- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any off-the-record briefing of journalists about the outcome of the Prison Estates Review took place prior to 17 March 2002, and if not, whether it will undertake an investigation of the Scottish Prison Service to determine whether any member or members of staff leaked details of the review to the media.
Answer
As I said to Parliament on 21 March, I authorised no briefing to anyone prior to that date. In fact I issued specific instructions to the contrary.I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond to the second part of your question. His response is as follows:No briefing was given to journalists by SPS and I do not think that SPS staff leaked details of the Estates Review to the media.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22493 by Mr Jim Wallace on 25 February 2002, whether the percentage of EU Council of Ministers meetings attended refers to the proportion of the total of all formal and informal meetings of the EU Council of Ministers.
Answer
Since the figure for councils attended by Scottish ministers, given in answer to question S1W-22493, included two informal meetings of EU Ministers, the percentage given should have referred to the proportion of the total of all formal meetings of the EU Council of Ministers and informal meetings of EU Ministers. However, due to an administrative error a figure for the total number of formal meetings only was used.The proportion of formal meetings of the EU Council of Ministers attended by Scottish ministers between 1 March 2000 and 28 February 2002 is 11.4%.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what issues were discussed at the meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee on 7 March 2002, who attended the meeting and what the outcome was.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-4899 on 21 March 2002. I attended the meeting on behalf of the Scottish Executive; the meeting was chaired by the Foreign Secretary, and was also attended by other ministers and officials from the UK Government and the other devolved administrations.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many people are employed at the (a) headquarters and (b) other offices of each European Union agency based in Scotland.
Answer
Information on agencies of European Union is given at:www.europa.eu.int. There are no EU agencies based in Scotland.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts have been made to secure the location of new European Union agencies in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the location of new European Agencies.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 27 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the priorities of Communities Scotland are in respect of rural areas.
Answer
I have asked Mr Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:Communities Scotland is guided by the rural policies and priorities of Scottish ministers, with a view to improving the quality of life for those resident in rural Scotland by fostering sustainable and healthy communities that are attractive, vibrant and safe.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 27 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what response it has given, or plans to give, to the recent draft PricewaterhouseCoopers report which suggests reductions of over #4 million in health spending by Grampian NHS board.
Answer
This is a matter for NHS Grampian. However, I understand that the recommendations in the report are intended to provide non-clinical support services more effectively and to increase spending on direct patient care.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 27 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the proposed changes to Regional Selective Assistance, what steps will be taken to ensure that there is no increased risk to the Grampian area as a result of incentives for inward investors to choose other locations and assistance to businesses to relocate and to locate projects in assisted areas.
Answer
There is no increased risk, as there is never any question of Regional Selective Assistance being used simply to relocate a business.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 27 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what awards have been given under the (a) SMART (b) SPUR and (c) SPURPlus grant schemes, broken down by enterprise company, in each of the last five years.
Answer
The information requested is set out in the following three tables:(a) Awards given under the SMART:SCOTLAND grant scheme in each of the Local Enterprise Company (LEC) Areas in each of the last five years.
| LEC Area | Awards made 01/04/97 - 31/03/98 | Awards made 01/04/98 - 31/03/99 | Awards made 01/04/99 - 31/03/00 | Awards made 01/04/00 - 31/03/01 | Awards made 01/04/01 - present |
| No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value |
| Ayrshire | 1 | 45,000 | 2 | 90,000 | 1 | 45,000 | 2 | 90,000 | 2 | 83,150 |
| Borders | | | | | 1 | 45,000 | 2 | 63,763 | | |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 1 | 45,000 | | | | | | | | |
| Dunbartonshire | | | 2 | 90,000 | 3 | 135,000 | 5 | 268,550 | | |
| Edinburgh and Lothian | 6 | 258,545 | 7 | 314,979 | 10 | 492,465 | 7 | 422,209 | 15 | 759,748 |
| Fife | 2 | 90,000 | 2 | 80,936 | 1 | 40,031 | 2 | 90,000 | 4 | 270,495 |
| Forth Valley | 4 | 180,000 | 3 | 134,662 | 3 | 127,439 | 2 | 88,863 | 2 | 89,934 |
| Glasgow | 6 | 263,917 | 3 | 135,000 | 4 | 228,793 | 7 | 308,104 | 9 | 544,309 |
| Grampian | 3 | 135,000 | 6 | 269,062 | 11 | 488,471 | 6 | 330,656 | 8 | 356,650 |
| Inverness and Nairn | | | | | 1 | 45,000 | | | | |
| Lanarkshire | | | 7 | 292,541 | 2 | 90,000 | 1 | 37,762 | 4 | 217,207 |
| Renfrewshire | 1 | 45,000 | | | | | 1 | 45,000 | 2 | 90,000 |
| Skye and Lochalsh | | | | | | | | | 1 | 45,000 |
| Tayside | 2 | 90,000 | 1 | 45,000 | 4 | 177,938 | 2 | 62,120 | | |
| Total | 26 | 1,152,462 | 33 | 1,452,180 | 41 | 1,915,137 | 37 | 1,807,027 | 47 | 2,456,493 |
(b) Awards given under the SPUR grant scheme in each of the Local Enterprise Company Areas in each of the last five years.
| LEC Area | Awards made 01/04/97 - 31/03/98 | Awards made 01/04/98 - 31/03/99 | Awards made 01/04/99 - 31/03/00 | Awards made 01/04/00 - 31/03/01 | Awards made 01/04/01 - present |
| No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value |
| Ayrshire | | | | | 1 | 117,943 | 1 | 77,559 | 1 | 124,076 |
| Edinburgh and Lothian | 5 | 557,300 | 7 | 540,864 | | | | | | |
| Fife | 2 | 176,547 | 1 | 82,541 | 2 | 158,367 | | | | |
| Forth Valley | 4 | 377,292 | 1 | 133,391 | 2 | 192,182 | | | | |
| Glasgow | 6 | 541,512 | 1 | 87,980 | 1 | 88,247 | | | | |
| Grampian | 8 | 769,575 | 2 | 229,482 | | | | | 1 | 145,565 |
| Inverness and Nairn | | | 1 | 88,391 | | | | | | |
| Lanarkshire | 2 | 100,676 | 3 | 242,054 | | | | | | |
| Renfrewshire | | | 1 | 66,744 | | | | | 1 | 150,000 |
| Tayside | 2 | 168,883 | | | | | 1 | 78,465 | 1 | 111,185 |
| Total | 29 | 2,691,785 | 17 | 1,471,447 | 6 | 556,739 | 2 | 156,024 | 4 | 530,826 |
(c) Awards given under the SPURPlus grant scheme in each of the Local Enterprise Company Areas in each of the last five years.
| LEC Area | Awards made 01/04/97 - 31/03/98 | Awards made 01/04/98 - 31/03/99 | Awards made 01/04/99 - 31/03/00 | Awards made 01/04/00 - 31/03/01 | Awards made 01/04/01 - present |
| No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value | No. | Value |
| Ayrshire | 1 | 338,300 | | | | | 1 | 450,000 | | |
| Edinburgh and Lothian | | | 1 | 305,258 | 1 | 381,240 | 4 | 1,642,352 | 5 | 2,149,657 |
| Glasgow | | | | | 1 | 423,273 | 1 | 440,291 | 2 | 900,000 |
| Grampian | | | | | 1 | 423,273 | | | | |
| Lanarkshire | | | 1 | 350,195 | | | 1 | 450,000 | 2 | 900,000 |
| Renfrewshire | 1 | 450,000 | 1 | 400,173 | | | | | | |
| Tayside | | | 1 | 450,000 | 2 | 738,608 | 1 | 450,000 | 2 | 900,000 |
| Total | 2 | 788,300 | 4 | 1,505,626 | 5 | 1,966,394 | 8 | 3,432,643 | 11 | 4,849,657 |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 27 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive which business support schemes offered through the enterprise network are not available in the Grampian area because the region does not have assisted area status.
Answer
There are two main schemes which companies in Grampian cannot apply for due to the fact that Grampian is not an assisted area. These are Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) and Invest for Growth. Both these schemes are however operated by the Scottish Executive rather than Scottish Enterprise, as a result of the review of RSA. However, the wider measures that I announced in February, including a £20 million venture capital "fund of funds" and more support for commercialisation, will benefit firms across Scotland, including those in Grampian.The impact of assisted area status on Scottish Enterprise's activity is more in terms of the rate/level of grant which can be offered to companies depending on whether they are located within an assisted or non-assisted area. The intervention rate under certain Scottish Enterprise schemes is therefore lower due to Grampian's non-assisted status.
