Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-11414

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 5 December 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive which of the Scottish agricultural and biological research institutes have achieved Investors in People (IiP) status or other similar awards and which are expected to achieve IiP by the end of December 2000.

Of the five Scottish Agricultural and Biological Research Institutes (SABRIs), the Moredun Research Institute, near Penicuik, achieved Investors in People (IiP) status in 1999 and the Rowett Research Institute, based in Aberdeen, is on track to receive it before the end of December 2000.

The remaining three SABRIs: the Hannah Research Institute (Ayr), the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute (Aberdeen) and the Scottish Crop Research Institute (Dundee) are working towards IiP recognition in 2001.

Question reference: S1W-11345

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Angus MacKay on 1 December 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in the development of indicators of rural deprivation for use in the distribution of grant aided expenditure to Scottish local authorities.

Question reference: S1W-11174

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 30 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what new steps it is taking to support the textile industry in the South of Scotland following recent job losses in this sector in Dumfries.

Question reference: S1W-11175

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 30 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how it provides assistance for the retraining of textile workers who have lost their jobs and whether it plans to increase support for retraining following recent job losses in the sector.

Question reference: S1W-08041

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 29 November 2000

he figures for UK visitors are given in the table below:UK visitors

	% change in bednights compared with previous year
	1997	1998	1999
Aberdeen & Grampian	+4.2	-18	+12.2
Angus & Dundee	+90	-15.8	+25
Argyll, the Isles, Stirling, Loch Lomond & Trossachs	+13.9	-10.9	-10.4
Ayrshire & Arran	-18.75	+2.5	-15
Dumfries & Galloway	+4.3	0	+37.5
Edinburgh & Lothians	-3.9	-4	+37.5
Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley	-5.6	+13.7	+6.9
Highlands of Scotland*	+21.3	-26.4	+17.9
Kingdom of Fife	-9.7	-3.6	-14.9
Perthshire	+32	-33.3	-9.1
Scottish Borders	+77.7	+31.2	-52.4

* Data for HOST include Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles Tourist Boards.

Data for overseas visitors to Scotland in 1999 are currently being compiled. The figures for 1997 and 1998 are as follows:Overseas visitors

	% change in bednights compared with previous year
	1997	1998
Aberdeen & Grampian	+8.3	0
Angus & Dundee	+42.8	-30
Argyll, the Isles, Stirling Loch Lomond & Trossachs	0	0
Ayrshire & Arran	-6.6	-33
Dumfries & Galloway	+33	-75
Edinburgh & Lothians	+1.7	-55.2
Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley	-24	+15.8
Highlands of Scotland*	0	-10.4
Kingdom of Fife	-33	+100
Perthshire	-14.3	+16.6
Scottish Borders	0	0

*Data for HOST include Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles Tourist Boards

Question reference: S1W-11176

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 13 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 27 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to take forward the recommendations of the Beattie Committee report Implementing Inclusiveness - Realising Potential.

In response to the Beattie Committee Report, the Scottish Executive has established a National Action Group chaired by the Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong learning, Nicol Stephen. This responsibility has now passed to the new Deputy Minister for Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Gaelic, Alasdair Morrison.

The National Action Group will take the lead in implementing the report's recommendations with an additional £22.6 million made available from the Scottish Executive's Spending Review. The £22.6 million will be administered over a three-year period and will include:

£9 million to establish Key Worker support;

£4.5 million to improve support for students in Further Education;

£6.1 million to improve assessment and tracking;

£3 million to pilot educational psychological services for 16-24 year olds, developtraining for mentors; and commission a national review of assessment tools.

Arrangements are in place to invite bid proposals from a wide range of organisations, working in partnership to develop imaginative projects on assessment and training, and key worker support building on current good practice where appropriate. Careers service companies will play a major role in developing and co-ordinating the proposals.

The Scottish Executive is working with the relevant agencies to take forward the other Beattie recommendations.

We will further consider the Committee's other recommendations in the light of future policy developments and the Duffner Review on the Careers Service.

Question reference: S1F-00650

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 9 November 2000

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Executive intends to take forward economic development at a local level.

My colleague Wendy Alexander proposes to publish draft guidelines on Local Economic Forums at the end of this month. The guidelines will set out the role and tasks of forums in improving the delivery of local economic development services across Scotland. In addition she will publish the Executive's formal response to the report by the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee on local economic development.

Question reference: S1W-10873

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 November 2000
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 November 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest position is on agri-monetary compensation payments to the arable sector.

I am pleased to inform you that, in response to the current difficulties being faced by the arable sector, the UK Government have now decided to draw down further agri-monetary compensation, subject to EU Commission approval. The Scottish share is £4 million and this will be paid to the Arable Area Payment Scheme 2000 applicants. The compensation reflects the change in the EURO sterling exchange rate in 1999 compared with 2000.

Question reference: S1W-10020

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 5 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to release any funding for new Social Inclusion Partnerships.

Question reference: S1W-10019

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfries, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 5 October 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any data relating to the number of people suffering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.