Chamber and committees

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.

The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues including taxation and tourism. No assessment has been made on the possible effect on tourism as a result of reducing the rate of VAT paid by youth hostels.

Through the services of Scottish Trade International and Scottish Enterprise, the Scottish Executive has provided direct support to companies, as well as promoting the Scottish oil and gas industry sector, at international trade fairs in the UK and throughout the world. A list of the STI/SEn supported oil and gas trade shows, for the last three years, is below.1998Offshore Technology Conference Houston, USOffshore Northern Seas Stavanger, NorwayRio Oil & Gas Rio de Janeiro, BrazilOffshore South East Asia Singapore1999Australasian Oil & Gas Perth, AustraliaOffshore Technology Conference Houston, USArgentina Oil & Gas Buenos Aires, ArgentinaOffshore Europe Aberdeen, UK2000Offshore Technology Conference Houston, USNational Petroleum Show Calgary, CanadaOffshore Northern Seas Stavanger, Norway

Rio Oil & Gas Rio de Janeiro, BrazilOffshore South East Asia Singapore

We look to our research base to provide a range of short, medium and long-term economic and social benefits, through research undertaken here, or through the dissemination of knowledge and technology developed elsewhere. As such it is important that we both support existing research excellence and encourage improvements in other areas which may underpin longer-term economic or social objectives.

The Research Assessment process is conducted jointly by the four UK Research Councils as part of their statutory responsibilities. Government Departments and Devolved Administrations have a responsibility for higher education and the funding councils. Neither we nor DfEE, however, become involved in the detail of the exercise. The assessment criteria have been established within a common framework agreed jointly by the UK higher education funding councils after consultation with higher education institutions, subject associations and other interested bodies.

The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council is currently undertaking a review of its policies and methods for funding research. A consultation paper was issued on 18 December, which forms the second stage of the Council's review. The paper describes the funding methods that the Council proposes to introduce from 2002-03 and invites views (by 31 March). The Executive issued a guidance letter to SHEFC last November which asked "the Council to provide appropriate policy advice when the consultation process is complete". I look forward to receiving that advice in light of responses to the consultation.

No information is held centrally on the number of households without access to natural gas. The results of the last Scottish House Condition Survey show that, in 1996, 1.45 million dwellings or 68.5% of the stock had mains gas. Figures are not available by local authority area or parliamentary constituency.

Virtually all of the population of Scotland has access to the electricity grid. However the grid in some remote parts of Scotland is relatively extended and it is not always straightforward for new generation capacity, for example new renewable energy projects, to be connected without costly strengthening. For that reason, we are, with the private sector owners of the electricity grid in Scotland, reviewing its capacity to support more renewable generation capacity in the years ahead.

The designation of Enterprise Zones is a reserved matter. The M74 project is at an early stage, as is consideration for the development of the surrounding areas.

The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) has lead responsibility for arranging UK participation at meetings of OSPAR (the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic). There were 80 meetings in the period 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2000, of which two were ministerial meetings. In addition, there were a number of regional meetings, workshops and inter-sessional working groups. Generally the Scottish Executive is well represented at meetings with either participation within the UK delegation or at the briefing meetings convened in advance by the DETR. The Scottish Executive comments on meeting papers and contributes to the development of a common UK line before OSPAR meetings.During the period in question the Scottish Executive was represented at 28 meetings either as members of the UK delegation or, in some instances, as Chair or Head of Delegation.