- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 13 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the Caithness and Sutherland Trout Angling Group Brown Trout Angling Survey 1999; whether it will include the development of special fishing holiday deals and packages as an additional niche market in its tourism strategy, and whether it will consult with all relevant bodies and interest groups in relation to this matter.
Answer
Angling is an important aspect of the tourism sector and all ATBs should be aware of the opportunities. The Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board are partners in the Caithness and Sutherland Angling Group.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 13 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will discuss with the Scottish Tourist Board its appointment of a Parliamentary Liaison Officer and whether the salary costs of the post would be better spent on marketing activities.
Answer
No. This is an operational matter for the Scottish Tourist Board.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 13 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will instruct the Macaulay Land Use Institute to conduct a thorough investigation into the social, economic and environmental significance of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Bill for remote communities and specifically for Stratherrick and Lochaber.
Answer
No. The lead Committee considering the details of the proposed Bill can commission any further research it feels is necessary.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 12 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will bring forward an amending order to the draft Scotland Act 1998 (Cross-Border Public Authorities) (Adaptation of Functions etc) Order 2000 providing that any person whose appointment as a member of the National Heritage Memorial Fund is on the ground of a connection with Scotland must demonstrate either a residence connection with Scotland or special knowledge of Scotland and that such a member of the National Heritage Memorial Fund may not be appointed without the consent of the Parliament, and only following consultation with the Parliament.
Answer
The Scottish Executive and the United Kingdom Government have no plans to bring forward any such amending order.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 6 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has the powers to allow Initiative At the Edge funding to be used to effect the improvements and upgrading required to the Drynie Hill Section of the A861 from Kinlochmoidart to Carnoch.
Answer
The maintenance and improvement of local roads such as the Drynie Hill section of the A861 from Kinlochmoidart to Carnoch is the responsibility of Highland Council as the local roads authority. The Council is a key partner in the Initiative at the Edge and there is a general expectation on all the partners that they will attach additional priority to areas which are covered by the Initiative. Final decisions on the allocation of funding however remain a matter for individual partners.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 6 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the case for European transitional funding to be used to upgrade the Drynie Hill section of the A861 from Kinlochmoidart to Carnoch and whether it will make a statement explaining its position.
Answer
The improvement of this section of the A861 is entirely a matter for Highland Council as the local roads authority. As regards the use of European transitional funding, the special programme for the Highlands and Islands is currently being considered by the European Commission. Whilst support for infrastructure is envisaged, projects will require to demonstrate that they relieve significant constraints to economic development and that they feature amongst priorities established by the Highlands & Islands Partnership Programme.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 6 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce a rebate or relief scheme this year for those on low incomes who are liable for water charges.
Answer
The arrangements linking water and sewerage charges to council tax bands already provide substantial assistance to many less well-off households. The Executive is considering whether it is possible to improve on the protection provided by these arrangements. Any new measures would be introduced in 2001-02.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 5 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has submitted or intends to submit a response to the consultation document issued by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFFGEM) on future electricity wholesale trading arrangements in Scotland and whether any such response indicated or will indicate support or opposition to the OFFGEM proposals, including the implications for Scotland of the proposals that (a) supply and generation be separated from distribution and transmission, (b) there should be created a single system operation for Scotland, (c) there should be cuts in price for transporting electricity, (d) there should be wider access to the interconductor between Scotland and England and (e) there should be cuts in the regulated Scottish price for wholesale electricity.
Answer
Although electricity regulation is a reserved matter, the Executive has always kept in close touch with electricity suppliers in Scotland and with the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) as the structure of the energy market responds to changes in the business and regulatory environment.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 5 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs it estimates will not be created or protected as a result of the loss of power to extend aid beyond the de minimis amount, because the assisted area status map has not been agreed between the Department of Trade and Industry and the European Commission, and whether any applications have not proceeded or have been withdrawn as a result of the restriction on the amount of aid by operation of the de minimis rule, in consequence of the assisted area status map not being agreed.
Answer
The main form of aid provided by the Scottish Executive, to create and safeguard jobs, is Regional Selective Assistance (RSA). The ending of the 1993-99 Assisted Areas map was well publicised and we received a large number of RSA applications prior to the end of 1999. We are not aware of any RSA applications not proceeding or being withdrawn, in consequence of the assisted area status map not being agreed.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 5 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from business organisations to reassess the calculation of the non-domestic rate poundage for 2000-01 and to ensure the continuation of the uniform business rate throughout the United Kingdom; whether it will give details of such representations; whether any organisations support abandoning the uniform business rate and, if so, to provide details; whether Scotland will have a 10.1% higher non-domestic rate poundage level than in England in 2000-01, and whether it has any plans to reassess this level.
Answer
I received representations from and/or held meetings on the forthcoming revaluation of non-domestic rates, including the issue of the rate poundage, with the Forum of Private Business, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Scottish Council Development and Industry, CBI Scotland, the Scottish Tourism Forum, the Scottish Licensed Trade Association, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Valuation and Rating Council, the Chemical Industries Association, Scottish Financial Enterprise and the Scottish Retail Consortium.
I confirmed the Uniform Scottish Rate Poundage for 2000-01 on 1 March at 45.8p. The poundage in England is to be 41.6p. I explained the effect of this in my previous answer of 28 January (S1W-3768, Written Answers Report Vol 4, No 5). There are no plans to reassess the figure.
