- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 3 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the levels of long-term industrial investment have been in each year since 1992, showing year-on-year percentage changes.
Answer
It is not possible to answer this question from the data held centrally. The Office for National Statistics collects information on Net Capital Expenditure through the Annual Business Inquiry. This survey does not, however, cover investment from all industrial sectors.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 2 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many independent (a) butchers, (b) bakers, (c) greengrocers and (d) convenience stores there have been in each local authority area in each year since 1999, showing year-on-year percentage changes.
Answer
Official data on the stock of Scottish businesses is obtained from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) which is maintained by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
There is no indicator for independent companies in the IDBR database and there is no standard definition that would allow them to be separately identified.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 31 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many supermarket planning applications were (a) accepted and (b) rejected in each local authority area in each year since 1999.
Answer
The tables show planning applications for supermarkets and superstores approved and refused in the period 1999-2003. Figures for 2004 and 2005 are not available.
Table1: Convenience Supermarket Developments (over 1,000sq metres in size but less than 2,500 sq metres)
| Planning Authority | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| | Granted | Refused | Granted | Refused | Granted | Refused | Granted | Refused | Granted | Refused |
| Aberdeen | 2 | | 1 | | 1 | | 1 | | | |
| Aberdeenshire | 1 | 1 | 1 | | | | | | 2 | |
| Angus | | | | | | | | | 1 | |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| East Renfrewshire | | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| Edinburgh | 1 | | | | 2 | | 1 | | 2 | 2 |
| Fife | | | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Glasgow | | | 1 | | 1 | 1 | | | | |
| Highland | 1 | 1 | | | 2 | | 1 | | | |
| North Lanarkshire | | | | | | | | | | |
| Scottish Borders | | 2 | | | | | | | | |
| South Ayrshire | 2 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
| West Lothian | | | | | | | | | | |
| Total | 8 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
Table 2: Convenience Superstore Developments (Over 2,500 sq metres in size)
| Planning Authority | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| | Granted | Refused | Granted | Refused | Granted | Refused | Granted | Refused | Granted | Refused |
| Aberdeen | | | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | | 1 | 1 | |
| Aberdeenshire | | | 1 | | | | | | | |
| Angus | | | | | | | | | | 2 |
| Clackmannanshire | | | | | 1 | | | | | |
| Dumfries and Galloway | | | | | 1 | | 1 | | 1 | |
| Dundee | | | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 2 | 1 | | |
| East Ayrshire | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| East Dunbartonshire | 1 | | | 1 | | | | | | |
| Edinburgh | 4 | 1 | | 1 | 2 | | 2 | | | |
| Falkirk | | | 1 | | | | 1 | | | |
| Fife | | | | | | | | | | |
| Glasgow | 1 | | 2 | | 4 | | 2 | 1 | 3 | |
| Highland | | | | | | | 1 | | 2 | |
| Midlothian | 2 | | | | | | | | | |
| Moray | | | | 1 | 2 | | | | | |
| North Ayrshire | | 1 | | | | | | | 1 | |
| North Lanarkshire | | | 1 | | 1 | | | | | |
| Perth and Kinross | | | | | 2 | | | | 2 | |
| Renfrewshire | | | | | 1 | | 2 | | | |
| South Ayrshire | 1 | | 2 | | 1 | | 1 | 1 | | |
| South Lanarkshire | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Stirling | 1 | | | | | | | | 1 | |
| West Dunbartonshire | | | 2 | | 1 | 1 | 1 | | 1 | |
| Total | 11 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 18 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 12 | 3 |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 31 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the European Commission in respect of the reintroduction of schemes to assist the conversion of road vehicles to run on clean fuels.
Answer
The overall position on the issue is as described in the answer to question S2W-22006 on 27 January 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search engine for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
The Commission is in the process of assessing the proposed schemes. As part of this process, the Commission has been in discussion with the Department for Transport, which has made representations on behalf of all the UK Government Departments and Devolved Administrations concerned. It is not possible to say when this process will be concluded.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 31 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to resume schemes to assist the conversion of road vehicles to run on clean fuels.
Answer
A number of new grants programmes to incentivise the development and take-up of cleaner fuels and vehicles, regardless of the technology or fuel type, have been notified to the European Commission for State Aid clearance by the Department for Transport on behalf of the Scottish Executive and other UK administrations.
The timescale for introduction of the new programmes is dependent on progress by the European Commission in reviewing and clearing the new programmes. While we are keen to have an early response from the Commission, it is not possible to say when this process will be concluded.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 31 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many recorded crimes there have been in each police force area in each of the last three years and this year to date, expressed on a per capita basis, showing national totals and year-on-year increases in each case.
Answer
Data on the numbers of recorded crimes and offences for the last three financial years are given in the following tables. Data for the year 2005-06 will be published in September 2006.
The Number of Recorded Crimes1 per 10,000 Population by Police Force Area, 2002-03 to 2004-05, and Annual Percentage Change
| Police Force | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | Percentage change 2002-03 to 2003-04 | 2004-05 | Percentage change 2003-04 to 2004-05 |
| Central | 658 | 705 | 7.2 | 703 | -0.4 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 698 | 712 | 2.1 | 722 | 1.3 |
| Fife | 846 | 925 | 9.3 | 983 | 6.3 |
| Grampian | 764 | 743 | -2.7 | 782 | 5.3 |
| Lothian and Borders | 891 | 910 | 2.1 | 938 | 3.1 |
| Northern | 511 | 526 | 2.9 | 561 | 6.7 |
| Strathclyde | 889 | 849 | -4.5 | 907 | 6.9 |
| Tayside | 800 | 779 | -2.6 | 821 | 5.4 |
| All Scotland | 827 | 819 | -1.0 | 863 | 5.3 |
The Number of Recorded Offences1 per 10,000 Population by Police Force Area, 2002-03 to 2004-05, and Annual Percentage Change
| | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | Percentage change 2002-03 to 2003-04 | 2004-05 | Percentage change 2003-04 to 2004-05 |
| Central | 1,152 | 1,243 | 7.9 | 1,084 | -12.8 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 1,117 | 1,638 | 46.6 | 2,087 | 27.4 |
| Fife | 1,089 | 1,002 | -8.0 | 1,069 | 6.7 |
| Grampian | 990 | 1,103 | 11.3 | 1,155 | 4.8 |
| Lothian and Borders | 808 | 1,115 | 37.9 | 1,349 | 21.0 |
| Northern | 981 | 931 | -5.1 | 951 | 2.2 |
| Strathclyde | 1,069 | 1,237 | 15.7 | 1,210 | -2.1 |
| Tayside | 1,151 | 1,512 | 31.4 | 1,509 | -0.2 |
| All Scotland | 1,024 | 1,201 | 17.3 | 1,246 | 3.7 |
Note: 1. Contraventions of Scottish criminal law are divided for statistical purposes into crimes and offences. The term “crime” is generally used for the more serious criminal acts; the less serious are termed “offences”, although the term “offence” may also be used in relation to serious breaches of criminal law. The distinction is made only for working purposes and the “seriousness” of the offence is generally related to the maximum sentence that can be imposed.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 30 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the median waiting times for a first out-patient appointment with an orthodontic consultant following referral by an NHS hospital have been in each of the last five years.
Answer
NHSScotland has made excellent progress in reducing long waits for patients. On 30 September 2005, the number of patients waiting more than 26 weeks for a first out-patient appointment with consultant in dental specialties, including orthodontics, following referral, was 1,188 compared with 5,031 on 31 December 2004 - a reduction of 76%.
Information on the median waiting times for a first outpatient appointment with an orthodontic consultant, following referral, by NHS dental or district general hospital or local community hospital, in the years ended 30 September 2001 to 2005, has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38745).
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 30 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken since 1999 to (a) provide and (b) promote or encourage the provision of long-term debt and equity facilities for small and medium-sized companies.
Answer
The delivery of business support is mainly a matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. A number of measures have been introduced to improve the provisions of finances for small and medium-sized companies, including the Business Growth Fund and the Scottish Co-investment Fund. The Small Firms Loan Guarantee scheme, which operates on a UK basis, has also recently adopted a number of changes, identified in a recent review, to improve the access to loan funding.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 30 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures have been implemented since 1999 to enable Scottish Enterprise to work with venture capital funds and banks to create higher levels of long-term industrial investment in Scotland.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise works closely with the financial community, including venture capital funds and banks, to assess the investment market in Scotland. This has led to initiatives such as the Business Growth Fund and the Scottish Co-investment Fund being introduced. Further work is underway looking at equity investment provision above the £2 million level.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 30 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the availability of long-term debt and equity facilities for small and medium-sized companies.
Answer
The Scottish Executive keeps the availability of business finance under regular review, drawing on a range of sources. For example, an analysis of the equity market in Scotland is today published by Scottish Enterprise, and is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38742).
