- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 22 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what response it has made or plans to make to A Model for a Licensing Scheme, submitted to it on behalf of all sectors of the construction industry.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has considered the submitted proposals for a construction trades licensing scheme, and has written to the trade associations concerned indicating that it is supportive of the aims of the scheme to improve standards within the sector. The Scottish Executive has indicated that it will help the industry broaden awareness of the benefits of the scheme.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 18 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11693 by Mr Alasdair Morrison on 30 March 2001, how endowment payments will be collected from EU students who leave the UK after graduating and go to work elsewhere.
Answer
EU nationals who leave the UK after graduating will be subject to the same collection arrangements as are used at present for Scottish graduates who leave the UK after graduating. There are procedures currently in place for the Student Loans Company to collect payments directly from graduates who are outwith the UK tax system because they live and work abroad. Under this system, graduates must provide details of their annual income to the company who will then issue a payment schedule. The company may apply penalty interest charges if payments are not made or information not supplied when required.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 10 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the Scottish Enterprise network's current business client base accessed business support services (a) online and (b) offline in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
Answer
Information about Scottish Enterprise network services is available to all who need it through the Scottish Enterprise Website which was launched in 2000-01. In addition, the Government is committed to the principle of delivering services electronically by 2005. Electronic service delivery is a major strand of the Scottish Enterprise Business Transformation Process and will enable services, including business support services, to be delivered electronically via the web by 2003.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 10 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of Scotland's businesses accessed Scottish Enterprise network services in 1999-2000 and 2000-01.
Answer
Businesses can access Scottish Enterprise network services in a number of ways. In 1999-2000 Scottish Enterprise delivered 22,190 "projects" with companies in Scotland on a one-to-one basis. Figures for 2000-01 will be made available in the next Scottish Enterprise Annual Report.Many more businesses access Scottish Enterprise network services through other avenues, ranging from general publicity (by leaflets, brochures etc.) to seminars and conferences and web-enabled access. The numbers of businesses accessing services through these avenues is not quantified.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 May 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 10 May 2001
To ask the First Minister what plans the Scottish Executive has to enhance Scotland's research and development base.
Answer
The Executive's detailed plans to enhance Scotland's research base are set out in
Working together for Scotland, The Framework for Economic Development,
A Smart, Successful Scotland and the
Report of the Knowledge Economy Cross-cutting Initiative. The first comprehensive Science Strategy for Scotland will be published later this year.As announced in November 2000, over the three-year period from April 2001 the Executive will increase funding for higher education institutions in Scotland by 14%. This will help address three key challenges:
maintaining and enhancing the excellence of our research base;
maximising the economic benefits of publicly funded science; and
making it much easier for companies to access and use our research base in order to increase levels of research and development spending in Scottish companies, which currently lag well behind UK and international benchmarks.
Further, we have committed £18 million over the next three years to the Proof of Concept Fund, administered by Scottish Enterprise.In addition, research matters will be a major element of the planned Higher Education Review. That work will be informed both by advice from the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council and by the outputs of the Inquiry currently being undertaken by the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 8 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to carry out an immediate review of visitscotland and its Board.
Answer
No. An independent management review of visitscotland was recently completed and the priority now is to make further progress with its implementation. The Board of visitscotland has assured the Executive that the lessons of the appointment exercise will be learned.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 8 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many new business starts there were in each local enterprise company area in 1999-2000; how many were assisted by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and how many are still trading in each area.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and I have asked the Chairmen to write to the member. A copy of their replies will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 April 2001
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Current Status:
Awaiting answer
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to combat rogue traders in the construction and related industries by expanding the remit of the building control system to cover quality control issues and whether its powers in this area would enable it to introduce compulsory registration or licensing for tradespeople.
Answer
Awaiting answer
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 April 2001
To ask the First Minister when the Scottish Executive will announce its additional financial allocation arising from the UK 2001 Budget.
Answer
The Scottish Budget benefited from a £200 million addition as a result of the 2001 Budget. We will allocate the funding to meet our priorities of social justice and announce specific allocations in due course.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 4 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the pension rights of public sector workers transferred into the private sector under the trunk roads maintenance contracts will be affected and, if so, what any effects on pensions might be.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-03171.
