- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the value is of the music industry in terms of employment and contribution to the economy in the current year and what the value has been in each of the last three years.
Answer
This information is not routinelycollated nor centrally compiled. The most recent relevant data is contained inthe 2003 Mapping the Music Industry in Scotland report compiled independentlyon behalf of Scottish Enterprise. Economic and employment data for 2003 obtainedfor the report include the following: £106 million generated annually in sales andmusic services; the industry is made up of approximately 2,040 full-time employeesand 2003 part-time workers, and annual consumer spending of around £331 millionon musical instruments and live and recorded music.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what its strategy is to support the development of the music industry.
Answer
The Executive’s support to themusic industry is channelled primarily through the Scottish Arts Council, the ScottishEnterprise/Highlands and Islands Enterprise networks and the Scottish EnterpriseCreative Industries Team. Working both independently and in partnership these bodiesprovide the music industry with a wide range of strategically supportive initiatives.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of public funds has been allocated to Scotland the Brand since its inception.
Answer
I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-7457 on 6 May 2004. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it commissioned research into a new Scottish brand and/or logo for the purposes of promoting Scotland overseas and, if so, on what basis such research was commissioned.
Answer
As set out in the answer givento question S2W-5795 on 9 February 2004, the Executive has commissioned research activity tobuild upon our knowledge of how Scotland is perceived in a range of countries and domestically,and how we can use creative material to change or build upon those perceptions.The research is informing a number of elements of the Executive’s work to help achievepartnership agreement objectives by promoting Scotland overseas in a more coherentand effective way.
All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for whichcan be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken, or what plans there are, to utilise the presence of a consular corps and other overseas representatives based in Scotland with a view to promoting Scotland and building on existing mutually-beneficial links with their respective countries; when the most recent survey was conducted to seek their views; what the results of any such survey was, and what action was taken as the result of the survey.
Answer
Ministers regularly meet withthe consular representations in Scotland with a view to promoting Scotland andScotland’s interests and building mutually beneficial links with other countries.
The Executive wrote to all consularrepresentations in December 2001 to ascertain their views on a variety of issues.Responses received over the following months revealed that Consular representationswere keen to see enhanced engagement with the Executive.
In January 2004 the First Ministerand I hosted a seminar for all consular representations in Scotland to discussthe Executive’s agenda and priorities, including its European Strategy, the FreshTalent Initiative and the promotion of Scotland. We intend to host similar events on a regular basis.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to increase the number of advisers and level of infrastructure required to support the music industry.
Answer
Executive support and advicefor the music industry is channelled primarily through the Scottish Arts Counciland the Scottish Enterprise/Highlands and Islands Enterprise networks. Joint workingbetween these bodies provides the industry with an effective, efficient and strategicallysupportive infrastructure. Staffing, appropriate to the needs of the music industry,is the responsibility of the bodies concerned.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 29 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to support the introduction of direct air links to the new EU accession states.
Answer
The new EU accession states areamongst those with whom the Executive has promoted its Route Development Fund initiativeon the development of direct air links.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 28 April 2004
To ask the Presiding Officer how many passes allowing access to the Parliament complex have been issued to regular visitors who are not elected members or directly employed by the Parliament in each of the last five years and what conditions are attached to such passes.
Answer
Statistics about regular visitor photographic ID passes are available only from 2001. The number of passes issued is shown in the table below.
Regular Visitor Passes - Issues
| Year | New | Renewals | Total |
| 2001 | 65 | 123 | 188 |
| 2002 | 106 | 168 | 274 |
| 2003 | 62 | 149 | 211 |
| 2004 - March | 11 | 24 | 35 |
Regular visitor passes are issued to applicants where the Security Office is satisfied that the pass will be beneficial to the applicant in view of the frequency and nature of their business within the Parliament. All applicants must satisfy the requirements of the security checks currently in place. The passes are issued for a specific period of time and passholders must re-apply if they wish to renew the pass.
Those in possession of a regular visitor pass have unescorted access rights between 6 am and 10 pm. They are not permitted to “sign-in” visitors and their swipe access is restricted to the Parliament Headquarters building.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent steps have been taken to assess the capability of Scotland's emergency services to cope with terrorist attacks in light of the present international climate; whether it has been part of any UK-wide initiatives on the issue, and whether it has received any financial assistance from Her Majesty's Government for such purposes.
Answer
The Scottish Executive, in conjunction with all the emergency services in Scotland, operatesa process of continuous assessment of arrangements for protecting the public inan emergency to ensure that we are prepared for any eventuality, including the threatof terrorist attack. Regular exercises are conducted throughout the UK. There isclose co-operation between the Executive and the UK Government. Additional fundinghas been provided in Scotland, as well as south of the border, to enhance the capabilityand equipment of all the emergency services.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 22 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the statement issued by its spokesperson and reported in the Sunday Herald on 21 March 2004 that "The First Minister and the permanent secretary are fully committed to freedom of information. Openness and transparency have been hallmarks of the organisation since devolution. The new act will ensure that this continues to be the case" and whether this statement means that information and material currently deemed confidential and private as part of the Concordat on Co-ordination of European Union Policy Issues will now be made available.
Answer
The Executive’s commitment toopenness and transparency does not mean that all information held by the Scottish Executive, whether under the Concordat on Co-ordination of European Policy Issuesor otherwise, will automatically be made available under the Freedom of Information(Scotland) Act 2002. As the act recognises, there are circumstances where genuinelysensitive information should receive appropriate protection. Each request for informationreceived under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 will therefore beconsidered on a case-by-case basis.
