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Levies collected and the percentages allocated directly to Scotland in each of the last five years are given in the table below. The balance of income is channelled to MLC core activities, which include technical and development support at the headquarters in Milton Keynes and technical support through the Brussels Office from which Scottish producers benefit.The advent of QMS will ensure the continuation of existing funding arrangements to SQBLA and SPII, with money currently used to support the MLC's Scottish Office being added to the total. Additionally there is scope for extra cash to be injected into QMS, including resources from the MLC's main budget. Unlike its predecessors, QMS will also have a direct influence on Commission decisions affecting all levy monies raised in Scotland.

Year	Income £ million	% Directly Allocated to Scotland %
1999-2000	4.9	37
1998-99	5.1	31
1997-98	5.1	27
1996-97	5.4	26
1995-96	5.3	23

The appointment of board members and the criteria used to select them is entirely a matter for the organisations represented on QMS. However, I have always believed that if QMS was to succeed it would need to appoint people of the highest calibre and, in my opinion, the appointment of Neil Kilpatrick as Chairman and other members of the board meets that requirement.

This information is not held centrally.

There are no current plans for a UK Fisheries Institute. If such an Institute were to be established I believe that a strong case exists for locating the Institute in Scotland. I have written to the Minister for Fisheries and Countryside at MAFF, Elliot Morley, expressing this view. The Deputy First Minister, Mr Wallace has also written to Mr Morley expressing similar views.

I apologise for the delay in answering this question.The aggregate sterling value of individual EU programmes is dependent on the euro/sterling exchange rate at the time that money is drawn down from the European Commission. These draw-downs will continue over the next two years as grants are paid out under the 1994-1999 EU programmes. The impact of currency fluctuations will not therefore be known until 2002. The £2.5 million figure quoted at the Rural Affairs Committee meeting represented an interim estimate of the effects of exchange rates on the sterling value of EU resources drawn down, at various exchange rates, and in several instalments since 1994, which have been allocated to the Highlands and Islands Agricultural Programme. This figure will be subject to change depending on exchange rates between the time that the £2.5 million was calculated and 2002.

This information is all in the public domain.

Education authorities were requested to provide returns on numbers of exclusions from the beginning of the 1998-99 school session. That is, therefore, the only year for which we currently have figures.

Across the Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire areas, temporary exclusions in primary schools, across all stages, averaged 11 half days for each 100 pupils. Temporary exclusions in secondary schools, across all stages except S6, averaged 71 half days for each 100 pupils. The numbers of pupils removed from the register (permanent exclusions) across the same areas totalled three in primary schools and 28 in secondary schools.

Decisions of this nature are a matter for individual Departments or Agencies to consider.

This information is provided in the following tables.TABLE 1: NUMBER OF AMBULANCES AND AMBULANCE STAFF¹ - ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY SERVICE

Health Board	1995-96		1996-97		1997-98		1998-99		1999-2000
	Vehicles	Staff	Vehicles	Staff	Vehicles	Staff	Vehicles	Staff	Vehicles	Staff
Argyll & Clyde	50	153.0	51	157.0	51	155.0	51	154.0	52	155.0
Ayrshire & Arran	36	140.0	32	141.0	32	138.0	32	143.0	31	141.0
Borders	19 86.0	88.0	18	86.0	18	90.0	18	90.0	18	90.0
Dumfries & Galloway	28	88.0	26	99.0	26	97.0	26	97.0	26	97.0
Fife	26	110.0	25	110.0	25	110.0	25	110.0	24	110.0
Forth Valley	15	63.0	15	66.0	15	66.0	15	66.0	15	66.0
Grampian	45	150.0	41.0	162.0	41	162.0	41	163.0	41	162.0
Greater Glasgow	54	191.0	57	195.0	57	199.0	57	199.0	59	209.0
Highland	50	145.0	49	181.0	49	181.0	49	180.0	49	180.0
Lanarkshire	30	141.0	29	141.0	29	146.0	29	146.0	29	146.0
Lothian	42	190.0	45	190.0	45	199.0	45	193.0	42	195.0
Orkney	5	6.0	5	8.0	5	9.0	5	9.0	5	9.0
Shetland	6	6.0	6	8.0	6	7.0	6	7.0	6	7.0
Tayside	31	109.0	33	131.0	33	137.0	33	137.0	33	137.0
Western Isles	11	11.0	11	24.0	11	28.0	11	28.0	11	28.0
SCOTLAND	448	1591.0	443	1699.0	443	1724.0	443	1722.0	441	1732.0

Notes:1. The numbers of vehicles is the vehicle establishment available for use in each health board area. The numbers of staff is the staff establishment on front line vehicles (whole-time equivalents in each health board area).

TABLE 2: NUMBER OF AMBULANCES AND AMBULANCE STAFF¹ - NON-EMERGENCY SERVICE

Health Board	1995-96		1996-97		1997-98		1998-99		1999-2000
	Vehicles	Staff	Vehicles	Staff	Vehicles	Staff	Vehicles	Staff	Vehicles	Staff
Argyll & Clyde	52	62.8	52	62.8	52	63.4	52	62.8	51	62.8
Ayrshire & Arran	41	56.6	41	56.6	41	56.6	41	56.6	41	56.6
Borders	14	22.7	14	22.7	15	22.7	15	22.7	16	22.7
Dumfries & Galloway	18	31.6	18	31.6	18	31.6	18	31.6	19	31.6
Fife	34	49.5	34	49.5	35	49.5	35	49.5	36	49.5
Forth Valley	20	36.3	20	36.3	22	36.3	22	36.3	24	36.3
Grampian	41	57.0	41	57.0	46	57.0	46	57.0	48	57.0
Greater Glasgow	68	120.4	68	120.4	67	120.4	67	120.4	65	120.4
Highland	16	24.0	16	24.0	18	24.0	18	24.0	17	24.0
Lanarkshire	35	59.0	35	59.0	35	59.0	35	59.0	37	59.0
Lothian	60	74.5	60	74.5	60	73.5	60	74.5	59	74.5
Orkney	0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0.0
Shetland	1	1.3	1	1.3	1	1.3	1	1.3	1	1.3
Tayside	48	58.8	48	58.8	45	60.5	45	58.8	45	58.8
Western Isles	1	2.0	1	2.0	1	2.0	1	2.0	1	2.0
SCOTLAND	449	656.5	449	656.5	456	657.8	456	656.5	460	656.5

Notes:

1. The numbers of vehicles is the vehicle establishment available for use in each health board. The numbers of staff is the staff establishment on patient transport vehicles (whole-time equivalents in each health board area). This table does not include information on the voluntary car service that is used by the ambulance service.

The table below shows the extent (value and percentage of total budget) to which Rural Affairs portfolio expenditure (that is, excluding expenditure on the environment by the Rural Affairs Department) is offset by contributions from the European Union.

£ million

1995-96 Outturn	1996-97 Outturn	1997-98 Outturn	1998-99 Outturn	1999-2000 Estimated Outturn	2000-01 Plan	2001-02 Plan
365 (70%)	436 (73%)	333 (65%)	363 (63%)	357 (65%)	386 (70%)	413 (70%)

Arrangements for EU reimbursements vary. Over 95% of the total EU related funding shown comes from the Guarantee Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF). Under EU rules member states receive reimbursement from Brussels for related scheme spending, generally some two months in arrears. In the UK, payments to beneficiaries are funded by the UK Exchequer - from the Westminster Vote for the Intervention Board Executive Agency which is the nominated UK Funding Agency for CAP schemes. The agency passes the funds to Scottish Ministers for payment by the Rural Affairs Department. The agency's vote subsequently brings to account of the UK Exchequer the related EU receipts.

The small balance of EU funding comes mainly from the Guidance Section of EAGGF and from the EU Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) and the department claims from Brussels the relevant EU contribution towards the gross costs of the measures concerned.

In the case of the major component of EU contributions - from the EAGGF Guarantee Section - spending is from the Assigned Budget, but is part of Annually Managed Expenditure. The costs of any increased demand for related CAP spending are met entirely by the UK Treasury. The small balance of EU receipts has two main components. The largest single component is spending on Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances (HLCAs), which generates about £8 million a year of EU receipts. Spending on HLCAs is in the non-Assigned Budget. The remaining balance of receipts is attributable to EU contributions towards a range of agricultural and fisheries structural measures for which the Department holds gross spending provision, within the Assigned Budget.