- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government asking why the climate change levy is being imposed on businesses in regions such as the south of Scotland, given the lack of any emissions problem in that area and that the UK is meeting its greenhouse gas emissions target under the Kyoto principles.
Answer
As a UK taxation measure, the climate change levy is a reserved matter. The UK Government has sought to design the levy in a way that maximises its environmental effectiveness whilst protecting the competitiveness of UK firms.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what provision it has made for grant assistance to businesses to enable them to make the capital investment required to enable them to meet the energy saving targets that must be set to qualify for an 80% rebate of the climate change levy.
Answer
As a UK taxation measure the climate change levy is a reserved matter. There are no plans to introduce a grant scheme. DETR is currently negotiating a series of agreements with various business sectoral organisations under which an 80% rebate on the levy will be available in exchange for the sector as a whole agreeing to meet stringent energy efficiency targets. Businesses will also benefit from other incentives including tax allowances against investment in energy efficient technology, reductions in National Insurance contributions and the availability of free advice on improving energy efficiency.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how the proposed climate change levy will affect tomato growers in the Clyde Valley and whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government pressing for affected growers to receive 100% relief from this tax in line with their main European competitors in the Netherlands.
Answer
As a UK taxation measure the climate change levy is a reserved matter. The UK Government is not able to say with precision what the effects of the levy on individual sectors will be since this will depend on many factors, including take-up of incentives to improve energy efficiency. The Government intends to offer a temporary 50% discount to the horticulture industry as well as include thermal screens, which are used in glasshouses, in the list of technologies eligible for enhanced capital allowances.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many paediatric patients currently being treated at Edinburgh Sick Children's Hospital's cardiac unit are referrals from health board areas in the West of Scotland.
Answer
During the 18-month period from April 1998 to September 1999, there were two patient referrals from a health board area in the West of Scotland to the Edinburgh Sick Children's Hospital. During the same 18-month period however, there were four referrals to Yorkhill Hospital from the Lothian Health Board area.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 15 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had regarding the impact of the proposed climate change levy in Scotland.
Answer
The Climate Change Levy is a reserved matter. The Scottish Executive is engaged in an ongoing dialogue with the private and public sectors and has conveyed concerns, expressed by these sectors about the levy's impact in Scotland, to HM Government.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how the term "emergency service" is defined and which services are currently classified as emergency services.
Answer
There is no general statutory definition of the term "emergency service". However, The Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989 made under the Road Traffic Act 1988 specify those vehicles designated as "emergency vehicles" which are empowered to be fitted with a blue warning beacon. In this regard, in addition to fire, ambulance and police vehicles, the regulations also cover specified vehicles used by the Forestry Commission, the Ministry of Defence, HM Coastguard, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution, the Coal Authority, and the Blood Transfusion Service.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what projections were made before the introduction of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 which indicated when the whole of Scotland would be on the Land Register of Scotland.
Answer
The initial proposals announced during the passage of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 envisaged that the Land Register extension programme would last nine years from the date when the Land Register became operational. The Land Register first became operational in the County of Renfrew in April 1981.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 8 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Regional Selective Assistance boundaries will be finalised.
Answer
This is a reserved matter.I understand that agreement has not yet been reached between the UK Government and the European Commission on a revised Assisted Areas map.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 1 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what is the possible remit of Scottish Drugs Courts.
Answer
There is no doubt that there are important lessons to be learnt from the whole range of policies and practices adopted in other countries in response to the problem of drug related crime. The Scottish Executive is exploring how we might incorporate the most effective of them into our own judicial system.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) what counties are currently on the land register and what counties remain to be placed on it; (b) when the outstanding counties are projected to become active and (c) what proportion of Scotland is currently on the land register.
Answer
The land register is in operation in the counties shown in Table A. The operation of the land register will be extended to counties currently outwith the scope of its operations in accordance with the extension programme shown in Table B. Approximately 40% of Scottish properties are registered in the land register.
| Table A | Table B |
Counties where the Land Register is operational | Land Register extension programme |
| Renfrew Dumbarton Lanark Glasgow Clackmannan Stirling West Lothian Fife Aberdeen Kincardine Ayr Dumfries Kirkcudbright Wigtown Angus Kinross Perth Berwick East Lothian Peebles Roxburgh Selkirk Argyll Bute | Midlothian 1 April 2001 Inverness 1 April 2002 Nairn " Banff 1 April 2003 Caithness " Moray " Orkney and Shetland " Ross and Cromarty " Sutherland " |
