Chamber and committees

Ministers are currently considering options in the light of the responses to the consultation which closed on 30 October. I expect that the final conclusions of the review of lottery distribution policy will be announced by the late spring or early summer.

We have no such plans. However, in the answer given to question S1W-30915 on 25 October 2002, my colleague Mr Andy Kerr announced additional reviews which will provide further opportunities for rural areas. Organisations covered by the relocation policy will be required to identify small units of work which, following more detailed appraisal, might prove suitable for relocation to more remote areas without compromising efficiency. Circumstances of individual organisations vary and it would therefore be inappropriate to set specific targets for the number of jobs to be relocated to rural areas following these appraisals.All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

I recently attended a meeting of the European Competitiveness Council with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The Scottish Executive has no plans at present to set up a Scottish competitiveness council.

Under the Proceeds of Crime (Scotland) Act 1995 where a person is convicted of a drug trafficking offence (which includes supplying drugs) under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the court can order the confiscation of all assets obtained by him over the previous six years. Where the court does not make such an order, the Inland Revenue could make an appropriate investigation. Similar provisions are contained in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 which will be implemented over the next few months. In addition that act introduces significant new powers for the Director of the Assets Recovery Agency to tax the suspected proceeds of unlawful conduct even where a person has not been convicted of a criminal offence.

Whilst I support and encourage young people to travel to broaden their horizons it is an individual's responsibility to fund his/her own travel. Young people may wish to take up one of the many volunteering opportunities, where volunteer engaging agencies may meet some of the expenses incurred by volunteers.

Yes.

Financial support is provided to enable people to return to university, irrespective of their reasons for doing so.Tuition fee support is not generally available to students to undertake a higher education course leading to a qualification at a level which they have already achieved. The purpose of this rule is to ensure that student support resources are used to help as many people as possible to attain higher education qualifications. Student loans and supplementary grants are, however, available regardless of previous study.The Executive's Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) provides a framework for partnership working across key public sector agencies in the event of large-scale redundancies.

The Commission has confirmed that the regulations set a fixed date (26 March 1999) for establishing eligibility based on the data available at that time. Data which becomes available after that date cannot be taken into consideration. The most up to date statistics will be used in discussions about any entitlement to EU funds for post-2006 period.

Officials in the Scottish Executive are in regular contact with the Scotland Office and have appraised colleagues in the Scotland Office of the recent work undertaken by the Office of National Statistics to review the figures. The Office of National Statistics have now withdrawn their provisional revisions. There has been no miscalculation of the eligibility to Objective One funding. Eligibility is determined on the most up to date statistics available from all member states during the relevant period as determined by the European Commission.We will continue to work closely with the Scotland Office, and the Department for Trade and Industry who co-ordinate Structural Funds matters for the United Kingdom, should any revised UK statistics affecting figures for Highlands and Islands emerge.The most up to date statistics will be used in discussions about any entitlement to EU funds for the post-2006 period.

The current round of Structural Funds Programmes runs from 2000 to 2006. Allocation of funds ceases for all programmes at the end of 2006, although activity may continue to the end of 2006. Elements of funding in transitional programmes reduce after 2005. In Highlands and Islands, this relates specifically to the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). However, part of the area will remain eligible. The regulations provide for coverage in 2006 for areas which meet the Objective Two criteria. This is not Objective Two status as such. It is merely a basis for determining eligibility for ERDF in the final year for allocating funds under the programme. We will be discussing with the Commission what this means in terms of precise coverage towards the end of 2003.The question of future regional funding is dependent on the outcome of discussions on the future of European Regional policy. Commission proposals are due to be published in 2004.The most up to date statistics will be used in discussions about any entitlement to EU funds for the post-2006 period.