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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: S1W-06653

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government about the bringing into force of legislation shielding personal pensions from vesting in the event of the policy holder becoming bankrupt, and how many people in Scotland it estimates will lose their personal pensions between 1 April 2000 and 31 March 2001 if such legislation is not brought into place by the end of that year.

Question reference: S1W-06471

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 19 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that there is no decrease in the 2000-01 budget for Highlands and Island Enterprise and that there is a real terms increase in its budget of the same percentage as that for Scottish Enterprise and on what grounds Scottish Enterprise will receive a real term budget increase while Highlands and Islands Enterprise will receive a decrease.

The grant-in-aid allocated to Highlands and Islands Enterprise for financial year 2000-01 amounts to £66.761 million. This represents an increase of £1.371 million over the equivalent figure for 1999-2000.

Decisions on Highlands and Islands Enterprise's and Scottish Enterprise's budgets are considered separately and in response to their respective functions and needs. The budgets are kept under constant review.

Question reference: S1W-06608

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will (a) consider introducing any measures to regulate the ownership of land, in particular large landed estates owned by non-residents and (b) consider a requirement on such non-resident landowners based in a foreign jurisdiction to appoint a mandatory to represent their interests locally.

The matter of principal importance as regards ownership of land by non-residents, as for resident owners, is that ownership should be exercised responsibly. Rather than regulate the ownership of land, we think it better to set out the standards we expect in the Code of Good Practice on Rural Landownership which we intend to publish later in the year. The matter of local representation will also be addressed in the code.

Question reference: S1W-06610

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Frank McAveety on 18 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the reduced availability of private sector housing grants within Highland Council area has had upon the quantity of stock in that sector and how many houses it estimates would have received grants had the total sum spent been maintained in real terms at the 1995-96 level in each subsequent year.

The vast majority of private sector grants are for the improvement or repair of existing houses. It is therefore unlikely that their availability has much bearing on the quantity of stock in the private sector. The amount of grant payable depends on the nature of the works and so can vary considerably between cases. It is therefore not possible to make an estimate of grants which Highland Council might have awarded since 1 April 1996 had the budget for the years concerned been as described.

Question reference: S1W-06546

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 18 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered compensating sufferers of organophosphate poisoning who became ill after complying with compulsory dipping orders.

Question reference: S1W-06609

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 18 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how much non-domestic rating income it estimates each local authority is due to receive in financial year 2000-01.

The amount of non-domestic rate income expected to be distributed to each local authority in 2000-01 is shown in the following table.

Council	Distributable Amount of Non-Domestic Rate Income
	£ million
Aberdeen City	69.193
Aberdeenshire	73.477
Angus	35.745
Argyll & Bute	29.221
Clackmannanshire	15.770
Dumfries & Galloway	47.835
Dundee City	47.637
East Ayrshire	39.391
East Dunbartonshire	35.582
East Lothian	29.087
East Renfrewshire	28.571
Edinburgh, City of	146.193
Eilean Siar	9.073
Falkirk	46.799
Fife	113.303
Glasgow City	201.238
Highland	67.644
Inverclyde	27.733
Midlothian	26.259
Moray	27.886
North Ayrshire	45.354
North Lanarkshire	106.100
Orkney	6.349
Perth & Kinross	43.204
Renfrewshire	57.749
Scottish Borders	34.520
Shetland	7.440
South Ayrshire	37.164
South Lanarkshire	99.651
Stirling	26.996
West Dunbartonshire	30.812
West Lothian	49.715

Question reference: S1W-06611

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 18 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how much traffic uses the A82 from Tarbet to North of Inverarnan on a daily basis; whether this stretch of the A82 is in need of improvement to the same standard as the section of the A82 lying between Balloch and Tarbet and what impact it anticipates the passage of the National Parks (Scotland) Bill and the designation of inter alia this section of the A82 as lying within a National Park area will have upon the prospects for such improvement.

The average daily traffic flow on the A82 trunk road between Tarbet and north of Inverarnan is 3,000 vehicles compared to 12,000 vehicles between Balloch and Tarbet. The Scottish Executive is aware that the section between Tarbet and north of Inverarnan requires upgrading and has included two improvement schemes on this section within the current three-year road improvement programme.

National Parks are to be designated as "Statutory Consultees" on matters relating to roads and traffic management. In this way they will be invited to comment on any road matters within their area.

Question reference: S1W-06420

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 18 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from the British Aggregates Association as to the impact of the proposed Aggregates Levy on their membership in Scotland; whether any such representations drew its attention to the Association's estimate that the cost per tonne of aggregates is around #10 in the South of England compared with around #4 in Scotland; whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding the impact on employment in the aggregates industry in Scotland of introducing the Levy at a fixed rate per tonne of #1.60, and in particular whether it has suggested any amendments to the proposed Levy to lessen its potential impact in Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-05900

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 03 April 2000
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 17 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail in what circumstances it believes referenda should be held.

Question reference: S1W-06469

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the impact on the economy of the Highlands and Islands, and in particular the likelihood of attracting future inward investment and promoting indigenous existing businesses within the area, of the exclusion of Inverness, Nairn, Moray and Badenoch and Strathspey from the assisted areas status map.