Chamber and committees

Fishing boats make avaluable contribution to fisheries surveys and the Scottish Executiveencourages this through stakeholder groups and through collaboration withFisheries Research Services.

The Scottish Executive is liaising closely with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) on assessing the risk of the UK being affected by a tsunami or similar event. DEFRA has recently commissioned British Geological Survey (BGS) and others to undertake a collaborative short-term study of the possibility of extreme events in the North Atlantic and North Sea, of a similar type to those recently experienced in the Indian Ocean, in the North Atlantic and North Sea. The Scottish Executive and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency will extend assistance as appropriate to BGS and its partners.

Provision for GAE (Grant Aided Expenditure) in respect of road maintenance for each local authority in Scotland in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06 are shown in the following table.

Council	2004-05 Allocation (£ Million)	2005-06 Allocation (£ Million)
Aberdeen City	4,416	4,582
Aberdeenshire	11,444	11,875
Angus	3,905	4,052
Argyll and Bute	5,697	5,912
Clackmannanshire	1,242	1,288
Dumfries and Galloway	7,895	8,193
Dundee City	2,503	2,597
East Ayrshire	3,187	3,307
East Dunbartonshire	2,572	2,669
East Lothian	2,573	2,670
East Renfrewshire	2,120	2,200
Edinburgh, City of	9,950	10,325
Eilean Siar	2,752	2,856
Falkirk	3,558	3,692
Fife	9,045	9,385
Glasgow City	9,793	10,162
Highland	13,502	14,010
Inverclyde	1,488	1,544
Midlothian	2,222	2,306
Moray	3,553	3,686
North Ayrshire	3,248	3,370
North Lanarkshire	6,265	6,501
Orkney Islands	1,755	1,822
Perth and Kinross	5,639	5,851
Renfrewshire	3,666	3,804
Scottish Borders	5,779	5,996
Shetland Islands	1,791	1,859
South Ayrshire	3,287	3,411
South Lanarkshire	7,409	7,688
Stirling	4,661	4,837
West Dunbartonshire	1,721	1,786
West Lothian	4,316	4,478
Scotland	152,954	158,713

 

GAE allocations are not budgets or spending targets. They are derived from a figure for the whole of Scotland which is the Scottish Executive’s view of what Scottish local authorities as a whole need to spend in order to provide an appropriate level of service. This then forms the basis of grant support from the Executive. The all‑Scotland figure is allocated among the 32 local authorities according to a formula agreed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. It is however, for each local authority to decide on its own spending on individual services based on its own assessment of local needs and priorities.

These proposals have already been the subject of separate discussion with key stakeholders.  The timescale of less than 12 weeks for general consultation has been set to allow proper consideration of responses in time for the introduction of regulatory changes in April 2005.

We have no plans at present to establish a tribunal service for tribunals with a Scotland‑only remit. However, we are in regular contact with the Department for Constitutional Affairs about the creation of the new Tribunals Service, which will include a number of reserved tribunals operating in Scotland, and we shall consider carefully whether there are any areas where our administrations can work together to provide improvements for tribunal users across Scotland.

We have had various discussions with the Department of Constitutional Affairs (DCA) as policy has developed on the creation of the new Tribunals Service. The first phase of the service will incorporate the seven most used tribunals, which operate on a GB-wide basis. Our most recent discussions have centred on issues relating to tribunal appointments and making of rules.

This information is not held centrally.

I am delighted to announce today that in 2005-06 the maximum support provided through the Young Students’ Bursary will increase by 11% to £2,395. We have also reviewed the parental income thresholds which determine eligibility to receive the bursary. From 2005-06 these will also increase so that maximum bursary support will be provided to students whose parents earn up to £17,500 (the equivalent figure for 2004-05 is £10,740) and students will qualify for some bursary support up to parental income of £31,000 (the equivalent figure for 2004-05 is £28,000).

These changes mean that eligible young Scottish students studying full-time higher education courses in Scotland will be able to receive up to half of their living cost support in the form of a non-repayable grant. This will substantially reduce the level of student debt they would otherwise accrue during their studies. Approximately 3,000 additional students will now be able to receive the bursary each year and, more significantly, approximately 20,000 students will receive the maximum bursary (an increase of 63% on the current figure).

I am also able to announce today that the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA) will be extended to Scottish postgraduate students who fund their own tuition and living costs. From 2005-06, postgraduate students who are not supported under the Postgraduate Student Allowances Scheme or receiving an award from a Research council or the Scottish Social Services Council, will be able to apply for DSA at the same levels as undergraduate students. Support will be paid on a pro-rata basis for part-time students.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2F-1240 answered by the First Minister on 25 November 2004 which is available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/sch/search.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) responded to the Scottish Executive’s public consultation on the European Commission’s proposals for a European Fisheries Fund. In its response BGS proposed the use of fishing boats to carry out seabed mapping.