Questions and answers

Question reference: S2W-22407

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 26 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what risk assessment was carried out before the withdrawal of the schools BCG immunisation programme.

The decision to withdraw the schools BCG immunisation programme was recommended by the UK Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). This advice was based on the latest scientific and epidemiological data.

Evidence indicates that those at high-risk will be identified and targeted by a selective programme. The change to the immunisation programme brings us into line with the World Health Organisation’s international guidelines, and we have met the criteria set by the World Health Organisation to make the change.

Question reference: S2W-22408

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 26 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures have been put in place to check for tuberculosis since the withdrawal of the schools BCG immunisation programme.

Measures to identify and reach children who are at risk of TB are outlined in the report produced by the short life working group convened by Health Protection Scotland available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 38681). These measures will be delivered through health visiting services, practice nurses, school nursing services and initiatives determined by local co-ordinators.

Question reference: S2O-08352

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 8 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce proposals for the improvement of the Bankfoot junction on the A9.

As promised, I wrote to you on 30 November 2005 confirming that the preferred option at Bankfoot is to construct a junction improvement and climbing lane which will accommodate upgrading this section of road to dual carriageway in future years should that be necessary.

It is expected that orders for this scheme will be published towards the end of 2006 with a view to starting construction works in spring 2007 subject to statutory and land acquisition procedures.

Question reference: S2W-20797

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by George Lyon on 1 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the actual cost of collecting council tax has been in each year since 1997, expressed also as a percentage of total council tax revenue raised and broken down by local authority.

A table covering the period requested is shown as follows. However, caution should be exercised when using the figures to express percentages because a negative net cost is reported in some years (for example, where a council has received cumulative income from surcharges that have been recovered from previous years).

Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 1996-97

	Gross Expenditure Council Tax Collection¹	Income Council Tax Collection^1,2	Net Cost of Council Tax Collection¹	Net Council Tax Income³
Scotland	39,510	13,183	26,327	1,194,285
Aberdeen City	1,804	291	1,513	50,258
Aberdeenshire	1,340	210	1,130	47,530
Angus	723	-	723	23,894
Argyll and Bute	732	-	732	24,107
Clackmannanshire	589	196	393	10,599
Dumfries and Galloway	833	164	669	30,648
Dundee City	2,091	161	1,930	36,346
East Ayrshire	445	-	445	25,318
East Dunbartonshire	379	-	379	28,890
East Lothian	122	-	122	21,573
East Renfrewshire	701	386	315	22,284
Edinburgh, City of	3,341	3,823	-482	137,743
Eilean Siar	428	39	389	4,467
Falkirk	673	-	673	27,626
Fife	2,785	1,753	1,032	78,483
Glasgow City	9,175	2,297	6,878	145,994
Highland	2,200	-	2,200	46,510
Inverclyde	573	341	232	19,174
Midlothian	- 382	-	-382	18,674
Moray	791	90	701	16,943
North Ayrshire	1,526	342	1,184	28,213
North Lanarkshire	1,471	5	1,466	70,560
Orkney Islands	218	-	218	3,171
Perth and Kinross	1,119	135	984	34,614
Renfrewshire	1,371	861	510	42,873
Scottish Borders	277	135	142	20,921
Shetland Islands	191	22	169	3,071
South Ayrshire	417	254	163	30,413
South Lanarkshire	1,403	915	488	68,749
Stirling	690	314	376	20,658
West Dunbartonshire	952	449	503	23,761
West Lothian	532	-	532	30,220

Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

Notes:

1. “Council Tax Collection” excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

2. “Council Tax Collection Income” includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

3. Includes Council Tax Benefit.

Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 1997-98

	Gross Expenditure Council Tax Collection¹	Income Council Tax Collection^1,2	Net Cost of Council Tax Collection¹	Net Council Tax Income³
Scotland	37,440	18,830	18,610	1,330,829
Aberdeen City	1,877	498	1,379	54,979
Aberdeenshire	1,366	324	1,042	52,244
Angus	424	75	349	24,742
Argyll and Bute	783	577	206	27,545
Clackmannanshire	304	199	105	11,615
Dumfries and Galloway	1,370	618	752	37,099
Dundee City	2,023	240	1,783	41,598
East Ayrshire	299	-	299	27,629
East Dunbartonshire	512	-	512	33,888
East Lothian	498	36	462	23,819
East Renfrewshire	408	289	119	24,798
Edinburgh, City of	3,460	3,759	-299	143,968
Eilean Siar	448	67	381	4,950
Falkirk	148	125	23	30,344
Fife	3,317	1,721	1,596	85,331
Glasgow City	5,063	3,277	1,786	178,279
Highland	865	-	865	51,560
Inverclyde	688	234	454	21,207
Midlothian	230	398	-168	22,294
Moray	738	219	519	18,216
North Ayrshire	1,363	471	892	31,036
North Lanarkshire	2,569	982	1,587	73,408
Orkney Islands	210	-	210	3,392
Perth and Kinross	1,137	243	894	37,470
Renfrewshire	1,372	829	543	46,022
Scottish Borders	206	0	206	23,368
Shetland Islands	177	43	134	3,450
South Ayrshire	1,343	443	900	32,010
South Lanarkshire	2,618	2,022	596	76,462
Stirling	1	-	1	23,928
West Dunbartonshire	806	1,141	-335	28,258
West Lothian	817	-	817	35,920

Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

Notes:

1. “Council Tax Collection” excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

2. “Council Tax Collection Income” includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

3. Includes Council Tax Benefit.

Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 1998-99

	Gross Expenditure Council Tax Collection¹	Income Council Tax Collection^1,2	Net Cost of Council Tax Collection¹	Net Council Tax Income³
Scotland	38,444	15,915	22,529	1,421,306
Aberdeen City	1,609	430	1,179	62,764
Aberdeenshire	1,814	308	1,506	57,589
Angus	423	149	274	26,053
Argyll and Bute	704	261	443	30,559
Clackmannanshire	399	221	178	12,957
Dumfries and Galloway	1,190	378	812	38,043
Dundee City	2,092	296	1,796	45,312
East Ayrshire	544	-	544	28,757
East Dunbartonshire	195	-	195	34,758
East Lothian	524	-	524	26,027
East Renfrewshire	390	74	316	26,821
Edinburgh, City of	2,254	1,317	937	150,927
Eilean Siar	383	63	320	5,497
Falkirk	158	182	-24	31,596
Fife	2,784	784	2,000	88,772
Glasgow City	7,714	5,398	2,316	192,695
Highland	930	-	930	60,573
Inverclyde	659	272	387	21,993
Midlothian	579	314	265	23,545
Moray	773	464	309	19,645
North Ayrshire	1,208	220	988	32,867
North Lanarkshire	2,129	934	1,195	76,218
Orkney Islands	194	25	169	3,966
Perth and Kinross	1,502	432	1,070	38,043
Renfrewshire	1,657	996	661	46,261
Scottish Borders	152	-	152	24,480
Shetland Islands	190	34	156	3,969
South Ayrshire	1,484	291	1,193	33,422
South Lanarkshire	2,221	1,674	547	83,802
Stirling	-	-	-	24,697
West Dunbartonshire	1,110	398	712	30,440
West Lothian	479	-	479	38,258

Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

Notes:

1. “Council Tax Collection” excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

2. “Council Tax Collection Income” includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

3. Includes Council Tax Benefit.

Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 1999-2000

	Gross Expenditure Council Tax Collection¹	Income Council Tax Collection^1,2	Net Cost of Council Tax Collection¹	Net Council Tax Income³
Scotland	38,261	12,592	25,669	1,469,482
Aberdeen City	1,327	509	818	66,383
Aberdeenshire	2,795	-	2,795	60,436
Angus	707	76	631	27,150
Argyll and Bute	725	537	188	30,652
Clackmannanshire	345	117	228	13,828
Dumfries and Galloway	1,470	405	1,065	40,073
Dundee City	2,451	311	2,140	46,496
East Ayrshire	620	-	620	31,010
East Dunbartonshire	218	-	218	36,639
East Lothian	601	-	601	26,839
East Renfrewshire	539	530	9	28,202
Edinburgh, City of	2,358	2,817	-459	155,063
Eilean Siar	373	64	309	6,138
Falkirk	564	335	229	33,140
Fife	2,605	1,025	1,580	94,093
Glasgow City	4,461	- 154	4,615	191,535
Highland	1,211	-	1,211	59,659
Inverclyde	640	229	411	22,487
Midlothian	625	462	163	25,128
Moray	643	150	493	19,442
North Ayrshire	1,088	207	881	34,596
North Lanarkshire	2,600	1,334	1,266	80,842
Orkney Islands	163	25	138	4,112
Perth and Kinross	1,487	353	1,134	40,256
Renfrewshire	1,587	872	715	47,274
Scottish Borders	497	-	497	25,929
Shetland Islands	203	-	203	4,394
South Ayrshire	1,101	558	543	34,822
South Lanarkshire	2,325	1,392	933	86,806
Stirling	-	-	-	26,050
West Dunbartonshire	1,291	438	853	29,462
West Lothian	641	-	641	40,546

Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

1. “Council Tax Collection” excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

2. “Council Tax Collection Income” includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

3. Includes Council Tax Benefit.

Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 2000-01

	Gross Expenditure Council Tax Collection¹	Income Council Tax Collection^1,2	Net Cost of Council Tax Collection¹	Net Council Tax Income³
Scotland	38,770	15,127	23,643	1,552,775
Aberdeen City	1,326	534	792	70,528
Aberdeenshire	2,187	-	2,187	66,123
Angus	969	110	859	28,706
Argyll and Bute	854	322	532	32,815
Clackmannanshire	400	159	241	14,637
Dumfries and Galloway	1,349	386	963	43,247
Dundee City	2,575	395	2,180	47,754
East Ayrshire	645	-	645	31,625
East Dunbartonshire	501	321	180	36,720
East Lothian	575	-	575	29,424
East Renfrewshire	388	209	179	30,352
Edinburgh, City of	2,230	2,945	-715	162,056
Eilean Siar	378	76	302	6,259
Falkirk	495	316	179	35,530
Fife	2,672	926	1,746	100,709
Glasgow City	7,007	3,949	3,058	199,106
Highland	1,295	-	1,295	63,679
Inverclyde	485	209	276	23,924
Midlothian	591	156	435	26,501
Moray	745	170	575	21,388
North Ayrshire	868	326	542	36,604
North Lanarkshire	1,673	-	1,673	85,746
Orkney Islands	165	41	124	4,574
Perth and Kinross	1,619	509	1,110	42,467
Renfrewshire	504	-	504	51,582
Scottish Borders	945	462	483	28,421
Shetland Islands	203	-	203	4,890
South Ayrshire	1,173	590	583	34,924
South Lanarkshire	2,594	1,474	1,120	90,007
Stirling	-	-	-	29,024
West Dunbartonshire	1,028	542	486	30,188
West Lothian	331	-	331	43,265

Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

1 “Council Tax Collection” excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

2 “Council Tax Collection Income” includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

3 Includes Council Tax Benefit.

Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 2001-02

	Gross Expenditure Council Tax Collection¹	Income Council Tax Collection^1,2	Net Cost of Council Tax Collection¹	Net Council Tax Income³
Scotland	48,567	19,036	29,531	1,648,530
Aberdeen City	1,803	588	1,215	73,958
Aberdeenshire	2,731	-	2,731	75,051
Angus	1,094	118	976	31,086
Argyll and Bute	1,036	450	586	34,236
Clackmannanshire	206	252	-46	15,139
Dumfries and Galloway	2,123	565	1,558	45,451
Dundee City	3,433	592	2,841	47,870
East Ayrshire	705	-	705	32,778
East Dunbartonshire	548	369	179	38,714
East Lothian	480	-	480	31,535
East Renfrewshire	573	329	244	32,355
Edinburgh, City of	2,305	2,225	80	171,441
Eilean Siar	420	104	316	6,658
Falkirk	785	771	14	39,239
Fife	3,485	1,264	2,221	106,955
Glasgow City	8,028	4,221	3,807	206,149
Highland	1,669	-	1,669	69,521
Inverclyde	956	688	268	26,364
Midlothian	959	713	246	27,727
Moray	828	199	629	22,917
North Ayrshire	1,274	681	593	38,535
North Lanarkshire	2,678	749	1,929	90,124
Orkney Islands	176	14	162	5,097
Perth and Kinross	1,759	638	1,121	47,416
Renfrewshire	630	41	589	54,942
Scottish Borders	874	310	564	31,288
Shetland Islands	210	88	122	5,396
South Ayrshire	1,275	709	566	37,647
South Lanarkshire	3,190	1,165	2,025	93,964
Stirling	4	-	4	31,359
West Dunbartonshire	1,670	1,193	477	31,244
West Lothian	660	-	660	46,374

Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

1. “Council Tax Collection” excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

2. “Council Tax Collection Income” includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

3. Includes Council Tax Benefit.

Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 2002-03

	Gross Expenditure Council Tax Collection¹	Income Council Tax Collection^1,2	Net Cost of Council Tax Collection¹	Net Council Tax Income³
Scotland	51,063	14,107	36,956	1,752,818
Aberdeen City	2,114	666	1,448	79,611
Aberdeenshire	2,775	-	2,775	80,764
Angus	1,249	157	1,092	33,955
Argyll and Bute	941	410	531	36,307
Clackmannanshire	276	210	66	15,798
Dumfries and Galloway	1,434	549	885	47,982
Dundee City	3,420	613	2,807	49,992
East Ayrshire	814	-	814	35,215
East Dunbartonshire	624	383	241	40,479
East Lothian	549	-	549	33,568
East Renfrewshire	385	181	204	34,915
Edinburgh, City of	3,791	2,412	1,379	180,221
Eilean Siar	364	60	304	7,127
Falkirk	867	797	70	43,923
Fife	3,123	1,250	1,873	117,520
Glasgow City	9,690	1,660	8,030	214,208
Highland	1,683	-	1,683	72,929
Inverclyde	1,030	603	427	28,433
Midlothian	849	251	598	28,964
Moray	920	178	742	25,531
North Ayrshire	958	256	702	41,920
North Lanarkshire	2,495	768	1,727	93,939
Orkney Islands	182	55	127	5,565
Perth and Kinross	1,107	-	1,107	51,470
Renfrewshire	814	-	814	58,144
Scottish Borders	884	638	246	34,933
Shetland Islands	251	88	163	5,929
South Ayrshire	1,453	771	682	40,649
South Lanarkshire	2,898	391	2,507	97,654
Stirling	392	66	326	33,597
West Dunbartonshire	2,024	694	1,330	32,890
West Lothian	707	-	707	48,686

Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

1. “Council Tax Collection” excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

2. “Council Tax Collection Income” includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

3. Includes Council Tax Benefit.

Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 2003-04

	Gross Expenditure Council Tax Collection¹	Income Council Tax Collection^1,2	Net Cost of Council Tax Collection¹	Net Council Tax Income³
Scotland	56,693	19,142	37,551	1,839,804
Aberdeen City	2,986	691	2,295	83,594
Aberdeenshire	2,858	-	2,858	87,020
Angus	1,494	87	1,407	36,543
Argyll and Bute	1,084	412	672	36,582
Clackmannanshire	577	465	112	16,213
Dumfries and Galloway	1,382	1,604	-222	48,681
Dundee City	3,455	655	2,800	49,832
East Ayrshire	864	-	864	37,604
East Dunbartonshire	722	491	231	42,996
East Lothian	553	-	553	35,373
East Renfrewshire	689	426	263	36,809
Edinburgh, City of	4,180	2,517	1,663	187,980
Eilean Siar	416	58	358	7,537
Falkirk	872	770	102	46,108
Fife	3,929	1,779	2,150	122,051
Glasgow City	11,897	4,336	7,561	221,668
Highland	1,950	-	1,950	78,801
Inverclyde	1,015	547	468	30,974
Midlothian	988	218	770	30,157
Moray	1,032	183	849	26,825
North Ayrshire	1,263	365	898	44,314
North Lanarkshire	2,623	-	2,623	98,298
Orkney Islands	185	77	108	6,229
Perth and Kinross	1,268	-	1,268	54,302
Renfrewshire	868	-	868	61,287
Scottish Borders	1,366	1,046	320	38,358
Shetland Islands	263	46	217	6,375
South Ayrshire	1,628	653	975	42,788
South Lanarkshire	2,843	857	1,986	101,783
Stirling	369	115	254	37,267
West Dunbartonshire	705	744	-39	33,831
West Lothian	369	-	369	51,624

Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

1 “Council Tax Collection” excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

2 “Council Tax Collection Income” includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

3 Includes Council Tax Benefit.

Net Cost of Council Tax Collection and Net Council Tax Income (£000) 2004-05

	Gross Expenditure Council Tax Collection¹	Income Council Tax Collection^1,2	Net Cost of Council Tax Collection¹	Net Council Tax Income³
Scotland	58,981	22,474	36,507	1,959,707
Aberdeen City	2,570	751	1,819	91,731
Aberdeenshire	2,248	-	2,248	93,521
Angus	1,483	388	1,095	39,084
Argyll and Bute	1,261	596	665	38,916
Clackmannanshire	600	487	113	17,716
Dumfries and Galloway	1,861	681	1,180	53,033
Dundee City	3,630	700	2,930	51,957
East Ayrshire	874	-	874	40,096
East Dunbartonshire	784	499	285	46,166
East Lothian	566	-	566	39,080
East Renfrewshire	669	344	325	39,093
Edinburgh, City of	4,868	3,413	1,455	197,813
Eilean Siar	455	68	387	7,922
Falkirk	855	821	34	50,054
Fife	3,784	1,608	2,176	128,937
Glasgow City	13,036	4,597	8,439	232,485
Highland	1,945	-	1,945	84,915
Inverclyde	1,015	729	286	31,217
Midlothian	1,032	395	637	32,078
Moray	977	197	780	30,564
North Ayrshire	1,466	710	756	46,833
North Lanarkshire	2,353	809	1,544	104,510
Orkney Islands	196	66	130	6,576
Perth and Kinross	1,202	-	1,202	59,168
Renfrewshire	772	-	772	64,817
Scottish Borders	1,335	1,037	298	41,250
Shetland Islands	237	81	156	7,008
South Ayrshire	1,277	719	558	45,217
South Lanarkshire	3,531	1,880	1,651	108,343
Stirling	260	151	109	38,661
West Dunbartonshire	1,203	747	456	35,116
West Lothian	636	-	636	55,830

Source: Local Authority LFR 9 and LFR 12 returns 1996-97 - 2004-05.

1 “Council Tax Collection” excludes council tax benefit administration costs.

2 “Council Tax Collection Income” includes fees and charges, other government grants and other reimbursements/contributions.

3 Includes Council Tax Benefit.

Question reference: S2W-20902

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 30 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many farmers are entitled to single farm payments.

Question reference: S2W-20903

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 30 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications from farmers for single farm payments are still awaiting determination.

Question reference: S2W-20798

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by George Lyon on 30 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage change in (a) central government funding for local government and (b) council tax bills has been for each year since 1997, broken down by local authority.

Tables showing the percentage changes in (a) central government funding for local government and (b) average Band D council tax for the period requested are shown in the following tables.

Percentage Change in Central Government Funding for Local Government

	1996-97 to 1997-98	1997-98 to 1998-99	1998-99 to 1999-2000	1999-2000 to 2000-01	2000-01 to 2001-02
Scotland	-2.3%	0.7%	4.3%	2.5%	7.6%
Aberdeen City	-2.9%	-2.3%	3.5%	4.0%	6.8%
Aberdeenshire	1.3%	1.3%	3.8%	1.7%	8.3%
Angus	2.3%	2.5%	4.1%	1.6%	6.9%
Argyll and Bute	-1.8%	-0.3%	2.9%	2.4%	7.4%
Clackmannanshire	-0.9%	0.3%	3.8%	2.1%	8.8%
Dumfries and Galloway	-0.2%	0.6%	4.8%	2.6%	7.8%
Dundee City	-0.8%	-0.6%	3.9%	2.7%	7.1%
East Ayrshire	-4.2%	3.6%	2.7%	3.7%	6.4%
East Dunbartonshire	-5.4%	2.9%	7.1%	0.9%	9.7%
East Lothian	1.1%	-0.8%	5.5%	2.7%	6.6%
East Renfrewshire	-2.9%	3.1%	8.5%	3.5%	10.4%
Edinburgh, City of	1.9%	0.1%	4.2%	1.1%	6.3%
Eilean Siar	-0.4%	2.5%	2.7%	2.3%	5.5%
Falkirk	-0.1%	2.0%	2.3%	6.4%	10.0%
Fife	-1.1%	-0.3%	4.7%	2.4%	7.6%
Glasgow City	-5.8%	0.9%	3.1%	2.1%	7.9%
Highland	-1.6%	-0.1%	4.9%	1.9%	7.6%
Inverclyde	-5.0%	-0.3%	2.0%	2.7%	6.3%
Midlothian	-2.9%	1.8%	4.1%	1.6%	10.1%
Moray	-0.3%	-0.9%	4.7%	1.3%	8.0%
North Ayrshire	-2.5%	1.5%	4.8%	3.9%	7.9%
North Lanarkshire	-5.8%	1.7%	4.4%	3.6%	8.4%
Orkney	0.6%	3.4%	2.3%	-0.3%	7.0%
Perth and Kinross	0.8%	4.3%	4.6%	2.5%	7.0%
Renfrewshire	-5.4%	1.0%	5.4%	4.7%	6.7%
Scottish Borders	-0.6%	0.2%	4.9%	3.0%	6.6%
Shetland	15.8%	0.2%	2.0%	1.9%	6.9%
South Ayrshire	-2.1%	0.7%	6.3%	0.0%	6.8%
South Lanarkshire	-5.3%	-0.1%	5.8%	3.6%	7.9%
Stirling	1.7%	-2.2%	6.0%	0.9%	9.4%
West Dunbartonshire	-7.7%	-0.4%	4.3%	2.5%	9.7%
West Lothian	-0.2%	1.4%	4.7%	1.7%	7.3%

	2001-02 to 2002-03	2002-03 to 2003-04	2003-04 to 2004-05	2004-05 to 2005-06
Scotland	11.3%	8.5%	5.3%	5.4%
Aberdeen City	12.6%	8.5%	4.7%	4.9%
Aberdeenshire	13.0%	9.3%	6.5%	5.2%
Angus	14.5%	9.1%	5.3%	6.8%
Argyll and Bute	12.1%	9.1%	6.7%	5.1%
Clackmannanshire	11.2%	9.4%	4.4%	5.3%
Dumfries and Galloway	11.7%	9.3%	6.4%	5.2%
Dundee City	10.7%	7.8%	4.3%	4.7%
East Ayrshire	11.5%	8.4%	5.1%	5.6%
East Dunbartonshire	12.4%	9.6%	7.1%	5.7%
East Lothian	13.4%	9.9%	6.6%	6.5%
East Renfrewshire	13.9%	8.8%	8.8%	9.1%
Edinburgh, City of	13.1%	9.0%	4.4%	5.0%
Eilean Siar	6.4%	6.3%	5.1%	4.4%
Falkirk	11.3%	8.9%	6.3%	6.2%
Fife	10.9%	9.9%	6.7%	5.9%
Glasgow City	8.9%	6.6%	3.4%	3.9%
Highland	12.9%	8.0%	6.1%	5.5%
Inverclyde	11.1%	8.8%	4.2%	4.9%
Midlothian	10.3%	10.7%	6.9%	6.0%
Moray	10.7%	9.4%	7.3%	5.3%
North Ayrshire	11.2%	8.6%	4.4%	6.3%
North Lanarkshire	10.2%	8.4%	4.4%	6.2%
Orkney	7.2%	6.9%	5.9%	4.8%
Perth and Kinross	14.3%	10.1%	6.3%	5.8%
Renfrewshire	11.1%	9.5%	4.7%	6.1%
Scottish Borders	13.5%	9.2%	5.5%	5.6%
Shetland	6.4%	6.9%	5.6%	3.9%
South Ayrshire	13.2%	8.7%	4.5%	6.8%
South Lanarkshire	11.4%	8.2%	5.3%	6.1%
Stirling	13.0%	9.1%	6.3%	5.7%
West Dunbartonshire	9.5%	8.2%	4.0%	5.7%
West Lothian	11.1%	9.1%	7.5%	5.9%

Percentage Changes in Band D Council Tax

	1996-97 to 1997-98	1997-98 to 1998-99	1998-99 to 1999-2000	1999-00 to 2000-01	2000-01 to 2001-02
Scotland	10.7%	5.5%	2.7%	4.4%	4.9%
Aberdeen City	10.0%	11.5%	3.7%	6.1%	6.9%
Aberdeenshire	8.8%	8.1%	3.5%	8.1%	10.0%
Angus	3.0%	4.4%	3.5%	5.0%	6.5%
Argyll and Bute	18.7%	10.0%	0.0%	6.5%	4.9%
Clackmannanshire	8.8%	10.4%	4.9%	4.7%	4.2%
Dumfries and Galloway	21.0%	2.4%	4.8%	6.7%	4.9%
Dundee City	14.9%	7.6%	4.4%	2.1%	-0.9%
East Ayrshire	9.1%	5.1%	3.6%	3.5%	4.9%
East Dunbartonshire	15.4%	2.5%	5.1%	0.0%	5.0%
East Lothian	8.1%	5.0%	3.8%	8.7%	6.0%
East Renfrewshire	9.8%	6.9%	4.9%	5.9%	6.0%
Edinburgh, City of	3.1%	3.6%	2.5%	2.9%	4.9%
Eilean Siar	8.9%	9.5%	5.0%	5.1%	5.7%
Falkirk	9.0%	2.8%	2.9%	5.3%	7.4%
Fife	7.6%	3.2%	4.9%	4.9%	4.9%
Glasgow City	22.0%	9.4%	0.0%	1.9%	2.4%
Highland	9.2%	8.0%	2.9%	5.0%	6.0%
Inverclyde	9.1%	3.9%	2.9%	5.1%	8.5%
Midlothian	19.5%	4.0%	4.9%	2.9%	3.9%
Moray	7.3%	7.2%	3.6%	8.6%	4.9%
North Ayrshire	8.8%	4.6%	4.9%	4.9%	6.0%
North Lanarkshire	3.8%	3.2%	3.9%	3.8%	3.5%
Orkney Islands	7.3%	15.5%	4.9%	10.6%	9.3%
Perth and Kinross	4.7%	0.0%	3.6%	4.9%	10.1%
Renfrewshire	6.1%	0.0%	0.0%	8.0%	5.9%
Scottish Borders	9.7%	4.4%	4.9%	8.2%	8.3%
Shetland Islands	9.7%	14.8%	11.3%	10.1%	9.2%
South Ayrshire	4.7%	3.5%	0.0%	5.1%	5.0%
South Lanarkshire	9.5%	8.3%	2.4%	2.4%	2.6%
Stirling	14.5%	0.8%	4.7%	9.9%	6.0%
West Dunbartonshire	20.4%	3.4%	-3.0%	1.8%	2.5%
West Lothian	16.8%	4.7%	3.5%	3.5%	3.5%

	2001-02 to 2002-03	2002-03 to 2003-04	2003-04 to 2004-05	2004-05 to 2005-06
Scotland	4.5%	3.9%	4.4%	3.9%
Aberdeen City	5.0%	4.0%	8.6%	4.9%
Aberdeenshire	7.5%	5.1%	5.0%	5.0%
Angus	7.3%	5.9%	5.6%	5.3%
Argyll and Bute	2.5%	2.5%	4.0%	3.9%
Clackmannanshire	2.8%	1.7%	4.8%	3.0%
Dumfries and Galloway	4.9%	3.6%	3.5%	2.5%
Dundee City	3.2%	0.9%	4.2%	4.0%
East Ayrshire	4.9%	4.9%	4.9%	4.9%
East Dunbartonshire	5.0%	5.6%	6.9%	4.4%
East Lothian	5.0%	4.0%	5.0%	2.5%
East Renfrewshire	5.9%	4.9%	5.0%	5.0%
Edinburgh, City of	4.3%	4.0%	4.0%	4.0%
Eilean Siar	6.5%	6.4%	5.1%	4.9%
Falkirk	6.2%	5.0%	5.0%	5.1%
Fife	4.9%	4.9%	3.5%	3.4%
Glasgow City	1.9%	1.9%	1.9%	2.4%
Highland	5.6%	5.3%	5.1%	4.5%
Inverclyde	4.9%	2.5%	5.0%	2.9%
Midlothian	3.5%	3.5%	5.0%	4.4%
Moray	4.9%	4.9%	9.8%	4.9%
North Ayrshire	5.7%	5.4%	4.9%	4.9%
North Lanarkshire	3.5%	3.5%	3.5%	3.5%
Orkney Islands	9.3%	9.2%	4.4%	3.5%
Perth and Kinross	7.0%	5.0%	5.5%	4.9%
Renfrewshire	5.0%	5.0%	5.2%	5.0%
Scottish Borders	10.1%	8.2%	5.3%	3.5%
Shetland Islands	8.4%	7.8%	7.2%	4.8%
South Ayrshire	5.0%	5.0%	5.0%	5.0%
South Lanarkshire	2.5%	2.5%	3.5%	3.5%
Stirling	6.0%	5.0%	4.0%	4.0%
West Dunbartonshire	2.5%	1.9%	1.8%	2.2%
West Lothian	3.5%	3.5%	4.5%	4.5%

Question reference: S2W-20795

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 29 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average charge for business customers has been for (a) water supply and (b) waste water services in each year since 1997 under (i) each of the previous water authorities and (ii) Scottish Water.

Question reference: S2W-20796

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 29 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average charge for residential customers has been for (a) water supply and (b) waste water services in each year since 1997 under (i) each of the previous water authorities and (ii) Scottish Water.

Question reference: S2W-20904

Asked by: John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many farmers are entitled to single farm payments based on ownership or use of land between 0.3 and 0.4 hectares.

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