- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 6 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4486 by Mr Jim Wallace on 9 December 2003, what the level of additional public spending would have been from 1999 to 2001 had gross value added been #1.5 billion higher in 2001.
Answer
The size of the assigned budgetis largely determined by the Barnett formula and is not directly affected bychanges in gross value added.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 6 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive when the decision not to pursue resource accounting and budgeting as a financial management tool for overseeing and monitoring the performance of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) was taken; what the reasons were for the change in policy; what consultations took place prior to the decision being taken, and whether there was a recommendation from Her Majesty's Government to do so.
Answer
Non-departmental public bodiesboth budget and account in full resource terms. The element of confusion isprobably caused by the fact that, to meet the requirements of the PublicFinance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000, the annual budget acts andsubsequent revisions have to seek parliamentary authority for NDPB budgets incash terms.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 5 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences under the Data Protection Act 1998 have been processed through the courts since 2001.
Answer
No proceedings under theData Protection Act 1998 were recorded for the year 2001. Data for the year2002 are expected to be available in February.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4484 by Mr Jim Wallace on 9 December 2003, what recent discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government regarding the threshold for the repayment of student loans and what its policy is in respect of the amount the threshold should be set at.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3279 on 11 November 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.The income threshold is setat a level which maintains the affordability of student loans to both thelender and the borrower.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the planned 40% reduction from 2003-04 to 2004-05 in the allocation of funding for clusters development in the Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley Draft Outline 3 Year Business Plan 2004-2007.
Answer
This is an operationalmatter for Scottish Enterprise.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the planned 12% increase from 2003-04 to 2006-07 in the allocation of funding for management and administration in the Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley Draft Outline 3 Year Business Plan 2004-2007.
Answer
This is an operationalmatter for Scottish Enterprise.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the planned 68% reduction from 2003-04 to 2004-05 in the allocation of funding for tourism development in the Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley Draft Outline 3 Year Business Plan 2004-2007.
Answer
This is an operationalmatter for Scottish Enterprise.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the planned 17% reduction from 2003-04 to 2004-05 in the allocation of funding for biotechnology development in the Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley Draft Outline 3 Year Business Plan 2004-2007.
Answer
This is an operationalmatter for Scottish Enterprise.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the value has been of consultancy contracts awarded by its department dealing with enterprise, and each of the department's agencies, to Ernst and Young in (a) the current financial year and (b) each of the last three financial years, and what percentage of these contracts was awarded on a non-competitive basis, showing the total value of each such contract.
Answer
The value of contractsawarded by the Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department to Ernstand Young in 2003-04 to date is £415,798.23, for the provision of financial advicein relation to the renewal of the Scottish passenger rail franchise. This is acontinuation of a competitively-awarded contract from the previous year. Of thetotal, £341,791.23 was for advice under the original terms of the contract. Thebalance was the result of an extension of this contract, by means of a non-competitiveaction, to include a review of rail rolling stock leasing. This extension isequivalent to
22% of the total value.
In 2002-03, the value ofcontracts awarded by the Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Department to Ernstand Young was £34,538.00 for the provision of financial advice in relation tothe renewal of the Scottish passenger rail franchise.
The department awarded nocontracts to Ernst and Young in 2000-01 or 2001-02.
Information on consultancycontracts awarded by agencies of the department or by its sponsored non-departmentalpublic bodies is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 22 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government in respect of the draft Constitutional Treaty on the Future of Europe (Referendum) Bill.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues,including the implications for devolved matters in Scotland ofits legislative programme. This contact reflects the approach, set out inDevolution Guidance Note 1 in accordance with the principles set out in the memorandumof understanding, that the administrations normally consult each other from anearly stage on the development of relevant legislative proposals.
