- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 27 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the operation of departmental expenditure limits in respect of European Union funding.
Answer
Provision for expenditure related to EU funding channelled through or claimed direct by the Scottish Administration is included in Scotland's Assigned Budget. Common Agricultural Policy-related expenditure is classified as Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) and the level of provision can therefore be adjusted annually and in-year to reflect the actual level of payments. All other expenditure related to EU funding channelled through or claimed direct by the Scottish Administration falls within Scotland's Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL).
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 27 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government to take the necessary steps to enable the allocation of the ?150 million additional European Union money referred to in the resolution of 10 March 2003 in the European Parliament on the white fish sector.
Answer
No such additional funds exist. The Commission's proposal is for an additional €32 million across the Community for an emergency scrapping fund, but this has not been approved by the Council and the European Parliament.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it had with Shell UK prior to the company's announcement of 350 job losses.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Shell about a wide range of matters, and was aware that the company was considering changes to its offshore operations. The restructuring decision was one for the company itself to take.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its budgetary projections are for financial support to sea fisheries for each of the next two years, showing the percentage allocated to (a) enforcement, (b) decommissioning schemes, (c) Fisheries Research Services and (d) other purposes.
Answer
The information requested is set out in the following table. In compiling the data, "enforcement" has been taken to mean spending by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency. A detailed breakdown of figures on "sea fisheries" is not readily available: data will include some expenditure which may not be related to that. To allow proper year-on-year comparisons, all numbers are on a cash basis.
| | 2003-04Budget(£ Million) | 2004-05Plans(£ Million) |
| Enforcement | 13.4(14.3%) | 14.2(32.5%) |
| Decommissioning and Transitional Aid | 50.0*(53.4%) | Nil |
| Fisheries Research Services | 16.9(18.1%) | 16.4(37.5%) |
| Other | 13.3(14.2%) | 13.1(30%) |
| Total | 93.6 | 43.7 |
Note:*The 2003-04 Budget presented to the Parliament makes no provision for this spending, which will be made during 2003-04 in a Revised Budget, but the planned spending on the schemes is included here for completeness.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of track record was decommissioned during previous decommissioning schemes and whether this level was equal to the total level accounted for by the vessels included in such schemes prior to being decommissioned.
Answer
Departmental records are only available for the last decommissioning scheme in 2001. At the end of this scheme, 98 vessels had been decommissioned and the licences associated with these vessels contained 317,151 FQA units.However, these FQA units were not decommissioned along with the vessel. Once these licences had been surrendered, the licence-holder was given up to three years to transfer these FQA units to other vessels.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of track record has been allocated to former fishing vessels whose owners surrendered their fishing licences under the 2001 decommissioning scheme and how much this track record is currently worth on the open market.
Answer
At the end of the 2001 decommissioning scheme, 98 vessels had been decommissioned and the licences associated with these vessels contained 317,151 FQA units.The department does not maintain records of the value of FQA units.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what European funding programmes are available to organisations in Scotland.
Answer
There are four Structural Funds available in Scotland:The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) primarily supports productive investment, infrastructure and SME development. The Guidance Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF-Guidance section) supports measures for the adjustment of agricultural structures and rural development. The European Social Fund (ESF) supports measures to promote employment (education systems, vocational training and recruitment aids). The Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) supports measures for the adjustment of structures in this sector, and the "accompanying measures" of the common fisheries policy. These are made available through geographically defined programmes - the Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme, the three Objective 2 programmes (East, West and South of Scotland) and Objective 3 which supports training activities outwith the Highlands and Islands area.In addition to these there are four community initiatives, which are worth around 5% of the 2000-06 Structural Fund budget and are pilot projects/test beds for activity which, if effective is then mainstreamed into the larger funds:Interreg III: Cross-border, transnational and interregional co-operation.Urban II: Regeneration of urban areas in crisis. (Port Glasgow and Clydebank South)LEADER+ : Rural development through innovative local projects.EQUAL : Combating discrimination and inequalities in connection with the labour market.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the take-up level is of European Union (EU) grants, expressed as a percentage of total EU grants available and what information it holds on take-up of such grants by (a) other regions and nations within the United Kingdom and (b) EU member states.
Answer
The extent of take up of European Structural Funds by other UK regions is a matter for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the Department for Trade and Industry and the European Commission. Take-up by other member states is a matter for the European Commission. The Commission monitors progress and reports to member states through the Committee for the Development and Conversion of the Regions, which is attended by Scottish Executive officials.Take-up is measured by the so-called "N+2" regulation, under which money has to be spent within two years of allocation by the Commission. So far as the 1994-99 programmes are concerned, where project activity finished at the end of 2001, final reports will be considered by the Commission over the coming months. For the 2000-06 programmes, the first test of take-up was at the end of last year, where the majority of Objective 1 and Objective 3 Programmes had to report financial performance against allocations. Again, the information is currently being considered by the Commission.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of how much funding would be required to purchase all track record and entitlement currently allocated to vessels known to have been decommissioned and, if so, how much it estimates this figure to be.
Answer
The department does not maintain records of the value of FQA units. Consequently, no assessment has been made.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce training to raise awareness of the availability and purpose of different European Union grants and to provide assistance in the preparation of such grant applications.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has encouraged the five Programme Management Executives (PMEs) (who implement the programmes on the ground on behalf of the Scottish Executive) to pursue actively a range of activities to raise awareness of the availability of European Structural Funds programmes, including:the provision of websites and the circulation to all partner organisations of programme bulletins providing up to date information on funds available and forthcoming application rounds; facilitation of fast-track applications, rolling programmes and additional application rounds where appropriate; delivery of regular application advice surgeries and workshops across the country;engaging with target communities to stimulate applications for community economic development support; analysis of underlying reasons for slow uptake in particular measures or areas, andefforts to promote private sector interest in the funds.The Scottish Executive is in the process of implementing a new web-based application and claim form system, which will streamline the process for applicants. The new application forms have been developed and are being phased in according to the timetables of the application rounds run by each PME. PMEs will introduce the new forms and processes to applicant organisations and provide training and support to assist them in preparing grant applications.
