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However, I still believe that the process as laid out does not represent value for the taxpayer.The financial memorandum to the bill found that a regional poll could cost the taxpayer £1.3 million, compared to £0.3 million for a constituency petition and the subsequent by-election.
The debate is always about patchiness and choice, local responsiveness compared with your Dulux magnolia paint—does everybody get a dab of that or does somebody get something different?
Three out of four residents were not allowed visits from family and friends, and 81 per cent of them found that relationships suffered—no surprise there.
We can discuss that a little bit later; at the moment, I am just asking whether the areas that are outlined in the paper are the kinds of areas that we would want to cover during our visit. Yes, they are—although given much of what we have heard today and other recent announcements, it is interesting that the paper suggests that time constraints mean that we cannot focus on the Basque country during our visit.
It is concerning that only 64 per cent of young people aged 16 to 19 with a disability participate in education, compared with the nearly 73 per cent of able-bodied people in Scotland who do so.
Under the heading, “Outlook and Appraisal”, it says: “Growth over the past 12 months”— in Scotland— “was 0.6% compared to 2.0% ... in the UK as a whole.”
According to Nora Senior, the chair of the enterprise and skills strategic board, only 9 per cent of Scottish firms embed digital in their operations, compared with 43 per cent in competitor countries.
Questions and Answers
Date answered:
15 November 2007
The ScottishGovernment publishes annually information on all overseas visits undertaken by ministers,including the countries visited, the purpose of each visit and the cost.