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: S2W-08061

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 May 2004
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 9 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the argument in Professor David Simpson's report for the David Hume Institute, Tilting at Windmills: The Economics of Wind Power, that wind power generation is more expensive than nuclear generation.

Question reference: S2W-06984

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 March 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how the percentage of gross domestic product generated from private sector business compares to that in (a) England and (b) the UK as a whole.

Scottish GDP estimates are compiled using an industry breakdown and it is not therefore possible to provide a sectoral split of GDP. The table below provides some alternative information on the sectoral split of businesses and organisations in Scotland and the UK. Comparable information is not available for England.

Legal Status
	Number of Enterprises	Total Scottish Employment	Turnover in £ Millions
Companies (incl. Building Societies)	51,170	1,198,310	130,701
Sole proprietors	56,320	166,040	8,158
Partnerships	35,480	204,890	10,775
Public Corporation/ nationalised body	40	136,440	5,758
Central and local government	170	407,400	6,772
Non-profit making bodies and mutual associations	6,545	123,620	2,676
Total registered	149,730	2,236,700	164,839
Unregistered enterprises	102,525	120,480	3,557
Total	252,255	2,357,190	168,396

Source: Scottish Executive, Corporate Sector Statistics 2002.

Notes:

1. Registered enterprises are those registered for VAT and/or PAYE.

2. Turnover data for financial intermediation enterprises are not available. Totals exclude turnover of such enterprises.

Question reference: S2W-08294

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many graduates from universities outwith Scotland are living in Scotland (a) one year (b) five years and (c) 10 years after graduation.

The information requested isnot available. The only regularly collected source of annual data on graduate destinationsis the Examination Results and First Destination Survey (FDS). This survey is runby the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and collects data six months aftergraduation on UK and other EU students who have successfully completedan higher education course at a UK higher education institution (HEI).

In2001-02, the latest year for which FDS data is available, Scotland was shown tobe the location of main activity for an estimated 0.7% of graduates from HEIs inthe rest of the UK. No information is available on students from HEIs outwith theUK.

Work is currently in hand toimprove the provision of data on graduate destinations. The Scottish Funding Councilshave initiated a longitudinal study of students across higher and further educationwhich will track graduates one, three and five years after graduation. HESA arecurrently investigating the possibility of collecting data on graduate destinationstwo years after graduation for HEIs across the UK.

Question reference: S2W-08293

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 17 May 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 June 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many graduates from Scottish universities are living in Scotland (a) one year (b) five years and (c) 10 years after graduation.

The information requested isnot available. The only regularly collected source of annual data on graduate destinationsis the Examination Results and First Destination Survey (FDS). This survey is runby the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) and collects data six months aftergraduation on UK and other EU students who have successfully completed an highereducation course at a UK higher education institution (HEI).

In2001-02, the latest year for which FDS data is available, Scotland wasshown to be the location of main activity for an estimated 77% of graduates fromScottish HEIs

Work is currently in hand toimprove the provision of data on graduate destinations. The Scottish fundingcouncils have initiated a longitudinal study of students across higher and furthereducation which will track graduates one, three and five years after graduation.HESA are currently investigating the possibility of collecting data on graduatedestinations two years after graduation for HEIs across the UK.

Question reference: S2W-08086

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 May 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish-domiciled students attending English universities will be required to pay top-up fees if they are introduced and, if so, whether these will have to be paid up front.

Legislation which will allowEnglish universities to charge fees of up to £3,000 is currently being consideredat Westminster. The fees will apply to students who commence coursesat English universities from 2006, regardless of where in the UK they are ordinarilyresident.

The support to be provided toScottish-domiciled students studying in England from 2006 is currently being considered and an announcementwill be made in early summer.

Question reference: S2W-08062

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 May 2004
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of the assessment of the Royal Academy of Engineering that wind power generation, with the necessary back-up, is two and a half times more expensive than the cheapest conventional alternative.

Research conducted by OXERA forthe DTI Renewables Innovation Review, published in March this year, cites currentprices for onshore wind of 3.1 pence per unit (per KiloWatt hour), dropping to 2.7pence per unit (per KiloWatt hour) by 2010.

Our policy is that Scotland’s futureenergy needs should be met by a balance of technologies, including less intermittent renewablestechnologies such as biomass and marine energy.

Question reference: S2W-07904

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Deputy First Minister will reply to my letter of 26 February 2004 in connection with MW Stephens Ltd and Art Enterprises Ltd.

Question reference: S2W-07804

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 11 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many consents for hydro schemes under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 it has granted to (a) public limited companies and (b) private companies and other bodies since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-07803

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 11 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 have been made to it for hydro schemes from (a) public limited companies and (b) private companies and other bodies since 1999.

Fourteen applications for consentunder Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 have been received since 1999 in respectof hydro schemes. Of these, 11 were made by public limited companies and three byprivate companies.

The following applications havebeen made since 1999:

(a) Public Limited Companies

Cuileig	SSE
Garrogie	Innogy
Kingairloch	SSE
Braevallich	Innogy
River E	Innogy
Stronelairg	Innogy
Glen Doe	SSE
Douglas Water	Innogy
Fasnakyle Extension	SSE
Tummell Refurbishment	SSE
Alt Hallater	Innogy

(b) Private companies and others

Ben Glas	Ambient Hydro Ltd
Alt Fionn	Ambient Hydro Ltd
Shieldaig/Slattadale	Highland Light and Power Ltd

Question reference: S2W-07265

Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 March 2004
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 5 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive when a copy of the A9 junctions safety review of Keir and Inveralmond roundabouts will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.