. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues including matters relating to Consignia.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to prepare for the possible introduction of the euro and what assistance or advice is being made available to businesses to help them prepare for a possible introduction.
Answer
The euro currency was introduced as a formal retailing currency in 12 countries on 1 January 2002. The legacy currencies of each country will be withdrawn from circulation by no later than the end of February 2002.Scotland Europa, in conjunction with HM Treasury, is implementing a detailed programme, including workshops, conferences, publications and a telephone hotline to provide advice to Scottish businesses and raise awareness of the need to make appropriate preparations for the introduction of the currency.UK membership of the single currency is a reserved issue. The Chancellor of the Exchequer set out the government's policy on membership to the House of Commons in October 1997, which was restated by the Prime Minister in a statement to the House in February 1999.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 7 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking, or intends to take, to improve air links with Brussels following the collapse of Sabena.
Answer
The Scottish Executive, in partnership with the Enterprise Networks, VisitScotland and the airport operators, continues to encourage the development of commercial and cost effective air services from Scotland to Brussels and other destinations for the benefit of the travelling public and the Scottish economy. There are currently daily services operated by BMI and British European between Edinburgh and Brussels, and daily services operated by Ryanair between Prestwick and Brussels (Charleroi).
