- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the number of jobs created or preserved by each of its task forces since July 1999.
Answer
Of the eight task forces set up or continued by the Scottish Executive, only the Knowledge Economy and the Digital Scotland Task Forces have aims which include encouraging economic development. However in neither case would it be appropriate to link the activities of the task forces directly with particular numbers of jobs created or safeguarded.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what methodology it uses in calculating the number of new businesses and whether bank statistics and VAT registration are taken into account in the calculation.
Answer
Although the Scottish Executive itself does not publish estimates for the number of new businesses in Scotland, a number of measures are used by the Executive to monitor the business birth rate in Scotland including bank statistics and VAT registration statistics.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive in what ways it supports the work of The National Centre: Education for Work and Enterprise at Strathclyde University and whether it will offer further assistance.
Answer
The Executive were very heavily involved in the establishment of the National Centre in 1998. It came into being following an initiative by Brian Wilson MP who was then Minister for Education and Industry at the Scottish Office. The Executive continues to support the centre through core funding. There are no immediate plans to offer further financial support. Officials are in regular contact with the centre management to discuss on-going strategic and operational matters. It is anticipated that the good working relationship which exists between the Executive and the centre will continue.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish, for each of the last 10 years, the total public funds received, from all sources, including the Scottish Executive, The Scottish Office, Her Majesty's Government and other UK wide public bodies, by all charities registered in Scotland.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4008 by Mr Jim Wallace on 28 January 2000, whether it will widen the remit of the Scottish Law Commission's (SLC) review of the law of the foreshore and seabed and, in particular, whether it will instruct the SLC to consider the interests of (a) local communities, (b) individual residents and (c) local businesses who may be affected by the law of the foreshore and seabed.
Answer
No change in the remit is necessary. Under the existing remit, the commission will take account of such issues in its review of what the existing law actually is, and in its recommendations for improving its clarity and consistency.And, as is usual, the commission will prepare and issue a discussion paper before drawing up its recommendations. Local communities, individuals and businesses will therefore have the opportunity to make their views known as part of the process.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated financial loss to public bodies and businesses was as a result of the "love-bug" computer virus.
Answer
The love-bug virus did not penetrate the Scottish Executive virus protection system and therefore no financial loss was incurred.
We have no ready means of making an estimate of any financial loss to businesses.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure protection for public bodies and businesses against problems resulting from possible computer viruses similar to the recent "love-bug" computer virus.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's virus protection system has been enhanced to cope with the "Iloveyou" virus and all its known variants and clones.
The Executive continue to liaise with other Government agencies regarding all IT security issues including viruses but is not directly responsible for the physical protection of their IT systems.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 May 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 2 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its plans to promote e-commerce in the light of problems arising from the recent "love-bug" computer virus.
Answer
The "Iloveyou" virus was spread by e-mail, which is not the main vehicle for e-commerce transactions.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 18 February 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 31 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate the activities of Scottish National Heritage (SNH) regarding the proposed designation of Sites of Special Scientific Interest on Berneray, with particular regard to the duties of SNH to take into account under the National Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 the interests of communities and social and economic development.
Answer
No. The designation of Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) is the responsibility of SNH, which has a statutory duty under section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to notify land which, in its opinion, is of special scientific interest.Under the 1991 Act, in exercising its functions, SNH has a duty to take "such account as may be appropriate" of the interests of local communities and the need for social and economic development. However, where SNH is notifying an area of land as an SSSI and the scientific case for that land has been established, it is appropriate that SNH take no account of other factors.I am currently considering what future changes to the SSSI system may be desirable to ensure that we secure the protection of the natural heritage in a way which is effective and which takes account of communities' views.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 November 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 25 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that the concerns expressed by the Ness District Fishing Board in their submissions to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency dated 29 October 1999 have been investigated prior to the commencement of any development work at Urquhart Castle.
Answer
Historic Scotland has investigated the concerns raised by the Ness District Fishing Board in their submission to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. A written response was submitted to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency which was taken into account by them in determining the application for a discharge consent. The discharge consent was issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency on 1 March 2000.
