- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 13 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current position is in relation to the development of biotechnology clusters.
Answer
In November 1999, Scottish Enterprise launched the "Framework for Action": a four-year £40 million strategy to grow the biotechnology cluster in Scotland.
One year on, the cluster is growing faster than forecast. The number of new biotech companies, support and supply organisations and jobs in the cluster are all ahead of target at this stage. There are now 382 organisations in the Scottish cluster, a presence that is significant in UK and international terms. This is a result of new company creation, the growth of existing businesses and an increase in the number of organisations choosing to participate in the biotechnology cluster.
20 new core biotech companies have been created since March 1999 and provided with vital support from the 11 biotechnology related incubator units across Scotland. Development finance has been provided from a range of sources with Scottish Equity Partners Ltd looking to put together a £75 million fund to invest across technology areas.
Inward investment through LIS has also supported the growth of the cluster, with companies like Organon NV and Serologicals Ltd expanding their operations in Scotland. Global competitiveness has also improved and over the last 18 months STI activities have resulted in a total of £21 million worth of business for Scottish biotech organisations and a further £16 million of projected business in Asian, European and US markets.
Scotland is becoming a world centre of activity in biotechnology. With our excellence in university research, the emergence of Biotech Parks, real success in manufacturing and a highly supportive Economic Development Agency, the biotechnology cluster is progressing towards maturity and self-sufficiency.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 13 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets local authorities have been set in relation to the recycling of waste other than household waste.
Answer
No recycling targets for local authorities have been set to date. These will be considered when the Executive has received guidance from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency following output from a working group which it has established as part of the implementation of the National Waste Strategy.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 13 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it estimates the change of name of the Scottish Tourist Board to Visitscotland will have on the number of visitors to Scotland in the next year.
Answer
I believe the change of name will have a positive impact. Scotland will become more visible to potential customers as a result of consistent branding especially the alignment of identity with the tourism website.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 13 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost will be of changing the name of the Scottish Tourist Board to Visitscotland.
Answer
No estimate of cost has been made. However, STB will strive to keep costs to a minimum.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 13 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to raise the level of innovation in Scotland's industrial base.
Answer
The Executive, both directly and through the enterprise bodies, is involved in a wide range of initiatives to support innovation in Scotland's industrial base. In addition, the Department of Trade and Industry operates, on a UK-wide basis, a number of schemes to encourage industrial innovation from which Scotland benefits. Initiatives include:
encouraging the generation of ideas through, for example, Proof of Concept Funding, the Professionalisation of Commercialisation Funding and the setting up of Technology Ventures Scotland;promoting the mobilisation of ideas through, for example, the Scottish Institute for Enterprise, Faraday Partnerships, TCS (formerly the Teaching Company Scheme) and the LINK scheme;promoting the internal productivity of companies through schemes such as SMART and SPUR, and best practice initiatives such as Inside UK Enterprise.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 7 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with Her Majesty's Government in respect of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill, in particular on any impact it might have on local government in Scotland, on the number of Scottish MSPs and on any referenda that might be held in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including certain aspects of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of those who started the New Deal for Young People at its inception are still in job placements.
Answer
Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which therefore takes the lead on the delivery of the New Deal throughout Great Britain, although in close consultation with its partners including the Scottish Executive.
This information is not available. Youth unemployment has fallen by 63% over the last two years.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how the New Deal for Young People in Scotland has performed to date.
Answer
Figures to end September 2000 show that 60,900 young people had joined the New Deal programme and 29,200 had secured jobs, of which 21,800 were sustained.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 6 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of collecting the council tax has been in each of the last two years in both absolute terms and as a percentage of the revenue raised.
Answer
In 1999-2000, the net expenditure (provisional outturn) relating to the collection of the council tax and outstanding community charge (excluding the administration of council tax benefit and community charge rebates) by local authorities in Scotland was £ 33.8 million.
The equivalent net expenditure for 1998-99 was £32.0 million.
These figures represent 3% of council tax and community charge receipts received in these years, regardless of the year of billing.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions the Minister for Justice has had with Chief Constables with regard to protecting elderly people from physical attacks.
Answer
I have had no recent discussions with Chief Constables regarding physical attacks on elderly people.
