Questions and answers

Question reference: S3W-04040

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have used the older and disabled persons concessionary travel scheme; what proportion of the total eligible population has used the scheme at least once; what percentage of the current scheme budget is committed, and what the current budget is for promotion of the scheme.

Transport Scotland can report on the number of people in receipt of NationalEntitlement Cards to access Scotland-Wide Free Bus Travel for Older and DisabledPeople but cannot report on what proportion of the total eligible population hasused the scheme at least once.

As of today’s datethere are 1,005,192 valid National Entitlement Cards in circulation.

The current budgetfor 2007-08 relating to the Older and Disabled Persons Scheme is:

Bus £163 million- 100% of this has been committed for the year.

Ferry £0.728million - 42% of this has been committed for the year.

The current marketingbudget for Scotland-Wide Free Bus Travel for Older and Disabled People for 2007-08is £100,000.

Question reference: S3W-04042

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have used the younger persons concessionary travel scheme; what proportion of the total eligible population has used the scheme at least once; what percentage of the current budget is committed, and what the current budget is for promotion of the scheme.

To date, almost 30,000National Entitlement Cards have been issued to eligible young people. This is 16%of the total eligible population. 31% of the current budget of £23.85 million iscommitted to the scheme. In addition, the current budget for promotion of the schemeis £250,000.

Whilst the schemeis operated in a non-smart card basis it is not possible to establish how many peoplehave used the younger persons concessionary travel scheme and what proportion of the total eligible population has used the scheme at least once. However, it hasbeen calculated that at average of 28,000 bus journeys have been made each monthduring the first seven months of the scheme. This does not include rail or ferrytravel.

Question reference: S3W-04045

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 18 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many charges for driving without insurance that resulted in criminal proceedings were reported to procurators fiscal at (a) Campbeltown, (b) Dunoon and (c) Oban in each of the last three years.

The numbers of chargesreported to Procurators Fiscal which resulted in court proceedings for driving withoutinsurance in each jurisdiction are shown in the following table.

Charges: Offencesunder Section 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988

Procurator Fiscal Office	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Campbeltown	28	36	19
Dunoon	58	71	58
Oban	70	62	46

Notes:

1. The informationin the table has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’scase management database. The database is a live, operational database used to managethe processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and otherreporting agencies. If a Procurator Fiscal amends a charge submitted by a reportingagency, the database will record details only of the amended charge.

2. The database ischarge-based. The figures quoted therefore relate to the number of charges ratherthan the number of individuals charged or the number of incidents that gave riseto such charges.

3. The table reflectsthe position at 6 September 2007.

Question reference: S3W-04043

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 13 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate has been made of the demand for new (a) affordable housing, (b) private sector housing and (c) commercial developments and what percentage of such required developments were unable to proceed due to objections by Scottish Water because of lack of water and sewerage infrastructure in the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S3W-04044

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2007
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 13 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many charges for driving without insurance that resulted in criminal proceedings were reported to procurators fiscal at (a) Inverness, (b) Dingwall, (c) Fort William, (d) Kirkwall, (e) Lerwick, (f) Lochmaddy, (g) Portree, (h) Stornoway, (i) Tain, and (j) Wick in each of the last three years.

The numbers of chargesreported to procurators fiscal which resulted in court proceedings for driving withoutinsurance in each jurisdiction are shown in the following table.

Charges: OffencesUnder Section 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988

Procurator Fiscal Office	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
Dingwall	88	105	126
Fort William	74	75	58
Inverness	313	268	335
Kirkwall	28	27	46
Lerwick	41	53	55
Lochmaddy	21	16	15
Portree	6	6	13
Stornoway	34	60	39
Tain	91	77	113
Wick	57	61	55

Notes:

1. The informationin the table has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’scase management database. The database is a live, operational database used to managethe processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and otherreporting agencies. If a Procurator Fiscal amends a charge submitted by a reportingagency, the database will record details only of the amended charge.

2. The database ischarge-based. The figures quoted therefore relate to the number of charges ratherthan the number of individuals charged or the number of incidents that gave riseto such charges.

3. The table reflectsthe position at 6 September 2007.

Question reference: S3W-03084

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 6 September 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what strategic partnerships there are between Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Scottish Enterprise and whether there are any crossover areas in these partnerships.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and ScottishEnterprise collaborate closely on a wide range of joint strategic areas of operationwhich will, due to the nature of partnership working, inevitably involve some crossover.The following areas are based on formal partnership arrangements between HIE andScottish Enterprise:

Scottish DevelopmentInternational

Careers Scotland

Future Skills Scotland

Investors In PeopleScotland

Careers Trust ScotlandLtd

Scottish Health InnovationsLtd

Scottish IntellectualAsset Management Ltd

ITI Scotland Ltd.

HIE and Scottish Enterprisealso collaborate on a number of projects aimed at growing business. These projectsare:

Scottish ManufacturingAdvisory Service (SMAS) - offering specialist support to manufacturing companies;

Co-operative DevelopmentScotland (CDS) - promoting and supporting the co-operativesector, and

The Enterprise Facilitator - a local enterprise development projectbeing piloted in three locations: Kintyre, Perthshire and Dundee.

Such partnership workingalso includes consideration of other issues, including the delivery of businesssupport (account and client management, innovation policy and the Business Gateway).

Further to this, HIEand Scottish Enterprise work closely in areas of economic inclusion. Scottish Enterpriseis part of a consortium led by HIE which manages the “Growing Community Assets”strand of funding of the BIG Lottery. This Fund is used for community owned organisationswhich are seeking to buy and develop assets as a way of increasing their long termsustainability.

There is also a widerange of regular joint working which may not be described as strategic partnershipsbut which operate across the Scottish Enterprise and HIE areas. These include anumber of joint projects and shared ownership of key aspects of industries in areasof tourism, energy, life sciences, food and drink, textiles, marine and ship building,construction, creative industries, forest industries and music. In the skills areathere are other examples of regular joint working, including the development ofa flexible level 2 SVQ in conjunction with a range of partners.

Question reference: S3W-03080

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Highland Council about the transfer of local enterprise company functions.

Question reference: S3W-03082

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to make a statement on any planned changes to the current responsibilities of Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Question reference: S3W-03078

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to change the structure, organisation or funding of the local enterprise company network within Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Question reference: S3W-03083

Asked by: David Stewart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the current effectiveness of the local enterprise company network within the Highlands and Islands Enterprise area.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise monitors its performance,and the performance of the local enterprise company network within that, on an annualbasis against a set of targets agreed with the Executive. These targets are publishedin its annual Operating Plans and monitored by the Executive during the reportingyear to ensure that appropriate progress is being made. Highlands and Islands Enterprise reports on its performance againstthese targets in its annual report.

Chamber and committees