Seòmar agus comataidhean

As reported to the Finance Committee on 8 October 2002, the current estimate for professional fees relating to the Holyrood Project amounts to £38.6 million. A breakdown cannot presently be given as the amounts payable to the individual professional consultants are still regarded as "commercially confidential".

As part of the implementation of the National Waste Strategy, an Area Waste Plan is being prepared to establish the Best Practicable Environmental Option for waste in the Highland Council area. A draft plan is available on the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's website at: http://www.sepa.org.uk/. In preparing the plan the strategy group, which includes the council, followed published guidance and considered physical, practical, financial, social and environmental constraints.The Highland Council is also preparing a public private partnership contract for the treatment and disposal of waste collected by the council. The Executive has been kept informed of the progress of the waste PPP scheme. However, the council has not yet submitted a bid for support from the Strategic Waste Fund. The Executive has not therefore made an assessment about what level of support might be provided to the council to assist in implementing the Highland Area Waste Plan.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28916 on 25 September 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28916 on 25 September 2002. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

The first tranche of payments was calculated as £3.90 per £ of pension or pension entitlement at 1993 levels. The total to be paid out in this tranche, assuming that all the details on the database are correct, is approximately 80% of the £118 million then available for distribution. Since the calculations were made for the first tranche of payments we have secured an additional £8 million for distribution to beneficiaries, and the second tranche will distribute the balance of the £126 million now available.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-29303 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa

Ministers unconditionally support the application of measures to secure Inverness' link with Gatwick and this is not dependent on the outcome of the present consultation process.

The Executive is currently preparing estimates of the number of properties eligible for relief and these will be published later this year, when the Minister for Finance and Public Services formally announces the provisional poundage rate for 2003-04.

Following previous exchanges of correspondence with the Inland Revenue on taxation issues, I wrote to HM Treasury on 9 August 2002 seeking a tax concession which would allow the ex-gratia payments to be made as tax-free lump sum payments. HM Treasury replied on 20 September 2002 confirming their view that there was no case for special treatment.

Civil servants' contact with ministerial parliamentary aides is limited to occasions when the aide is supporting a minister in the minister's official capacity. This can be contact at meetings or by telephone or e-mail. No central record is kept of the amount of time or occasions where contact has been made.