- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 24 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 7 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive which members and staff of the EU Commission Mr Jack McConnell met on 21 March 2000 during his visit to Brussels, and what issues were discussed.
Answer
I met Commissioner Barnier to discuss Structural Fund issues, including our overall approach to implementation of the new round of Structural Funds in Scotland as well as the negotiations on the Special Programme for the Highlands & Islands. I saw Commissioner Schreyer to discuss issues of mutual interest concerning budgetary matters and financial management. I also met Claude Chene, Head of the Commission's Task Force on Reform, and launched a seminar on the Equal Opportunities Toolkit at which Commission staff and others were present.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 5 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the reference in paragraph 189 of Sensing Progress: Social Work Services for People with Sensory Impairment to "insufficient numbers of qualified rehabilitation workers", how it would define a sufficient number of rehabilitation workers and what progress it is making in ensuring that there are sufficient numbers of qualified rehabilitation workers.
Answer
It is for local authorities to assess the number of qualified rehabilitation workers they require based on the needs of their total population who have a visual impairment. In 1999-2000 a grant of £150,000 from section 9 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1998 was awarded to six voluntary organisations to take forward the recommendations of Sensing Progress.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 3 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3031 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 9 February 2000, whether it, any of its executive agencies or any Scottish public body funded by it have undertaken comprehensive cost/benefit analyses for any housing projects to determine the relative cost of funding housing through private finance or the Public Works Loan Board and, if so, whether it will make this information available to the Scottish Parliament and the public.
Answer
An analysis solely of the relative costs of finance is not undertaken. Transfers of public sector housing in Scotland are subject to a wider value for money scrutiny which assesses the offer price against an independent valuation of the stock and compares the value of retention in the public sector against the value of transfer to a registered social landlord.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 3 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what contribution its executive agencies or any Scottish public body funded by it have made to the capital and other set-up costs for establishing Scotland House in Brussels.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise paid £347,000 for the capital and set-up costs for establishing Scotland House, on behalf of Scotland Europa and its members.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 3 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what outcomes have been achieved to date by its EU Office in Scotland House in Brussels, particularly in relation to raising Scotland's profile in the European Union.
Answer
The Scottish Executive EU office has raised Scotland's profile in the EU in the course of its daily work. It has done this, for example, through discussions with representatives of the EU institutions, through seminars, through attending meetings of the institutions, and through meetings with the Brussels offices of other EU regions. Scotland Week, which was organised jointly with Scotland Europa, was a profile-raising event which had a particularly large impact.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 04 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 3 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many companies entered new export markets in each of the last three years as a result of projects undertaken by Scottish Enterprise and the Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Answer
During 1998-99, through Scottish Trade International and the Export Partnership, Scottish Enterprise assisted Scottish companies to enter 470 new markets. No comparable figures are available for previous years.
As a result of Highlands and Islands Enterprise programmes specifically aimed at assisting companies to develop new sales overseas the following number of companies entered new export markets:
1998-99 | 98 |
1997-98 | 70 |
1996-97 | No figures available |
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 3 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many net additional job opportunities have Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise created in each of the last three years.
Answer
The figures are as follows:Scottish Enterprise
Net additional employment supported |
1997-98 | 30,000 |
1998-99 | 30,000 |
Total | 60,000 |
Notes: 1. No comparable figures are available for 1996-97.2. Figures exclude opportunities that would have been created anyway, extraemployment created over and above the direct effect of Scottish Enterprise projectsand opportunities that have taken the place of existing employment.Highlands and Islands Enterprise
| Direct jobs created or retained |
| 1996-97 | 3,451 |
| 1997-98 | 2,801 |
| 1998-99 | 3,322 |
| Total | 9,574 |
Note: Jobs are recorded gross at approval and relate only to the change in the direct employment of the assisted business. On the basis of past experience andevaluation evidence the Network estimates net additional jobs to be around 75% ofthe gross direct impact.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 31 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to create a Minister for External Affairs post.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 31 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on the proposed upgrade of the Barrhead to Kilmarnock rail route, including details of the planned financial investment and the estimated number of people who will work on the project.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-4516
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 31 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive Scottish Executive how many police raids have taken place, in each of the past three years, in respect of offences against protected species of birds; in how many of these cases a criminal prosecution was brought; how many convictions there were and on how many occasions a member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds was present during the raid.
Answer
Figures for police raids are not collected centrally. Neither is it possible to determine the number of occasions on which a member of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds may have been present during a raid.
Figures for the number of prosecutions and convictions for offences against birds under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 are given below. All wild birds enjoy protection under the Act, although there are special penalties for certain types of offence and for offences against certain species.
Persons proceeded against under Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981
| | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
Sections specific to birds | 10 | 14 | 5 |
Persons convicted under Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981
| | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
Sections specific to birds | 6 | 12 | 5 |
Note: These figures refer to proceedings where the offence committed under this Act was the main offence; that is, the one receiving the severest penalty. 1998 is the latest year for which figures are currently available.
