Chamber and committees

No account is taken of the tax position of applicants when assessing decommissioning bids. Taxation policy is a reserved matter for the Inland Revenue. The information requested is not held centrally.

No such representations have been made.

The Scottish Executive has encouraged the five Programme Management Executives (PMEs) (who implement the programmes on the ground on behalf of the Scottish Executive) to pursue actively a range of activities to raise awareness of the availability of European Structural Funds programmes, including:the provision of websites and the circulation to all partner organisations of programme bulletins providing up to date information on funds available and forthcoming application rounds; facilitation of fast-track applications, rolling programmes and additional application rounds where appropriate; delivery of regular application advice surgeries and workshops across the country;engaging with target communities to stimulate applications for community economic development support; analysis of underlying reasons for slow uptake in particular measures or areas, andefforts to promote private sector interest in the funds.The Scottish Executive is in the process of implementing a new web-based application and claim form system, which will streamline the process for applicants. The new application forms have been developed and are being phased in according to the timetables of the application rounds run by each PME. PMEs will introduce the new forms and processes to applicant organisations and provide training and support to assist them in preparing grant applications.

The Scottish Executive makes no direct contribution to match funding at project level. Match funding for European Structural Funded projects is provided by the individual project sponsors, the funding for many of whom comes directly from the Scottish Executive either in whole or in part. This ensures local commitment to local priorities, accountability and value for money.

The Scottish Executive makes no direct contribution to match funding at project level. Match funding for European Structural Funded projects is provided by the individual project sponsors, the funding for many of whom comes directly from the Scottish Executive either in whole or in part. This ensures local commitment to local priorities, accountability and value for money.

The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Shell about a wide range of matters, and was aware that the company was considering changes to its offshore operations. The restructuring decision was one for the company itself to take.

Details are set out in the following table. In compiling the data, "enforcement" has been taken to mean spending by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency. A detailed breakdown of figures on "sea fisheries" is not readily available: data will include some expenditure which may not be related to that. To allow proper year-on-year comparisons, all numbers are on a cash basis.

	1999-2000 Outturn(£ Million)	2000-01Outturn(£ Million)	2001-02Outturn(£ Million)	2002-03 Spring Budget(£ Million)
Enforcement	12.8(38.7%)	13.4(42.3%)	15.0(37.7%)	18.5(26.8%)
Decommissioning	Nil	Nil	3.7(9.3%)	21.2(30.7%)
Fisheries Research Services	13.4(40.5%)	15.0(47.3%)	15.8(39.7%)	16.5(23.9%)
Other	6.9(20.8%)	3.3(10.4%)	5.3(13.3%)	12.9(18.6%)
Total	33.1	31.7	39.8	69.1

The following tables show the annual amounts available from the European Commission for allocation to projects within European Structural Funds programmes for calendar years 2000-03 and relates to the 2000-06 programme period. Most of the figures for 1999 relate to the previous programme period of 1994-99. The majority of this information is not available by local authority area and is therefore broken down by programme or community initiative.Table 1

Programme	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Objective 2: South	See table 21	10.533	10.674	10.794	10.892
Objective 2: East	See table 21	47.294	44.259	41.068	37.608
Objective 2: West	See table 21	84.924	81.050	76.923	72.384
Objective 3	93.6042	78.461	74.517	70.364	66.792
Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme	55.1853	56.606	54.548	52.746	50.431
Community Initiative
Leader +	1.3743	0	4.335	4.084	4.660
Urban II	14.4354	0	1.928	2.187	2.187
Equal5	-	-	0.744	12.160	-
Adapt	13.574	-	-	-	-
Employment	5.741	-	-	-	-
Rechar	0.225	-	-	-	-
East Rechar	0.842	-	-	-	-
Resider	10.824	-	-	-	-

Notes: Figures expressed in millions of euros.1. Figures for 1999 relate to the previous programmes. As they do not equate exactly to the current programmes their equivalents are set out in table 2.2. This figure includes the former Objective 3 and now defunct Objective 4 programmes as the two were effectively merged into a new programme as part of the reform of the structural funds in advance of the current programming round.3. Figures for 1999 relate to the Highlands and Islands Objective 1 Programme and to Leader II respectively which both ran from 1994-99. 4. Figure relates to the Urban 1994-99 programme.5. First year of EQUAL was 2001. Allocations not yet made for 2003.Table 2

Programme	1999
Objective 5b Programmes 1994-99
Dumfries and Galloway	22.090
Rural Stirling and Upland Tayside	16.922
North West Grampian	22.226
Borders	21.594
Objective 2: East of Scotland 1997-99	48.856
Objective 2: West of Scotland 1997-99	286.375

Notes: Figures expressed in millions of euros.

There are four Structural Funds available in Scotland:The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) primarily supports productive investment, infrastructure and SME development. The Guidance Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF-Guidance section) supports measures for the adjustment of agricultural structures and rural development. The European Social Fund (ESF) supports measures to promote employment (education systems, vocational training and recruitment aids). The Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) supports measures for the adjustment of structures in this sector, and the "accompanying measures" of the common fisheries policy. These are made available through geographically defined programmes - the Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme, the three Objective 2 programmes (East, West and South of Scotland) and Objective 3 which supports training activities outwith the Highlands and Islands area.In addition to these there are four community initiatives, which are worth around 5% of the 2000-06 Structural Fund budget and are pilot projects/test beds for activity which, if effective is then mainstreamed into the larger funds:Interreg III: Cross-border, transnational and interregional co-operation.Urban II: Regeneration of urban areas in crisis. (Port Glasgow and Clydebank South)LEADER+ : Rural development through innovative local projects.EQUAL : Combating discrimination and inequalities in connection with the labour market.

The information requested is set out in the following table. In compiling the data, "enforcement" has been taken to mean spending by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency. A detailed breakdown of figures on "sea fisheries" is not readily available: data will include some expenditure which may not be related to that. To allow proper year-on-year comparisons, all numbers are on a cash basis.

	2003-04Budget(£ Million)	2004-05Plans(£ Million)
Enforcement	13.4(14.3%)	14.2(32.5%)
Decommissioning and Transitional Aid	50.0*(53.4%)	Nil
Fisheries Research Services	16.9(18.1%)	16.4(37.5%)
Other	13.3(14.2%)	13.1(30%)
Total	93.6	43.7

Note:*The 2003-04 Budget presented to the Parliament makes no provision for this spending, which will be made during 2003-04 in a Revised Budget, but the planned spending on the schemes is included here for completeness.