- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce the Procurement Reform Bill.
Answer
The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Bill will be introduced shortly. The First Minister confirmed to members during his appearance in front of the Scottish Parliament Conveners’ Group on 12 September that the Bill had been submitted to the Parliament.
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 September 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 24 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government whether it planned to introduce the Procurement Reform Bill as part of its 2012-13 legislative programme and, if so, for what reason it did not do so.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-15200 on 23 May 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 September 2013
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government what the main cost implications are of the policies outlined in Pensions in an Independent Scotland.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 24 September 2013
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 29 July 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 18 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16190 by John Swinney on 26 July 2013, how much of the money allocated for 2012-13 each project spent.
Answer
The provisional outturn figures for each project to 31 March 2013 is provided in the following table.
The main change from forecast spend was for renewable energy projects, as discussed with the Finance Committee at the 2012-13 Spring Budget Revision on 13 March 2013 and confirmed in subsequent correspondence on 3 April 2013. Much of the funding allocated for the Renewable Energy Investment Fund for 2012-13 could not be committed within that year, due to a lack of projects at the right stage for investment, and will be made available in future years instead.
| Project | Projected Outturn £million |
| Section A: Low Carbon Investment/Renewables | |
| Transport Scotland: Green Bus Fund | 1.8 |
| Regeneration: Rutherglen Low Carbon Zone (RCLZ) | 0.8 |
| Highlands and Islands Enterprise: Arnish Plant and Estate Improvements | 1.1 |
| Renewable Projects | 1.5 |
| TOTAL for section A | 5.2 |
| Section B: Housing and Regeneration | |
| Housing: Priority investments within Local Authority Strategic Housing Investment Plans - bring forward 300 homes | 15 |
| Housing year 2012-13 only: Priority investments within Local Authority Strategic Housing Investment Plans - further 350 homes in addition to those from accelerating budget above | 20 |
| Govanhill - Empty Homes Purchase | 0.5 |
| Govanhill - Backcourt Improvements | 0 |
| Accelarated programme of developments in Riverside Inverclyde Urban Regeneration Company | 2.4 |
| Regeneration: High-growth pre-let office, Bridgeton 1,800 square meters. | 0.5 |
| TOTAL for section B | 38.4 |
| Section C: Infrastructure and Investment | |
| Health: Maintenance to ensure assets are safe, effective and patient centred - accelerated spend | 15 |
| Highlands and Islands Enterprise: Inverness Campus | 6 |
| Scottish Funding Council: West Highland College, Fort William – infrastructure expansion | 0.2 |
| Transport Scotland: Kennacraig, Kintyre, Phase 2 – causeway1 | 1.3 |
| Transport Scotland: A75 Hardgrove to Kinmount | 0.9 |
| TOTAL for section C | 23.4 |
| Section D: Enterprise | |
| Highlands and Islands Enterprise: Forres Enterprise Park – Extension of Roads | 1.4 |
| Highlands and Islands Enterprise: Forres Enterprise Park – Provide 2 Units | 0.6 |
| Highlands and Islands Enterprise: Building Development within Forres Enterprise zone | 2.7 |
| TOTAL for section D | 4.7 |
| Section E: Investment in Tourism – our Year of Natural Scotland | |
| Forestry Commission Scotland - upgrade of visitor facilities at David Marshall Lodge, Aberfoyle | 4.3 |
| Rural: National Parks - visitor facility improvements within the National Parks | 1.8 |
| Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh - commence replacement of the Garden's ageing glasshouses | 1.5 |
| Forestry Commission Scotland - upgrade of visitor facilities at Queen's View Perthshire2 | 0.3 |
| TOTAL for section E | 4.3 |
| F: Protecting our Cultural Assets/Investing in Tourism |
| Historic Scotland – Lews Castle development3 | 1.4 |
| Historic Scotland - essential maintenance of heritage assets | 0.6 |
| National Records of Scotland - Thomas Thomson House - urgent roof repairs | 0.9 |
| National Library of Scotland – internal and external fabric maintenance of city centre estate (George IV Bridge and Baden Powell House)4 | 0.2 |
| National Galleries of Scotland – Energy saving maintenance project at the National Gallery5 | 0.5 |
| Creative Scotland capital grants programme for local and regional cultural projects across Scotland | 1 |
| TOTAL for section F | 4.6 |
| Total for all sections | 80.6 |
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 July 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 4 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government how many companies in the oil and gas sector have been account-managed by its enterprise agencies in each of the last five years.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise (SE) account managed 291 oil and gas companies in April 2013. As part of Scotland’s oil and gas strategy, SE are aiming to engage with an additional 100 oil and gas companies over the period 2012 - 2015.
The following table shows the breakdown of the number of Scottish Enterprise account managed companies. Until 2012, SE’s information recording system was for energy as a whole and it is not possible to assess the oil and gas split before that time.
| Date | Oil and Gas |
| April 2013 | 291 |
| June 2012 | 249 |
| April 2011 | 324* |
| April 2010 | 312* |
| April 2009 | 231* |
Note: *These figures represent total number of energy companies supported – SE did not have a separate classification for oil & gas companies before 2012 and it is therefore not possible to assess the oil and gas split before that time.
HIE does not have a specific Oil & Gas classification. The numbers in the following table represent the companies HIE has account managed in each of the last 5 years which has been assessed as engaging in oil and gas activities but which may generate a proportion of their turnover from other activity:
| Financial Year | No. of HIE Account Managed Companies engaged in oil and gas activities |
| 2008-09 | 25 |
| 2009-10 | 41 |
| 2010-11 | 51 |
| 2011-12 | 59 |
| 2012-13 | 72 |
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 July 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 3 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government how much it plans to award for oil and gas innovation in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15.
Answer
In May 2012, Scottish Enterprise announced a grant fund of £10 million to oil and gas research and development and innovation projects over the three years from 2012-13 to 2014-15 as part of Scotland’s oil and gas Strategy.
In the first year, 2012-13, Scottish Enterprise awarded grant funding of £ 2.7 million to oil and gas research and development and Innovation projects and anticipates awarding at least £7.3 million in total over the two year period 2013-14 and 2014-15. It is not possible to determine the likely breakdown over those two years as it will depend on applications received.
HIE have no plans to establish a ring fenced budget for oil and gas innovation, and will look to continue to support account managed businesses to invest and innovate in this sector.
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 26 July 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 3 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government how much it awarded for oil and gas innovation in 2012-13.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise awarded grant funding totalling £ 2,726,604.93 to oil and gas research and development innovation projects in the operational year 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise does not have a specific measure for oil and gas innovation. However, 2012-13 investment in businesses that generate a significant proportion of their turnover from oil and gas activity totalled £5,963,340.00.
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 July 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 2 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government how many applications it has received and at what total value for the Business Innovation and Growth Programme in the (a) Lowlands and Uplands and (b) Highlands and Islands programme area.
Answer
101 applications were submitted for the Lowlands and Uplands Scotland Programme; seeking approximately £71 million from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) grant. 43 of these have been invited to proceed to Stage 2 of the application process. 34 applications were submitted for the Highlands and Islands Programme; seeking approximately £14 million from the ERDF grant. 20 of these have been invited to proceed to Stage 2 of the application process
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 July 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 2 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16191 by John Swinney on 24 July 2013, how much of the £20 million for the Business Innovation and Growth Programme is new money.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-16516 on 2 September 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.
- Asked by: Gavin Brown, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 July 2013
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 2 September 2013
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16196 by John Swinney on 24 July 2013, how much of the Business Innovation and Growth Programme funding comes from (a) underspends returned from projects, (b) anticipated underspends and (c) unallocated funding being allocated for the first time.
Answer
Variations in the value of the programmes caused by exchange rate fluctuations means that it is not possible at this stage to provide this breakdown. The decision to allocate funding in this way is based on lessons learned from previous programmes which show that Scottish Government needs to commit more than the value of the available funding in order to allow it to reallocate underspends and recoveries that will emerge late in the programme period. If the Scottish Government does not declare sufficient spending, the unspent funds would be lost to Scotland. To ensure that the commitment to programmes is at the right level, the Scottish Government works closely with project sponsors to monitor delivery, identify underspends and recover funds when appropriate.
