- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 4 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will withdraw the proposal in the Transport (Scotland) Bill which enables a levy on workplace parking to be introduced following recent reports that Edinburgh City Council would not introduce such levies.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 4 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost is of all work and procedures, including time expended by its own and Scottish Natural Heritage's employees, involved in consulting on and making a designation order in respect of (a) a Special Area of Conservation and (b) a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Answer
The process of designating Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) is not yet complete and it is not possible, therefore, to provide the detailed costs requested.
Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) are currently engaged in a programme of consultations on behalf of Scottish Ministers on a further 90 proposed SACs. In accordance with existing policy, sites proposed under European nature conservation directives are normally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as Sites Of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Where appropriate, the SSSI notification process, including consultation with affected parties, takes place at the same time as SAC consultation to avoid duplication of effort by SNH.
The cost of notifying and consulting on a potential SSSI or SAC varies enormously according to the size of the site, the number of consultees and possible reference, in the case of SSSIs, to the Advisory Committee on SSSIs. An average figure is, therefore, meaningless.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 4 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the recommendations by the Scottish Council for Development in Industry to Scottish Trade International that the latter set up special groups to consider the e-market place and the Eastern European market place has been accepted.
Answer
Scottish Trade International is already actively addressing e-business in close consultation with Scottish Enterprise's e-commerce team and has undertaken a number of activities in the Eastern European market place. These will also be key areas in the new international strategy which is currently being developed by Scottish Trade International and has involved extensive consultation including with the Scottish Council Development and Industry. The new strategy will be launched early next year and will follow on from the present five-year Export Development Strategy for Scotland launched in 1995.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many operations were cancelled in each health board area between: (a) 31 July 2000 and 4 August 2000; (b) 7 August 2000 and 11 August 2000; (c) 14 August 2000 and 18 August 2000; (d) 21 August 2000 and 25 August 2000; (e) 28 August 2000 and 1 September 2000; (f) 4 September 2000 and 8 September 2000; (g) 11 September 2000 and 15 September 2000; (h) 2 August 1999 and 6 August 1999; (i) 2 August 1999 and 6 August 1999; (j) 16 August 1999 and 20 August 1999; (k) 23 August 1999 and 27 August 1999; (l) 30 August 1999 and 3 September 1999; (m) 6 September 1999 and 10 September 1999 and (n) 13 September 1999 and 17 September 1999.
Answer
Information on the total number of operations cancelled by the NHS in Scotland is not available centrally.
Details of cancellations of planned admissions to hospitals are collected centrally and are published annually in Scottish Health Statistics. The latest edition is available in SPICe (Bib. number 6937).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many non-emergency ambulance journeys were cancelled in each health board area between: (a) 31 July 2000 and 4 August 2000; (b) 7 August 2000 and 11 August 2000; (c) 14 August 2000 and 18 August 2000; (d) 21 August 2000 and 25 August 2000; (e) 28 August 2000 and 1 September 2000; (f) 4 September 2000 and 8 September 2000; (g) 11 September and 15 September 2000; (h) 2nd August 1999 and 6 August 1999; (i) 9 August 1999 and 13 August 1999; (j) 16 August 1999 and 20 August 1999; (k) 23 August 1999 and 27 August 1999; (l) 30 August 1999 and 3 September 1999; (m) 6 September and 10 September and (n) 13 September and 17 September.
Answer
This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Ambulance Service.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the net outward migration from the Highlands and Islands in the 18 to 30 age group was in each year from 1996 to present.
Answer
Estimates of net migration in the 18 to 30 age-group for the Highlands and Islands consistent with the Registrar General's mid-year estimates of population are given in the table below.
Net migration for Highlands and Islands; 1996-1999
| | Year ending 30 June |
Council Area | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
Highland | -710 | -860 | -930 | -730 |
Orkney Islands | -90 | -70 | -150 | -50 |
Shetland Islands | -70 | -80 | -110 | -120 |
Eilean Siar | -160 | -330 | -210 | -200 |
Total | -1030 | -1340 | -1400 | -1100 |
Notes:
1. A negative figure indicates net outward migration.
2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its proposals to the European Commission in relation to the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme take account of the issue of remoteness and, if not, whether it will amend the proposals accordingly.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's LFA Scheme is based on the classification of individual farms. That classification takes account of soil fertility, climate, topography, altitude and location. My priority is to secure early European Commission agreement to the scheme. But as the scheme's safety net declines, my intention is to refine the approach when various factors, including remoteness, can be reassessed.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 3 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual running costs are of the Scottish Qualifications Authority's Accreditation Unit and from what source or sources the unit is funded.
Answer
The running costs of the Scottish Qualifications Authority's Accreditation Unit amount to approximately £1.2 million annually. This is funded through grant-in-aid from the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 3 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost of the Higher Still Development Programme has been to date and from what source or sources the programme has been funded.
Answer
Over £60 million will be spent over the life of the programme. This comprises funding to local authority schools and further education colleges and grant to the Scottish Qualifications Authority and the Higher Still Development Unit.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by John Home Robertson on 3 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from the Scottish Fishermen's Federation (SFF) about the impact of the current seal population upon the fishing industry and whether it has any plans to discuss this issue with the SFF.
Answer
The Chief Executive of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation wrote to me in July, proposing the establishment of a Seal Commission. We subsequently discussed the matter at a meeting on 8 August. I have since written to the federation reminding them that the Natural Environment Research Council's Special Committee on Seals already exists to provide independent scientific advice to Scottish Ministers on the management of the seal population under the terms of section 13 of the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 and that the same Act provides a framework for controlling seal numbers. No further discussions are planned.
