Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-05042

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 20 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total amount of public funding is currently spent annually on education courses for prospective teachers of Gaelic.

There are currently a total of 35 Gaelic-speaking students on Initial Teacher Training courses. Of these, 14, including nine post-graduate students, graduate this year. This represents a cost of approximately £290,000.

In addition, in 1999 the Scottish Executive funded a Gaelic Medium Subject Specialist Teachers Course for secondary teachers. This was run by Sabhal Mor Ostaig at a total cost of £66,000. This year and next similar GMST courses will be run. Their costs will be in the same region but the precise amounts will depend on teacher numbers.

Question reference: S1W-04997

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 17 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the numbers who will be employed or working within the tourist industry, in each local authority area, (a) this year and (b) for each of the next three years.

The latest data is in respect of 1997. Estimates for the next three years are not held.

Local Authority	Tourism Employment: 1997
Aberdeen City	9,863
Aberdeenshire	5,582
Angus	2,989
Argyll & Bute	3,845
Clackmannanshire	786
Dumfries & Galloway	4,481
Dundee City	4,638
East Ayrshire	2,368
East Dunbartonshire	1,712
East Lothian	2,271
East Renfrewshire	1,301
Edinburgh City	20,559
Eilean Siar	687
Falkirk	3,228
Fife	8,742
Glasgow City	24,722
Highland	10,247
Inverclyde	2,583
Midlothian	1,503
Moray	2,503
North Ayrshire	3,844
North Lanarkshire	5,485
Orkney	509
Perth & Kinross	6,387
Renfrewshire	4,896
Scottish Borders	2,289
Shetland	839
South Ayrshire	4,709
South Lanarkshire	6,591
Stirling	3,554
West Dunbartonshire	2,602
West Lothian	2,787
Total	159,102

Source: Annual Employment Survey.

Notes:

Excludes self-employed, estimated at 17,000.Includes all employment: full time, part time, seasonal, year-round.

Question reference: S1W-04999

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Donald Dewar on 17 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to re-allocate the total expenditure on employing special advisers to fund an enhanced pay award in 2000-01 to the lowest paid in (a) the health service or (b) further education colleges.

Question reference: S1W-05001

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 17 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a list of all publicly funded positions, including the name of the person currently in post, where the total package of remuneration received exceeds that received by the First Minister.

The Executive does not hold information centrally on the remuneration packages of all persons holding publicly funded positions. The publication Appointments to Non-Departmental Public Bodies, updated in February 2000, gives the names and remuneration of Chairs and Board members of executive and advisory non-departmental public bodies, nationalised industries, public corporations and NHS bodies in Scotland. The publication is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The names and remuneration of the Chief Executives and Chief Officers of most public bodies are published in the body's annual accounts.

Question reference: S1W-05002

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 17 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that all small businesses within the tourism sector have full access to e-commerce and the OSSIAN Project and how it will achieve this.

Question reference: S1W-05003

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 17 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure that the Scottish mountains are included within United Nations' promotion of 2002 as the year of the mountains, and whether it will convene a group or committee, to include all interested parties, to ensure that Scotland does not lose out on any benefits which this initiative may offer, especially for tourism.

Dealings with the United Nations remain a reserved matter for the UK Government. Niche markets such as walking and climbing which take advantage of Scotland's spectacular environment and particularly its mountains are a vital element of the country's tourism product. In line with A New Strategy for Scottish Tourism the Scottish Tourist Board will seek to promote these activities while emphasising the conservation of the environment on which they depend.The Scottish Executive has been pursuing for some time the sustainable development of mountain areas as encompassed in Chapter 21 of Agenda 21. Initiatives such as the formation of the Glenmore Working Group, the commitment to the Rothiemurchus Concordat, projects carried out by the members of the Cairngorm Partnership and our recent commitment to establishing national parks are contributing to fulfilling the UK Government's undertaking.

Question reference: S1W-04998

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 17 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will introduce an ombudsman for Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the local enterprise companies, local authorities and other bodies who provide local enterprise development services and, if so, whether it will include within the remit of any such ombudsman the power to investigate (a) allegations of unfair decisions; (b) delays in decisions, and (c) levels of bureaucracy including duplication, congestion and overlap.

Question reference: S1W-04918

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will discuss with the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust their expertise in running three pilot accreditation courses and what lessons, if any, it could learn from the Trust in relation to accreditation for business advisers.

I have recently outlined several proposed improvements to the services provided by the Scottish Enterprise Network to assist business start-ups and small businesses, and we are discussing similar developments with Highlands and Islands Enterprise. These include the possible introduction of quality standards, covering both business organisations and advisers. As part of that work I have asked my officials to contact PSYBT to discuss their particular approach.

Question reference: S1W-04760

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 16 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive why it has chosen Scottish Natural Heritage to provide input and advice as to the boundaries of any proposed National Park area instead of the local residents and Community Councils.

We have not asked Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to advise instead of local residents and communities on the boundaries of National Parks. We have asked them to consult with these groups and others on identifying and discussing the options for the detailed arrangements for each proposed National Park. This will help to pave the way for the formal consultation in due course after Royal Assent has been achieved.

Question reference: S1W-04922

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will require the Scottish Tourist Board to make available to non-members of the area tourist boards membership of the OSSIAN project so that they are not excluded from any benefits of it.