Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive is committedto improving the way all public services are scrutinised via regulation, audit,inspection and complaints handling. Ministers are aware that the present scrutinylandscape is complex. So, ministers have asked Professor Lorne Crerar to look at how well these current external scrutinyarrangements reflect our principles of public service reform, avoid duplication,ensure common standards and focus on service users. We would expect hisindependent review to include an assessment of the impact of independent and externalinspection and audit on local authorities by scrutiny bodies. That review will bepublished in summer 2007.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-31166 on 1 February 2007. This information is also availablein the latest edition of Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland (GERS)2004-05 – Table 4.2, p24. All answersto written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, thesearch facility for which can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Principal responsibility forthe funding of higher education institutions and colleges of further education lieswith the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council, which is a non-departmentalpublic body sponsored by the Scottish Executive. The council also has a duty to assess and enhance the quality ofeducation which it is funding. Other relevantorganisations are Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education and the ScottishQualifications Authority. Individual inspections and audits carried out bythese bodies are operational matters and I have therefore asked theirrespective chairs to write to the member direct providing the informationsought.

The Executive is committedto improving the way all public services are scrutinised via regulation, audit,inspection and complaints handling. The Independent Review of Regulation, Audit, Inspection andComplaints Handling of Public Servicesin Scotland under ProfessorLorne Crerar is looking at how well our current external scrutiny arrangementsreflect our principles of public service reform, avoid duplication, ensurecommon standards and focus on service users. It will make recommendations on anymeasures needed to improve them and is due to report to ministers in summer2007.

The Scottish Executive is,as a matter of priority, reviewing the effectiveness of the ban on keeping pitbull terriers, and other types of dog, and also the law relating to all typesof breeds of dogs that are dangerously out of control in private premises.

As a first step in thereview process, we have written to Chief Constables to establish facts andevidence about how the law operates in their areas, what can be done to makeenforcement of the law more effective, and whether the law needs to be changed.We will also be seeking facts and evidence from other key stakeholders.

Once such facts and evidencehave been established from this process, we will consider what action may benecessary and the most appropriate way to take any action forward. Any changesproposed will of course be subject to a full consultation process.

This information is notcurrently held centrally but we have written to Chief Constables to ask, amongother things, if they can estimate the number of dogs that are currently beingkept in their areas in contravention of the ban imposed by the Dangerous DogsAct 1991.

The latest estimates of Employers’National Insurance Contributions in Scotland (a) are presented in the following table for 2000-01to 2004-05. Further disaggregation (b and c) is not available.

The figures are notseparately identified in the Government Expenditure and Revenues for Scotland(GERS) publications. They form part of, and are consistent with, the publishedestimates of Social Security Contributions.

The figures for the years2000-01 to 2004-05 are consistent with figures in the GERS 2004-05 publication.Figures for earlier years are not available on a consistent basis. All estimatesare subject to future revisions.

Estimates of Employers’National Insurance Contributions  in Scotland

2000-01 to 2004-05 (£ Million)

Year	Employers’ National Insurance Contributions
2000-01	2,811
2001-02	2,941
2002-03	3,013
2003-04	3,370
2004-05	3,625

 

The New Deal programmes arereserved to the Department for Work and Pensions and delivered by JobcentrePlus. There are six programmes available:

New Deal for Young People

New Deal 25 plus

New Deal 50 plus

New Deal for Lone Parents

New Deal for Disabled People

New Deal for Partners.

There is also a New Deal forMusicians delivered as part of New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus.

The following table showsthe latest estimates of Scotland’s notional share of the UK’s public-sectorborrowing requirement in each year since Government Expenditure and Revenue inScotland (GERS) was first published. These figures are “notional” in the sensethat Scotland has not actually borrowed during this period: all ofScotland’s deficits were covered by fiscal transfers from the UK Government.

ScottishNet Borrowing as a Share of UK Net Borrowing excluding North Sea Revenues

Year	A	B	C	D	E
	Scotland Net Borrowing (£ Billion) (excl. North Sea)1	UK Net Borrowing (£ Billion) (incl. North Sea)2	North Sea Revenues (£ Billion) 1	UK Net Borrowing           (£ Billion) (excl. North Sea) (B+C)	Scottish Notional Share of UK Net Borrowing (both excl. North Sea) (A/D)
1990-91	3.6	5.8	2.3	8.1	44%
1991-92	4.7	22.6	1.0	23.6	20%
1992-93	7.6	46.7	1.3	48.0	16%
1993-94	8.4	51.1	1.2	52.3	16%
1994-95	7.8	43.3	1.6	44.9	17%
1995-96	7.4	34.7	2.4	37.1	20%
1996-97	6.8	27.2	3.5	30.7	22%
1997-98	5.3	6.4	3.3	9.7	55%
1998-99	4.2	-4.0	2.6	-1.4	N/A
1999-2000	4.8	-16.3	2.5	-13.8	N/A
2000-01	5.3	-19.9	4.3	-15.6	N/A
2001-02	7.7	0.9	5.2	6.1	N/A
2002-03	9.8	24.9	4.9	29.8	33%
2003-04	11.3	34.1	4.3	38.4	29%
2004-05	11.2	39.1	5.2	44.3	25%

Source: Scottish Executive.

Source: HM Treasury:http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/media/A5B/FD/pfd_dec06.xls.

Notes:

1. The figures for Scottishnet borrowing for 2000-01 to 2004-05 are consistent with the latest GERS publication.Figures for Scottish net borrowing prior to 2000-01 are taken from earlier GERSpublications and are not directly comparable.

2. N/A signifies that the UK was infiscal surplus or had a deficit that was smaller than Scotland's -which means that we cannot meaningfully estimate a Scottish share of UK NetBorrowing in those years.

The information requested isset out in the following table.

Data from 2000-2001 areconsistent with figures in the Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland (GERS)2004-05 publication. Estimates for earlier years are available in earlier GERSpublications, but these are not directly comparable. All estimates are subjectto future revisions.

Estimates of Revenue Raisedfor Air Passenger Duty in Scotland, 2000-01 to 2004-05 (£ Million)

Year	Estimate
2000-01	82
2001-02	69
2002-03	70
2003-04	67
2004-05	73

 

I refer the member to thequestion S2W-30852 answered on 1 February 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website the search facility forwhich can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.