- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out any consultation to determine the impact of an aggregates tax on jobs, roads and the environment in Scotland and, in particular, whether it will consult local authorities as to cost implications of any additional traffic and road maintenance costs arising from rural quarry closures.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-2791.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 October 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received representations from the Federation of Small Business (FSB) in response to the consultation paper Tackling Congestion and, if so, what response the FSB has made in respect of "road tolling" and "the workplace parking levy".
Answer
The Executive has received a response from the Federation of Small Businesses to its consultation paper, Tackling Congestion. A copy of this response has been lodged with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 23 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding the decision by Awards for All to refuse any grant to the people of Fort William, through Fort William Community Council, for their celebration of the Millennium.
Answer
The Government are excluded from any part of decision-making on lottery awards. Such decisions are entirely a matter for the award-giving body. Applications to Awards for All can be submitted until April 2000 for future projects. Awards for All staff will be happy to advise on procedural aspects of making applications, while the Scottish Millennium Festival Adviser will be glad to offer general advice on aspects of the Millennium celebrations.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek to prevent the North of Scotland Water Authority from holding public meetings in order to explain why water charges must increase or whether it will welcome public consultation of this nature.
Answer
In my statement to the Scottish Parliament of 26 January, I set out how the Executive accepted the Water Industry Commissioner's advice that substantial increases in water and sewerage charges are needed to fund essential investment programmes although I moderated the levels recommended by him.It is a matter for each authority how it discusses with its customers the need for investment to meet improved health and environment standards. NoSWA already carries out, and will continue, consultations with a diverse range of its customers and their elected representatives on this issue and I welcome this.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of its rejection of the water commissioner's advice on the level of water charges for the next two years, what necessary function it considers that the office of the Water Commissioner serves.
Answer
As I made clear in my statement to the Parliament on 26 January, the Executive did not reject the Commissioner's advice. I also made clear then that the Commissioner has a crucial role as the independent, professional economic and customer service regulator of the water authorities.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reduce the increase in water charges for the year 2000-01 within the North of Scotland Water Authority area to the average level of increase in the rest of Scotland.
Answer
In accordance with the provisions of the Water Industry Act 1999, I announced on 26 January the Executive's decisions on the framework for water and sewerage charges in the light of the Water Industry Commissioner's advice, received in December 1999. The level of increase for each Water Authority reflects the individual investment needs and circumstances faced by that authority. The Act provides that it is now for the Water Authorities to agree their detailed schemes of charges directly with the Commissioner, failing which the scheme is referred to Ministers for decisions.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will disclose what level of increase in water charges was sought or proposed by the water commissioner for the year 2002-03 for each of the three water authorities in Scotland.
Answer
All of the Commissioner's advice to the Executive on charges was published on 26 January.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 22 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-222 by Donald Dewar on 9 August, whether it will define, describe and elucidate the nature of the specialism of each of its Special Advisers and whether such specialisms exist within the civil service.
Answer
Special Advisers are not appointed as subject specialists but to give broad advice, including political advice, to Ministers on the development of Government policy and its effective implementation. The specialist nature of their role is that it encompasses the giving of political advice which is not a function of the impartial civil service.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any application for grant assistance made by the National Trust for Scotland to a local enterprise company will be considered in accordance with the same criteria as those governing applications by private businesses and, in particular, whether the rules regarding displacement of existing jobs and businesses will be applied in the same way to any application by the National Trust as they would be to an application by a private business.
Answer
Any application for financial assistance made by the National Trust for Scotland to a local enterprise company would be appraised according to the same criteria as applies to other financial assistance cases or development projects promoted by private companies. One of the main elements of any project appraisal will be the test of cost-effectiveness which will assess value for money in securing benefits such as employment creation taking into account the effect of displacement elsewhere in the economy.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give concrete examples and specific instances of its implementing policies to (a) encourage the transformation of ideas from their science base into successful businesses; (b) promote an entrepreneurial culture through school activities; (c) develop Scotland's knowledge economy; (d) promote the use of technology throughout all types of business, and (e) seek to minimise the regulatory burden on business to ensure that small businesses do not face inappropriate regulations, and in each case to estimate in respect of each of the next ten years how many extra businesses will be created.
Answer
As the answer to this question is lengthy I will write to Mr Ewing, and will ensure that a copy of my response is placed in SPICe.
