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.

The Scottish Executive recognise that all three of these companies are important employers in Scotland. While the Executive has been noting developments there are no detailed figures available at this stage on what the possible consequences of any merger would be for employment in Scotland.

The Units of Teaching Resource are determined by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and are published in their Circular series each March. The information requested is included in the Funded Subject Group: Humanities, Languages & Mass Communication and is given in the table.

1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01
£3,444	£3,513	£3,698	£3,777	£3,834

The Scottish Executive has not commissioned such a report. The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council published a report it commissioned from JM Consulting on the costs of provision in higher education on its website on 19 December 2000 as part of its consultation on its Review of Teaching Funding.

To the end of December 2000 a total of 34,361 applications from Scotland for an Individual Learning Account (ILA) have been received, of which 34,192 have been granted.Details of the method by which ILA holders pay their individual contribution to the cost of their learning are not collected.

A range of data is being collected to enable us to assess over time the use made of Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs) and the key characteristics of ILA holders, including age group, gender, occupation, area of residence and type, subject and level of learning undertaken.The data will reflect both the universal character of the scheme and its promotion, in particular, to the socially excluded and those in SMEs. Key statistics will be provided to the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee during the review of the operation of the scheme in the autumn.

Nicol Stephen, when Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, met the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 13 July 2000 to discuss shipbuilding matters. I have recently had meetings with Patricia Hewitt, Minister of State at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to discuss digital issues and with Helen Liddell when Minister of State at DTI to discuss energy matters. I plan to see The Secretary of State shortly.

The Scottish Executive has not made an estimate of the effects of tobacco smuggling on the Scottish economy. Tobacco taxation is reserved to Westminster. However, data on the effects at the UK level of tobacco smuggling are available from Customs and Excise. Customs and Excise data show that for 1999 all forms of tobacco smuggling cost the UK Exchequer £2.5 billion in forgone tax revenues.

Most, although not all, of the work covered by the current tendering process is re-tendered.Until 1996 the majority of maintenance operations on trunk roads were managed and undertaken by local authorities. In 1995 competitions were held leading to the award of contracts in 1996 for three Operating Companies responsible for this work across the Central Belt of Scotland and five Managing Agents covering the management of the network over the rest of the country. The Managing Agent contracts were re-tendered in 1998 to provide this service over the period 1999-2001.

The tourism marketing organisations have flexibility to meet emerging, new priorities within the budgets available to them. No additional funding is being made available specifically for this purpose.