Chamber and committees

The information requestedcan be obtained from the table on page 17 of Road Accidents Scotland 2002,published by the Scottish Executive in 2003, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 30447).

Theemployment of graduates has been the subject of academic research. Sources ofofficial data include the annual Survey of First Destinations and the LabourForce Survey. I and my officials are in regular contact with many researchersand academics in the field, both in Scotland and other parts of the UK.

The Sewel motion andmemorandum was considered by the Enterprise and Culture Committee on Tuesday 27January.

Detailed information on thebackground to the policy and issues ministers expect to see addressed inreviews is issued each year as reviews are announced. This advice has developedover the four years since the policy was announced. Since December 2002, advicehas been offered to the bodies, beginning relocation reviews, on the weightingsto apply to socio-economic factors.

Relocation decisions arebased on a range of factors. The organisation carrying out the review isinvited to forward material bearing on key location criteria; socio-economicconsiderations; business efficiency (including the position of existing staff);sustainable transport links; accessibility and propertyavailability/suitability.

For relocation reviews, the Executive recommends that a weighting of 50% is allocated to socio-economic factorswhich shows a measure of its determination to assist disadvantaged areas in Scotland.The remaining assessment criteria, however, are weighted by each organisationto reflect their own strategic requirements.

In taking forward ourrelocation policy we consider the objective of our policy and range ofmeasurable factors relating to the organisation concerned.

The organisation carryingout the review is invited to forward material bearing on key location criteria;socio-economic considerations; business efficiency (including the position ofexisting staff); sustainable transport links; accessibility and propertyavailability/suitability.

The Sewel memorandum andmotion were forwarded to the Enterprise and Culture Committee for consideration on 12January. The memorandum addresses a wide range of provisions within the EnergyBill that fall within devolved competence. These include provisions toestablish the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority; to reconstitute the UKAEAConstabulary as the Civil Nuclear Constabulary; to amend the RadioactiveSubstances Act 1998; to establish Renewable Energy Zones; to provide powers inrespect of the decommissioning of offshore renewable energy installations; toextend the scope of the Renewables Obligations and to permit funds from theFossil Fuel Levy to be paid into the Scottish Consolidated Fund.

Scottish Natural Heritage(SNH) submitted a project plan on 31 October which contained a cost estimate of£22 million for the entire relocation package. The elements contained in theplan are currently subject to discussion between SNH and Executive officials.

The Executive’s refinementand analysis of the discounted costs of the various relocation optionsidentified in the DTZ Pieda study was placed in the Parliament’s ReferenceCentre (Bib. number 27058) on 20 March 2003. Over a 30-year period this showedthe move to Inverness would cost in the region of £21.7 million in netpresent value terms, assuming that premises would be rented. On the same costbasis, the status quo would cost £15.3 million.

This is an operationalmatter for Scottish Natural Heritage.