- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 24 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of income for each of Scotland's three water authorities is derived from (a) revenue from customer charges, (b) external borrowing; (c) public/private partnerships,and (d) EU structural funds for the current year and each year since their creation, where possible giving projections for future years.
Answer
Public/private partnership deals undertaken by the water authorities do not generate income for them but result in the authorities paying a tariff to the private consortia concerned for providing value for money services. The following tables show annually for each water authority, charges revenue, new borrowing and EU structural grants.
£ million
| North of Scotland Water Authority | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 |
| Charges revenue | 120.2 | 128.0 | 137.8 | 153.0 |
| New borrowing | 65.9 | 48.7 | 46.5 | 46.0* |
| EU Grants | 0.031 | 0.022 | 0.739 | 0.469 |
| East of Scotland Water Authority | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 |
| Charges revenue | 162.0 | 173.2 | 194.0 | 236.5 |
| New borrowing | 70.0 | 55.9 | 54.7 | 80.5* |
| EU Grants | nil | nil | nil | nil |
| West of Scotland Water Authority | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-00 |
| Charges revenue | 243.1 | 247.4 | 266.0 | 280.0 |
| New borrowing | 83.9 | 62.5 | 71.3 | 95.4* |
| EU Grants | 0.008 | 0.057 | 0.113 | 0.015 |
*New borrowings (EFLs) for the current year were adjusted at water authorities' request to accommodate timing changes in their capital investment programmes. In NoSWA's case £5 million was deferred to 2000-01 and for ESWA and WoSWA £10 million each was brought forward from 2000-01 into the current year. Indicative EFLs for 2000-01 were adjusted accordingly to £55 million, £66 million and £80.9 million for NoSWA, ESWA and WoSWA respectively.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 24 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what salaries and bonus schemes will be offered to the successful applicants for the chief executive posts currently being advertised by water authorities and to what extent, if any, these will be an increase on previous levels.
Answer
The exact remuneration packages for the Chief Executives will be a matter for negotiation between the Board of each authority and the successful candidates. The final packages agreed will be subject to Ministerial approval; I have indicated to the authorities that a basic salary of a little above £100,000, with fewer benefits than at present, may be considered as the basis for negotiations with their preferred candidates.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive the water commissioner's recommendations on changes, when it will make public its response and what plans it has to consult the Parliament before finally setting the charges.
Answer
I received the Commissioner's advice on strategic charge levels for the period 2000-02 on 22 December, and I announced my decision to Parliament on 26 January.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 18 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken or is taking to protect the continuation of Scotch beef labelling and similar Scottish labelling in the European Union and whether it perceives any adverse implications from EU legislation.
Answer
You will be aware that the European Commission has proposed a compulsory system of beef labelling that is projected to be in place on 1 September, 2000. The Scottish Executive's objective is to seek exemption from these compulsory regulations for beef covered by either a Protected Geographical Indication ("Scotch" beef) or a Protected Denomination of Origin ("Orkney" beef) as described by EC regulation 2081/92. This objective is fully reflected in the UK position in negotiations, but I was able to make this point at the Agriculture Council in December and also more recently, my officials have in Council working groups convened on 11, 12 and 27 January.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 17 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive why Aberdeen City Council was excluded from additional deprivation payments to local authorities announced by the Minister for Finance on 31 January 2000.
Answer
Special deprivation payments have been targeted at those councils experiencing higher levels of deprivation, as measured by above average Income Support recipients as a proportion of their total populations. Aberdeen City is not amongst these councils.The payments do not pre-judge the outcome of the review of deprivation indicators within the distribution system that we are undertaking this year with COSLA.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 11 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to commission or request any study into the impact of rising water charges on low income families.
Answer
In my statement on 26 January, I announced the results of the strategic review of water charges for the period April 2000 to March 2002. I also announced that I have asked my officials to consider whether we can improve on the protection already given to many low-income households through the linkage between water charges and Council Tax banding.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 10 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to privatise the water industry.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what value it places on the role of Grampian Television in the maintenance of cultural diversity in Scotland.
Answer
Grampian Television makes a valuable contribution to the culture of Scotland, particularly of the North of Scotland. Its provision is required to comply with the licence conditions of the Independent Television Commission.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 4 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Scottish Media Group on their plans to re-organise their television division and the impact this may have on regional broadcasting.
Answer
SMG's television operations are a matter for the company itself, subject to its meeting its licence obligations to the Independent Television Commission.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the number of (a) registered dentists and (b) registered NHS dentists, by health board area for each of the last ten years.
Answer
Information on the number of registered dentists and the number of dentists practising outwith the National Health Service in Scotland (NHSiS) is not available centrally. The number of general dental practitioners practising within the NHSiS by health board area over the past nine years is shown in the table below:
General Dental Practitioners1, 2 Practising within the NHSiS by Health Board Area |
| | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
Scotland | 1,656 | 1,680 | 1,774 | 1,770 | 1,776 | 1,767 | 1,802 | 1,855 | 1,931 |
Argyll & Clyde | 157 | 160 | 165 | 170 | 167 | 166 | 166 | 166 | 153 |
Ayrshire & Arran | 118 | 120 | 126 | 133 | 126 | 128 | 133 | 138 | 127 |
Borders | 32 | 34 | 40 | 35 | 38 | 35 | 33 | 34 | 35 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 37 | 36 | 43 | 41 | 44 | 42 | 38 | 37 | 42 |
Fife | 103 | 100 | 117 | 123 | 119 | 119 | 118 | 124 | 113 |
Forth Valley | 80 | 83 | 79 | 77 | 77 | 81 | 82 | 92 | 96 |
Grampian | 139 | 146 | 160 | 148 | 155 | 151 | 157 | 162 | 169 |
Greater Glasgow | 340 | 348 | 358 | 347 | 356 | 341 | 355 | 354 | 413 |
Highland | 63 | 68 | 72 | 77 | 79 | 71 | 81 | 80 | 85 |
Lanarkshire | 147 | 141 | 147 | 148 | 149 | 161 | 161 | 172 | 170 |
Lothian | 278 | 282 | 301 | 298 | 301 | 308 | 310 | 322 | 344 |
Orkney | 3 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
Shetland | 6 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 |
Tayside | 142 | 140 | 145 | 141 | 141 | 139 | 143 | 148 | 157 |
Western Isles | 11 | 10 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
Notes:
1. A small proportion of dentists work in more than one health board. In this table each dentist is counted only once2. Excludes trainees and assistants.
