- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 1 March 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many times ministers have met with the Office of Telecommunications (OFTEL) since July 1999 to discuss developments in digital technologies and communications; who attended any such meetings; what matters were discussed, and specifically whether the establishment of an OFTEL office in Scotland to oversee and monitor such developments was discussed.
Answer
Telecommunications regulation is reserved. The Scottish Executive holds discussions with UK Departments and other organisations, including OFTEL, as necessary.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 28 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was provided by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council for research and development in each year since 1995.
Answer
The allocations are:
1995-96: £102 million
1996-97: £104 million
1997-98: £109 million
1998-99: £120 million
1999-2000: £129 million
2000-01: £136 million
It should be noted that these figures: relate to the budget in each academic year; exclude smaller non-formula initiatives during the period; and relate to funding for research infrastructure, as SHEFC does not provide funding for "development".
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 28 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will specify a minimum megabyte capacity for telecommunications infrastructure in new residential buildings and, if so, what this capacity will be.
Answer
Building regulations are the main mechanism for specifying standards for new buildings. There is no requirement within the building regulations for telecommunications provision and we have no plans, at present, to introduce any minimum standard.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 28 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the sources of funding from the European Union which are available for telecommunications infrastructure.
Answer
European Structural Funding for telecommunications infrastructure is available mainly in the Highlands & Islands under the Special Transitional Programme. For 2000 to 2006, around £5.7 million is available for direct support for broadband network extension and a further £2.5 million to stimulate demand through encouraging business and community use. This European Funding together with local national funding will require to draw in additional private funding toward the total cost of activities.Under Objective 2 Programmes, limited support is available for SMEs to connect to existing infrastructure only where such infrastructure provision is made available by other bodies.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 28 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the loss to the economy through the smuggling of fuel into Scotland and whether it has made any assessment of the extent of such smuggling in order to arrive at such an estimate.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no functions in relation to the smuggling of fuel.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 28 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many prosecutions for the smuggling of fuel there were in each year since 1997 and what sentences were imposed in relation to any convictions in such cases.
Answer
Cases of smuggling are not broken down for recording purposes according to the nature of the contraband and the information is consequently not available.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 28 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what European Union grants for the telecommunications network have been accessed since May 1997 and whether it will detail the amount of each grant and the purpose of each project.
Answer
Since May 1997, European Structural Fund grants have been accessed towards funding the following projects.Highlands & Islands Mobile Telecommunications Network
Total Costs: £15,040,000ERDF Award: £3,800,000
To complete the GSM digital mobile telephony infrastructure in the Highlands and Islands and involves substantial investment in radio transmission sites and associated equipment.Highlands & Islands Digital Telecommunications UpgradeTotal Costs: £4,870,000ERDF Award: £1,704,500To allow upgrading of all remaining UXD5 fixed network telephone exchanges (197) and all remaining analogue transmission lines in the Highlands and Islands to full digital operation. This completes the fixed digital network telecommunication infrastructure.Trunk Telecommunications Upgrade to Islands & ArgyllTotal Costs: £9,817,460ERDF Award: £2,774,000To enable Scottish Telecom to upgrade the trunk telecommunications network to provide a high capacity supply to peripheral parts of the Highlands and Islands. Entails the installation of enhanced microwave and fibre trunk links between Inverness and remote parts of the mainland and new microwave links to the island groups.Crichton IT Link Total Costs: £1,575,166ERDF Award: £350,317 To provide a high bandwidth communications link using fibre optic technology between the Crichton Campus in Dumfries and suppliers network in Glasgow allowing users access to a range, level and quality of communications services not previously available in Dumfries and Galloway.Building a 21 st Century EconomyTotal Costs: £2,400,400ERDF Award: £350,400To link SMEs in Govan to high speed telecommunications infrastructure.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 26 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children attended the nursery facilities at Victoria Quay in each month since January 1997.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not require the contractor to provide monthly attendance details. We do however hold information on occupancy rates. This information is retained centrally for only six months. The occupancy rates are as follows:August 2000 - 74.4%September 2000 - 75.5%October 2000 - 78.0%November 2000 - 80.8%December 2000 - 80.8%January 2001 - 80.8%The February 2001 figures are not yet available.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 26 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the contract for running the nursery facilities at Victoria Quay has recently been out to tender; if so, why; which companies were invited to tender, and which companies lodged tenders.
Answer
The current contract for the provision of nursery services at Victoria Quay expires on 28 February 2001. Advertisements were placed in Nursery World and Government Opportunities on 9 June 2000 calling for expressions of interest in tendering for the requirement. 11 expressions of interest were received. 11 Invitations to Tender were issued and six completed tenders were received.Following detailed evaluation the new contract has been awarded to Kinderquest. It would be inappropriate to disclose which companies tendered but were not successful in winning the contract. Debriefs were offered to the unsuccessful tenderers.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 26 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what public money has been expended on the City of Edinburgh Rapid Transit project in addition to the transport challenge fund project allocations in 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000 and whether it will provide a detailed breakdown of these costs.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's expenditure on the City of Edinburgh Rapid Transit (CERT) project is limited to the Transport Challenge Fund allocation to City of Edinburgh Council and the public local enquiry costs referred to in my answer to question S1W-12851. Any further expenditure on CERT is a matter for City of Edinburgh Council.
