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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-06455

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 on what grounds most of Inverness is being excluded from the assisted area status map and what specific representations it will be making to The Scotland Office on this matter.

I will refer, in answering this question, to the fact that it has also been raised in relation to the areas of Nairn (S1W-6456), Moray (S1W-6457) and Badenoch and Strathspey (S1W-6458) which, along with Inverness, are contained within the Inverness NUTS 3 area.

The Assisted Area map is a reserved matter.

The July 1999 Assisted Areas map proposals put forward the Highlands and Islands NUTS 2 area as a whole, for inclusion on the basis of its population sparsity. However, I understand that the European Commission would not accept this, on the basis the Inverness NUTS 3 area does not on its own meet the sparsity criterion.

Question reference: S1W-06462

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 how many extra jobs will be (a) created and (b) sustained if Badenoch and Strathspey is excluded from the assisted area status map and what its estimate is of the impact on the local economy if the area is excluded from the map.

Question reference: S1W-06461

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 how many extra jobs will be (a) created and (b) sustained if Moray is excluded from the assisted area status map and what its estimate is of the impact on the local economy if the area is excluded from the map.

Question reference: S1W-06456

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 on what grounds Nairn is being excluded from the assisted area status map and what specific representations it will be making to The Scotland Office on this matter.

Question reference: S1W-06457

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 on what grounds Moray is being excluded from the assisted area status map and what specific representations it will be making to The Scotland Office on this matter.

Question reference: S1W-06465

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 consideration was given to the consequences for the economy of Moray in the decision not to include the area in the assisted area status map, bearing in mind the current state of the local oil fabrication sector, and whether it will make specific representations to The Scotland Office to ensure that these factors are given full consideration.

Question reference: S1W-06467

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 consideration was given to the consequences for the economy of Badenoch and Strathspey in the decision not to include the area in the assisted area status map, bearing in mind the current state of the local oil fabrication sector, and whether it will make specific representations to The Scotland Office to ensure that these factors are given full consideration.

Question reference: S1W-06423

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2000
Current Status: Answered by David Steel on 16 May 2000

To ask the Presiding Officer what consideration has been given to the possibility that the construction of the new Scottish Parliament building may cause structural damage to surrounding buildings; whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is aware of any warnings about subsidence within a 300 yard radius of the Holyrood site; whether adequate insurance cover exists in respect of potential claims in this respect, and whether copies of all documents relating to this issue will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

As stated in my answer to Mr Brian Monteith of 2 May (SIW-6146), it is standard practice for structural engineers involved in major construction projects to consider any effect on surrounding areas. The structural engineers for the Holyrood Project are monitoring areas within a radius of 1 kilometre of the site and the recorded evidence shows that no ground movement is being detected. Third party collateral damage is covered by insurance held by the Design Team, the Construction Manager and individual "trade package" contractors. The Project Team will shortly produce a report on this subject for the City of Edinburgh Council. A copy of this and related documents will be placed in the Parliament Information Centre.

Question reference: S1W-05711

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of any impact which the aggregates tax will have upon employment in Scotland over each of the next three years.

The aggregates tax is unlikely to have any impact over the next two years, as it will not be introduced until April 2002. Thereafter, there may be small reductions in employment in the extraction of primary aggregates, but there could also be increases in employment in the recycling of aggregates. However, the short- term elasticity of demand for these products is low, so it would be surprising if there were major impacts.

In addition, there are likely to be increases in employment stimulated by the sustainability fund, and the reductions in employers' National Insurance contributions.

Question reference: S1W-06422

Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 28 April 2000
Current Status: Answered by Donald Dewar on 12 May 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to change its working title from "The Scottish Executive" to "The Scottish Government".