- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 17 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much Proof of Concept Funding was made available in each of the last three years, broken down by university or other recipient body.
Answer
Proof of Concept Funding was launched in 1999 and the first round of awards was announced in June of this year. The breakdown of awards was:
University of Dundee | 2 projects totalling £477,926 |
University of Edinburgh | 1 project totalling £132,732 |
University of Glasgow | 2 projects totalling £406,052 |
University of Strathclyde | 2 projects totalling £437,769 |
One further project worth £58,200 was a joint bid between the Universities of Edinburgh, Dundee and Glasgow.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 17 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government regarding the promotion of oil exploration and extraction on "fallow field" sites, for which licences have been granted but which have not been developed.
Answer
This is a reserved matter. However, the Scottish Executive is in regular contact with DTI on a wide range of issues relating to petroleum exploration and development on the UKCS and these issues are regularly discussed at Pilot, the successor body to the Oil and Gas Industry Task Force of which I am to be a member.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 17 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Her Majesty's Treasury approval is required to alter the amount of private investment allowed in relation to projects which are eligible for funding from the Proof of Concept Fund and, if so, whether it has made any representations to the Treasury requesting that any current restrictions on such investment be changed.
Answer
Treasury approval is not required to alter the rules of Proof of Concept Funding.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 17 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make funding available to Cruise Scotland and, if so, how much and when, and how it intends to promote tourism through cruise ships.
Answer
No. This is an operational matter for the Scottish Tourist Board.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 16 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was invited to contribute to the decision-making process which set the criteria to be used for the 19th round of licensing for exploration for oil and gas in the North Sea and, if so, what advice and guidance it gave and, if not, what representations it has made to the Department of Trade and Industry on its involvement in such matters.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with DTI on a wide range of issues relating to petroleum exploration and development on the UKCS. These matters are covered by the Concordat between the Executive and DTI.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 16 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to find an operator or owner for the oil fabrication yard at Arnish, Isle of Lewis.
Answer
Efforts are continuing to find an operator for the yard at Arnish. These involve the Stornoway Trust, the local authority, the Local Enterprise Company, HIE, and the Scotland Office as well as the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 16 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many tourists visit Scotland for golfing holidays annually (a) in total; (b) broken down by the country which such visitors are from, and (c) broken down by the mode of travel used to travel to Scotland.
Answer
It is estimated that 200,000 tourists visit Scotland for golfing holidays annually. Information on the country of origin of such visitors, and on the mode of transport they use to travel to Scotland, is not available.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 15 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote, support and regulate training for employment in the motor trade.
Answer
The Scottish Executive supports training for employment in the motor trade through the youth training programme, Skillseekers, which includes Modern Apprenticeships. Participation in Skillseekers is demand-led by young people and by employers. Uptake in the motor vehicle sector is good. There are currently 2,659 Skillseekers training in the motor trade and 1,358 Modern Apprentices.
Young people can also access training in the motor vehicle sector through further education. Currently, 31 FE colleges offer courses in the motor vehicle sector.The National Training Organisation, the Motor Industry Training Council, is responsible for promoting the Modern Apprenticeship within its sector and for devising and maintaining occupational standards which link into the SVQ and the Modern Apprenticeship.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 15 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government regarding motor vehicle retail pricing and any effect this may have on motor traders in Scotland, particularly in rural areas, and what position it has taken on the issue of any block exemption of an area of Scotland in respect of retail price charging in the motor trade.
Answer
The Scottish Executive makes representations to the UK Government on a wide range of issues. Pricing is normally a commercial matter for individual companies. Where pricing levels raise competition concerns, this would be a matter for the UK Government as competition is a reserved matter.
- Asked by: Kenny MacAskill, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 15 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to monitor and regulate the burning of tyres and whether it has plans to enhance these powers.
Answer
Part II of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 prohibits the keeping, treating or disposal of controlled waste unless a waste management licence authorising the activity has been issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The Act also places a Duty of Care on any person who handles controlled waste. These provisions apply to waste tyres, other than household waste, although SEPA would not authorise the burning of tyres in the open.
The unauthorised burning of tyres would be dealt with in various ways, depending on circumstances. If a business burns tyres in an unauthorised manner it would be liable to prosecution under section 33 or 34 of the 1990 Act. If the burning of tyres involves household waste, a local authority has powers to take action under the statutory nuisance provisions in the 1990 Act. Waste tyres from commercial agricultural premises are not regulated by SEPA but are subject to the Clean Air Act 1993. There are no plans to amend these powers.
SEPA has monitoring powers under section 108 of the Environment Act 1995. These include the power to enter at reasonable times (or, in an emergency, at any time) any premises which an authorised officer has reason to believe it is necessary for him to enter. The provisions also permit the examination of, and the taking of samples from, the premises, and the taking of samples of air, water or land on, or in the vicinity of, the premises.
