- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 2 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether small and medium-si'ed enterprises have sufficient representation on the board of learndirect Scotland.
Answer
Christine Lenihan, Chairman of Scottish UfI Ltd (learndirect scotland is the brand name for SUfI's services), is currently the Marketing Director of a small company and previously owned and managed her own small business. A number of the other SUfI Board members have previous experience of running or working with small businesses.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 1 February 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current status is of the Youth Training Guarantee.
Answer
Young people across the UK who are under 18 and not in full-time education or employment are guaranteed an offer of suitable training. The guarantee is delivered in Scotland by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise as a key element of the Skillseekers programme, funded by the Executive.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether responsibility for national training organisations in Scotland, in particular their funding, rests with it or Her Majesty's Government.
Answer
National Training Organisations (NTOs) are employer-led sectoral bodies which operate across the UK as the bridge between employers and those involved in the policy and provision of education, training and developing employability. At government level, policy responsibility is shared between the devolved administrations and the UK Government, reflecting the devolved responsibilities for education and training. NTOs attract funding from employers, government departments and other public sector and commercial sources.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was made available to its Government Modernisation Fund in 2000-01 and how much has been allocated from it to date.
Answer
The £26 million Modernising Government Fund covers a two-year period and is part of the wider drive to modernise government.In December the Minister for Finance and Local Government announced the allocation of all of the funding to support 36 projects across the public sector in Scotland. £13 million has been allocated for 2000-01 and £13 million for 2001-02.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is funding, or has any plans to fund, any medical research into illnesses suffered by soldiers who served in the Balkans.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is not directly funding any research into illnesses suffered by soldiers who served in the Balkans, nor has it plans to do so.However, the Executive in collaboration with UK Departments provides funding for the Medical Research Council, one of the agencies through which the UK Government as a whole undertakes such research.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12110 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 4 January 2001, what direct powers it has with regard to the Dounreay site restoration plan.
Answer
Under sections 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 of the Radioactive Substances Act 1993, the Scottish Ministers have powers with regard to existing discharge authorisations and any which might flow from the implementation of the Dounreay Site Restoration Plan.These include powers to direct the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to refuse, grant, vary or revoke an application for authorisation; to require certain applications to be determined by the Scottish Ministers and to cause a local inquiry to be held in relation to such an application; after consultation with the Secretary of State to direct SEPA to restrict knowledge of applications on the grounds of national security, and to determine appeals against the decisions of SEPA. The Scottish Ministers' powers under the land use planning system may also be relevant to certain aspects of decommissioning.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote the European Year of Languages in schools.
Answer
I will launch the European Year of Languages in Scotland on Monday 22 January at Stirling University. A Scottish committee has been established to promote Scottish involvement in the year through education, business and cultural networks, and a series of events is already planned in school and community facilities throughout Scotland.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 22 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the names are of all those who have served as independent assessors in relation to public appointments in Scotland since 1 July 1999, specifying in each case whether the person currently remains an independent assessor and the process by which they were appointed as an independent assessor.
Answer
Details of those who have held positions as Independent Assessors since 1 July 1999 are as follows:
Assessors currently in post |
Prof. Kathleen Anderson OBE | appointment ends 30 June 2001 |
Dr Tom Begg OBE | appointment ends 30 June 2001 |
Mr Ian Collie | appointment ends 30 June 2001 |
Mr Andrew Cubie | appointment ends 30 June 2001 |
Mrs Christine Davies CBE | appointment ends 30 August 2002 |
Mr Alastair Dempster | appointment ends 30 August 2002 |
Mr George Esson CBE | appointment ends 30 June 2001 |
Sir Charles Fraser KCVO | appointment ends 30 June 2001 |
Lady Marion Fraser LT | appointment ends 30 August 2002 |
Mr Ian Grant CBE | appointment ends 30 June 2001 |
Ms Mary Hartnoll CBE | appointment ends 30 August 2002 |
Mrs Deirdre Hutton CBE | appointment ends 30 August 2002 |
Mr Neil McIntosh CBE | appointment ends 30 June 2001 |
Ms Jane McKay | appointment ends 30 August 2002 |
Dr Calum McLeod CBE | appointment ends 30 June 2001 |
Lord Provost Eric Milligan | appointment ends 30 August 2002 |
Mrs Winifred Sherry | appointment ends 30 June 2001 |
Former Assessors |
Professor Tom Anderson | appointment ended 30 June 2000 |
Mr Charles Gray CBE | appointment ended 30 June 2000 |
Mr Roger Kent | appointment ended 30 June 2000 |
Mr Hugh MacLean | appointment ended 30 June 2000 |
Mr Duncan McPherson CB E | appointment ended 30 June 2000 |
Ms Anne Mearns | appointment ended 30 June 2000 |
Mr Garth Morrison CBE | appointment ended 30 June 2000 |
Professor Sir William Stewart | appointment ended 30 June 2000 |
Mr Ernie Walker | appointment ended 30 June 2000 |
In 1996 the then Secretary of State took the decision that the new posts of Independent Assessor should be advertised. Advertisements were placed in the Herald, Scotsman, Dundee Courier and the Press & Journal. Out of some 60 applications received only two were considered suitable. A further 20 individuals were identified by means of a departmental trawl, all but one of whom agreed to serve. None of the posts filled since 1996 has been advertised.I shall announce shortly the appointment of eight new independent assessors.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 22 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11611 by Mr Alasdair Morrison on 13 December 2000, what evidence it has that the change of name of the Scottish Tourist Board to Visitscotland will have a positive impact.
Answer
An independent review of the STB found that there would be benefit in changing its name to Visitscotland. This proposal provides an opportunity to re-brand the public sector bodies that support the tourism industry. The STB believes that consistency of branding, including the Scottish tourism website, which is attracting around 10,000 user sessions per day, will raise the visibility of Scotland's tourism product.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 19 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-11158 and S1O-2694 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 24 November and 14 December 2000, whether representatives of the Executive were part of the UK delegation to the UN Climate Change Summit in The Hague or whether Scotland was represented at The Hague by Mr John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister, and Mr Michael Meacher.
Answer
As I stated in my answer to question S1O-2964, Scotland, and the rest of the UK, was represented at The Hague by John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister, and Michael Meacher. Two officials from the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department were part of the UK delegation.
