- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 3 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households will qualify for the proposed scheme to cap water charges in each council tax band, expressed as a percentage of the number of properties in each band, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The number of households that will qualify for assistance under the proposed scheme will depend on the charges levied by each of the water authorities in the coming year and the level at which any cap is set. As the charge levels have yet to be set and proposals for the scheme are still out to consultation it is not presently possible to identify the actual number of households that will qualify. It is however anticipated that at least 100,000 households throughout Scotland will receive assistance under the proposed scheme.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 3 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the finished paper products exported from Scotland in each of the last three years was exported to (a) the rest of the UK, (b) Europe and (c) the rest of the world, expressed in each case as a percentage of total exports in (i) tonnage and (ii) value terms.
Answer
Latest available figures on the export of paper products are from the 1996 Scottish Input-Output Tables. Scotland exported £1,118 million of paper products in 1996 - 49% to the rest of the UK and 51% to the rest of the world.
Data are not held centrally on the quantity of exports in tonnes or on exports to Europe.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 3 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a strategy to develop the paper manufacturing industry.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-11987.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 3 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the value of the paper manufacturing industry was to (a) the Scottish economy and (b) the rural economy, in terms of employment and GDP, in each of the last five years.
Answer
Latest available information on employment in the paper industry is for 1998 from the Annual Employment Survey. This survey has collected information of employment since 1995. The table shows the total number of employee jobs, and the proportion of all jobs accounted for by the paper industry. It gives these estimates for Scotland, and separately for rural Scotland.Employee jobs in pulp, paper and paper product industries
| Scotland | rural Scotland |
| Employee jobs | % of all jobs | Employee jobs | % of all jobs |
1995 | 10,000 | 0.5% | 2,000 | 0.4% |
1996 | 10,800 | 0.5% | 1,500 | 0.3% |
1997 | 11,900 | 0.6% | 2,000 | 0.4% |
1998 | 11,200 | 0.6% | 1,600 | 0.3% |
Source: Annual Employment Survey, Office for National Statistics
Latest figures on GDP are from the 1996 input-output tables for Scotland. These show that in 1996, the paper industry contributed £451 million to the Scottish economy. This represents 0.8% of total GDP. Figures for rural Scotland are not held centrally.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 3 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings it has had with Her Majesty's Government to discuss those policies that impact on the paper manufacturing industry.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the United Kingdom Government on a wide range of issues including those that impact on the paper manufacturing industry.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 3 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to help the paper manufacturing industry compete against foreign competition.
Answer
The Scottish Executive set out its support for manufacturing industry in Created in Scotland - the way forward for Scottish Manufacturing in the 21st Century, published in March 2000. Progress on this support is published on the Scottish Executive website. The Scottish Executive and the Enterprise Network are in regular contact with individual companies to provide support to enable companies become more competitive. Scottish Enterprise and the Forest Industries Development Council published in October 2000 a strategic framework for action for the forest industries cluster in Scotland.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 3 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken in response to receivers having been called in at Donside Paper Company in Aberdeen.
Answer
The Executive is aware of the receivers having been called in and is monitoring the situation. Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise officials will continue to work closely with the company.
The Executive's main concern is to ensure that everything possible is done to assist those members of the workforce affected should there be any job losses at the Donside facility.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 3 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings it has had with representatives of the paper manufacturing industry and what action has been taken as a result of any such meetings.
Answer
The Scottish Executive and the Enterprise Network are in regular contact with companies in the paper sector and provide a range of support as appropriate.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 3 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the raw materials used by the paper manufacturing industry in each of the last three years was imported, expressed in each case as a percentage of the total raw materials used in (a) tonnage and (b) value terms.
Answer
Latest available figures on paper manufacturing imports are from the 1996 Scottish Input-Output Tables. During 1996 the paper industry imported 46.6% (£403million) of its intermediate purchases from the rest of the UK (26.4%) and the rest of the world (20.2%). Intermediate purchases include all goods and services required for the production process.
Data are not held centrally on the quantity of imports in tonnes.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 3 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many paper manufacturing facilities there are in Scotland, where they are located and how many people are employed at each facility, giving figures for each of the last three years in each case.
Answer
Information on the current local authority basis is available for 1996 and 1997 and is given below. The figures for total employment represent the average number of full and part-time employees on the payroll during the year and include working proprietors.
1996
Unitary Authority | No. of Units | Total Employment (000) |
Aberdeen City | 19 | 2.4 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 4 | 0.2 |
Dundee City | 7 | 0.1 |
East Dunbartonshire | 8 | 0.2 |
Edinburgh, City of | 17 | 0.6 |
Falkirk | 9 | 0.3 |
Fife | 12 | 1.7 |
Glasgow, City of | 29 | 0.9 |
Inverclyde | 5 | 0.1 |
North Ayrshire | 6 | 0.5 |
North Lanarkshire | 17 | 0.7 |
Renfrewshire | 7 | 0.3 |
South Lanarkshire | 14 | 0.6 |
West Lothian | 8 | 0.5 |
Rest of Scotland3 | 43 | 2.5 |
TOTAL | 205 | 11.8 |
1997
Unitary Authority | No. of Units | Total Employment (000) |
Aberdeen City | 17 | 1.9 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 4 | 0.2 |
Dundee City | 9 | 0.2 |
East Dunbartonshire | 7 | 0.2 |
Edinburgh, City of | 20 | 0.6 |
Falkirk | 7 | 0.3 |
Fife | 14 | 2.3 |
Glasgow, City of | 22 | 0.6 |
Inverclyde | 4 | 0.1 |
North Ayrshire | 6 | 0.5 |
North Lanarkshire | 14 | 0.6 |
Renfrewshire | 12 | 0.2 |
South Lanarkshire | 17 | 0.8 |
West Lothian | 7 | 0.5 |
Rest of Scotland3 | 41 | 2.5 |
TOTAL | 201 | 11.6 |
Source: Scottish Production Database.
Notes:
1. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
2. Figures relate to Standard Industrial Classification 21 - "Manufacture of pulp, paper and paper products".
3. Data for "Rest of Scotland" has been aggregated together to prevent disclosure of data relating to individual units.